My neglected blog!

I should have blogged about my troubles with Dad's house, and the predatory habits of Champion Mortgage. Google them if you're curious about such things.

 I am now, and have been since October, in South Carolina. I have a storage unit in Spokane containing my BioDiesel Jetta, and a few things I thought I'd like to keep.

 I probably should change my blog name as the meth heads stole most all of my locksmithing tools and supplies. I might start up as a locksmith again, but I doubt it!

Right now I'm being inspired by the blog of Anna Hess and her husband Mark.
I want to get my own land and experiment with becoming self sufficient.

new home

The new and improved Outrageous Manor!

Next Tuesday, I will cross the state on the train, pick this up, visit my aunt in Kent, and return to Spokane.  just in the nick of time!

Anyone know where I can get Betty Boop Appliques?

New Blog Friend!

I just added Michael Z Williamson on my blogroll.
Rightous Dude!
http://www.michaelzwilliamson.com/blog

Does anyone want to read an e-book from me?

I was going to chronicle my experiences building an aquaculture setup.
And touch on my downsizing my life!

the kids and planting seeds for the future!

A little over ten years ago, I was active in scouts, and a teaching assistant in the local grade school.  It was a real tough job.  I'd round up some 5 to 7 ounce paper cups, a fifteen bean soup mix, and some miracle gro potting soil.  Usually I'd get a dozen plastic spoons too.  After a few times, I'd figured out that 5 of the fifteen beans would not grow under this method.  I'd saved them the bother of finding this out the hard way.  I could shepherd a half dozen classes through growing their ten styles of beans.  I wish I'd known of aquaculture back then.  My mission was mainly esteem building.  Show them they could get some plants to grow.  Some of these kids were emboldened to go on to grow more things.  Two of them were recently arrested for growing something legal in Washington State, but illegal at the Federal level. 

Ruby!

Sean Sorrentino recently posted on the loss of his friend.

I figure I should tell the story of Ruby, while she's still alive and she's the only dog who was here when I had a family. 
Our Dog Copper had to be put down.  He only made a few years past ten.  My Rottweiler Chester was moping around and Dad practically ordered me to go get Chester a dog.  As Copper was a Cocker Spaniel, Dad thought we should get a Cocker as a replacement.  We went out in the country.  Really just a few miles down the road.  A family there had a litter of pups for sale.  The male was already sold.  I knew that it was going to be her.  She was colored just like a Rottweiler.  Yep I'm a racist, live with it!  I did bring her sisters to the van to check first, both of them were speckled pups.  Dad has a thing against that.  They swarmed all over my brother.  He is leery of dogs not ours.  Was.  The pup who became Ruby just lay at his feet and waited for him to respond.

-Fast Forward Ten Years-

Dad knew he wasn't much longer for this life.  He wanted me to put Ruby down when he died, and have them cremated together.  She had been his dog since she came home.  She loved the rest of us, but Dad was her favorite.  It was slightly cruel, but I told him no.  I wouldn't murder Ruby, just so he could have comfort now.  It's almost been a year, and Ruby's still going strong.  She has a fatty tumor on her back leg.  She needs to take care as she goes up the stairs.  I hope I will have the strength that Sean and his wife displayed when Ruby's time comes.  She's tough and loving, and I have to ask myself if I'll have what it takes to let her go before she feels too much pain.

I'll come back and polish this entry up a bit when I feel up to it.

I really like this one!

I really like this one!

I love camping, Hate Tents!

Right now, I am looking closely at building a 'Teardrop' Trailer! I am probably the only Scout ever to have built a mini cabin, at every nightly stop, in a two week hike! I can't help it! I can't stand living out of a tent! Now, at 51 years of age, I really hate the idea of sleeping on the ground. Maybe the teardrop could serve as the bedroom, and kitchen, of my future mobile lifestyle. me! Two Dogs! and as few possessions dragging me down as I can manage! I wish I could go back in time and start over at 17.....

 

Check out this Video!  It may change your life!

I want to get a free trailer off Craigslist, and build one of these puppies!

