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I have knowingly been stuck, killing time, on a number of occasions. I made up a kit of several 1-2 meter lengths of different diameter ropes and Des Pawson's KNOTS: The Complete Visual Guide. Originally, I bought the book to relearn some fish-boat rope splicing knots. Then I found many others...

I looked at my Gazpacho recipe. Never doubled it. There's a 1.9 liter/66 oz can of veg juice of some sort. The veggies are chilled, being tossed with 24 smashed up ice cubes. That must add 30+ oz water. Some oil and all the herbs & veg. That would keep both kids happy for lunches on the...

NO, I think "soup" means a liquid of some sort with lots of lumpy bits and pieces swimming in it. That's just me. Gazpacho (cold soup for a hot day) Cream of Fern Fiddlehead (hot) Split Pea with ham (hot) Corn Chowder (hot) Those are my soups. They seem to fit my imagination and the Fern...

I can buy beef, chicken and veg soup broth base (no salt, add your own). Shred a bunch of left over meat, give it an extra dice and toss it in. Beef bones, chicken bones, whatever. I'll add a cup or two of frozen mixed veg and a cup of frozen peas (or dice snap peas in the pod if I find...

I am in love with soups with a beef base and LOTS of barley. I like Ichiban chicken +dice green onion and extra veg stock powder. Cream of Mushroom with half the milk and a can of fine chop extra mushrooms. I was taught how to make Mexican Gazpacho Soup. It's an iced and spicy tomato base...

Top quality* wood carving tools such as gouges are normally ground for a total included bevel of 20 degrees. Carving knives don't take as much bashing and they are commonly 12-15 degrees. Spoke shaves 25, draw knives 28 and both elbow and D adzes are 28-30. Those angles put enough steel...

Is the bevel angle the same on both sides? They just pushed a little harder on one side? If so, I'd ignore it and take more off the short side to even them up over time if it mattered. Some times, it does. Away in the back of an old Asian grocery store were the dishes and knives. I bought a...

Experience has taught me never to leave my kitchen with anything cooking. I never expect to be away for very long so I turn everything off (10 minutes. Big deal). Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, steaming in water in the pan, seems to lift the char but don't expect speed. I have a stack of...

My favorite herb and spice mixes have a lot of mint in them. Dried, it's the most expensive herb in the grocery store. I have a friend with a "mint patch, "he's happy to see some disappear each year. "Some" as in a bin bag of mint. I spread it out on a table then strip and jar the leaves...

I was able to move away from the city, the smell and the noise. Lots of food and trades skills are bartered here. My house is at the old, "mature" end of the street. Maybe 8 people in a dozen houses. Many work-aways, two very quiet families moved here a couple of years back. The...

Many decades ago, family wilderness camping and fishing for a week or two usually depended on the reliability of a Coleman "green box." Camp fires were common but really, they have their limits. Fast forward and we have so many power grid failures that a couple of reliable and effective simple...

Don't let it hit you on the way out. Alberta, Canada Aug 01 or so.

One cute little 500 ml Thermos with a snap-cap top and a nice little lid for a cup. Perfect for driving, there's nothing I need to look at. 350 ml s/s travel mug beside the bed, 2 x 4.5 liter water jugs for supply. 2 x 2 and 2 x5 Imp Gal water tanks in the rear of the Suburban. Water to share...

What a useful service. Take advantage of it before the politocos blow it away. Only 3% of all of British Columbia is considered flat, for agricultural purposes. BC is bigger than the UK + Japan + New Zealish. Gargantuan task. However we do get some industrial weather reports that advise...

I had a couple of "summer weight" bags which are long gone. Nice throws on the bed for chilly nights. Still have my best bag. It's barrel-shaped, quite a bit wider in the middle to thrash around. Bottom side is Hollo-Fill, top side is down, down tube behind the zipper. Bottom is plenty big...

Much of fan noise is the turbulence of the air forced through the cage. The damn things almost whistle. So I sat down one day with a big pair of wire side cutters and chopped out about 1/2 of the front of the cage. Almost silent now. I get the "chillies." My metabolism doesn't run right...

My brother gifted me and installed for me an eBlanket that you can sleep over or under. I run it most nights on LO or #2. Most recent nights, it isn't cooling down from 35C to 15C or less until maybe 4-5 AM. Then, I get chilly. Not any more. The plate area determines the power storage of a...

I would prefer to ride on the shirt tail of a local commercial grower. I would rent living space and just about bushcraft the rest. Dinner by candle light 75F and -20 raging blizzard outside. Lush green-ness all around. I cooked on a Coleman green box and read by the light of a Coleman...

Buying seeds and planting seeds are two entirely different hobbies. I like sprouted seed in salads and just to munch on. The store-bought stuff is good. I have spent a lot of money on seed to do the same at home. Nope, 5mm germination and everything has always quit. No, not even the company...

It lends a lot of credibility to the notion that whiskeys and beers depend upon the water for some nuances of taste. We have a very good artisan's brewery about 90 km east of us with 6-8 respectable products. They claim that it's the water which keeps them there. I hope some day soon that...