Friday's flea market adventures...and a surprise

This morning my friend Mike and I set off to the flea market at 4am. The people there told me that it got so busy that I should be there at 5 or sooner to get an open spot. All I can say is one word..........LIARS! lol There were quite a few people set up, and others arriving with and after us to set up, but we found after putting up tables and displays that the place was half empty. We talked to a few other vendors, and they all said that Friday is slow and basically a setup day for everyone planning for Saturday and Monday. AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH I was up making coffee and sandwiches at 3 am for nothing!!! I wanna know who I talked to on the phone so I can slap 'em silly. *sigh* The price for the spot was marked in the corner at $13 and I was told it was an extra $5 for holiday weekends. When the young guy came around to collect money for space rental, he told us that only Saturday and Monday were extra, and actually that Friday was half price. So the spot cost us $6.50 instead of the $18 we expected. I felt a little justified with my irritation over getting there before the sun thought about rising. Maybe this day was going to be ok.........or so I thought.
When these people said slow, they meant SLOW. There were a lot of people walking around, but most of them were the regular flea market vendors. You know...the type that will buy something from you for $5 then take it to thier table and sell it for $8. Yea, those guys were everywhere. Of course there were the typical flea market buyers that never bothered to look, and just asked for specific things.....lionel trains, pocktknives, watches, guns, WWII items, etc. I know they're after certain things, but c'mon folks, learn some manners. Don't just stop and yell then say I have stupid stuff. Quite a few times I eyeballed the meat grinder at the table next door hoping for that one next rude old guy so I could make a great big batch of Grumpy Ass Sausage, but I held my patience and smiled. One even stopped, picked up a wand, and said to his friend "what the hell would anyone want THIS for", to which I politely responded "to smack you upside the head with". Hmm..wonder why he didn't come inside the tents and look around.
I do have to mention one really awesome, incredible, and totally amazing thing about today. Guess what?..................I'm a celebrity! Thats right. You didn't misread this. I'm a celebrity. Remember the posts that I've made about the flea market and the staffs I was making to sell? Yea.....I had someone stop in, looked at the staffs, and asked if my name was Chris. "yea thats me" I responded in total curiousity. "from One Acre Homestead?" he asked. I stood up rather puzzled and said "yes". I walked over, shook my hand and asked how he knew me. It turns out that he is a long time follower of this blog and came all the way from Chatanooga Tenneessee to visit this historic flea market and to see my incredible woodcarving skills. Can you believe that??????? Well, you shouldn't lol. He is a blog follower, but he's local. Actually from the same town the flea market is in, 10 minutes from our house. (gotta admit my story is WAY cooler) It was great to find someone that reads the blog and follows it, local or not. I wish I could remember your name. Sorry, but I'm HORRIBLE with names, but thank you for stopping by and saying hello. It was a pleasure to meet you.
So..........now for the grand total sales figure for the day. An hour and a half before the market officially opened, I sold one staff for $35. Mike pushed his merchandise and the refrigerator magnets that his wife had made, and made a whopping whole dollar. Yep.....36 bucks. Now subtract the money for renting the spot, and we made $19.50. Then (lol) subtract the $5 I spent on an oil lamp (hey its a nice one with a wall mount bracket!!) and we came out ahead $14.50. It got so slow that we left at 3:30, soooooooo.........there at 4:30, out at 3:30, total profit $19.50.....that figures out at $1.77 an hour for sitting in 90 degree weather dealing with grumpy people and making a permanent mark of a lawn chair on my ass cheeks.
I was assured by everyone I talked to that tomorrow will be INSANE. One guy even told us that it took him 3 hours to get to the flea market from the highway, which is under 10 miles. Another said that it gets so busy you end up waiting 30 minutes to use the bathroom or an hour to get a cup of coffee. We shall see mister flea market.....we shall see.
Keep your fingers crossed for me folks! Another day like today and you may see me on the evening news. "Ohio man goes insane at flea market and puts 3 people through meat grinder".

Holiday Weekened Happenings

Yesterday was finally nice enough that I was able to spend the whole day outside, around 75 and sunny, yeehaaa. I had two new strawberry beds marked out do thin and transfer from the overstuffed 6x24 bed, but since this weather has been so bad, I was never able to get them finished. Of course, now the plants are blooming and starting to bear fruit, so I don't want to dig any and chance killing them. So instead, I moved things around a bit and made three beds the same size instead of two. Two we'll use for potato's, and the third will be either bush cucumbers or more corn. Next year they'll get strawberry plants.

