My previous entry: Report 11 of 13
Next entry: My Year of Eating Like the World Ended – Final Report
Check out Report 1 of 13 to see how this year-long experiment began.
Another month on the mountaintop. Since July ended on such a strong note, I was determined to make August at least as good, and right from the start, resolved to keep my head down and try to minimize breaks and distractions. As you’ll see in my August food report, I succeeded in that more than I failed, but…
Well, rather than describe it here, let’s just see how the month progressed.
Daily Food Dairy for August 2019
Thurs, 08.01.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of regular oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Pork chops and eggs | 800 |
Dinner | Can of tomato soup and two grilled cheese. Adding ice cream here too | 700 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2160 |
Got up at butt o’clock this morning – the sun just peeking over the mountains and thick fog on the ground. Hit the root cellar hard and busted pallets. Waited over a cup of coffee till there were signs of life at Mike’s house, then took the wood over and took delivery of the trade goods for the month. Mike put in a request for some additional pallets, and I’ve got a few on hand from prior scouting missions, so I’ll bust those tomorrow and get some more supplies (targeting veggies from his garden).
After that, it was a solid day of writing, with an ice cream break in the middle. Gonna try to rein that in some this month and get my weight headed back in the good direction, but for now… ice cream. And writing.
Fri, 08.02.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of regular oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Last can of chicken noodle soup | 500 |
Dinner | Steak and veggies | 900 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2060 |
Another full day of writing, broken up by some time getting sweaty in the root cellar. Happy to report that to this day, still no sign of the nasty spiders that caused me so much trouble at the start of the experiment. Those bug bombs seem to have done the trick!
A sad day though – just ate my last can of chicken noodle soup. Will trade for more if there’s any available – something quick and easy. Still got a few cans of split pea soup tho…
Sat, 08.03.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of apple oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Veggie stir fry w chicken | 700 |
Dinner | Leftover veggie stir fry with chicken | 700 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2060 |
Trading day and less writing. Wound up making another batch of ice cream. Got lots of veggies, including six sweet potatoes and the biggest zucchini I’ve ever seen…and some chocolate syrup! Came home for lunch, then went back over to spend the afternoon with Mike and his family and only reluctantly returned to the writing desk in time for leftovers for dinner.
Not a super productive day, but a good day, and I’m still fundamentally happy with the amount of social interaction I’ve been able to get. Helps ward off the isolation, tho I realize that I’m leaning HEAVILY on my near neighbors on that front. In a real scenario, I’d probably be better off by expanding the pool a bit. Something I’ll consider for the AAR next month. Made a batch of vanilla ice cream. Restocking ice supply.
Sun, 08.04.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of strawberry oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Eggs and toast | 300 |
Dinner | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1320 |
Heavy writing day. After a day spent with friends, I’m feeling pretty energized, but – there’s a problem. At some point in the night, the well pump died. I spent a couple hours in the morning trying to revive it but ultimately had to call in the cavalry in the form of my landlady. Unfortunately, being Sunday on the mountain, there’s nothing for it. Made a brief trip into town to pick up ten gallons of water and will minimize its use.
Mon, 08.05.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Ice cream (vanilla with chocolate syrup) | 500 |
Dinner | Venison and veggies | 900 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2060 |
Well guys slated to come this afternoon. Continuing to ration my meager supplies of water. Of course, I can always get more, but I’ma try to avoid having to. Used four gallons today, including for flushing toilets. Just going to have to forego a shower till the pump is fixed. Bleh.
No sign of the well guys.
Tues, 08.06.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of strawberry oatmeal! | 360 |
Lunch | Steak and sweet potato! | 900 |
Dinner | Huge salad with grilled chicken | 750 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2310 |
Day three without water. Continuing to ration. 4 more gallons used today, and holy HELL I need a shower. Today’s hot, too, which isn’t helping. But – the internet connection is solid, so I just kept my nose down, tried not to think about the fact that I feel grungy, and just got stuff done.
