I Need a Wood Burning Stove

I'm in the market for a small wood burning stove. I'd love something I could move, if needed, from my studio to the house if the time comes we can no longer get propane. We are surrounded by forests so the fuel is right at hand.

My studio is only 12 x 16, and insulated, so a small pot belly cast iron maybe? I've been researching some hunter's and military style stoves, but reviews seem sketchy, like maybe they don't draw well.

I've used a wood burning stove for years, cooking and heating a whole house up in Illinois, so am ready for another one.

Any suggestions?

Joseph Was A Prepper-Bible Lessons for the Survivalist

I read an article last night where the author listed ten reasons why preppers were good for society. It listed Coat of Many Colors Bible Joseph as an example of a prepper who saved up supplies for 7 years. Then seven years of famine came and he saved the country.

This is all well and good, but not the whole story. The story starts in Genesis Chapter 37.

Lessons I learned from the Joseph in Egypt story:

Joseph was a smart guy and had a lot of dreams. He told his brothers the dreams, which they didn't like one bit because the interpretations sucked. So, his brothers sold him into slavery and faked his death. He did a good job for his masters down in Egypt and his master gained material wealth under his oversight. Even so, eventually Joe gets into trouble with the master's wife, and is thrown in prison. Again, he works hard, gets promoted, everyone prospers. One thing leads to another, and he is in charge of Pharaoh's household. Pharaoh has a bad dream, Joe tells him that  it means there's  SHTF coming. Pharaoh makes Joe take over.

Lesson one, don't tell everything you know, work for yourself, if possible.

Joe does, and for seven years he installs a 20% tax. Tons of food is stored up under Pharaoh's guard. The bible says Joe advised the Pharaoh "appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years". Knowing that the EOTWAWKI is coming, they prep.

Then Chapter 41, verse 54 says"and the seven years of plenteousness were ended, and the seven years of dearth began to come, but in Egypt there was bread"  so
Joe opens the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians and all the countries came to buy corn.

Now I did shorten those verses somewhat, but notice Joe the prepper is selling back the corn, not giving it away.
Eventually his family, treacherous brothers and all make their way to Egypt to buy corn, not knowing their brother is in charge. He's disguised. He plays hardball with them, but we know they all make amends and migrate to Egypt from Cannan to live out the famine, and they get special treatment.

After the famine is over everything belongs to Pharaoh because our prepper didn't just hand out food for free, he bought their lands, cattle and even their bodies, "as as for the people he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof."
Doesn't sound like such a benevolent prepper now, does he.

Lesson: if you want to remain independent, don't rely on the government. Prep now, for yourself.

Once Joe dies, there comes a Pharaoh who doesn't remember him and isn't about to maintain the elite status of these immigrant people. Check out Exodus Chapter 1 verse 7 and start reading how these Israelites became enslaved. It took them 400 years, a bunch of plagues, and 40 years of wandering under religious mismanagement, in the desert until they finally got back home. And then, they had to fight like hell, wipe out whole nations, make treaties and compromise to get their homes back.

Now some folks say god didn't let them get to the promised land immediately because they would have been to weak or scared to fight (remember his family had traveled that desert before, when hearing there was bread in Egypt. In fact they'd made several journeys through there). 

Lesson: be strong, get strong, stay strong, and be willing to fight.

When they got back to Canaan, they found many other peoples who had stayed put during the famine.

We can take away a lot of information from this bible story.

Comments encouraged and welcomed.

Downsize Congress and Pay the Troops

It just made me ill to see the news tonight. Reporters suggesting, and showing clips of our military being told they may not get paid, but by god, they better still fight. Show up for work, lay your life and limb on the line. We'll pay you, if and when we can.

My solution? Shut down the offices of every congressman, and don't cut them any checks until we have a budget solution. 
I think Georgia could get by on one Senator. Send the other one home, along with all his staff. Give the money to the men and women putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan and Iraq.

And  the House of Representatives? I think our country could get rid of half of them. Instead of 435, 218 should do it. Just cut it in half, send the others home, along with  all their staffs. Then shut down the offices, the expense accounts, pensions, health care plans of those we won't be needing any more.
Make elections every 4 years for all of them. No more mid term elections. Consolidate the madness. Once every 4 years is enough turn over. Dealing with who is running for what, when, and where is just too much time wasted.

