burning!

The stove is in and we have a small fire going. The paint will have to cure (stinky) as the stove heats up. Found out my Ash isn't quite seasoned yet. It will take us some time to learn the ropes of heating with wood but it will be worth it.

tick tock tick tock...

In about 17 hours we'll be lighting the first fire in our wood stove! I'll post pics once the installation is complete. =]

the sickness...

The wood burning sickness is in full swing. I had my first stack collapse last night. Need to rebuild it tonight and make room in the garage for the seasoned wood.

Zombieland

The Mrs and I finally saw "Zombieland" Saturday night. It was freaking hilarious! I'd like to see it a second time. The rules are a great idea, especially #1 Cardio. Having tons of tacitcool gear won't help you survive if you can't run from the staggering horde. I bet Zombie Squad will get a rush of people signing up.

I'm a pretty die hard purist when it comes to zombie movies but with "Zombieland", I feel differently. I like the "zombie" concept they use. They aren't undead but infected much like "28 Days Later" but minus the super speed and strength. Unfortunately, they know how to climb, work door knobs and use tools. That's not so good, however, no head shots needed! The chance of survival is much higher with "infected" like this. =]


Go see it, it's worth the money.

the scale of things...

It must be awesome link day. Think you're a small part of this world...you aren't so small.

(H/T to SayUncle)

Hearth Pad

The hearth pad is done and the wood stove will be installed on the 13th. We built the pad out of 1/2" subflooring, 1/2" cement board and ceramic tile. The trim is a composite, I doubt it will hold up. I'll save the pics of the stove until it's installed. It was rusty and in rough shape when we got it but a some sanding and a few coats of hi-temp paint and it looks great.

specialty "MREs"

I found a vender online that sells kosher MREs. Thankfully, they make GF (gluten free) meals as well. Turns out, the Mrs and I have sensitivities to gluten. I'm still doing the whole "elimination" diet thing but I have my slip ups. As a wanna-be homesteader, this actually kind of works to my advantage.

Over the past year, we've been trying to reduce the amount of prepackaged and processed foods in our diets. Once we get the garden going, we'll have even more control over what we ingest. Plus we want to get a dehydrator and learn to can. Don't think we're going all Mother Earth or Conspiracy Theorist, we just want to eat healthier and avoid all the crap and filler. A poor diet can greatly decrease the amount of fun time you have on this planet.

In addition to eating better, I tried the whole exercise bit but it didn't last. I don't mind running but it's not fun. I hate lifting weights or other "gym" type activities. But I do like splitting, chopping and stacking firewood. So, if you need some trees "taken care of", let us know. I need the exercise and the free firewood.

Anywho, back to the MREs. My Own Meals makes kosher, GF and other specialty MRE style meals. Pretty cool since our stock pile of ramen and other instant noodles is now out of my diet. I'll eat them if I have to but I'd rather not.

welcome home Simon!

We picked up the newest addition to the family yesterday. His name is Professor Simon, he's a rescued German Shepherd about 9 months old. He's underweight and suffering from Panosteitis (growing pains). In the future, he'll need surgery on his hip to correct moderate hip dysplasia. He and Puppers are getting along great. Until the growing pains go away, we need to keep his activity to a minimum but we can't let him get overweight either.

I've never had two dogs, it's pretty cool.


Sorry for the crappy cellphone pics. We'll get more tonight.

Wherever I go...

Wherever I go, I hear footsteps:
My brothers on the road, in swamps, in forests,
Swept along in darkness, trembling from cold,
Fugitives from flames, plagues and terrors.

Wherever I stand, I hear rattling:
My brothers in chains, in chambers of the stricken.
They pierce the walls and burst the silence.
Through the generations their echos cry out
In torture camps, in pits of the dead.

Wherever I lie, I hear voices:
My brothers herded to slaughter
Out of burning embers, out of ruins,
Out of cities and villages, altars for burnt offerings.
The groaning in their destruction haunts my nights.

My eyes will never stop seeing them
And my heart will never stop crying "outrage";
Every one will be called to account for their death.

The heavens will descend to mourn for them,
The world and all that is therin will be a monument
on their grave.



Shin Shalom, translated by David Polish taken from the New Mahzor

new toy

It's a Yamaha Chappy aka the Crappy. 50cc of 2 stroke fury! It runs but need some work (doesn't everything?). There's some severe redneck repairs that I have to undo but it's got potential. I've always liked 2 strokes, so this is a good little toy to get my feet wet.

love it!

mmmm.....2 stroke!

I missed a chance last year to have an RD400.

my lid

Helmet horns from Japan. I know, I'm a dork. They suck riding in crosswinds...

=]

BMV: 0 Me: 1

Victory!

Finally, the battle with the BMV is over. In a few weeks, I should receive a title for the CB350. No small claims court, no more BS. Now, I need to finish tuning the carbs and all the other bits. Now, when the time comes to sell it, I won't have to pass along the "no title" curse.

