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No wonder your fingers are sore. Have to learn to pace yourself, those sore fingers are a nuisance. I got to the point where I couldn't button my shirt they hurt so much. Now, I have several carving projects "on the go" at any time with very different carving activities. My thumbs took a...

Do the axle in wood with a slightly sloppy fit, possibly caulked with wool. Pegs to the sides. Have you had a look-see for what might be displayed in your local and district museums? Despite the dodgy origins of the pieces, the museums of British Columbia are the single most important...

I've been wood carving for some 25 years with a very strong influence from our First Nations carvers here in the Pacific Northwest. I have a bunch of small axes which I use to split very large pieces of western red cedar down to carving sizes. This is such an early stage of the rough-out for...

We get a lot of fruit and veg which is shipped up the Pacific coast, from places like Peru, Ecuador and Chile. By the time it gets here, refrigerated or not, the bottom 1/4 of the container is moldy. Makes it very expensive for no honest reason. The California crops have been screwed over by...

I've got the seed to plant in big pots to grow nothing but herbs and possibly some peppers. Herbs are one of the much more expensive things in any grocery store.

When I lived in the city, I used to keep all sorts of shallow dishes of water in the back yard. Lots of small stones to stand on in most dishes. The parade of wildlife, big and small, during the hot & dry summers, was a sight to behold. Even nocturnal Flying Squirrels. The dishes must have...

I have nothing but respect for those who attempt some habitat enhancement. Clearly, the ponds are attractive to rare wildlife. Well done.

Sounds too tricky for me. I prefer the traditional designs that we have here such as the Bear Paws. For years, I worked on "trail breakers", 60" long and you drag the heels, only lifting the pointed toes. They are so slim, one footprint fits against the previous one so your crotch doesn't...

$50 Asian bone cleaver. About 6mm thick at the spine. Lots of bone-in meat cuts that I'd like to cut into halves. Looks to be very bash-worthy. Have to make some sort of a mask for it.

Two sets (a pair and a 6-pack) of hammered, stemless copper wine/drink cups. I hope that I can keep them bright and shiny.

Keep track of the soil temperature, it's critical. The Russians in their Far East, such as the Kabarovsk Krai , spray a finely powdered coal dust on their fields in spring to get the soil temp up as economically as they can. Black poly in commercial gardens is there not just for weed control.

A big steel wheel rim from a large lorry at the wreckers won't cost much. Even cheaper if its been banged up and bent a little.

Start with the trees, that's often reduced in diversity number. Lesson: Not all trees grow everywhere. There will be particular combinations. And, each of those combinations will have a characteristic understory group of plant species. Be wary of gardens and landscapings. Many times the...

My coffee and tea making is most irregular as it's hard to walk with a cane and get the kettle filled and carried. A ritual when I worked = 2 cups of coffee and 3 cigarettes and I was lit up for the day. Our village tap water in McBride comes from a large snowfield, up maybe 5,000', that I can...

Somewhere in my kitchen, I do have a perc., the sort with the hollow glass knob. Something to watch, I suppose. Probably why I like the presses so much. Steeping loose tea leaves and watching them unroll is about the same. I'm getting used to a 5+ minute steeping time. Used to seem like an...

I've always been too thirsty and in too big a hurry to do a proper job of the morning coffee. In this day and time, I've been following the instructions to let the coffee steep for an honest 5 minutes in a press. That alone has made quite the difference. There's really no difference for me...

Once again, corn flour is not corn starch and it is not corn meal. Corn flour contains corn starch. It's common in most fry batters since the starch doesn't wet as fast as wheat starch so the coating stays crispy for longer. This is easy to discover in batches of pancakes. "Gluten" is a...

Don't be too quick to advertise the fact that you are prepared with food/water/shelter and so on. There are lots of predatory people quite willing to fight you for your supplies. The real preppers are very quiet, they plan to sit still and fade into the landscape for as long as they can...

What are the plant/tree characters in your references that are used for identification? Starting with the trees, then the woody shrubs, make a little collection of dried pressed twigs/roots/leaves & flowers. Take pictures, digital images are the cheapest of cheap. Study those to recite their...

My best wok has been used by me for 55 years. Over open flame, every chance I get. It's better non-stick than Teflon. Typical Asian cooking. I don't care very much what happens to the outside bottom. I can clean that off a little with a few handfuls of fine sand. Hot water rinse for the...