Well guys showed up late afternoon and confirmed what I already knew. Yep. It’s dead. They said they’d be back “in the morning” to fix it. Here we go…
Wed, 08.07.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | 2 grilled cheese and a can of tomato soup | 480 |
Dinner | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1500 |
Day four with no water. Used one of my last two gallons to flush the dang toilet. If they don’t get it fixed today, I’m seriously considering getting a room at the Galax Motel in town just so I can get a shower. Damn.
Good writing day though, but another hot day (bearing in mind that “hot” up here is high 80’s…it’s not boiling like it used to be in South Carolina at the beach, but still plenty uncomfortable – especially with no water! Anyway, soldiering on.
“In the morning” turned out to be around noon, and it took them four hours and a party of five to swap the pump out, but by the evening, with my last gallon of water dwindling, the well sprang back into action! I promptly refilled all ten-gallon jugs, made some coffee, took an hour-long shower and started in on some laundry. Medium writing day because I was giddy with the water access and made heavy use of it.
New problem: Since the new pump came back on, the toilet isn’t happy. It’s overflowing. Water just keeps entering the tank. Not sure what’s up. My hunch is that the new pump is more powerful, and the increased pressure means that some kind of adjustment is needed. Don’t know anything about that (but I’m basing the more powerful pump conclusion on the fact that I’ve got BADASS shower pressure now, which I love).
Not an insurmountable issue. Will just have to remember to only turn the water to the toilet tank on when I need to flush it, then power it down until the plumber can arrive to take a look.
Called my landlady again, and she’s making the arrangements.
Thurs, 08.08.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Milkshake for lunch | 500 |
Dinner | Last two servings of mango madness | 1080 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2240 |
Another mediocre writing day in the aftermath of the Great Well Disaster of 2019. Caught up on laundry, enjoyed another super long shower, did the foul dishes that had been piling up in the sink and then, continued with general housekeeping duties from there. Plumber arrived and tweaked the guts of the tank. Problem solved. The Well Disaster is officially behind me! Back to smooth sailing, I hope!
Fri, 08.09.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Dinner | Chops and some apple sauce | 700 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1720 |
Have I said how much I enjoy having water again? Another gloriously long, hot shower this morning and a good, productive day. Still need to catch up a bit on the housework, but spent the day scrubbing floors, sinks, fixtures, and counters in the bathroom.
Looking good now! All that and a solid writing day, too – very happy with that. Mike’s wife brought over some homemade apple sauce in the afternoon. Will incorporate that into my dinner plans!
Sat, 08.10.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | French toast! | 640 |
Lunch | 2 grilled cheese, tomato soup, ice cream a bit later | 750 |
Dinner | Venison and veggies | 900 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2590 |
Another week down and despite the fact that the month got off to a bit of a rocky start, things seem to have smoothed out nicely. Solid progress on all fronts and did some more deep cleaning.
How did I accumulate all this crap? When I moved here, everything I owned fit into five plastic tubs. Bleh. Downsizing, in between knocking out the work!
Sun, 08.11.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of apple oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Ice cream for lunch | 500 |
Dinner | Crockpot stew | 800 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1960 |
Fired up the crockpot this morning. Tossed in some stew meat, assorted veggies, and random seasonings plucked from the spice rack. I’m not much of a cook, but even I can’t screw stew up…just throw a bunch of stuff together, let it get hot, season to taste and go. It certainly won’t win any awards, but it’s edible.
More good progress where key tapping is concerned too. Didn’t do a lot on the housework front, but it’s okay. It’ll keep, and there’s a 100% chance that the cats won’t do it for me, so…it will still be there tomorrow.