I'm serious. The more I think of it, the more I believe its the answer. We've all had to take on more work at our jobs. We've all had to give up things with this economy in the toilet. But by god, we make a decision and get on with business. I can't believe there was actually  one bill asking for another vote on raising the debt limit in 6 months! Even I know to pay a bill for a year at a time. I got too much to do to keep messing around with the same problem every few months.
Hell, even my Norton is a two year contract.

From Wikipedia:
As of January 2010^[update], the annual salary of each Representative is $174,000.^[17] The Speaker of the House and the Majority and Minority Leaders earn more: $223,500 for the Speaker and $193,400 for their party leaders (the same as Senate leaders). A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it. Congress sets members' salaries; however, the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits a change in salary (but not COLA^[18]) from taking effect until after the next general election. Representatives are eligible for lifetime benefits after serving for five years, including a pension, health benefits, and social security benefits.^[19]

Imagine how much each house representative costs in total expenditures, if you include staff, pensions, health care and etc. And for what? Lets cut them in half, and each remaining member can step up their game. They don't travel by horseback. They should still be able to get around to their whole district without much trouble.  Maybe they would quit messing around so much and get the business done.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_representatives_does_each_state_have_in_the_US_House_of_Representatives

I looked up how many representatives each state has, and found that some have odd numbers. Like Georgia has 13. I think we can get by with 6.  If a state only has one, they can have that one, full time. We'll be generous.

Now, California has 53. Nobody needs 53. I'd say they would be fine with just 25.

I know we need to deal with the deficit issues. Our country has been spending money like a drunken miner in a whore house.  I'm no economist, but I know the initial purchase of something is only the beginning of the true cost. A new house, a new car, a vacation has its initial outlay. But that is in no way the whole picture. That new house requires insurance, furniture, maintanence. So is it with governments. Wars that go on indefinitly, social programs, tax rebates for big corporations. The initial program is only the beginning of a larger ripple effect.

There's always two sides to every story. But on this story, paying our military personal should never even be questioned.

A Great Blog-New Resource

In my Web Travels I came across this link and found the blog to have a lot of good stuff. I expect to spend the next day just getting a taste of it! Of course, it will go in my  favorites, for future enjoyment and education.

http://troublesometimesarehere.blogspot.com

As we wait for our government to do its job, quit jerking us around,  just raise the debt ceiling cause it has to be done,(even if just a few billion dollars) it's important to enjoy life.

I was reading a treatsie http://www.economist.com/node/21524079
last night about the unemployed getting used to not having a boss. Even self employment emplies a boss, oneself. It further stated that having a boss sucked. I'm with you there.
The article was about Post Materialism. I found that word intriguing so went right on over to Wikipedia to see what it was.

A bunch of jargon later and I'm left with this simple idea: a life philosophy where Being is more important that Having. Its about being self determined and actuated.

I think Minimalism is a good synonym for Post Materialism. Those of us into minimalism don't plan on changing anytime soon. They say our national economy is about 60% consumer spending. Heads up: if you economists are waiting for us minimalists to step up to the plate and buy stuff, forget it now.

OK, so this article also dealt with the idea of the Threshold Earner: a person who had a specific economic bracket they wanted to fit into. They are content earning that amount. Once that amount is earned, they use their time to enjoy life with the idea that more "down time" or unemployed time was a good thing. A guy asked Thoreau's what on earth should he do with all his spare time during retirement?  Our hero, Henry David advised, " well, then just keep working until you can afford your free papers."

I admit to having an unnaturally strong work ethic. I'm trying to funnel that into creative endeavors, all of which do not have to produce tangible goods. 

Economics of Violence

I'm reading the April 16, 2011 edition of The Economist, a magazine that deals with world wide politics and economics. You can find the magazine online at
http://economist.com

I find that almost all the articles are of interest and deal with stuff our media never tells us like news of illegal immigrants in Italy. Turns out they have a surge of people coming up from Africa trying to avoid violence and poverty.

The Iceland defaulting on its loans from Britain and Ireland. Who knew, and they are voting no on the referendum to repay at this point.

One article is particularly interesting , called The Economics of Violence. Read it at
http://www.economist.com/node/18558041
The whole thesis put forth, and the author does a very good job, too, is that violence causes poverty, not the other way around. There's a lot of examples and statistics to support this theory.
I'm left thinking that if indeed this is true, and it does make sense, then if a wealthy country turns violent and corrupt, poverty is the end result.
Government corruption is a key factor here. The article states that "countries with good governance are much less likely than their peers to have suffered from civil conflict or high murder rates in 2000-2005." They point to the severe problems in Libya, Egypt and other Arab countries as examples.