I staked out the main garden addition, adding another 4 feet, widened the blackberry bed since it's gotten to be a pain to mow around, and added a small triangular bed in front of the blackberries and beside one of the new beds. I hate wasted space and open grass, so that at least took care of the small roughly 6x9 area. I don't think we'll have a problem filling it with something, lol.

With our love of vegetable gardening and hatred of open grass, we've decided to take on yet another little venture. We're going to run a little CSA out of the place. Lisa already has two people on board wanting in, and we'll take on 2-3 more for this year, just to see how it goes. We're offering them a pretty low price for vegetables, fruit, and eggs every two weeks through early October. If the herb bed does well, we'll add fresh and tried herbs, along with some homemade teas. If all goes well, next year we'll plan on more people and more garden expansions. Right now we'll stick with the 4-5 people as an experiment.

We aren't going to get rich off of this by any means, but we'll make a tiny profit and basically get our own produce for free since the fees will cover the cost of plants and seeds. For now I won't count our time since we would be planting the same things anyway. We'll track everything we do time-wise and with production vs sales and evaluate everything for another go next season.

Today I *have* to spend the day inside finishing the things for the flea market this Friday and Saturday. It's gonna make me insane staying inside when it's so nice out already, but I have to get these done. My friend Mike and I will be there all day Friday and the wives will be with us on Saturday. Both days will be from 5am to 5pm...ugh, but I hope things go well and we sell quite a bit of items. After that, it's ALL garden time. Lisa will be off work Sunday and Monday, so those will be our massive catch-up days. I'll keep things posted on how the flea market goes and how things are going oustside. For now, I'm running Lisa to work and heading out to put in an application at a local garden center.

What's that bright thing in the sky???

FINALLY FINALLY this rain and cool weather has given me a break. Yesterday was sunny and near 80. The plan was to mow the worthless grass since it was 2 days away from needing bailed, but the always spring-finicky Loboy didn't want to start. I charged the battery, changed the oil, then noticed a gas leak at the carb. The leak is a simple rubber hose, but I opted to let it go for a day and use the pushmower. I figured that by the time I remove the hose, go get another one, come back, put it on, and get the tractor started, I could just go ahead and mow. It's been 11 years since I mowed the whole place with a pushmower, and lemme tell ya, I forgot how much walking that is! I imagine it wouldn't have been so bad if the grass wasn't 8-9 inches tall in a few spots, but I got it done. Today I'll definitly get the tractor running. I'm not doing that again.


It was nice in a way though; walking along instead of riding on the tractor. I payed more attention to things. I noticed three anthills that I would have missed. I noticed that the tiny blueberry bush is setting berries. I noticed how much the grapes have grown in just the past few weeks since we had the last actual look at sunshine. I noticed the name written on the wreath in the front by the telephone pole where someone was killed 30 years ago. While it made my legs a bit weary mowing an acre with a pushmower, it was a nice break from just driving along and just paying attention to where the mowing deck was.


When I picked Lisa up from work, she of course wanted to go walking at the park. We made a half mile and my legs were just too tired from mowing. We walked back and sat at the edge of the Cuyahoga River and talked a while before we came back home. On the way, we stopped and got the extremely rare sub sandwiches and sat at our picnic table to enjoy the weather. We talked about what needed done outside and walked around the whole yard making mental notes. to ourselves and each other. We have the usual pruning and weeding to do, and I have a lot of little bed extensions to work on. Both of us love the smell of the various mints and lemon balm we have growing outside, so I'm going to expand their areas to almost double. We're both interested in experimenting with teas and using more herbs for medicinal purposes, so the expansion will work out great that way. We have three different kinds of mint right now. Spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint. I can't wait to get them expanded and filled out. I love the smell of them all.


There are lots of things to get done outside, the little bed expansions, the herb bed, and of course the vegetable garden and new strawberry beds. Of course, being Ohio, the weather is going to change again and start raining today and not stop until monday morning. I'll use the weekend to catch up on the things to sell at the flea market next weekend, then have the week to get as much done as I possibly can. It's going to be a long,hard week but I can't wait. I live for this stuff. Sitting around idle makes me insane. I can finally catch up, get some sun and fresh air, and enjoy myself outside.


To get away from my normal blog material for a minute, I have to say goodbye to an old friend who we lost last weekend.Though I never actually knew the man, he has been a part of my life for 30 years. I have many memories of him in song and of those I have seen in person. I am actually in the beginning of day four of my own tribute to him, playing many cd's from my collection of him on vocals. Most people don't understand my view and my passion of my music. It touches me. It moves me. It makes me angry, happy, or just plain want to move and sing at the top of my lungs. His music has never been an exception thoroughout his entire career, whether it was Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, his solo recordings, or Heaven and Hell. His lyrics, his incredible singing style, his massive stage presence, all of them encompass who he was. He lived for music and for the fans. I'll forever be grateful to enjoy his music and to have the opportunity to say I've seen him live. Ronnie James Dio, you will never be forgotten.