Mon, 08.12.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Dinner | More crockpot stew | 800 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1820 |
Quiet day and starting to get cooler. Everybody up here keeps saying that this will be a hard winter. I’ve learned better than to question their wisdom, so will make preparations for that, but only after the experiment formally comes to an end – though I gotta say, my trading has kept the pantry very well stocked though I am running a bit short on canned goods, so at the end of September,
I’ll start looking around for deals to stock back up on that front. For the most part, though, I’m feeling pretty good about things.
Tues, 08.13.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of multigrain cereal | 360 |
Lunch | Steak and a sweet potato | 900 |
Dinner | Last of the crockpot stew | 600 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2160 |
Helped pick some blackberries and strawberries growing wild between my property and Mike’s. Mike’s kids brought me a strawberry pie later in the evening. Gave them some of the chocolate ice cream I had just finished whipping up in exchange. Trade.
Nothing trumps trade. I’m a firm believer in that. And trade requires relationships. That’s the single biggest lesson I’ve learned over the course of this experiment. And my waistline is proof! After picking, I still got a good bit of writing done, too, so wins all around.
Wed, 08.14.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Back to boring oatmeal (two servings) | 360 |
Lunch | Skipped lunch | 0 |
Dinner | 2 PB&J & Pie | 900 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1560 |
Big wind on the mountain top today. All day. Didn’t knock the internet out though, so writing proceeded apace. Good day, if a bit uneventful. Just spent the day enjoying cheesy B movies and getting stuff done.
Thurs, 08.15.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Pie for lunch | 500 |
Dinner | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1520 |
More wind – even stronger than last yesterday, but no power flickers and no problems with net access. Another big movie and writing day. Found a few good ones, including a low budget film called “Find Me,” which was about an accountant who became a full-fledged adventurer on a quest for his missing friend. I dunno – struck a chord in me. Loved it. And more solid progress on the writing front.
Fri, 08.16.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Can of chili | 640 |
Dinner | Can of split pea soup, Pie for dessert! | 860 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2160 |
Switched it up. Google home mini provided a day’s worth of good music to go with the writing. Wind finally died down, so a quiet day today. Took frequent breaks to snuggle with the cats and still got a lot done.
Sat, 08.17.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of multigrain cereal | 360 |
Lunch | Eggs and pancakes! | 640 |
Dinner | Pie for dinner! | 500 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1800 |
We’re officially on the downhill side of the month. It’s been strong so far, despite the setbacks and challenges the month has thrown at me so far. If I can keep the momentum going, this month is going to wind up being the second-best month since I’ve been keeping writing stats. We’ll see how it goes! Onward!
Sun, 08.18.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of strawberry oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Can of beef stew | 640 |
Dinner | Can of chili | 640 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1940 |
Kept things simple today. Didn’t get up from the writing desk except for bathroom breaks, food breaks, and two short kitty breaks to snuggle my felines. Other than that, it was wall to wall writing. More progress! I’m chewing through the remaining outstanding debts at a rapid clip…. on track to be totally debt-free by September or October, which will be AMAZING!
Mon, 08.19.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Back to the boring oatmeal again (two servings) | 360 |
Lunch | Polished off the pie | 500 |
Dinner | Steak and another sweet potato for dinner | 900 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2060 |
One day is kinda starting to bleed into the next, which happens when things are running smoothly and there are no hiccups or interruptions like, oh, say, the well pump going out or something.
So – onward. Movies were good today, and I got a lot done. Even took some time out to fiddle with more housework for a bit. Place is back to looking pretty good. Not that there’s anyone to see it but me and the cats, but that’s okay too. I’m not really lonely.
Tues, 08.20.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Ice cream! | 500 |
Dinner | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1520 |
Hiked up to the top of one of the peaks today. Patches wanted to come, but I told her no. Took her out in the back yard when I got back, though, and let her get some sun on the top of the root cellar. She enjoyed that, and I needed the break. Other than that, though, it was wall to wall writing.
