Thursday, December 11, 2014

Bowen Classic Arms

No, it's not a custom revolver post.  I have to set my sites, literally, a little lower these days.

What I did receive was an email indicating the Rough Country V Notch Rear Site I've had on backorder for the better part of 6 months is now back in stock!  I've got a Ruger Single Six which has been begging for a new site setup for almost 15 years.  The revolver has consistently shot high since I bought it back in the day, but the patterning is fantastic.  So, after messing around for a long time, a buddy of mine convinced me to do the Marbles front site conversion.  It looks really nice and works well.  The rear is now being updated as a match.

Looking forward to getting it out in the woods this winter for some pool cue chalk shootouts, and maybe some small game on snow shoes.

Score!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Settling Into the Winter Routine

Winter 2014 showed up in a bit of a hurry.  Autumn was so damn nice and lasted (relatively speaking, anyway) so long that I got to thinking it was going to last a bit longer.  It didn't.  So, now that fall is over and snow is continuing to pile up outside, we'll be transitioning into winter projects here in Minnesota.  But first, just a bit of an update on what was accomplished before the snow flew.

For me, mainly work on the Bronco:
  • New shocks - front and rear
  • New front wheel bearings
  • New wheels
  • New front left hub
  • New rotors
  • New calipers
  • New brake pads
  • New inner and outer tie rods and drag link
  • Lower quarter panels and doors stripped and repainted


Also tucked in there was the less critical issue of stereo failure.  That was a long slog of a learning experience which cost me a lot of unwarranted dollars.  However, after that faulty rear speaker cable run was replaced the new stereo and amp sure do sound nice!  Mainly I just wish I would have remembered to eject the Beastie Boys CD before tossing the old stereo!

One thing I reconfirmed for myself while doing all the work on the truck is this:  It sure is nice to work on a vehicle which is almost completely mechanical, and which was built back when repair was the norm.  Having head room while underneath the vehicle and in the engine compartment, and wrenching on 3/4" bolts and nuts means you can generally apply force and remove the required fastener rather than snapping off the bolt or rounding off the rusted nut.  I'm glad I decided to get the vehicle back up to spec rather than selling it off and finding a replacement (with, no doubt, items needing to be brought up to spec).

I'm still dealing with just a very slight shimmy after all the above parts have been swapped out.  However, I think the left hub replacement was the biggest bit of the problem as everything smoothed out considerably after that was completed and a front alignment was done.  The tires also seem to be driving in a bit and perhaps once all the feathering is worn down it'll smooth out even more.  Might still get the drive shaft balance checked, though.  We'll see.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Crafty Eight Year Olds

Every now and then the boy knocks one out of the park.  Yoda's moved well beyond it all.

When 900 years old YOU be, need a roach you will not, hmm?


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Some Long Overdue Photographs

OK, so the Life and Death label for this post might be a little bit drastic, but then again you may or may not have spent a night outdoors in July around Isabella, MN.

Last year, after spending a few hours over at the neighbor's place (roughly 6 miles away and across the area's major highway), we decided it was time to get serious about brush removal.  They have a sizable clearing and we could actually be outside chatting mostly comfortably.

The cabin is built on a piece of Potlatch land, which is a paper company in Minnesota.  Before I bought the land about 10 years ago, it had been heavily thinned and what grew up in place of those trees was maple scrub brush.  It is a thick brushy cover plant which effectively kept the wind out and the mosquitoes in.  We were hoping that if we cleared a good amount of that brush from around the cabin and other outside gathering areas, we'd have a bit of relief from the bugs.  And, we do!

Here's a view from behind the cabin toward the fire pit.  The wood shed is just out of the frame to the left.



While clearing brush, we also felled a couple sick birch trees and bucked them up to start drying for the coming winter.  It doesn't look like a whole lot of wood but the cabin, being small and well insulated, doesn't need much either.  We should get a good year or two out of this modest supply.  In the immediate vicinity there are another 2-3 birch which should probably be taken down, too.  We should be set for a while.



As a side note, I've never known birch to be this tough to split.  I had grand ideas of using the Gransfors for a nice afternoon's work.  This stuff is tougher than oak and elm I've worked in the past.  I got my maul stuck in a knot and literally had to beat it through the log with an 8 pound sledge hammer (I had forgotten my splitting wedges at home!).  Finally, I had to tip the round to finish the process with a hatchet because the round still wouldn't split and the maul was still stuck even after the blade had penetrated all the way through.  That's warm work, I tell ya'.


Luna was not impressed.



Monday, July 21, 2014

Back From the Cabin

It actually worked out this past weekend; we were able to make it up to the cabin for a few days.  Typical for July, the mosquitoes and deer flies were out in force.  The dogs took the brunt of it.  Judging from the fact that both are lounging across portions of the hardwood floor today and not asking repeatedly to either go outside or come inside, I'd say they still managed to pass the time with a sufficient level of running.  Of course, it could just be today's heat index!

The good news is that the bugs were by far the best they've ever been in July within the cleared sections around the cabin.  Go down the trail to the outhouse and you'd see just how bad they would have otherwise been!  More clearing this autumn.  Volunteers?