Camping Trip Gear Review

When I took my little 2 day getaway a few weeks ago, I took a lot of gear with me. In fact, 74.2 pounds of gear stuffed in my ALICE pack. Some items were standard camping type gear, and others were more of a survival type gear. Some were older,some new, and a few homemade. Though I didn't get to test any real survival skills, my gear got quite a workout cutting forewood, making my shelter, and cooking. A few items were a total sucess, and others, well, didn't do very good at all. Here is my review of the items that I used most frequently:

1-the Samuri Survival Tool from Emergency Essentials. First of all, I wasn't expecting a lot from a $5.00 combination hammer/hatchet/pry tool. I asked for it for Christmas just cause it was 5 bucks and might be something fun to play with. I was a bit disappointed when I first opened the package. The hatchet edge looked like it was sharpened on a bench grinder with a chunk missing from it's wheel, very rough and lots of tool marks. The black paint had runs all through it, almost like it was dipped in a 20 year old bucket of Dutch Boy and left to dry. But hey, what did I expect for 5 bucks anyway? I spent an afternoon filing then stone sharpening the blade so it would actually cut more than warm butter or a bar of soap, and it got a decent edge on it. I made a heavy nylon sheath for it and fit it to my pack to take with me. I tried using it to cut some firewood, but the blade dulled VERY quickly, and it was just too light to do any real cutting. The handle is very small, especially in my ape hands. (seriously..with my fingers fully spread it is 10 1/2" from the tip of my little finger to the tip of my thumb) I had to swing twice as hard as a normal hatchet to compensate for the lack of weight, which brought out another problem. The plastic handle kept sliding off of the frame. NOT a good situation to have when swinging something sharp (or at least as sharp as this thing could be) I ended up putting it away and using a folding saw to cut and a big rock to drive stakes for the tent and shelter. Overall, I can't REALLY say it's a piece of junk. It would work fine for an emergency pack in your vehicle, but not for any extended period of time. Again...what can ya expect for five bucks? lol

2-Strikemaster H-25 firestarter from Emergency Essentials. This little gadget worked flawlessly every time for starting a fire. I never had a problem with spark or with the magnesium starting. The size is just right for fitting in a pack and for the hand.(even mine!) With the magnesium and some small tinder (I used tree bark) it worked every time. With my homemade TP roll/drier lint starters, it took usually just 3-4 strikes to ingnite. This thing was well worth buying, especially at the price of just $9.99.

3-Since I just mentioned them....my homemade TP roll/drier lint firestarters. These worked very well, but were a bit picky. All I did was stuff a TP roll full of drier lint and seal 10 in a zip seal bag, that was it. To start a fire, I removed the lint from the tube and fluffed it up. Without pulling it apart and "fluffing", it was more difficult to light, but after I did, they lit quickly with just a few strikes from the Strikemaster. I tore the TP roll at the corner, unwraveling it from the seam, and started the corner on fire with the now ingited lint. With a small amount of tinder added, ( I used tree bark and/or tiny dry twigs), I had a fire in no time. I will definitly be making more of these. They work great, and though they are a bit bulky, they are extrememly lightweight.

4-Harbor Freight machete. I was unsure about this thing for the $10 price tag, but I've wanted to try one for years and this was a cheap opportunity. I've never had much use for a machete, but I thought what the hell, for ten bucks I'll give it a shot. Rather than use the beltloop on it's sheath, I cut small slits in it and slid MOLLE clips in them to attach to the pack. This actually worked really well. I had it on the furthest front left loops that I could use, which made it east to take out with the pack still on. (putting it back was a whole other story) It came in handy for clearing small brush around my camp area, and for cutting briars when I made a sort-of trail from the woods to my campsite. I can see now why a good machete is a handy tool to have! I know that I need to put a better edge on it though. Not a very sharp edge, but just enough to cut brush and briars. I'll hang onto this one until I see another one thats better quality that I can afford, but I'm in no rush. This one worked just fine. (I would however kill for a Woodsmans Pal lol)

5-ALICE pack-large. This pack was everything I hoped it would be. It had a lot of capacity, and even more when I added variuos pouches to the MOLLE loops on the outside. It carried the total 74.2 pounds of gear I took without a problem and asked for more. It was comfortable to wear with all of that weight, thanks to the heavily padded shoulder straps and wide padded kidney belt.(though my back disagreed a bit) When I got it, it didn't have the waterproof bag that was issued with them, but I managed to pick one up at the local surplus store (Stars & Stripes Flag and Military) for $10, bringing my total investement to $40 for the whole rig. I did pick up some $2 nylon straps from the camping section at Chinamart, so actually adding the 4 straps, it totalled $48. The straps hooked on the bottom of the frame and held my 2 man tent and sleeping bag. I don't see myself buying some expensive name brand pack in the future at all. I don't get out THAT much, and this thing was more than I bargained for at the price. If I somehow kill it, I'll get another one without a thought.