What does it mean for us here in America? If conditions worsen both in governance and violence, we can only expect economics to worsen.
Poverty is growing. It's a vicious cycle that spirals downward.
Citizens must be prepared to defend themselves, help others and practice humanity.
Preventing violence by providing justice and security, preventing destruction of property and building a responsible government lead to wealth and well being.

Check out the online Economist. In depth news from around the globe that we miss out on because CNN or Fox wants to tell us about the Royal Wedding or Tiger Wood's marital problems.

Yeast is a Many Splendored Thing

Yeast can do a lot of good things. When settlers headed west, they left the conveniences behind, but they still brought yeast. How? In the form of sour dough starters. Here is a photo of mine in the mason jar. You take one teaspoon of yeast, one and a half cup of warm water and two cups of four. Mix well, and place in jar. Let set overnight to work, then put it in the frig. When you take some to use for leavening (yeast breads) replace with flour and water. This way you keep the yeast working. You can double this recipe if your family is larger. There's only two here, so this was enough for us.

Its been mighty hot and I wanted pizza. I make my own dough, but didn't want to fire up the oven. Just too much heat. So, taking my dough, I oiled the cast iron skillet, pressed the dough into it, and topped it with the normal stuff.

I like to use spaghetti sauce to speed up the pizza process. Then some chopped green onions, mushrooms, black olives. Put a decent lid on this, and set on a low flame. It takes very little heat to cook this deep dish pizza.

We only ate half because its pretty filling. A side of salad, a cold beer, and you have a good meal.

I love cooking with this cast iron skillet because it is so cost effective, holds the heat well and evenly.

Skills like utilizing yeast are worth learning as a survivalist. If things get bad, we won't have store bought bread, or baking powder. Yeast is something we can keep on hand by utilizing this sourdough starter.

Wine Making Project

I've got some wine brewing. My process is so simple a child could handle it. I buy one bottle of juice from Walmart, like Apple Juice. Using a clean, empty bottle, I split the juice between them and add a quarter teaspoon of baking yeast to each one. I swish it around to mix it. You can see in this photo that I also added raisins, about half a cup, to each bottle. This gives it flavor and extra sugar to ferment. I then place a balloon over the openings. They will inflate as the yeast ferments.

In this photo you can see one jug is nearly finished fermenting because the balloon is starting to deflate. At this point, a person can decide to add a bit of sugar, cap it and store it in the frig. It will continue to work a little more. Strain it for clarity before serving.
Or, like me, a person can add more juice, and if they really want some extra fermentation, a few tablespoons of sugar. I chose brown sugar because it will have more flavor.

I then replaced the balloon, and its back fermenting again. Be very careful if you plan to re-charge the wine by adding more sugar and juice. If you tear the balloon, you'll need a new one.
Some people don't use balloons to cover the wine while its working. I like to do it because it keeps all critters out of it and its fun to watch the balloon grow and shrink.

The stuff smelled fabulous, by the way.

Survivalist or Prepper?

My life partner has told me many times Never defend a fixed position against a superior force. He added that the inevitable result of defensive warfare is surrender. If you find yourself in a fair fight your tactics suck.

All of this sounds pretty bleak to civilized folk, but that's actually sound military strategy, used for thousands of years. Think about a siege being laid to your homestead and how long you could hold out. Evasion and guerrilla warfare actually gives a weaker force the advantage. Mobility and skills will aid the survivalist.

I asked him once about that as I go walking every morning, armed with bear spray, what if I should meet a pack of dogs. I know not to run. Climb a tree, fight with my hiking sticks, and scream like hell.
Wouldn't I be defending a fixed position? I asked. He said just don't let them be the superior force.
Bottom Line, I am a survivalist. I would do whatever it takes to make it.
I read another blog posing the question: What is the difference between a prepper and a survivalist? and which one are you?

I thought about this and decided my first reaction to the word Prepper is it sounds like the word preppie. Way too yuppie. I'm told the media responds better to the word Prepper. The word survivalist scares them.
Since I'm not trying to impress the media, or talk anyone into prepping, I don't care.

And, what is prepping? Storing tons of goods in a fixed position? I am storing up some stuff, true, but more as a hedge against the incredible food inflation we're seeing now. With all the drought, heat waves and fuel price disasters, we know food prices will get much higher.

Survival, on the other hand is more about learning everything you can to supply your needs, in whatever situation you may find yourself. Urban survival is scarier to me than wilderness survival. Humans are capable of such violence, often unpredictable, and usually unreasonable.

