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We use so many expressions and idioms, wether one ascribes anything to their source or not, they still do a really good job at describing something that happened.

I like the YT videos that show dash cams of bad drivers brake checking undercover cops on the roads…
 
Always got to dig a little deeper. Seems like there's little real accuracy on the internet anymore. If it sounds implausible, that's cause' it usually is...:unsure::whistle:
 
Oh, bummer, apparently "It's the storytelling of your imagination," (sigh) according to one news story
Another says she only let the dough rise in the mailbox.

I bet there are some things you could cook out there right now. Or on your car dashboard. Anybody got a spare egg?
 
JiminDenver cooks an entire Thanksgiving feast using Solar Ovens and Cookers

Basically ........Black pans filled with goodies inside a shiny glass covered box tracking the SUN for Hours
Well you'd certainly be hungry enough...
 
I am feeling a bit cooked by the heat right now. Just been doing food prep inside my trailer getting ready for the group potluck. But there is shade and a breeze under the pine trees.

Of course I am fantasizing today about buying a countertop ice maker. Not likely to happen though as I do not have the space to store one and I am maxed out for weight.
 
Here in Bullfrog Utah at 4,000 feet elevation it hit 107 degrees. Thirty miles (about 3 hours 4 wheeling dirt roads to over 9,000 feet elevation) away up Mount Ellen I was having to shovel snow off the road to get through. One of the things that truly amazes me is the many different climates available in such a small area.
 
I can see where a metal box inside a brick structure would absorb and hold enough heat to do a bit of cooking of food or at least getting it fairly warm if you put something in there to warm it up.

Of course when it’s hot I am not particularly in the mood for a hot meal or a hot drink. But right now the one gallon jugs of water are quite warm and I am still feeling rather over heated so I am going outside and do a water jug shampoo on my hair followed by a water with vinegar sponge bath. I remember back from when I was a kid staying on the farms of my greats and grands relatives that a bit of vinegar in water on a wet wash cloth is really refreshing on a hot day. One of those old remedies that predated running water and air conditioning which those relatives did not have in their homes. No reason those same tricks they used to beat the heat are not perfect to recycle into my off grid lifestyle.

The sun is below the horizon now and it is starting to cool down 🙏
 
We've made a few things in our solar cookers (homemade: two different panel styles) lately. Temperature is not really that important. Clear skies is what matters most. CARD is a good mnemonic: Collection, Absorption, Retention, Duration.

Re baking bread: I don't see why you couldn't do that in a mailbox. I've had decent results in a 2 qt. crock pot (had to flip it once to brown the top).

We got a bit of a break for a couple of days/nights, but it's back to 107 here now.
 
I have my trailer in the sun for solar gain but set up with shade cloth surrounding it. But there is tall Pondersa Pine forest close by. So I have a short walk over to my outdoor shady camp where I have a hammock, zero gravity chair and my folding aluminum adjustable height work bench/table and a folding camp chair among the tree trunks. I can move my car in under the trees as well for a shorter walk to tools and supplies. A shower tent would be nice but I do not have one of those. I guess I could set up my small 2 person wind resistant tent if I want some bug & water proof quick access storage to toss stuff into in case of a rain shower. Good place to keep extra jugs of water. It would save extra trips to get things under cover. Monsoon season is here, heat and some afternoon clouds but no significant rain so far. That will change though, maybe even this afternoon as a thunderstorm is overhead making some racket. A good/bad situation as lightning strikes might well cause wildfires and the vegetation is pretty dry.
 
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Thought I would post this here as it might be of help to those in areas with mice or other rodents. This is a quote from another unrelated forum. It seemed very smart, so do with it what you will.

"ground jalapeno or habanero peppers. they walk in it, lick their paws and leave won't come back. its not poison so it won't kill the hawk, eagle, fox, dog that eats them. this came from a zoo that used it in the bird enclosure. i volunteer in the nat forests and have been doing it for 20 years to keep the critters out"
 

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