Dio's WorkshopWelcome to my brain. It’s messy. It’s interesting. And it’s all connected if you stick around long enough. "Believe Nothing: no matter who said it, even if I have said it, except it agree with your own reason and common sense. Siddhartha Guatamo, the Buddha.
I’m completely F.I,N.E. Doin’ the J.O.B. thingy, and then the Home chores (WEED WAR,,, Round one: DIO!) and not much else.
Elbee ‘n’ Mama are feeling most clingy this week: Me thinks the ‘missing’ Voodoo has finally sunk in and they are feeling off-kilter due to it.
and life goes on,,, Closed off the dog door and forced Elbee to start using the kat door. He didn’t take to kindly to that but adapted quickly. (he used to rush headlong out the dog door and suddenly it didn’t ‘give way’,,, Poor sod looked a little dizzy for 20mins or so.) I’m leaving it, for now, but may eventually close it off in permanent fashion, sealing the ‘hole in the wall’. Not saying I am getting another dawg, but the way things work in my life, things ‘happen’ and my plans get changed for me. Universe may send me another companion yet and that dog door will be for them: when/if,,,,
Weather is typical April surprise sorts. Today is WIND, and MORE WIND. 30-40mph gusts,,, Rip your face off winds in some of the longer valleys where it can get its ‘oomph’ up. Bettin’ the lakes are full on choppy chaos currrently. Wishin’ I were there, but gots to be the adult during the week and play nice-nice with the finances.
Guess its purt obvious, I gotz nuthin on or in me head right now. Just watchin’ wonderin’ and prayin’
In my last post I was asked a question in comments, and there are three additional comments, two from me, that fill in this ‘just where did this come from’ post
Our problem is, and I mean that in the empirical term OUR,,, is that we comply, we continually comply just to ‘keep the peace’, not rock the boat, what have you. We don’t ENFORCE our ‘just leave us alone’ because we reciprocate our values.
Our values haven’t been morphing around like some snake, they are constants,,, Leave us alone, let us keep what we earn, don’t hurt people, don’t take their stuff,,,,
DON’T MAKE ME PRETEND TO AGREE WITH YOUR BULLSHIT. We get cornered far more than we regain, and the ratchet keeps cranking a little tighter every year. The temperature in the water steadily rises to that boiling point, but the frogs keep on swimming,,,,
Something will snap eventually, and then, it will be that ‘putting out a fire with gasoline’ scenario I mentioned in the tail of that post. Yes, you ‘can’ put out a fire with gasoline, but its going to detonate, to ‘steal’ the oxygen in the local atmo,,, and someone(s) are going to get very hurt or very dead in the process. Additionally, the final solution usually starts many small fires around the point of blowup. Strange analogy of what civil war does, but it works.
I don’t know when the blow-up will happen, but I still see it as possible when I see images of people holding signs stating ‘We the People’ in protest of the currently legal presiding President and his actions. The President that won both popular vote and the electoral college vote. That fact says that ‘We the People’ DID vote for what is going on. And No, I don’t agree with everything Trumped is doing, I do think Musk is on the right track, but is going to be stymied by the legal process
And I am still waiting to see arrests.
So again, No, I don’t agree with everything that Trumped is doing,,, And to toe the line of anti-semitism, I think he is putting far too much ‘faith’ in Israel,,, And with the recent JFK files showing that Israel had a lot to do with what happened back there in the 60’s (and look at how the Deep State has grown since,,,, I don’t believe in Co-ink-ee-dinks,,,,)
What’s the difference between conspiracy theory and facts? About 3 weeks, these days. I would not at all be surprised to find that Mossad has more influence in our government than Americans do. (and Assassination is one of the Mossads ‘better’ tools,,,, jes-sayin’ )
.
.
.
.
I sometimes state that I was born in the wrong time, but I rescind that statement because “Universe doesn’t make mistakes” (you can replace that word with God if you so choose, I think they are one and the same anymore,,,,) (note, thats not to say I believe the bible is the final word,,, But thats another post that probably won’t be dealt with here.) No, Universe ‘designed me’ for a purpose, and that purpose may be to hold onto the ‘Old ways’ while the world spins out of control. I can only hope I survive long enough to put those Ways back into circulation, or at least ‘point them out’ to those that will,,, I was looking at my book shelf the other night and thinking, ” that whole top shelf (no pun intended) is KEY to rebuilding a technical society, not an agrarian one. Machining skills, metal working, Foundry work, Blacksmithing, Hard maths (all the Saxon math books) Electronics manuals, Mechanical engineering books, etc etc etc etc. Even computer programming stuff. (though not how to build the computers,,, that one is way above my paygrade, so to speak.)