6-My homemade Sterno Stove. I made this little stove on a whim after looking at them in a catalog. I just took an old sqare grater, cut it off at 5", bent over a lip at the top, and pop rivited 2 pieces of stainless steel to make a cook surface. That was it. EASY. But this thing was a tossup. Did it work and heat water or food? yep. Did it take almost an hour to perculate a 4 cup pot? yep. I imagine it worked just as well as a commercial model, afterall they both do the same thing. It DID heat water for my coffee, (I did the perculator test at home on the porch), but it did take an awfully long time. For something small to pack and not have to light a fire, it would work great, especially if you weren't concerned about time. I imagine it may work inside just as well, if not better, since there would be no wind to fight against keeping it cool. I'll take it next time anyway, and just use it for some mid-day coffee so I don't have to light a fire. I'll try digging a small hole to set it in to help retain the heat more than just being in the open air. It's worth a try again for sure.

7-Ozark Trail multi tool. This was something else I picked up on a whim from Chinamart for $10. I love multitools. I have a Leatherman I have carried with me every day since Lisa stuck it in my Easter basket about 9 years ago. I love my Leatherman so much that I didn't want to take a chance on losing it when I went camping, so I got this cheap one to take along. First of all, compared to my Leatherman, this thing is HUGE. That's not good for some, but again for my ape hands, it fit perfect. It has all kinds of tools that fold out of the handle. Frankly all it was missing was the spoon and kitchen sink. I used the tiny woodsaw for cutting off small branches for the wind break and shelter frame quite a bit, and it worked great. Though it is a small blade it's thick and tough.I used the wire cutters inside the plier end to cut the wire fencing I found to make a grill top for over the fire. It cut just fine, though the wire kept slipping into the small hole at the bottom that I assume is for stripping wire insulation. The knife blade had a good edge right out of the box, so I didn't have to sharpen it at all, and it worked well for cutting the paracord and plastic while making the shelter. The pliers have a spring in between that holds them open, and while it's a good design idea, I see the spring either wearing out fast or breaking/falling out. Great idea, bad design. The only real complaint I have about this tool is the knife blade. The tools all fold out from the outside, rather than the inside like a Leatherman, so the blade has nothing to stop it from folding back towards the handle, and my hand. It really needs some sort of lockblade. Other than that, for a $10 tool, it worked well and perforned without a hitch.

8-Mountain House freeze dried chili mac. Yea....ahhh....yummm. I'm pretty new to freeze dried foods. We've been ordering a little at a time, experimenting with them to see if we liked them We ordered a Mountain House assortment pack from Emergency Essentials a few months ago, and everything was a hit. We ate the pack of beef stroganoff for dinner one night, and it was actually really good. So when we were at Chinamart and I got the multitool, I saw that they carried Mountain House and got the pack of chili mac to take with me. I had it for dinner the first night out on my trip because I wanted something fairly fast and easy to make while I worked on the shelter frame and gathered more firewood. I got a good fire going and boiled water, which is all you need to make this stuff right in the pouch. After the water boiled, I guesstimated the (i think it was) 2 cups to add to the pouch, resealed the zip pouch, and let it "cook" for 15 minutes. Thats it, that simple. I sat by the fire with some coffee and ate it right out of the pouch with a spoon. Yep, yummm.

9-While on the subject of freeze dried foods, I may as well review my dinner that I made on Thursday night from all freeze dried and dehydrated ingredients. My main ingredient for the "soup" was TVP, or Textured Vegetable Protien, beef flavored. I took along some home dehydrated mushrooms and onions, along with some brown rice, bullion cubes, and a small bag of dried beans. I set the beans in a pot of water early in the morning to soak, and didn't start my dinner until around 5:30. I put some water over the fire and when it started to boil, I added all the ingredients and covered it to cook for around 20-25 minutes. The beans of course, hadn't soaked anywhere near long enough and ended up being kinda half crunchy-half soft, but the rest was actually really good. I picked the beans out and enjoyed the rest. TVP has a slightly odd texture that takes a bit of getting used to. It's small, soft, and just a slight bit chewy, but a great meat substitute for things like this. I was really happy with the outcome, (other than of course the beans), and plan to make bags of the same ingredients for the next trip, all mixed together and ready to go, almost like the dry soup you see in the stores. I'll make this a camping staple for sure. It was quick and easy to make, lightweight, and took up very little room in the pack.