Wed, 08.21.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | No lunch – out with Mike | 0 |
Dinner | Fish and veggies | 750 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1410 |
Another mixed day. Mike was heading out “on patrol,” and I joined him. Our properties adjoin a much larger estate that’s mostly wildland with steep slopes and lots of ravines. Periodically, Mike acts as caretaker and just does a sweep just to make sure there’s nothing amiss.
While we were hiking, he told me the story of how he took Elizabeth’s boyfriend on patrol with him to give him “the talk” (Elizabeth is his teenage daughter). Made the poor boy carry a shovel the whole time. LOL I’ve heard the story before, but it’s a good one, so I listened attentively. That’s life on the mountain. Anyway, we stopped for some fishing along the way, and I caught enough for dinner, so that’s something.
When I got back, Mike’s kids had left me a present in the form of a tin of peppermint Altoids and a five-pack of Big Red gum. Ahhhh – sweet treats! That’s a treasure indeed. I will savor them!
Thurs, 08.22.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | No Lunch Today | 0 |
Dinner | Can of beef stew, a bowl of ice cream later | 1140 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1800 |
Home invasion! Sort of. LOL – Sometime in the middle of the night, all three felines went berserk – howling and hissing. I got up to investigate to find that a big black tomcat (BMK – Big Mean Kitty, for short), was trying to gain entry via the secret passage on the drawbridge that Bella uses to make her escape. They were all circled around the pet door in the window when I got up, keeping BMK at bay. I closed the window, ending the standoff, and went back to sleep. Poor guy looked thin. He probably wants food.
When I got up, I decided to put some food out for him on the porch (and a little supply of water), hoping that it would be enough to keep him from trying to gain entry into the house at night. Just in case though, once my charges are tucked in for the night, I’ll close the window, cutting off access. Can’t do it if Bella decides to spend the night outside, but as long as she comes in, that will be the plan. Problem more or less solved? We shall see. Anyway, other than that, a quiet day of steady writing progress.
Fri, 08.23.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Two PB&J Sammiches | 400 |
Dinner | French toast | 700 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1760 |
Big, huge writing day and put some mango habanero chili in the crockpot with some venison for tomorrow. It dawned on me that it had been a while since I incorporated any freeze-dried food into the mix, mostly because the trading has been such a success. But I’ve got it, and I like much of it (and am eating it regularly for breakfast), so – I wanted to be sure to make use of it. It’s all good.
Sat, 08.24.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Pancakes | 640 |
Lunch | 2 servings of mango habanero chili | 1080 |
Dinner | 1 serving of mango habanero chili | 540 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2560 |
Movies, music, and writing. Another big, good day. I could coast from here, and this would still wind up being my second-best month of all time, where the writing goes, but…I do want to keep tapping those keys!
Sun, 08.25.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | More pancakes | 640 |
Lunch | Can of split pea soup | 360 |
Dinner | Last of the mango habanero chili | 1080 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2380 |
Steaming ahead! Nothing to report because I basically just wrote all day. Took some breaks for food, and of course, to play with the cats, but other than that, stayed focused. Oh – the experiment with BMK seems to be working, although he has taken to camping out on the front porch near the food supply. At least he’s no longer chasing Bella up the drawbridge and trying to get into the house, so…I’ll call that a win.
Mon, 08.26.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Slept through breakfast | 0 |
Lunch | Tomato soup and 2 grilled cheese, ice cream later | 750 |
Dinner | 2 servings of brown sugar maple oatmeal | 360 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1410 |
Slept late, but still got a lot done today. Shut the movies off and went with the music, took a few breaks to tinker with housework, but nothing dramatic. Just enjoying the smooth sailing.
Tues, 08.27.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of boring oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Venison and veggies | 900 |
Dinner | Bowl of ice cream for dinner | 500 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 2060 |
A lighter writing day today. More of a leisurely pace than being hell-bent on maximizing productivity. Still feeling great about the month and making good progress on all fronts. Hammering the CRAP out of the remaining debts! That’s one thing I’m really loving about this experiment. Since I’m not making trips into town for much of anything, I’m able to be a lot more focused on the fundamentals.