Maybe I can scratch up the dough after selling it and find a CB750 or a VFR.


yay!

cooking in the sun...

It's a toasty day for riding but a good day nonetheless. Went out on the 750 for a few hours and just farted around town. I'm getting my street legs and plenty of good riding practice. I spent a chunk of Weds afternoon working on slow full stop turns. Funky and I are going to spend some time in one of the big parking lots working on figure 8s and other skills.

Still no news on the 350s title issue but I've become disgruntled about it all. If all else fails, I'll get some cash out of it as a parts bike.



My new knee/shin guards are working well. I prefer armor that is worn on you instead of built in because most riding pants don't fit me well. Plus, they're freaking expensive.

750cc of fun

Sunday, I borrowed my buddy's CB750 and we went out riding. The Mrs rode on the back of Funky's bike because I'm not comfy with passengers yet. We took some kinda curvy back roads up to Nobletucky and then headed out through Lapel and onto the interstate. I don't have a lot of ride time under my belt and that venture on to I69 was the first time I entered the superslab on two wheels. I survived the moron drivers who I swear were really trying to put us in an early grave.

It was a good day and I learned that my novelty helmet horns from Japan are not good for interstate speed riding. My neck and shoulders are still sore from the wind.

After the day of riding, we came home and prepped dinner. The Mrs made amazing Cornish game hens and Funky and I made veggie kabobs. Tasty!

I had hoped to get the CB350 on the road this year but the BMV has changed their mind each time I go there on what I need to do to replace a lost title. They might be faster but I don't think anyone really knows what is going on. Now, they say I have to go to small claims court and blah blah blah. I'm not dumping a ton of money into this bike for just the title. If things get too difficult, I'll sell it for parts and save my pennies for something else.

Someone didn't clean the seat on the CB750 because I caught the "need a bigger bike bug". Not just for the speed and power, but the extra weight and size helps fight wind and hold lines easier.

72 hour + Emergency Kit

Here's the kit all packed up and ready to go. The 1911 is my carry gun and yes, I know I need more mags. I just put the ClipDraw on the other day and I love it.

quick pics of ye olde emergency kit

It still needs a stove, a small pry-bar and more batteries. The blue bottle contains water purification supplies and basic toiletries.

Remington 597

Some pics of our only tacticool rifle.

Special Edition Remington 597 22lr

(yes, that's chameleon paint, from the factory)

our first morel!

The Mrs and I went out mushroom hunting today. No luck at one location, we even saw another guy who was hunting. We dropped the dog off at home and headed to another spot. After about 45 minutes of searching, we hopped on the trail to head back. Within a few feet, I almost stepped on a little morel growing off the path. We snapped some pictures and plucked him out of the ground. After about searching the surrounding area, we moved on. We walked out of the woods with one lonely 'shroom. But, where there is one, there are more. So, we'll head back again soon.

hunt of another type

Hunting for chametz!




This will be our first Passover, we're both excited and nervous. There are a lot of rules and regulations and we have to figure out where we fit in. Our rabbi is Sephardi, so we definitely lean that direction. I admit, I don't understand a lot of the Ashkenazi traditions. Some seem overbearing to the point of being ridiculous. Like no green beans during Passover? Huh? Leavened products I can see, same with fermented but beans? Too each his/her own.



A family from the synagogue invited us to their seder. We're looking forward to it. They're incredibly nice and I know we'll learn a lot. And there is a vast amount of knowledge that still has to be absorbed. It can still be intimidating at times but there's no turning back, nor would I want to.

*edit*
Today at the morning service, we got invited to the 2nd night seder at the Cantor's house. His wife was our Hebrew teacher and did a great job, too bad I'm lazy at studying! Anywho, it was a good day at the synagogue. In addition to the invite, we also got called to the bimah to close the ark. Then Rabbi D. introduced us to the congregation. It was a good day. =]

it's almost hunting season....

My grandfather is a morel hunter and he has finally agreed to show me his secret morel spots. I went hunting a few times as a child but I don't remember finding anything.

As I got older, I grew away from things like this. It's too bad, I would have my own secret spots by now and a wealth of information. It's never too late to learn though. I'll start scouting my area and see what I can find. Maybe we can train the dog to find them? =]

Mrs. Red has never had morels, so she's in for a treat.

Wish us luck!

(image is property of it's owner, as listed on Flickr)

walkin' with bones...

The Mrs, puppy and I went for a walk along the river. It was a good time for all, especially puppers. Today, she found a good amount of deer bones (two skulls, ribs, pelvis, a spine and a pile of misc bones). The Mrs and a I keep saying she'd be a good "remains" dog. Why do they love dead and stinky things?

empty your pockets....

I just dumped out my pockets and I think I lost 10 lbs.

What's in your pockets?






(Technically, the revolver wasn't in my pocket but let's see your current carry piece.)