10-Last but not least, the Coghlans folding camp saw, their model "180 Sierra Saw". I wanted something beyond the small survival hatchet for doing any wood cutting, so I picked this up at the local sporting goods store while looking through their camping section. I liked the size. The handle is wide and thick, again perfect for my ape hands, and the 7" blade was just the right size that I needed. Again with shopping on a very tight budget, it was only $10 so I picked one up and brought it home. I have mixed reviews on this tool. First and foremost, it does cut wood great. It zipped through the saplings I used for the shelter and through some larger pieces of firewood with ease. It did cut like a dream. But...the blade is rather thin and had a tendancy to bend and bind when I was using more force to cut. It straightens back out pretty easily, but the bending was a bit of a PITA. I also don't care for the blade lock on it. Rather than lock and "click" open like a lockblade knife, this has a lever that you have to move into a notch on the bottom of the blade when it's opened, then lock the lever backwards toward the handle to hold the blade open. While the mechanism did work just fine and not pop open, I would prefer a one handed operation type of lock mechanism, just for ease of use and that rare need to open it in a hurry. I'm not sorry I bought it, and will take it with me on future outings, I'm just pointing out a few things I think would need improved. The size and weight are perfect for fitting in a pack so I can overlook the other problems with it for now. Would I buy another one if this one broke? I doubt it, but it does do what it's supposed to do.


And there it is. The long overdue review of some of the gear I took with me on my first camping trip of the season. This post has been sitting for a month now, and quite frankly, I forgot about it. OOOPS. I am planning on many more camping trips this year, but as of now nothing is scheduled since there are too many other things going for me to disappear in the woods for 4-5 days. I'll get out on days when I can and prepare my now permanent campsite little by little for the next trip. I have plans to make a larger fire ring outside of the shelter, dig a privvy, cut more firewood, and improve on the shelter little by little.I'm sure I'll keep things updated here on the progress and log any future trips to share with anyone. For now though, it's yet another 50 degree, rainy, Ohio spring day and I'm heading back to the basement to finish more walking staffs.

Just thought I'd share...

Last week while looking for more twisted branches for the walking staffs and more firewood for my little camp area, I came across the biggest grapevine I have ever seen. It's about 50 feet from the top of my dads property line and almost directly in the center. I had Mike snap a picture with my cell phone, so it isn't the greatest quality, but you can at least see the size of this giant thing. Remember that in comparison, I stand 6'3" tall. It's hard to see in this picture, but it goes upward from me and turns almost completely horizontal (to my right) before going straight down into the ground. (where it's kinda hidden behind the brush and saplings) At the base, it's at least 10 inches in diameter. I've seen lots of big ones in those woods, but this one definitly takes the prize! WOW.

When we were there, I gathered a few more twisted pieces for staffs and then cut some others to make a display rack for at the flea market. It didn't take long to put together in the garage, though a few days later I added pegs along the top bar so they didn't fall over. If the staffs don't take off and sell well, at least we'll have an interesting garden tool holder, LOL.

There isn't really anything happening around here all that blog-worthy. The garden is tilled and ready, but it's not quite planting time yet. We always get at least one or two more good frosts in May, so we never plant much of anything until after Memorial day rather than chance it. I do have some greens in the small beds, but that's it. I do have the two new straberry beds marked out and ready to pull the sod and till, and the herb bed is almost ready for planting. I'd love to find a source for stones to border the herb bed and around each variety inside,but so far I have none. It'll take a lot of stones to border a 30 foot circle, around the rose of sharon, the azalea (sp?), and around each different herb. I'll just gather little by little and eventually have enough, even if it takes longer than this year. We're in no hurry.

There is still no luck on the job front. I had my hopes up for a job with the local park system but never heard back after sending a resume and making 2 e-mails. (no calls allowed) I filled out an application at a cemetary a few weeks ago, but when I called back I was told they hired someone with previous experrience. I recieved a reply via e-mail later and was told once again that I am "over qualified" for mowing grass and digging holes. UGH this is so frustrating.