But back to this post. I am into survival studies and skills. I prepare for disaster, but have no plan to go down with any ships, be part of any hunger strikes, go off the cliff with Thelma and Louise.

Survivalists would be finding a wooden table on the Titanic when it was discovered there were not enough life rafts to go around. They will eat food to stay strong for fight or flight. They would bail out of the convertible before it went into the Grand Canyon. Sorry girls, I'll just hide out at the bottom, alive.

Most likely civilization will continue in some form, but there are no certainties if it will have power, transportation unless by foot, or communications unless written and delivered by hand. There is no telling how much freedom we may be required to give up in order to participate in it.
Just a few thoughts here while I enjoy the luxuries of electricity, a full belly and bottle of clean cold water.

Cooking with New Fuel System

I've got 1.5 hours on this new alternative fuel stove and still going. This morning I heated water to a boil in a can using a pot support and coffee can.
With the can on top holding water, the soot became more obvious. The heat could have been better contained with a windscreen added, and lid, but this morning it was all about how long the fuel would last.

This is totally doable and survival mode. My next adventure is building an oven to use with this fuel system. It will have a much broader base, and be insulated.

Meanwhile, the garden is doing good. I picked produce this morning. Every day we get something. I'm working on expanding the garden, not so easy perched atop a mountain with marvelous trees all around.
Its a great challenge, building up the soil, adding our own compost and not having any dirt hauled in.
I wouldn't have it any other way!

Alternate Stove Test Photos

I wrote about this stove yesterday, and told how to make it with just a salt container and motor oil. After letting it "cure" for about 4 hours, so the oil would impregnate all the cardboard, I took it outside and lit the cotton wick with just one kitchen match. Easy!

After it burned brightly for half an hour, surprising both me and my partner, I put it out with this aluminum pan. I'll test it again, using a pot support and can to boil water in. Lets see how much more burn time it will give me!

This project is inspired by the movie The Road. I also read the book by Cormac McCarthy. It will inspire you to learn how to utilize the least of all things, combining and experimenting to shape something of value.

Surviving is a journey, not a destination.

Check Out Some Precepts

I was over at a friends survival blog and found another interesting link. One thing led to another until I found myself on this page:

http://www.survivalblog.com/precepts.html

Survivalists think alike in so many ways. I love the fact he talks about skill developement. Book learning must be put into practice.
Earlier today as I filled the salt shaker I emptied a salt container. It was round, it was cardboard.

I created this lamp and campfire starter using the container by cutting it down in strips and rolling it into the container. I fit a piece of 100% cotton into the center and poured motor oil over it. Its soaking in now. Tonight I'll test this lamp and report tomorow.

The idea here is using old motor oil and cardboard, things found easily, to create a light-heat and cooking resourse.

I have time to play now. If things get bad, the playing will be over, and the surviving will begin.

Three Levels of Survival

I've always thought of survival in terms of personal life, survival in the forests, on an adventure or accident. Skills like making fires, finding food, protecting oneself against wild animals, heat exhaustion and freezing to death.

I watched The Edge, a movie with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin put out in 1997 deals with this type of survival. Its well done and worth watching. Our guys take a flight in Alaska wilderness. It crashes and the pilot dies. Anthony Hopkins plays the role of a billionaire with much book learning who then proceeds to put theory into practice. Navigation, fighting a massive grizzly bear, played by Bart, crossing rapids  via log, and staying ahead of mental exhaustion are all well demonstrated.

Another kind of survival is dealt with in The Sum of All Fears. Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman play in this very excellent portrayal of a rouge nuclear bomb being found and sold to terrorists who send it to Baltimore and set it off in a ball stadium. The scenario unfolds with Russia and United States on the verge of Nuclear War.
This kind of survival deals with entire world wide physical destruction. Goods and services would be destroyed, nuclear fallout would kill every living thing eventually.

Another survival we face now is economic. With talk of United States defaulting on its debt, and all the politicians warning of dire consequences should the debt ceiling not be raised I personally am wondering just what a person is supposed to do. I've been buying food, basic supplies, got a little cash on hand, but what really might happen to the average American if D.C can't get this figured out?
Bottom line we should never have come to this point. The USA borrows 40 cents on every dollar, paying interest on these loans constitutes a huge waste of money. Now we're hearing about all the "entitlements" not being paid out.
One gentleman wrote in the AARP magazine, "I've been paying into social security for 49 years. Its my time to collect. It shouldn't be portrayed like a handout. Its money I've put into the system."
Now I know hindsight is 20/20. But surely this is like hurricane Katrina. Shoulda been able to see her coming and avoid such a catastrophe long before she hit.
If we weren't paying so much interest on money borrowed and wasted (how many billions never were accounted for in this last war in Iraq? Money no one knows where it was spent or whose pockets it lined?) the social security that keeps so many seniors afloat wouldn't need to be held as ransom.