As long as we're talking about the cabin, I might as well post this drink mix we came up with while there this past winter.  A 3 mile trek by snow shoe tends to prioritize the load, and mixers weren't very high on the list.  With gin already being on site, and a healthy portion of tang mix, the rest fell into place all on its own:

Orangutang  (Highball Glass or Equivalent)
  • 2 ounces Rangpur Tanqueray Gin
  • Fresh Fallen Snow (or Shaved Ice)
  • Tang
  • Stir or Shake

It's quite good; good enough for astronauts, good enough for us.  Recommended garnishes of the fruit and nut variety are still in the works, as local suppliers for Durian fruit are a bit difficult to come by.

This trip we packed in tonic water and limes in the back of the ranger and that didn't shake out too badly, either.

Had the little army men and the .22 standard auto out as well, but with the bugs...  eh.  More time for reading, but I do miss using that pistol on a regular basis.

Next time.


Thursday, July 10, 2014

At the Junction of WOW and WTF

I was just doing my thing; signing into SalesForce this morning for a few hours of morning job work before heading over to the work bench for afternoon job work.

This was the login page banner image.

I got nuthin'.

  Is the disconnect complete yet?  Who's in?

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Where We Were

We've been on the road a lot these past several weekends.  I think this is the first week I'll be home all 5 days and the first weekend in our own home for about a month.  As a result, I have a lot of catching up to do and I'm way behind on getting a few things out here onto the blog.

In the meantime:  Richard Flatau, cordwood instructor, has posted a blog entry over on his site of the workshop we attended in mid-June.  It's complete with pictures proving we were actually working while we were there, not just enjoying the scenery in river country Wisconsin.

We met a lot of good people while we were there.  If you are ever debating a workshop at Kinstone in Fountain City, WI, I can definitely recommend it.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Things are Getting Serious

Scheduling everything which is supposed to take place over the next 2.5 years is a chaotic mess.  So for me, the most reasonable way to stay sane is ignore the majority of it and just concentrate on the big stuff; of which there is very little, really.  This is good.  I figure the rest will happen on its own and I'll deal with it then.

I've mentioned earlier that C3 and I are looking to do some work up at the cabin over the next year and a half so we can start making decisions on what sort of buildings we'll be putting up at home, whenever we find the place we will turn into home.  Cordwood and timber frame construction are two of the methods we're really concentrating on.  A combination of rammed earth and earth bag is another option on the list.  It's all eventually going to come down to how much wood is on the land we find and how the soil is composed.  Regardless, timbers are being cut this spring and summer in prep for putting a screen porch on the cabin.

And therefore, this came along at about the perfect time:


We'll be attending the June 12-13 and June 14-15 sessions.

A couple days of hands on training in both timber framing and cordwood, during the prime of summer, next to the backwaters of the Mississippi.  It's also just across the river from where my Dad grew up and along a section of the river where I spent plenty of time outdoors as a kid.

There is a limited head count on the class.  If you happen to be interested in attending, I'd probably get signed up earlier rather than later.  Deposit required.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of this stuff in practice.  Having read a lot of books, making the first set of mistakes with someone around to correct them is the next step.  And without any specific figuring this just sort of fell into place.  I love it when a plan (or lack thereof) comes together.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

A Pace to Which I Can Aspire

The weekend is starting early for me this week.  I'm going to be taking it slow for the next few days in the woods with C3 and the pups.  Most likely the last trip of the "winter" requiring snowshoes and a 3 mile hike into the sticks.  Packing light, but some cards and something to read made it onto the short list.  Looking forward to the silence and space and visiting with Dobrze again for a bit.

For those staying in closer proximity to the rat race, maybe meditate on this for a while.  Peaceful, that.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Spring Cleaning

Spring is definitely here.  Finally, definitely here.

I haven't really spent much time trying to ignore the cabin fever, as it's really just been one day at a time and those days have been pretty busy.  Working from home and not commuting through winter every day has a way of minimizing the impact as well.

What I am feeling, now that it's warm outside and I'm starting to organize summer gear for trips north and time in the woods, is the call to reduce the amount of stuff I have packed into the basement, storage room, and shelves.  This feeling being in conflict with the preparedness mindset to a certain extent, and the desire to have backups for critical items I'll need to see me through the next 40-50 years.

At any rate, the snow pack around the cabin is down to 12 inches and judging by the charts, it's pretty much a thick water.  Snow temp in that 12 inches is a relatively even 32+/- degrees.  We might make it into the cabin with the truck this weekend, after all.  We have a huge brush pile to burn and a lot of firewood to make for the next cold season, so being able to drive in with tools would be a real benefit to the 3 days of silence.

I think the dogs suspect.

Best get started.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Life is Amazing

Standing out in the woods this past weekend, I was surrounded by the last of the season's snow pack. Windless, cloudless, and silent like only the woods in winter can be, I could look up and see again for a little while.

This was twinkling back at me, even if I couldn't see it.

Life really is amazing.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Life in the City; Ain't it Grand.