We're trying a few different routes with making some extra cash and setting up at the big flea market on Memorial Day weekend. (Friday and Saturday) Lisa has been making some awesome looking jewelry from my lure making supplies that she raided, and I'm making walking staffs and wands. (yes wands) For those that don't know, Lisa is pagan and we visit a few stores now and then that cater to that comunity. The last time we were at one, I was looking at wands with a $30-$80 price tag, saying to myself " I can make those!". Afterall, it's a sanded and finished stick with some woodburned designs, stones, and some other embellishments. Right now I have around 16 ready to finish. Some are sanded, some are stained, but they'll all be ready very soon.


A few weeks ago when I was in my parents woods gathering more vines, I found one small tree that had a vine wrapped around it and had grown with it like that. The trunk had this beautiful twist to it from growing into and around that vine. I cut it and looked for another and managed to find 8 total. They're getting the same treatment as the wands, and I'm also doing some minor wood carving on a few. The pagan community would again have an interest in wands, but also there is a bit of a market from people who walk the local parks. I'll gather some more twisted ones soon, but also look for some straighter ones I can make plain for the park people to stick the little pins in that they get for attending an event and hiking a certain distance.


Lisa is making the fishing lure jewelry, (which she has named Reel-a-Luring Jewelry!), hand dipped candles, and what she calls "treasure candles) with earrings inside that you can wear once you burn the candle. She's also making clay figures, candle holders, and incense stick holders. Though she tends to disagree, her clay work is amazing. I tried once and managed to make the most beautiful little clay ball you've ever seen, LOL. I have no artistic talent like she does. I'll have to take and post some pictures.


Our friends Mike and Chrissy are going to set up with us. Mike has been making some really awesome stone carvings at home using his Dremel tool. He's very big into his family lineage, which he's traced WAY back to early Irish/celtic roots. Most of what he is carving has been along those lines, written in Oogum language. (oh-gum) He's also making leather and stone necklaces with the same similar designs carved in them. They're in the same boat we are, actually worse, since Mike lost his job and Chrissy only makes $7.75hr. We're all trying to find our little niche and a way to make extra cash when and where we can. This flea market is a start, just to see what kind of reaction our stuff gets. We're planning to get a booth and set up at the Mabon Festival this year too, but thats not till September. Lisa has opened an account on Etsy too, so now we just have to get some good pictures of what's made and start posting them for sale. Sure none of this is or will be a steady income, but right now anything will help. I'll take and post some pics of everything we're all making sometime soon.


For now, I'm off to take Lisa to work and go visit my uncle. He called me last night and told me he just found out his best friends wife was given till the end of the month to live, and his friend's doctor pretty much told him to get all his "affairs" handled soon. He's taking it pretty hard. I'll go see my folks while I'm there since they're 3 minutes away. Mom has to have minor knee surgery on Monday, which is an outpatient thing now, but they're still stressed out like she's having brain surgery.

Back from camping!!!

It's now 6:15 on Friday and I just got back from my camp outing. I'm exausted and waiting for some real coffee to brew in the perculator my mom just gave me. I don't mind instant, but 2 days of it has been enough lol. Gimme some real perculated coffee!!


I got there later than expected on Wednsday, but still managed to get into the woods at around 4pm. I had planned to go further northeast, but I heard 4 wheelers and a truck. I assumed it was the loggers back for the spring, so I settled on a small clearing near the edge of my parents woods, right near the old fence to the west side. I cut a small sapling with lots of brances and used it as a rake to clear a spot for the tent, just so I could easily check for roots, stones or sticks.


When it was clear, I refilled the area with around 2" of leaves and set up the tent. Once that was done, I used the small folding shovel to dig a fire pit around 30" wide and roughly 8" deep. There were plenty of stones around to circle the pit with, all from years of digging them out of my parents gardens and carting them off into the woods. The trail that was once there is long grown over, but stones and traces of dads bad habit of dumping junk left me knowing exactly where I was.






I gathered kindling and firewood, which was extremely easy with all the trees that had fallen down around the area. It didn't take long before I had a pile of firewood 6 feet long and close to 2 feet high. I piled small branches for kindling in the front, set some inside and decided it was time for some coffee. Rather than take the easy way out and use my lighter, I opted for the Strikemaster Firestarter I got for Christmas, using the homemade starters of TP rolls and drier lint I had sealed in a gallon freezer bag. The TP-lint starters worked great, and with a little kindling quickly added, I had a fire in no time. Since I had no grill top to use over the fire, I bent over a tall sapling tree, made a stake from a stick driven in the ground, and tied it off over the fire. It hung around 4 feet over the fire, so I used paracord attached to a cutoff section of tree as a hook. It worked great! The water from my canteen was heating over the fire in a small pot as I went back to work gathering firewood. While I was gathering, I tripped and grabbed a tree to catch my fall, only to find out the tree was dead, and ended up having a handfull of very dry dead bark. I looked at it and realized it was PERFECT tinder for the fire, so I stripped the dead tree of as much bark as I could reach, setting it near the pile of firewood on top of a piece of log to keep it off the ground. I found some old pieces of fencing laying in the woods, which I cut with the multi tool and formed into a grill top. I thought it might be handy, but I never used it.