The second shelf is Heinlein, and other ‘libertarian’ authors, HISTORY, including stuff written by ‘the other side’ (especially when it comes to the War of Northern Agression) More science books like chemistry (rudimentary stuff) and books about the sciences and medicine (Ditch Medicine is just one form)
This isn’t just a storage system: I have read every single book on those shelves. EVERY! SINGLE! ONE! most more than once. I have practiced as much of what I could from all of them (obviously, I am no surgeon, but I can debride and suture a wound.)
(Note, the third shelf, is all metaphysical stuff, including religion,,,)
And there are the survival books,,, not Just JWRawles stuff, but Tom Brown Jr and others. Stuff that goes way beyond just SHTF, but keeping upright and breathing when all you have is your brain and a knife type stuff. (and even if you don’t have a knife.)
WHY? Why would I keep so much stuff when we are NOT in a dystopian reality? Maybe because we ARE headed to one? Maybe,,, But I look back at history (small ‘h’ history) and see where there are HUGE gaps in knowledge that needed to be reclaimed. Like that AntiKythera Device,,,, If you go by ‘accredited’ history, that device was thousands of years ahead of its time, but there it is, and it took years of wild science to uncover enough of its myteries that it could be rebuilt to expose just how much was lost AFTER the birth of Christ. (and even BEFORE, history shows much was lost with the onset of the Roman Empire.) What else was lost? That is the question I always have when I read or watch stuff about that time.
Will we lose it all again? Lord above, I hope not: but what if that is the nature of our evolution on this rock? That we have to lose everything to climb back up and ‘change’ just a wee bit for another hack at the stars? Here we are, grubby fingering our way towards the stars, barely able to get out of our own gravity well, and at the same time teetering on societal collapse because ‘just leave me alone’ won’t push back.
I’m gonna leave the rest of my thoughts to percolate a little bit longer, and maybe get some other insights from my readers (comments, keep ’em clean),,,,
more laters after I have done the chores and visited my ‘Church’,,,, I need it today
Live
LEARN FFS!
LOVE even when you don’t wanna
Laugh (because the only other option is depressing)
LOAD Because we ain’t outta the woods yet
Moon and man
After thought: this is like trying to put out a fire with Gasoline; it ‘can’ be done, but the likelihood of you and the person setting the original fire dying is NOT zero,,,
Gotta get some propane refilled, its KOLD, though not so cold as freeze your tuckass off cold: could kill if ya got stoopid though (like kayaking in cotton clothes and getting drenched,,,, jes’sayin’) T’is kold enough I have three putties sprawled IN the house, looking at me like I’m some sort of traitor for leaving the bed,,,, (some one has to do the hard stuff, like make the money for the propane that keeps that house warm, dammit! So frellin’ unKatlike dood!)
And I dunno what I wanna do with the time off of the weekend. Had thought about camping this weekend, and that thought is simmering on the back burner right now. Too wet to mow grass, with no respite until mid-week upcoming (like I look forward to that chore,,, MEH!) At least I have more daylight to work with so that it can be done midweek,,,
sorry all, I gotz nuthin in my casaba worth writing about current.
My new ‘pod’ came in today (three days early: Dude in MD was ON IT!!!) and I came home from the J.O.B. and bank run to ‘play’.
I can hear where the old pod was showing signs of age (and still sounded damned good for what its worth: at least it did before I melted it down,,,, ;-P ) but the new pod is cleaner and all the functions on it work. The old pod had a sketchy power switch that I had jammed in the on position with a hot wire to melt the plastic in place.
My system is ‘back in business’ and the busyness is GOOD,,,,
Brudda B and I have an annoying ‘hobby’ : annoying to those without interest to put a fine point on the edge. When we are out there campin’, we swap knots,,, We’ll have a line on the table (and I carry a peice of 3/8″ line, 6′ long, with me purt much everyday, for practice.) and we’ll show each other some knot that we have found, or need practice on, or sumpin’.
I have no idea how many knots I know, but I have picked up a few more over the last couple years. And let me tell you, KNOWING a knot is not the same as just slapping some loops into a line and calling it good. There are reasons certain knots are well known: they WORK and they don’t destroy your rope and you can undo them easily.
