Crazy Monday Night

My house is full. 4 grandkids, daughter and daughter in law. Came home to a clean house and dinner cooking.

So I am watching kids play and sipping white wine.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE PRACTICE

This morning was very foggy but the sun was trying to shine through. I made a pot of real perk coffee and sat and talked to the boys.




Then we got out the cookie dough that I had made last week and we practiced making Christmas cookies.

LESSONS

No pics. Today I talked to my grandsons about disaster preparedness, and I got to show them my preps for if the electricity goes out. I showed them my stash of water.

I let them try out my wind up weather radio/am/fm and they thought that was cool. We counted 7 kerosene lamps 3 of which are filled and ready.

We talked about how some people lose their jobs and so if we have 6 months of food in the cabinets, there is no need to worry.

Then we went outside with their new pocket knives and we had the first of many lessons.

We learned how to hold with the blade away and our thumb on the back of the blade for control.

We learned what our safe space is where no one is allowed to walk while we are using our knife.

We practiced making feather sticks and worked on J's walking stick. I showed them the hot dog/marshmallow sticks i had made.

Then I showed them how the knife works on the flint at the back of a fire starter block and then they go to try. They loved making sparks.

Then I got out dryer lint and lighted it and they thought I was sooo cool.

Inside, mommy brought hot dogs to cook so we built a fire in the wood burning stove...we all took turns trying to light the dryer lint and we laughed and failed miserably. Finally we went to plan B...matches. Mommy laughed and sat on the couch offering her lighter.

We cooked wonderful hot dogs and then watched some Youtube videos on what you can do with a pocket knives. Now they are fast asleep dreaming about using them to carve great and wonderful things no doubt.

NEW PROJECT

I got a wonderful find. A co-worker had a damaged 1930's cedar chest that she sold to me for very cheap. It is wonderful and still smells like cedar! The lid is cracked and will need to be repaired. Then I will decide if I want to refinish it. I love the scratches though. They are like wrinkles on a persons face....they are to be cherished because they tell the story of life.

FIRE BOW AND LEARNING MY KNIFE

I trimmed trees last weekend and saved some small oak branches because I knew they would make good hot dog and marshmallow roasting sticks and they had a V shape so they would be good to poke into the ground as a support for something that needed slower cooking.

After I was done with the first one I realized I had never used my pocket knife for this kind of thing. Here is my knife.




I am not real happy with it because it has a delicate feel to it. I think I will have to watch myself or I will break the blade. This was a find. I found it on the ground outside of a convenience store about 10 years ago. I see it has a little rust that I need to clean off.

I made 3 roasting sticks and then tried my hand at some feather sticks. These will take a little more practice. I need to learn more control with my knife.

I was working on a piece of cedar when I realized the end of this stick could make a good fire bow. As I sat in the front yard whittling away and cleaning my new fire bow I realized I have no clue how to use one.

I have watched Bushcraft On Fire videos on Youtube and Part 2 and he makes it look easy but as I am whittling away I realized his skill makes it appear easy and skill takes practice.

So this is the beginning of my fire bow. Once I have my bow made I will find my drill, a fire board and something to hold the drill with at the top.



I will post my progress as I go. This should be interesting to see if I can figure out how to start fire the old fashioned way.

WHO NEW P-NUT BUTTER WAS A BEAUTY PRODUCT

DON'T EVER THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH HIDING A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER IN THE BACK SEAT WITH A TWO YEAR OLD. SHE WILL FIND IT.

TROUBLE IN GUINEA PARADISE

DID ANY OF YOU KNOW THAT A GUINEA HUSBAND AND WIFE HAVE FIGHTS? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED BUT WHEN I WENT OUT LAST NIGHT TO SHUT THE CHICKEN HOUSE DOOR AND "RELEASE THE HOUND" MRS GUINEA HAD DECIDED TO ROOST WITH THE CHICKENS INSTEAD OF UP IN THE TREE WITH HUSBAND.

HUSBAND GUINEA WAS VERY DISTRAUGHT AND WAS SITTING ON TOP OF THE CHICKEN HOUSE MAKING A VERY MOURNFUL SOUND. NOW AND THEN MRS GUINES WOULD MAKE A CHURRING SOUND BUT NEVER CAME OUT AND FINALLY MR GUINEA WENT TO ROOST WITHOUT HER.

ONE OF THE MYSTERIES OF THE FARM.