Survivalists have to be on the look out for so many possible dangers. Having the ability to feed, clothe and house ourselves while staying healthy never seemed on so many minds before.

Free Kindle Download for Computers

One route for the budding novelist is to self publish to Kindle, a format by Amazon.com. Its really just a method of receiving books in digital format right to your own computer.

I don't own a kindle. My laptop works just like one. I bought two books a friend of mine wrote and asked me to review. First, I went to amazon.com and downloaded the free Kindle for pcs application.
It worked really well.

I uploaded the two books I wrote, and have sold some already. You fill out the forms on personal information, and go through the process.

If you are like me, and want to hold the rights and contents of your work without losing to a huge corporation, take a look at this possibility.  We can have a voice even if the big publishing houses don't like it or see our vision.

Writing a novel is harder than I thought. As the story unfolds, I have had to make a time line so the thing all blends in the end.

Don't you hate reading a story with flaws? It makes the reader uncomfortable cause they keep thinking about how it doesn't work.

Writing A Novel Makes Ya Think

I've started writing a novel and although I claim its pure fiction its got me thinking seriously about survival.

My novel will be available at Kindle books hopefully by the end of this year. Each day I write two pages, using Microsoft's Word Starter Office 2010 that came preloaded onto this computer, a Toshiba.

 I love the specs on this machine because with 4 G Ram it never slows down. I'm currently using Norton Virus Protection. When I saw they offered a two year subscription at a discount, you know me, I bought that. I buy my car insurance on a yearly basis too, and get a nice discount for paying all at once. Like they say, it takes money to make money. For me, sort of if you got some money, you can save some money.

Anyways, back to the Book.
Each day I write two pages. It deals with the End of the World as we know it. I've seen that written as
TEOTWAWKI and you can even pronounce that word. Here's how I pronounce it:
Tee Oh Twa Key.

Every day I sit down and delve into the lives of our heroes as they deal with what would happen if and probably when the SHTF (stuff hits the fan, sanitized version for politeness).

And I start with an idea , and think, no, that's not how it would go Down. People would probably react like This.
I get my best ideas while hiking each morning.

Today, a bear crossed the path right in front of me. He dropped down off the hill, onto the gravel road, turned and looked at me. At first I thought it was a huge black dog, and was prepared to be scared.
Seeing it was a bear, I relaxed, knowing it would run.

These bears are hunted in the fall. The only ones that survive to this size are those that know to run.

Testing Silicone Repair of Water Bottle

I have a friend whose water bag for the camelbak started leaking. It occurred to me that I used silicone on some buckets and it worked. I wrote about it yesterday at my other blog, http://brawnyview.blogspot.com

Just for fun and further testing, I poked two holes in the soda bottle, which was harder to do that one would think. Those things are tough, one reason I use them on all my backpacking trips.

Anyways, last night I also patched those two holes and let it cure overnight. Today I filled the bottle with water, and its not leaking at all. I'll keep an eye on it, use the bottle and report back how long it holds up.

I keep silicone around home for sealing leaks. You can't paint over the stuff. It works great repairing window casing leaks, seam sealing and gluing the exterior side mirror back onto my Geo.

Life Is Too Short to Not Eat Raisins

I finished a box of raisins and thought, I won't buy anymore. Just too many calories.

But, if I was dying, would I regret not eating more raisins? Life is just to short. Eat them.

If I was dying, whether or not I ate tons of raisins, or held off in moderation,  Raisins would be the least of my problems.

I've thought about where I want this body to reside, and being cremated makes sense to me. Don't waste a fancy box (coffin) and a chunk of real estate (grave site) on this bunch of organic material.
Cremate it and throw the ashes to the wind, somewhere beautiful like on top a mountain. Walk in a ways, don't stand in the parking lot overlooking the valley.
Walk in and give my ashes a good chance at finding greenery to rest on.

My spirit will be looking on, and taking flight, I imagine. Hard to think any Superior Being would waste human energy and spirit by only letting us have one go at this. Would make sense to give each spirit a chance to try other forms, like animal bodies, tree bodies, maybe even fish bodies.

Just saying, to me, would make sense.