Wed, 08.28.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | 2 servings of strawberry oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | 2 PB&J | 400 |
Dinner | Tomato soup and 2 Grilled cheese, ice cream later | 750 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1810 |
Just couldn’t hack another morning of boring oatmeal. And since the experiment is in its waning days, I don’t have to, so I’m going to start enjoying the food, rather than eating my least favorites. Strong writing day and good general progress. Actually managed to do some more housework too. Sweet.
Thurs, 08.29.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of multigrain cereal | 360 |
Lunch | Nothing for lunch | 0 |
Dinner | Pork and veggies | 750 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1410 |
Sat outside for a while today and tried to coax the BMK to come up to the porch and eat some food while I was sitting there, but he was having none of it. He just stared right past me at the food bowl, waiting indignantly for me to leave. I finally relented and went back inside to write. I peeked out the window later, and he was happily munching and crunching away. Guess that’s our arrangement then. I feed him but keep my distance, and he doesn’t try to attack my poor kitties. Okay. I can live with that.
Onward. More key tapping and movies. Monster flicks today. All sorts. Freshwater croc (giant, of course) terrorizing small towns, anacondas, etc. Low budget and cheesy. Yay!
Fri, 08.30.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Two servings of apple oatmeal | 360 |
Lunch | Ice cream! | 500 |
Dinner | Two grilled cheese, tomato soup, and a smidge of ice cream later | 600 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1760 |
Slept in again and taking it easy. A slower, measured pace today. More smooth sailing. It doesn’t make for anything interesting to write about, but it sure is good progress! Muse and I staying on good terms, and the words continue to flow easily. I’ll take it. Today was virus/infection/pandemic movies. Not as good as the monster flicks, but – it’s background noise.
Sat, 08.31.2019
Meal | Food Eaten | Calories |
---|---|---|
Breakfast | Slept through breakfast | 0 |
Lunch | French toast for lunch | 700 |
Dinner | Venison and veggies | 900 |
Others | Full Coffee | 300 |
Total Calories | 1900 |
Last day of the month! I decided to give myself a treat and took most of the day off. Read a book. Cleaned house. Watched movies. Still got some writing in, but not a ton. Good day. Very relaxing. No idea what the month of September will bring, but whatever comes, I will be ready!
End of Month Summary
As you can see, there were a couple of surprises and disruptions this month, but on the whole, I’d have to call it pretty smooth sailing. The end of the experiment is close now, and I’m not concerned in the least about being able to skate to the finish line.
The plan will be: I’ll play out the entire month of September, though I may take a “cheat day” on my birthday to enjoy some Mexican food, write up the final report, along with final observations and my checklist for rebuilding my long term food stocks, which I’ll put in spreadsheet form and include with the AAR. The idea will be that anybody who wants to build a viable food supply will be able to just cut and paste the stuff from the spreadsheet into their own lives, modifying it with personal tastes and preferences, of course.
And that will be that. I’m looking forward to seeing what the final chapter holds, but I also confess that I’ll be glad when the experiment ends. Although I have been coping pretty well with the isolation, I think it will be nice (if perhaps a little jarring) to plug back into the world a little more fully. Even so, knowing that I CAN live pretty well in relative isolation is valuable, and the lessons I’ve learned during the experiment will definitely color and shade my own planning efforts into the future. Anyway, I’m getting a little ahead of myself – still got another month to slog through before I start thinking too much about the next steps, so here goes nothing!
See you in a month.
Month End Stats
Weight: 340
BP: 128/81
(Much better. Weight trending back down a bit and BP right on the money, or…near enough for me!)
My previous entry: Report 11 of 13
Next entry: My Year of Eating Like the World Ended – Final Report
Check out Report 1 of 13 to see how this year-long experiment began.