As the coffee water was heating, a strong wind whipped through the woods and into my little clearing, blowing the fire and cooling it down. I decided that a wind break was in order, so I bent and staked over another sapling around 6 feet from the fire, to the southwest, being the direction the wind blew in from. I cut smaller finger size saplings, cutting off the branches, and laced it in a criss-cross pattern along the larger one, tying the ends with the roll of paracord I had in my pack. About 50 yards away I spotted an evergreen with thick full branches, and cut off enough to lace into the frame and tie off. Taaa-daaa, instant wind break. The sapling I had bent over for the frame was roughly 2 1/2" in diameter, and I cut off all the branches, leaving the ones at the top with close to 2" from the main trunk. I used these as hooks to hang my Camelback, jacket, sweatshirt,and gun belt from. So, I had a combination wind break and handy gear hanger. Not too shabby for my first 2 hours in the woods.


I decided on an easy dinner, so since I already had a large pot of water heating up, I went for the Mountain House freeze dried pack of chili mac and some crackers I had tucked away in my food bag. It only takes 10-15 minutes to "cook" inside the same bag it is packaged in, so while it was cooking, I tossed my sleeping bag inside the tent with my bedroll, camera, book, notebook, and anything else small I wanted to keep dry. I took a square light that my dad had given me that has two 8" flourescent bulbs, and hung it on the tiny gear net in the center of the tent. I figured that if I couldn't sleep, I could at least sit and read, or at least make it easier to find something in the night if need be. By the time I had things ready inside the tent, the chili mac was hot enough to eat; so I poured a cup of water, added some instant coffee, and leaned against a tree to have dinner. Gourmet? Of course not. But it was good food, and I was in the woods. I think even 3 day old reheated McDonalds would have tasted good in that setting. I was in total peace, with hot food, hot coffee, a nice fire going, and totally relaxed. Yep...this is why I wanted this trip.



I had forgotten how fast it gets dark in the woods.It's been a great many years since I have camped this way, with no lanterns or giant raging bonfire. I checked the time on my cell phone, and saw that it was only 8:00. I sat against that tree near the fire for another hour, sipping instant coffee and just listening to nothing but nature. I let the fire burn down, and crawled into the tent at around 9:00. I don't have a cold weather sleeping bag. I took my old Coleman with me, along with a fleece summer bag tucked inside. Even though it got fairly chilly through the night, I stayed warm the whole time. I had to laugh just a little bit since here I am, sleeping on the ground in a bag when we have the matress at home that isn't even a week old yet. I curled up my jacket and sweatshirt as a pillow and went to sleep to the sound of tree frogs, crickets, and bullfrogs in the tiny pond not 60 yards away. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......Before I went to sleep, I texted Lisa to tell her goodnight and I miss her, this is what I got back-" I love you too honey, watch out for Yeti's!!" I smiled as I layed back to go to sleep.


I woke wide awake and it was still dark outside, and cold inside the tent. I was warm other than my arm I had stuck out of the bag in my sleep, so I flipped on the light over my head and checked the tiny 2" square thermometer I had taken just to log the whole experience. It was 51 degrees and 4:30.....umm...yea.... I may be camping, but I'm not getting up yet, lol. I turned off the light, layed back down, and fell half asleep for about an hour. When the sun started coming up, I crawled out of the bag, slipped on my boots, and started a fire for warmth and for some morning coffee. There was a lot of dew on everything, which made starting a fire a little more difficult, but not too bad. Once the fire was going well and there was water heating up for coffee, I realized that the heat from the fire was wasted, most traveling straight up into the air. I need some form of shelter to contain the heat. I'll work on that later. I sat around the fire, had a cup of hot coffee once the water got hot, and gathered some basic gear to take a walk. I just grabbed a canteen of water (which I dropped 2 spoons of TANG in lol), my folding camp saw, binoculars, small knife, and .22 rifle. After my second cup of coffee, I headed out for a walk, just to see what I could see, scout for deer and turkey, and take a chance on seeing a squirrel or rabbit for lunch.