Man Hit by Bear While Riding to Work

Another bear story in the news will amaze and make you smile.  A friend sent me this link to the story which happened near Panama City, Florida.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/riding-95156-bear-bicycle.html

Everyone was doing everything right, but as my guy says, Stuff runs into Stuff.

That about sums it up. I imagine the bicycle was pretty decent because he was riding 23 mph going 12 miles to work. That's no junker.

Bikes are so much fun, but they can be dangerous because of the risk of collision. Many times the rider comes out worse for wear. Always use a bike helmet and protect your most valuable asset, your brain.

Value of Salt

Salt is something I've decided to stockpile.

Add a dash and nearly everything tastes better. Apple pie, chocolate desserts, watermelon, meats and vegetables.
You can preserve things with salt like cabbage and cucumbers, pork and beef. Without salt, bread tastes flat, nuts are boring and meat just doesn't taste good.

Salt can be used to de ice pipes and slippery steps. A little goes a long ways. But, I got to thinking, living off the land in the case of economic meltdown would be much nicer with some salt.

So when I go to town, I'm going to get a couple containers. Cheap stuff, and easy to store.

If You Could Have a Special Power

What would you chose for your Special Power?

I'd never thought of this question until I saw the reply given by Rebecca Romijn in Ladies Home Journal October 2009.

If you're wondering what I'm doing with this old edition of a woman's magazine, it was free. I think I mentioned before how one of our thrift stores gives away magazines. Its amazing how old some of these are, even dating back into the 90s.

Now, I have a few old magazines, like Backpaker's guide to Wilderness 329 Life saving survival skills, October 2006.  Theres 25 "harrowing tales from Glacier to the Grand Canyon in it. One story tells about Jon Donovan in the San Jacinto Mts. north of Idlewild. I remember that terrain on the Pacific Crest Trail and just reading his fatal thru hike brings all kinds of memories.

Anyways, back to the question, If you could have a special power, what would you choose.

This former model and mother of twins, who starred in a tv seriew called Eastwick (I myself have never watched it) said she'd want to become invisible so she could snoop.

Blew me away. So she could snoop.
Most of the time snooping leads to disaster and disappointment. Not only has a person invaded another's privacy,  ususally the stuff you discover is not good stuff.

The old saying, what you don't know won't hurt you sort of applies here.
Now, I do admit when kids are involved, parents have to investigate every once in awhile. I don't call that snooping. Just staying on top of what they get into is our job.

But, snooping on a boy friend, a lover, a husband, wife, girlfriend, friend, neighbor, just don't sit right with most folks.

If I could have a special power, it would be to heal I think. To give people a second chance at life in a strong way. Maybe that would back fire too, and the suffering that brings wisdom would not happen.

Guess its good we carry just our own special powers, human powers to bring a smile, some assistance, some positive energy.

Heirloom Seeds and The Mountain Garden

I plant non hybrid seeds. Sometimes you'll see them advertised as Heirloom seeds because they are the originals and we reproduce time and again.
Not so with hybrids. You can never be sure what their offspring will bring, so bottom line, when working with hybrid seeds every year you have to buy more.

Beans are so good for the soil because they add lots of nitrogen. My mountain garden needs compost broken down which can tie up vital nitrogen the first year it rots. So, some of the beans I plant are allowed to go to seed. When fully matured, I shell them out and replant. You can see this new seedling has sprung up in a harvested section of my garden. I had onions in there, which have been used for salads and stir frys.

My mountain garden is producing pretty well. We're getting several yellow neck squash, zucchini, onions and bush beans every week.  I wish the tomatoes would get ripe, though.

When I chose the tomato plants at the garden department in Walmart, I looked for some which were not hybrid. This way, the tomatoes will reseed themselves for next spring.

If you do this also, come spring look for the tiny seedlings when they emerge. Place a stake next to them, mulch with leaves or grass clipping and you'll be surprised how hardy they are.
The butternut squash shown in this short video were planted with last falls seeds. I harvested the squash, dried the seeds, and kept them over the winter in the door of the refrigerator in a double plastic Ziploc bag. Looks like they are true to form.

When planting different varieties of squash, be sure not to intermingle them or they will cross pollinate and not give true to type produce. The flavor will suffer and the season will be lost with inferior product.

Viva la gardens !

Reality is A Bitch

It doesn't take long to see the truth of the matter.
The rich, and I mean seriously rich, are getting richer and the rest of us poorer.

Not just in actual cash, bank accounts, housing, material goods, but also in self esteem, employment value, in disposable anything.