When I was on the road, riggers demanded that the ground guy KNOW the Bowline. If you fubared the knot, they would drop the whole she-bang down on you and tell you “Try Again!” 100m of 12mm climbing rope isn’t exactly lightweight, and that shit cascading down on you,,,,,
It only takes a handful of knots to make life in the bush easier. The bowline for one, though I am much prefering the double dragon these days (adjustable and easier to untie after loading up.) The Prussick hitch, taut line hitch, Trucker’s hitch (or some variation on it) for adjusting line tension, the ubiquitous square knot, surgeons knot, sheet bend for connecting two lines, etc etc etc
Here is a quick (and I do mean QUICK) vid of several knots and how they are used, and you can see how they could come in handy in other ways.
Prepping isn’t just ‘Stuff’,,, Its knowledge, and how to use it. If you aren’t acquiring knowledge, your preps are supplies for someone else down the line. I try to put the knowledge I acquire into practical use in the day to day: obviously, there are not as many oppurtunities to do so as the knowledge I have accumulated, but I do try. I also keep a running tab on ‘resources’ in my day to day: observing where things are, or aren’t, and what that may mean if things really went sideways. I am always roleplaying scenarios in my head of ‘what if,,,,’
It all comes back to three sayings:
rather have it and looking at it, than looking for it. (and knowledge is on that list BIG TIME.)
OODA Observe Orient Decide Act
Improvise or DIE (and not the diversity bullshit,,,,) also known by Marines as Improvise, adapt and overcome.
And I carry a certain amount of ‘luxury’ items with me everyday: this is fashionably called my EDC stuff now (Every Day Carry) The biggest part of that EDC is knife. If you don’t have a knife, you can make one or something that will suffice, but HAVING ONE is far better. (in all actuallity, I carry several: a swiss Army knife, a fixed blade Mora, and my Gerber Multi-tool (the 400 series) Fact is, I feel naked without a knife of some sort on me; like a cat without claws, just a little paranoid,,,)
There is a whole lot you can carry for ‘prep’ and not take up much space on your body, that will make things much easier on you if things were to go tits up on you while out and about. A knife, some cordage, an emergency space blanket, small fire starter pack (cottonballs soaked in petroleum jelly and a fire-rod are my faves. Work even when wet) Everything else can be made. (EDITED: I also carry a Lifestraw now. Too many chances to pick up a bug in ALL waters these days, and the life straw is small enough to keep in pocket. Sawyer makes a good option as well.)
if you have the knowledge of how and what.
The EDC I just described is just a cushion for bad times, not a landing pad. The other stuff I have in my head is the insurance policy.
Movies and reads to inspire you.
Castaway with Tom Hanks
Tunnel in the Sky by Heinlein
Hunger Games by Suzan Collins
ALL of Tom Brown Jr books on surviving and thriving in the wilds.
but ya gotta learn some knots too,,,, Be a knothead, or a knotty person; you’ll thank me later, trust me.
Likely this week, the War on the Weeds commences for another season,,,
Mowing season,,,
GAH!!! Hatez mowin’ Do it, but don’twon’t ever like it. At least my mower is back up n running, if not properly, at least functionally. (it can’t be shut off or you are not going to get it started again until the next day. Something ‘hot sinks’ and ya get nothing, and I am usually too wore out to GAF when it happens, to diag the problem.)
It’s not just the weeds mind you. I have stated more than a few times, ‘this area grows rocks almost as well, if not better, than it grows weeds. Every start of the season, I find New Rocks in the yard, and I usually find them by ‘sharpening my blades’ on them,,, This year, I know for a fact that I have a new rock exposed as i can see it: damned thing is BIG,,, Now tell me how that came to the surface where it wasn’t last year, if rocks don’t grow,,,,, (I know, it’s not that the rocks are growing, but that the ground is settling around the rocks,,, Punch holes in the ground and you will find that 12-18″ down, shit gets quite compacted.)
Well, I am not gonna start that mowing thing today. Its getting near dusk,,, Too late to start and things are still a might damp from the recent rains on Sunday. I did bust out the linetrimmer and cleaned up around the house a bit (damned weeds grow faster there,,,,)
And yup, I be lolligaggin’, more than a little bit at that,,,,
hatez mowin’ If I could move to a place where gravel is considered an acceptable yard,,,,,
It was the early part of the Tweens when the political divisions of the United States reached irreconcilable differences. Ted, a burnt out computer programmer, and Jim, a double amputee combat vet, reverse engineer the pentagons drone program and create a rebel air force. While traveling the country helping others defend what is left of the country, they run afoul a most evil woman intent on creating a serfdom within the country.
A beginner’s guide to going off grid. how to evaluate if you even want to make the attempt. written by the curmudgeonly author of this blog and his dog
Dio's Workshop 