Randy Eggert

I learned to respect the power/danger of pressure cookers when I was young and stupid. I'd obtained an old pressure cooker with a broken release valve. I believed that because it was broken, it wouldn't fully seal. I used the pot mostly for making pasta, and I was prudent enough to just set the lid on it, not lock it, while bringing the water to boil. However, when I was hosting a spaghetti dinner, a friend apparently locked it in place. Looking back, I should have run the whole thing under cold water. Instead I muscled it open, and pressurized hot water hit my forearm. I'm slightly less stupid today, and I now realize how dangerous what I'd done was and how lucky I am to have escaped with just a scar on my forearm.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:

From the perspective of being barefoot. I pay attention to where I walk. The goat heads grow in a certain microclimate (rocky, not irrigated), and have a certain look about them that is easy to see on approach. I used to pick up a lot of seeds in my shoes, but I don't in my bare feet.  

At a reading for his book Born to Run, Christopher McDougal was asked about whether he ever cut his feet on glass or anything else when he ran barefoot. His answer (I'm paraphrasing) was that he has high tech sensors just above his nose and below his eyebrows that allow him to detect sharp things on the ground.

I recently built a sawbuck following the instructions here: diy sawbuck

I altered he design a little.

First, as many in this thread have suggested you want the middle legs closer to one side.

Second,  I put the lower crosspieces near the ground.  It seemed to make it more stabel. Also, I found with my old sawbuck that I would put my foot on the lower piece to keep it steady when cutting by hand. Finally, in the interest of stacking functions, I can fold it up, lay it on the ground, and use it to rip short pieces of plywood.

Speaking of stacking functions,  I cut dimensional wood more than logs, so I cut out notches to hold 2x4s and 1x4s. This, I hope, will be easier for doing cross-cuts than sawhorses are.

Megan Palmer wrote:A fiery sunrise

Sunrises are definitely a happy place for me.

Clem Wilkes wrote:The second cover is just too busy, too many images. Keep it simple for both soft and hard covers

I prefer the cover with several pictures because it gives a sense of variety (and those sourdough pancakes look delicious), but Clem has a point. Maybe remove one or two of the pictures to make it less busy.

When I'm camping (and sometimes at home), I start the morning by heating potatoes in water just until it boils. Then I put the pot in the haybox cooker and let sit until it's time to cook dinner.

If I'm cooking on the stove, I slice them about as thick as my pinky and fry them in a little oil with onions until they're crispy on both sides (low heat is best).

If I'm cooking on the grill, I slice them lengthwise, brush with a little oil, and season with adobo. I place them on the cooler side of the grill face down and cook until they're crispy.

I just saw the Stillhouse Junkies (great band, BTW), perform a cover of this song:

randal cranor wrote:Howdy,
It's not Filson, but...

https://www.outbacktrading.com/

Given the option, I'd probably go with the Outback Trading Bush Ranger jacket over the Filson Tin Cloth Cruiser jacket. One, the Outback jacket is half the price. Two, the Bush Ranger is a bit longer than the Cruiser, meaning your butt doesn't get as wet. Three, I like the snapped side vents on the Ranger because you can control your range of movement. Four, the removable shoulder cape is nice to have in a downpour.

I have a jacket similar to the Bush Ranger made by Brassada, a Texas company, that I bought ten years ago. A quick Amazon search shows a couple of jackets by Brassada, but they don't look too impressive. At the time I bought the the jacket,  they sold exclusively on E-bay and seemed to be a home operation. I've beat the crap out of the coat and not maintained it hardly at all. It could use a re-waxing, but other than being faded and dirty it's held up remarkably well. I think you can find pre-owned Brassadas on E-bay.

I've been thing about patterns with respect to building (I'm not really a planter). I build in the desert, so I think about the patterns of the washes, mesas, and rock formations. I haven't gotten far in understanding them, though I know at the root of it is water. While we were canoeing through a canyon in a downpour, a friend said, "The shape of the desert only makes sense when it rains."

When designing a roof, this seems profound to me. How do you shape a roof to match the run-off patterns all around you? I tried to match it intuitively with the roof on my cob privy, but my intuitions are imperfect.

Then there's channeling the water after it comes off the roof. How best to use water when it evaporates quickly? Storing it in a rain barrel is good, but it doesn't fit the patterns I see.

Like I said, I haven't gotten far in this, but it's a fun puzzle to mull over.

Anita Bellefeuille wrote:My son has a horse rescue ranch, they have a blind horse, they have a donkey they use as a seeing eye donkey for their blind horse. He wears a bell to help the blind horse locate him and they are best friends.

I want video of this!