tinkle tinkle tinkle...

You better not be looking, Bill - and Lee...

The Campfire
 

All that liquid from that delicious hot chocolate and soothing hot tea !! So great !!
If we plan a real camp out let's go some place where they have "comfort stations" or rustic cabins with indoor plumbing, so we won't have to build our own facilities, find a tree in need of liquid nourishment or have to hike along a river every time nature calls. Smile.

Hi ya all!!~
Just found out about this firepit going!! Awesome!!! I absolutely LOVE fire pits! Move over guys...I want to snuggle in here!!
Music....will bring out the guitar. Music is good for the soul...
HarrieCanarie...

The Campfire
 

Always room for more people. Please join us !! You are so right. Music is good for the soul. We have had some music from time to time. Be sure to try some of Bill's hot chocolate.

Especially when he adds the Kahlua to it!

Oh yes....kalua and hot choc....good company...nice fire....what could be better!!

Watch out! It's Chinese New Year - Year of the Ox - supposed to be a prosperous year!) I am going to throw some firecrackers into the campfire... Can you hear the 'cracking' sound? Gotta celebrate it with all my kinfolks that constitute 1/5 of the world population :)

And yes, you are supposed to toast (even if it's just a 'sip') everyone on the New Year's Eve dinner table. The only way to get away from the drinking duty is to pour it to the ground and say that you are toasting to the ancestors or the Earth God.

Jackie.....KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!!
(Hope this is close to being correct...)
Maryanne

BTW, I love my marshmallows crispy golden on the outside, charred is just fine too.Then I eat the crust and then re-roast the same marshmallow. Sometimes I even get to re-roast it one more time.
I have white marshmallows, strawberry, and chocolate in my kitchen cabinet. The white is still my favorite though.

Sometimes I stick a piece in chocolate inside the marshmallow and then roast it.

HarrieCanarie

Wow!
 

Celeste, 7:30 Wed. morn on my calendar for you. Though I think I'll start praying now with the others at the campfire to get a head start. When you awake from the anesthesia, we'll be there with Harrie's thrice roasted, chocolate filled marshmallows. The picture made me chuckle, here...let me wipe that leftover marshmallow off your cheek.
Throwing another log on and picking up my mandolin. Get ready....Will the circle be unbroken...bye and bye Lord...bye and bye...
Much love, Vickie

The Campfire
 

Hey the chocolate inside the marshmallow is a great idea !!
Celeste,
7:30am PST is really 5:30am Hawaii time. I don't know about harrie, but I am still in dreamland at that time, but I will be sure to keep you in my thoughts after your surgery, so that your recovery will go well or before I go to bed on Tuesday, so that the surgery itself will go well.

Celeste, we will all be mesmerized by the fire and keeping you right there with us the entire time of your surgery. Our group love and thoughts will keep you safe and sound.

Firepit partying is one of my family's favorite things to do. All ages enjoy the fires. We have a pretty big yard so bon fires are easy. My husband constructed this firepit lined with bricks. Sometimes guitars and ukuleles are brought out for some good-time music by the fire.

HarrieCanarie

Celeste,

I live in Georgia, so I will put some wood on the fire three hours early for you. I will begin praying for you early.

Amelia

The Campfire
 

Just dropping by to warm up and enjoy some fellowship on a cool evening.

Thanks for the Warmth
 

Freya is in her surgery at the moment and we all anticipate a quick and strong recovery towards NED. I just wanted to stop by and throw on some fresh cedar sprigs a bit of redwood and a touch of sage.
Thank you all for your support for her. She has gained a lot of strength from this site and your company. This camp fire gives her more than virtual warmth. It is a great thing you do here and I am touched by all of your dedication to each other and your personal struggles. I wish you all the best!

Hehe
 

And by freya I mean Freyja and I mean Celeste oops :)

Dear Celeste,

You have been on thoughts all morning. My prayers and good wishes for speedy recovery and NED status!

love,
shobha

The Campfire
 

Freya's Loving Family,
Thanks for stopping by to update us. Be sure to tell her to come and join us after she feels better.

Freyja's Family! Welcome! Thanks for joining us around the bon-fire and keeping us posted. Please let Celeste know that we've pulled up a special chair close to the fire for her, with a warm blanket and a pillow for her to snuggle against.

Welcome, Freyja's family - now you are also part of the big family here. Be sure to send her our love. The next couple of days she could feel some discomfort. Be sure to take the pain medicine on time.

Welcome from me too, Freyja's Family! So good to hear from you!
Please tell Freyja, that we are holding her seat by us waiting for her return.
Wishing her well.....

Glad to hear from Celeste's family about her.

