Recent content by k15n1

Costco has pretty good knock-off crown whiskey. And their vodka prices are great.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_liqueur

I've recently converted to Costco. All the non-warehouse shopping strategies are good but they take time. I don't have time at the moment. I like the idea of being part of a buying club that gets consistent lower prices. And I have a bunch of ravenous children, so larger packages aren't a...

Most of my supplies have arrived. I made a belt over the weekend. It's anticlimactic... All the commotion of getting supplies and tools followed by normal pants-wearing with a belt that looks pretty much like my old belt. The difference is that it's full-grain leather instead of a low-grade...

I'll make an effort to post some pictures.

Have had some interest in leather work for a while. Utility stuff, mostly. Covers for hatchets in my tool box, chisel rolls, a belt holster for a pliers/multitool, belts, etc. Finally worked up to buying 2 "sides" of cow hide. To give you an idea of what I just did, think of a cow. Then...

Working out a rabbit-watering system so I don't have to chip ice out of crocks for the next 4 months.

There's old-fashion home economics and there's retail cuts. If you want to use the whole hog, I think you've got to do it yourself. I've been disappointed by butchers, too. But I think it's not a failing of the butcher but rather that everyone else has trained them that offal is awful and the...

Interesting conversation. I'm designing medical devices these days so fear is something that I've been trained to sharpen to a fine point. Not so much the emotion as making lists of hazards and the harms that could result. Put those in order by how often they happen or how bad the harm is...

Wrapping: furoshiki. It's a Japanese cloth wrapping technique for gifts. Well, Japan didn't invent wrapping stuff in a handkerchief but the internet loves all things Japanese, so you can find lots of pictures of wraps.

I wonder if it would be informative to read about history of other countries where terrible inflation has been experienced. Real estate is probably the wrong term. I meant arable land, whether for farming or timber. If you own land, you have some security. The best would be to own land in...

Years ago, it seemed like there were more clashes of ideology. I remember one savage debate about inflation... the whole thing seems crazy to me now. So much energy wasted on a non-issue. Everyone involved sustained damage, socially, but no motivations were changed. I guess I posted not to...

Will the US dollar collapse---don't know. If you're afraid of your cash losing value, buy things that you can re-sell or that have utility for you. Real estate, or a hella rototiller, for example. Can't do anything about the economy as a whole but your individual holdings are under your...

Lately I've been thinking about how our personal motivation is often a distraction from the work of preparing for the future. One thing I've noticed about the prep/survival community is that everyone like their own motivation. Often people introduce themselves with really specific reasons for...

Chickens aren't my favorite. More and more of our meat is rabbit these days. I can dress out a rabbit in less than 20 min. I should be able to do it faster but there are several things that slow me down... the joints are hard to break down and i feel like an idiot the whole time. Also, the...