Looking Ahead And Looking Back a Little

Each and every year on December 31st we do the same old thing to bring in the New Year and celebrate Russ' birthday that happens to be on New Year's Eve.  We don't watch the ball drop and sometimes we don't even make it until midnight.  We do out to the pasture and light a big bonfire that is made up of all the limbs and branches that fall out of the trees throughout the year.  One year it was so big the fire trucks came to the house after someone called and reported that our barn was on fire!

Usually the bonfires are a lot bigger than the one we lit up this year.  We've had several smaller bonfires throughout the year that burned up some of the wood.  As much fun as gigantic bonfires are, huge piles of wood have their downside as well. Chickens like to roost in them and hide out and lay their eggs deep within the pile where you can't get to their eggs.  Then rats like to hide out in the large woodpiles, making their home and raising their rodent families.  One year we lit the pile up and rats began scurrying from their hot habitat.  In true redneck revelry, bonfire watchers began chasing rats and stomping them or hitting them with sticks.  That's fun for the whole family, I tell you.

The annual bonfires are held in our pasture and as the fire begins blazing, the cows come around and watch alongside us.  Just like us they are mesmerized by the flames.

Daisy and Russ staring into the fire

It was a chilly night so it felt good to have a large fire heating up the surrounding area.  Prior to starting the fire, we prepared our meal for the evening.  It was an old Boy Scout meal that we called foil meals or silver turtles.  It is very easy to make and easy to clean up afterwards.  Simply make a ground beef patty and season it. Then take a square of aluminum foil and arrange some sliced potatoes on the bottom.  Place your beef patty on top and then add sliced carrots, peppers, and lots of onions on top.  Finally fold up the aluminum foil securely and then wrap with another sheet of aluminum foil.

Daisy wishing Russ Happy Birthday

We waited patiently for the fire to burn down to where it was only coals.  At this point you place the foil meals directly on the coals and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Then flip the foil meal over and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes.  Then it is ready to eat.  Pull them off of the coals and open up the foil.  You can eat with a fork directly from the foil and roll up your foil when finished eating for quick cleanup.

Eat Mor Chikn

The foil meals were delicious.  I must admit I felt a little guilty smelling the aroma of beef cooking and then eating beef while accompanied by our milk cows.  I thought they would come out with signs that said, "Eat Mor Chikn" or something! Later on Russ and Benjamin went to the local Fireworks tent and purchased a variety pack of fireworks for $20.  We popped fireworks in the backyard literally watching $20 bucks go up in smoke, but we had a good time.

The next day we continued with our fiery ways and started a fire in the fireplace. We got out photo albums and began looking at things we've done in the past as a family, looking back a little bit of time we shared together and good family times we've had over the past years.  I think it shows the importance of family and togetherness and sets the table for that basis of family times to be carried over into 2016 and years forward.

Looking in the past with eyes on the future

Hopefully, if the Good Lord's willing, we'll make more memories in 2016...