I read several articles today about the economy. I know, I shoulda known better. Its dam depressing.

Only 18,000 jobs created in June, while unemployment rose to 9.2%. We all know that number is crap. Unemployment, under employment, and down right underpaid employment is way higher. The reality of the situation is there are not enough jobs to go around.

Now, some people figure if all the undocumented workers were sent home, we'd have plenty of jobs, or at least a start.
That might work for the truly desperate who are not collecting nearly enough unemployment funds to make it.
Construction, field labor, and seasonal resort jobs come to mind.
 Unless we pile in several wage earners per household, you can't make it on those meager wages anyhow.Not sure that would answer it.


Its obvious our country is in serious trouble. Our debt ceiling is being debated. Some think if we tax these rick folks they won't create the jobs we need.
Doesn't look like they are, anyways. So what the hell, tax them.
One article I read told of open jobs just being sat on, the hiring managers are in no hurry. With 300 applicants and a dismal "recovery" underway, why rush?

I remember growing up there were jobs created for poor teenagers. These job corps were sponsored by the federal government and achieved everything from landscaping to day care workers to taking voter polls.

But I don't know what the answers are.
 I do know there are some really smart people who thought up this housing bubble stuff, allowing people to get homes they couldn't afford, then creating the derivatives to bet against all the mortgages that were bundled and sold as A rated bonds for people's retirment profiles.
They won, we lost.
Make them fix it. Tax the bastards.
With funds from the very wealthy going into the economy, the rest of us can recover and they'll get their money back, and more.

What will happen if the debt isn't paid, jobs aren't created, and people don't have their simple needs met?
We The People, By the People, will start acting like The People and do it For the People, namely ourselves.

History has shown economics drive rebellions.
Not religion, not morality, not global warming.
Economics.

So I don't know a soul who is believing the Recession is over, that the economy is recovering, that any thing good is around the corner.
I'd like to.

Holding On Anyways and Waterbars

The minute you think of giving up, remember why you held on so long.

A friend posted that on facebook today.
I have to write that one down.
Its easy to just say forget it when it gets rough and you can't think of one good reason to put up with stuff.

From now on I'm gonna make myself step back. There's got to be a reason for holding on. In fact, why did I even start on any given project in the first place?

We're getting a ton of rain daily in the form of torrential thunderstorms. Our driveway is pretty steep and if not properly graded, will wash out. I hate it being graded because not only is it somewhat expensive, but all the big gravel ends up on the sidelines or down at the bottom of the driveway. That means the harder it rains, the more will wash out.

So, having been taught how to do trail maintenance by the District leader of section 7, I am applying those concepts to the driveway. Water bars, carefully monitored during a storm to see that they are working well, utilizing large gravel and rocks to fill in deep gullies,  raking and using fill sand and lastly dead leaves to slow down the run off are all techniques that are strategic instead of just tactical.

I find it challenging to do this work by hand. That's the way our grandparents did it, and the way trail maintainers do it in wilderness areas where no power tools are allowed.

So far so good, and I'm not giving up. Might take a break though.

Animals Attack-Yellowstone's Hiker Fatality

wow...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/yellowstone-national-park-...
One of the key statements in this article is the couple surprised the mother with her cubs.

A person has to be extremely careful about making enough noise while hiking in griz country. Around flowing streams, or when its windy, hearing is much more challenging. I bungied a pot lid to my hiking pole when in Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshal Wilderness. A gal runs out of stuff to say, and bear bells just don't make enough noise.
I love Yellowstone. I worked there in 2009 up at the Lake Yellowstone Location. We would go hiking all around the park, up to Canyon. I always carried bear spray. Sometimes I did hike alone.

The other day driving home from town, a hawk swooped in front  of my car, carrying a rat. Lunch time. I slowed down so he didn't end up on my hood.

In all situations we humans have to remember animals have instincts and we can't really reason with them. Its in our best interest to role play what to do in any situation.

They say never hike alone, and yet being with another hiker is no sure bet either.

Rainmaker and I have hiked many many miles together. We've encountered lots of black bear, with cubs, others looking for food.

He has taught me never to run,  or to stare into the eyes. I must make noise in griz country. Stuff happens, though, and that's part of the wilderness.

My condolences to the family of the dead man. I am very sad for him.  I will read and learn from what happened and always remember my own mortality.

Downsizing and Hobbies

The Bag Set

The Bug Shirt

The Sleeping Bag

Over at http://brawnyview.blogspot.com
I started a new page, called Sales.
I'm downsizing my collection of backpacking and camping gear. Some of it I made myself, under the brand name Brawnygear. Some of it is gear I've tested for other companies.

