Making a 12′ Drop Cloth Tipi
Making a tipi can be tedious; it involves sewing numerous strips of canvas together until you have a large enough piece to cut your pattern from. Buying a pre-made cover is expensive, for the same reason. For several years, Billy Maxwell has been telling me...
June 3rd, 2022
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Easter Longhouse.
We had family up for an Easter Bunny BBQ Saturday. It was the first gathering we'd hosted since The Contagion cast its shadow across the land. We had all been vaccinated but it still felt weird, invitng people, even family, into our home after two years of isolation....
Atomic Lighter – Rechargeable Plasma lighter
I bought this for a fly and camp outing last year. I wanted a reliable ignition source which was safe to carry on an airplane. This is also wind proof and really nice for cold weather, when butane lighters become unreliable. It recharges with a USB charger. I wrapped...
Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica)
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica), have serrate leaves resembling mint, arranged opposite on a square stem. Nettles can grow well over 6 feet tall. They are common along streams and rivers and damp, fertile ground throughout the United States. Probably the most...
Good Morning
3/1/26 6:30 35F (1.6C) Calm with broken overcast. The sky is incompletely hidden behind ragged white tufts. The clouds look like stuffing pulled from a dog's toy. Dawn was beginning to lighten the sky. I rolled over to check the clock just as the...
Good Morning
2/28/26 5:45 29F (- 1.6C) Cold, mostly clear with a slight breeze. It is quiet and dark. The light breeze has not moved the strand of clouds hanging over the trees to the southwest. Overhead it is clear and dark. The moon, waxing gibbous, set hours ago,...
Good Morning
2/27/26 5:45 30F (-1C) Clear and calm. Out my bedroom window I saw a dark indigo sky filled with stars, but by the time I finished with my morning ablutions the predawn glow had chased them away. With the passing of a sparrow's fart, the trills and...
Good Morning
2/26/26 6:30 28F (-2.2C) Clear and frozen, with a slight breeze. The morning was brilliant, glowing violet, lavender and blue. It has settled down to a bright, brittle blue with a few wisps of clouds around the edges. Birds are flitting about,...
Good Afternoon
Walter, Mike and I went looking for the snow level today. We found some snow here and there around 1400'. By 1700' there was a solid 6" under the trees and covering the road. ...
Chuck Roast and Mushroom Gravy
With the weather gone to cold drizzle I find myself using the Crock Pot more and more. Once the food is in the slow cooker, it can be turned on low and ignored for a few hours. Well, it could be ignored if it didn't fill the entire house with savory aromas. Slow...
The Bombardier
The Bombardier is a drink inspired by the early days of military aviation, when the British airforce was still part of the Royal Navy. Pilots and their crew were issued a daily tot of rum, just like the sailors were. To stave off the cold on long sorties over No Man’s...
Pie Day: Mom’s Pies
Mom bakes all sorts of pies. Two of my favorites are her apple pie and her rhubarb pie. These are pretty straight forward fruit pie recipes, but they are consistently the best pies to be had. Tarting them up would only detract from their wholesome...
Hot Toddy
The hot toddy has long been a favorite cold weather libation around my house. Easy, steaming hot, packed with vitamin C, sweet, sour, and alcoholic, its just gotta be good for you! Substitute liquors, try different sweeteners, use any citrus you feel like using; it ...
Pieday: The Crust
With the holidays upon us, my thoughts naturally turn toward pie. That's not really true. I think about pie all the time, but on holidays and special occasions, my mother's pies are a traditional part of the celebration. Her pies are worthy of celebration in...