Amelia

The new me is here
 

Howdy folks,
I'm back, new and improved. Thanks for holding down the fort. Glad you heard from my hubby...so sweet. Good thing he eventually noticed he spelled my screen name wrong! He gave me your messages when I awoke. Thank you so much. You've all made this so much easier.
Thanks for the cozy seat! I'll give it up for Laurie when she brings the new baby! I'm gonna "kick" a log on the fire for her and everyone here.
I'm so relieved to be through the hard part. I was always told I was a warrior. Now I feel like one and have the scars to prove it.
Love, C

And beautiful warrior scars those are, Celeste! Thinking of you tonight and gathering some of your strength (maybe we can bottle it) for the roads ahead. I'm so thankful you are doing well and that we have heard from you. Your family has been wonderful here by the campfire...and now here you are, all together. The fire burns sweeter and warmer now. Love, Vickie

Look up into the night sky and you can see the moon and Jupiter together. It looks like someone is smiling and winking at you. The universe is smiling at you at letting you know everything is going to be allright.

The Campfire
 

Welcome back Celeste !! Bring your family to the campfire anytime they want to come. Take care and eat healthy, so you can get stronger every day.

Lee, went out tonight to pick some lettuce for our salad and I saw the moon and Jupiter alone together in the sky! Was a beautiful sight!

Celeste....good to have you back with us again. You did it! You are great, you are tough, and you are beautiful!!

The Campfire
 

Is the lettuce the lettuce you started planting when we all started spring gardens?
Can you please bring a nice big salad from your garden the next time you join the campfire?
Let's have a pot luck party at the campfire.

Are you sure it's Jupiter? I thought it was Venus, but I don't know that much about stuff like that.

I have really no idea if it was Jupiter or another planet. All I know is I saw the moon and one planet. Whatever it was...it was nice. I just said Jupiter because that is what Lee said.

And yes Elaine, that it is from the veg garden that I started in the spring.
we have expanded to: bellpeppers, won bok, several types of lettuce, tomatoes, snap peas, soy beans, string beans, spinach, grn onion, cukes, basil, and who knows what else....

The Campfire
 

Oh boy Maryanne you are the champion gardener over there in Hilo. Just add rice and you have the whole meal !!
Our campfire burns so brightly and our strong spirits shine so much light nobody can tell what is in the sky.
That is okay !! We are here warm by the fire and that is what matters after all.

Anybody familiar with the story of 'stone soup'?

Well, I just put a huge, big pot on top of the camp fire - with plenty of water and a big, shining stone. Let's see, I can use all the vegies Maryanne and Elain just mentioned. It will taste so good if I could just have some kind of spices...

yawn
 

Hi friends,
I'm here in my lounge chair, ready for a nap! I feel great, except for these drains. They should be taken out in a couple more days and I'll be ready to start gardening and add to the soup. For now I'm just observing the world from my little nest here barking orders at people. Thanks for the entertainment.
Love, C

No need for gardening, just bring whatever you have...
 

The Stone Soup Legend

There exists a tale, handed down from times long ago, of two travelers on a pilgrimage. Hungry and tired from a long day’s journey, they come to a small, impoverished, medieval village, where they decide to rest by the side of the road.

One of the travelers builds a small fire, upon which he places a large pot, while the other, having drawn water from the town well, fills the pot and places into the vessel a simple stone. As the two men sit by the fire, bringing their "stone soup" to a boil, the local villagers become inquisitive of the curious antics of these strangers. Eventually, several townsfolk decide to investigate the matter and approach the two travelers to engage them in conversation.

Shortly thereafter, there is heard the sound of merriment, as the visitors, who turn out to be quite friendly, share their tales of the lands and people they have met throughout their journey and pilgrimage with the local villagers.

Finally, a young boy asks the travelers "But why, pray thee, are you boiling a stone?"

One of the pilgrims replies, "So we may eat stone soup."

"It must be terribly bland!" says an old woman. "But I have a cabbage, which will add some flavor!"

"And I, some carrots, which will add color!" says another villager.

"Some potatoes!", offers another, until, shortly, by the contribution of a little by many, a hearty stew was made, upon which the entire village and the weary pilgrims dined... and while doing so, shared their tales, talents, and camaraderie throughout the night.

The very next day, the travelers (who by now could be called "strangers" no more), continued their journey, leaving the little town, and its people, behind. But the villagers never forgot them, and the lesson they had learned. In fact, during the hardest of times, in such a time as this tale, that little village thrived, because the townsfolk never forgot how to make "stone soup".

Such is the legend of the "Stone Soup Story".

[A Swedish fairytale posted on a Japanese website: <www.kousi.gr.jp/kousi/syoukai/<WBR>hp-siryou/<WBR>stone-soup.html>]

The Campfire
 

What a beautiful story Jackie !! We need stone soup.
The nourishment of the stone soup, the warmth of the fire, the lights of our spirits and the flames and the fellowship of each other is a great combination.
Enjoy all the TLC while you can Celeste.

Celeste, enjoy the pampering and relaxation because before you know it you will be back to running around like crazy!!
I know what you mean by the drains. But....to look on the other side of the coin....at least it can be a gentle reminder that for now, it is ok to be pampered and you should enjoy it. You deserve it.
BTW, it is really nice having you back at the fire with us.

i'd like a nice warm campfire right now. i am so sick of snow and winter.

Thanks, Jackie! What a nice story. Here's some fresh oregano for the pot.