I used to sew for the public and loved doing new innovative things.
My prototypes abound, plus some custom work for people who wanted special projects sewn up for them.

But hobbies and passions can create a lot of extra things, things which I'm selling now, for good prices because I can avoid the middle man like EBay and Amazon.com., want adds, or flea market booths.

So if you see something you like, follow the directions and email me.
You'll never see me on Buried Alive, cause I'm getting a handle on it first.

A Black Bear Up the Driveway

I took a yardstick out side to measure that bamboo looking thing, and it was 3 feet two inches. So that gives you an idea of how tall this bear is. Note the scar on its shoulder.

This driveway is 80 yards long, so the bear is not far from the front porch. The camera recorded this photo at 9 :30 in the morning, between the time I left for my morning hike and when I returned at 10:05.

Smart, healthy bear!

Dual Survival 2011 -Three Episode Reviews

I watched three back to back of Cody and Dave's the Art of Self Reliance.

The first one was based in winter in the Rocky Mountains, specifically, Wyoming. In two feet of snow, we saw them use a fire starter to light a nice mound of branches. It was going pretty good so the snow that fell from an overhead branch didn't put it out.
They used dead snags and wood to build a lean-to and showed how to break off spruce and pine boughs to shingle the shelter, as well as provide a natural mattress and insulation. I was surprised they didn't use any snow to build walls around the lean to, if nothing more than just scraping it over and mounding it up.
On one of his recons, Cody came across the partially eaten carcass of an elk. After examination, they determined it was left by a human hunter, not a bear or wolves. I think the lack of tracks and amount of animal buried in the snow would have shown this as well.
Eventually they hiked down to a frozen lake where snowmobilers found them.

The second episode dealt with a couple kayackers dumping in the cold river in Kentucky. At first they are separated, but eventually rejoin. Fire is made with a Metal match stick by  Dave. Cody is unable to make a bow and drill fire, in spite of much smoke being produced. We're told it takes 800 degrees to ignite this wood.
A shelter is had in one of the many overhangs. It looked amazingly like one of my favorite haunts here in north east Georgia. They hike on and find the stuff from moon shiners, a good tarp and metal fixings.
Eventually they build a water craft with the tarp and duct tape, float it for awhile then get dumped back in the freezing cold water. They climb out, and walk to a black top road, where they hitch hike and are saved.
This episode is interesting in the amount of adventure that looks like my home. Dave snares a pole cat (skunk) but they let it go because of rabies danger. He does get some spray on his hat. Dave also finds some large shelf mushrooms, which get broken into pieces to join the worms Cody has found an is cooking in a kayaker's helmet.
Interesting stuff.

The third episode involves stranded men in northern Maine. We're told 90% of main is  heavily forested, with random logging roads. They find an old truck, use it's battery to make fire, and take the bench seat to sit on . The hood of the truck forms a reflector. A stray can of extra chunky dog food is opened for nourishment the second night. In the morning they walk three miles to the ocean, and are rescued on the beach.

There always is a lot of information on Dual Survival. Good stuff that is both practical and entertaining. We get to watch our man Cody, expert desert survivalist, deal with things outside his home town environment. He'll remind us of this fact, and then proceed to work on solutions. I love how he sucked water from his socks in Wyoming, while Dave laughed because they were surrounded by clean snow, some of which they were already melting in a plastic bag.
We love watching Dave create snares, teach us about electricity and hunting. He doesn't like eating crap. Neither man really needs to eat, neither one is dying of hunger. Just the mental and emotional aspects that come with obtaining food show us how important it is to feel control and care in our survival quest.

Watch any and all of this series if you get a chance. I even watch them more than once and feel challenged to try their techniques.

Where the Roads Diverged

I found this poem by Robert Frost online. Sometimes we hear the first few lines and don't take the time to read its entirety.


The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost


I find it interesting that while he chose the less traveled path, he marked the other in his mind for a future adventure. Yet, he admits he doubted he'd make it back that way again.

So true of life as we know it. I begin to wonder if we do get that chance in another life, a reincarnation of self.
How many times we feel we've been here, or near here before? A deep instinct tells us which way to go. Sometimes we listen, sometimes not.

We meet kindred spirits along the way, some who also chose the path less traveled. Sort of reminds me of Pilgrims Progress, the mythical journey of a soul towards heaven.

It is good that some don't fear that path less trod, or if they fear, they go anyways.