The life and times of Grizzly Adams

This story came on TV at a pivotal time in my life, just before I learned to drive.  Before I became involved with computers.  Before my life went down the track that took me to where I am today.  My life would have been so much different if I had went totally the way of the outdoorsman.  Watching the episodes again after almost thirty years, I am openly weeping at the end theme of the show.  Denice thought "Our Song" was "Psycho Killers" by the Talking Heads.  I was gobsmacked when she could sing the Grizzly Adams theme.  That really was "Our Song".  I am having the loss, almost three years ago, come crashing in on me again.  The one woman who really got me, understood me, torn from us so cruelly.

I just want to go into the wilderness.  Hopefully forget the grief, and remember the joy.

Augason Foods.

I have a Walmart Special to report!
it's an emergency kit for 12 days, 
it comes with a first aid kit!

And you can get it from the  
Washington/Idaho stores with an EBT card

Heirloom Seed Cache

The title is the search term you can use on ebay.
This link is the one I'm going to try.
I want a good strong corn crop.
So I'll look at the vendors other offerings.
I will have an e-book out with my gleanings gardening.
The popcorn is sprouting OK, the Deer Feed Corn must be what they call an F1 Hybrid. 
It isn't showing a sprout, not even a bump!  -update- It did about 50-60% germination.
Hickory King Corn is the heirloom variety I'm seeking. 
Trucker's Favorite is one I'm being talked around to!

.25 Slander!

I may have blogged on this before.  There is a trite old saying.  "If you shoot someone with a .25, and he finds out, you're in trouble.  Now I have carried on and off for thirty years.  Several of those were with a .25.  I switched to a .22, because in those bad old Clinton-y days, a box of .25 cost the same as a box of .45.  I have shot the .25.  It does harsh damage to wood, and it will penetrate a jello jiggler to a depth of 5 to 6 inches.  More than adaquate enough.

There is a lot of snobbery on the internet regarding the .25.  And in Real Life!  I was regaled one night to an urban legend of a convenience store clerk that was shot in the head with a .25.  The bullet traversed under the skin outside the skull and caused minimal damage.  The Restaurant Manager regaled me with this tale, I don't know what his motivation was.  I informed him that this was a single incident, not a trend.  He couldn't even take action on a waitress over a single incident. 

The only reason I started carrying 9mm was the fact that I got a nice Kel-Tec, smaller than the P-64 in Makarov caliber that it replaced.  Reloading 9mm was cheaper than 9X18,  and easier than .25.  Of course now the reverse is true.  Damn Obama anyway!  With luck the prices will go down before I run through all my 9mm.  If I really wanted to be mercenary, I could sell some of the Winchester White Box for current prices!

Sorry, just ruminating!

Augason seeds

The pictured can is part of payment for running a woman around to do her monthly shopping.  She couldn't give me any cash.  So she bought me this, and a can of freeze dried strawberries, on her food stamp card.  I currently have a couple of batches of seeds running, so I decided against opening the can, though I'm consumed with curiousity about the planting guide that is supposed to be included.

So now you know, You CAN buy these with Food Stamps!

Corn status and pail opener!

Well back in November I tried to sprout some popcorn.  I got it up to a foot tall.  then someone left the kitchen door open and killed my plants.  I am planning to sprout some feed corn, and see if it does ok.  I like an ear of corn with my food in season.  With the iffy situation regarding my house, I'll skip the 25 chickens.  Pity,  I'd love eggs with breakfast.  Right now the tomato plants are the only thing coming along reliably.  I'll do my level best to keep them alive, til it's time to plant them outdoors.  They might have to come along on my road-trip to South Carolina.  I don't see where I can do my food storage, when I have a bunch of freeloading roomies.  I bring in enough foor to feed the whole house for four days.  It's gone the next day.  If a SHTF situation happens, I'm either putting them on the road, or turning them into dog food!  No, scratch that.  None of then would be fit to feed to the dogs.  To restrain my more homicidal impulses, I decided to make a few pail opening tools.

 

If anyone would be interested in something like this, I'd charge $10.00 plus reasonable shipping.  Those little plastic ones require too much effort.  I bet I could pop the lid off by applying this to two or three places.