When I moved to Saint Paul in the summer of 2013, I had about 6 months until the tabs on my vehicle expired.  Due to the move and address changes, the tabs renewal notice ended up being delivered to the old address, and eventually somehow the tabs were sent there, too.  At any rate, time to spare, so I wasn't too worried.

Fast forward a few months.  Lo an behold, about 2 hours after my tabs expired, around about 2am, the friendly neighborhood peace officer just happened to be driving by and noticed crime in progress.  I wasn't too bothered because hey, I hadn't put the tabs I had purchased onto my truck, and this person was just trying to avoid neighborhood anarchy.  Fair enough.  I stuck the tabs in place, which were in the house by this time.  I forget for a few months, but also eventually pay the fine.

Of course, it hasn't been above 40 below in about 4 months, so the adhesive didn't work all that well.  Turns out the FRONT tab fell off this winter (rear tab is still in place).  This afternoon another neighborhood peace officer was tackling some serious crime waves in the area and ticketed me again for missing tabs.  Because, you know, you couldn't be bothered to check the back of the truck to determine that I was actually paid up, and probably the cold caused the front adhesive to fail.  Or maybe someone stole my sticker.  Neither of those really happen around here, I'm sure and besides:  BANKROLL!

Long story short:  $232 in expired tab fees for a $52 tab which I'd already bought before the first ticket.

Now go look at the roads these tab fees are supposed to be maintaining.  After the melt the roads are actually worse than the ice ravines were.  Welcome to economic decline.

And welcome to the city.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Your Importance is Debatable

A recent post by Ol' Remus got me to thinking about the current state of affairs again today.
All this time he's been thinking their important stuff was more important than his important stuff. Then he got to thinking that their reality is highly dependent on time. He noticed that their amazing, world-shaking events  are trite and forgotten if they happened a few weeks ago. On the other hand,  the same trivial things happening tomorrow will be shocking and momentous and fraught with game-changing consequences. Their important stuff doesn't seem to have any shelf-life.

And another quote from Brandon Smith at alt-market.com:
Stop waiting for the system to change, or collapse. Change the way YOU live and survive.  Build your own localized systems and walk away.

 Because what we're talking about here is living In Lieu of Nirvana, after all.

The political reality and the media reality are ALTERNATE reality.  Those responsible for proclaiming what is, the mouth pieces of the reality they want to talk into existence, those people shake their heads and spout condemnations.  They wave their hands, put on TV-ready faces of concern, and let the faceless mass of bureaucrats write legislation.  They listen to a recited cliff's notes version of what's going to happen, do something with no true understanding of any of it, and kiss as many babies as they can while primping for the next election cycle.

Meanwhile, life goes on in some true reality made more difficult, if you let it, by the floundering going on next door.  Rest assured, everything will change again shortly.  It is enlightening to watch congress put on their indignation-faces at the last minute because they weren't aware of ramifications of what they did last week, month, or year.  Wait, you WROTE that, right?  You didn't just read that or talk about that.  You WROTE that down.  You wrote, read, debated and passed that, side effects and all, so you shouldn't be finding out about whatever this is later.  Of course you probably didn't do any of this, actually, but that's what we are paying you to do and it's a simple enough expectation.

"if you let it" goes along nicely with Brandon Smith's recommendation to "build you own localized systems and walk away."  I may well have written this before but it's worth repeating here:  The system is built on the expectation of continual consumption.  Wealth is measured and taxed on the assumption that you need to earn A LOT to continually re buy things which should have lasted long enough that you could give them to your children for them to further reap the benefits of a solid investment.  Wealth is measured and taxed on the assumption that you need to earn EVEN MORE than A LOT in order to save enough to re buy all the things which should have lasted long enough that you could give them to your children for them to further reap the benefits of a solid investment, after you retire.  Despite retirement having gone extinct.

Invest in quality goods for the future and take all that replacement income off the radar from here forward.  Better, learn to make those quality goods for the future and all that "wealth" you would have needed to buy those quality products is reduced to the cost of quality base materials and you aren't paying taxes on the labor you are investing in your own goods.  Best, change your expectations and reduce the total goods needed.





Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Bed Rest

Today was the first day in four during which I spent more time out of bed than in bed.  I assume it must have been the flu, as I can normally work through pretty much anything.  But the fever, aches, and dizzy spells put me on my back.  In bed.

On the bright side, I now believe C3 when she says the mattress isn't comfortable.  It just took me 2 days to start to feel what she feels after 2 hours.  Who knew??  Laying down that long sure does drive the point home.  Again and again.  We'll work on that, Hon.  In seriousness though, she was a gem all weekend.  Hope she doesn't come down with it now.  The boy, either, for that matter.

At this stage, I'm behind on about everything of course, which makes it pretty darn easy to prioritize; I'll start wherever the piles are deepest.  But it might just have to wait until tomorrow.  Comfort food tonight, and I'm in the kitchen for it.

But before I go...  I came across this in the middle of my delirium and it may be a coincidence, but I started to heal shortly after:  Hell Yes!

I rarely need fancy drive bits in the work shop, but I've needed them often enough that I've been wishing I could find a classically handled set of phillips head drivers, at the least.  This stag handle sure is going to look good waiting on the tool rack with the rest of my equipment.  Consider it ordered.