A year ago I bought a “contractor grade” hose at one of those despotic home stores with the big boxes and bigger parking lots, and paid almost $100 for it. Today it leaks at both ends from its cheap mystery-metal fittings. That’s fine if you like to shower while you’re washing the truck, but I … More Contractor Grade
I loaded up the truck and headed down the road the other day to do some property maintenance. I was carrying a tool bag and a socket set, a steel tamping rod and half a bag of Sackrete for straightening up some road signs. I had a gas string trimmer with a container of fuel … More Watch for Snakes
New Zealand’s success has been attributed to a combination of science, coherent leadership and a population willing to endure short term discomfort for long term gain. … More A Cold Solder Connection
If you let them, some of the good habits you pick up in the military will stay with you for a lifetime. You may also gain perspectives that can function as a workable template for many situations. Not every situation, but many. Viewing every situation in terms of conflict is unwise, but conflict is all … More Messenger (Bag) of War
New recommendations for world health authorities signed by 239 scientists will soon be published in the journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases. The guidance is based on overwhelming evidence that a person infected by COVID-19 can spread the virus from 30 feet away, not the 6 feet that currently informs social distancing guidelines. Today I’m writing to … More An Appeal
Over the weekend we disconnected from the infomatrix. It was nice to relax and spend time with family, but we started the week without being properly conditioned and now we’re not sure what we’re supposed to worry about. When I have a chance, I’ll login to Facebook and I’m sure someone will let me know. Someone told us last week that … More Professor Karen’s New Rules for Age Old Problems
Some years ago, I took down an old barn to salvage the wood. The wood was a treasure, hand hewn oak and heart pine that grew as saplings at least a century before. I thought so much of the wood that I stored it under a shed which had been built to keep my tractor … More Build to Last
They say life is more complicated today, though I suspect life is the same and it is the living that has become more involved. … More The Five, or Six, or Seven Stages of Grief
We won’t take up too much of your time this week. We have work to do, a garden to tend and some lumber to saw, and you have already spent enough time worrying about the condition of the world. We’ll venture a guess that just outside your door, the world is doing just fine, and … More Crabs in a Pot
Welcome to all of you who took a step back from the virtual world and bought seeds, plants, fertilizer, garden tools, even baby chicks during our recent cultural and economic shift. It doesn’t matter why you did it, fear of food shortages, frustration with high prices or just an abundance of time to spend at … More Back to the Garden