I walked about a half mile to the field near where Tammie and I had seen the turkeys 2 weeks ago, pulled back into a line of trees and brush, and just sat, watched and listened. I heard the turkeys off in the distance, in exactly the same spot where we had seen them before. Now I know where they feed. Two deer passed by me as I was sitting there, one of them within 10 feet without noticing me at all. It was so peacefull and serene. Before I knew it, I had sat there against that tree for two hours. I lost all track of time like I normally do when I get into the woods. I don't know if I really lose track or just don't care. Either way, two hours had passed and I figured I should get up and go explore some more. I walked around the fields, staying tight to the treelines watching for squirrels. I did see a few but I never took a shot. I was enjoying myself out there and took enough to eat for 2 days. If I decide to get some game later, I will, but for now I'll just enjoy the walk and the scenery.Of course,of all things, I left my camera back at camp...oops!!


After another hour or so, I headed back to camp, figuring I should gather more firewood and get some other things done. On the way back, I took a different route through the woods, passing through the area that the loggers had started last year. What a horrible disgusting mess that was. I hate knowing that someone is destroying those woods just for a buck. In my mind, they're destroying a piece of my past, and it makes me crazy and mad. While I hurried through the area the best I could, something orange caught my eye. There layed a pile of empty gallon jugs of chain oil. They never bothered to pick them up. They just left them lay in the woods, leaking. I put them all in a pile, to kind of leave them a message, when I found a roll of black plastic that they had left behind. I don't know what they had used it for, but obviously it wasn't important enough to pick up. I stuffed it in my bag and headed to camp, thinking of what I can use it for. When I got back, I gathered more firewood and started gathering more vines for the garden thingymabobs. As I was winding them into wreath like circles for transport, I looked at my fire ring and knew what I would use that plastic for.



I bent over another two saplings that were near my tent and over the fire ring, staking them to the ground with sticks the same as I did the one over the fire. I cut more and used the paracord to make the same criss-cross pattern along it horizontally about every 3 feet.


The frame ended up being rather dome shaped, around 10x10 feet and 4 feet tall in the center. I twisted the corners of the plastic to make a holding point, attached the two ends to the back bottom of the frame, streched it tight along the whole length, cut it, and again twisted the corners and tied it off to another horizontal sapling. I repeated the process 3 times to cover the whole frame, and when I was done, I twisted the lowest sapling tight, cranking it like a wind up canopy and tying it off tight. In the center over the fire pit, I pulled apart the seams, leaving a diamond shape 3 feet long and 2 feet wide, just enough to let smoke escape but trap the heat inside the dome. As I started a fire to make lunch, I found out how well it worked. While the temperature outside was 71, the temp inside the domed structure climbed to 90. The plastic moved a bit with the heat, which actually worked well since it streched it tighter onto the frame as it heated and begin to shrink. I now had a cover that would not only retain the heat of the fire, but would also keep my camp area fairly dry in case it rained. Thanks jackass loggers! I guess you're good for something afterall!!


I ate a lunch of hot oatmeal and coffee, while I sat and admired my work. It's not really pretty, but I was happy with it. After I ate, I walked about 30 feet from camp to get rid of the morning coffee, when something silver caught my eye. I kicked this silver thing that was half hidden by leaves and debris, and out popped a reminder of my youth. There it was, dented and dirty, but still there. That genuine Boy Scout canteen I had lost when building a treehouse when I was about 12 years old. I picked it up and it still had water in it after all these years. It didn't leak at all, that water had been in there somewhere around 23 years. I carried it back to camp and snapped a picture. What a funny coinicidence that I find a piece of camping gear from that many years ago while I was camping. I smiled when I looked at it, remembering making that treehouse when I lost it, remembering how sad I was to have lost it. It took me 23 years, but I had it in my hands once again. I didn't bring it back with me. I left it where I had set up camp on Wednsday. I figured that it had a permanent home in those woods near a place I camped many years ago, and now it can stay where I camped now. It just seemed only fitting.


After lunch, I really didn't do much of anything. I gathered more firewood and vines, and spent a lot of time just sitting. I did wander around a bit, looking for berry patches to revisit later in the year, but I had very little luck. I found an area elsewhere where someone else had dumped off a bunch of junk in the woods, and scavenged a 5 gallon bucket to use as a seat back at camp. I don't mind sitting on the ground against a tree all the time, but sometimes my back doesn't tend to agree with me on that. A bucket seat it is, just like sitting on one at lunch on a jobsite. I was a bit disappointed in the fact that I never really sought out any small game for a meal, but no matter. I know that I know how to hunt, shoot, clean and cook a rabbit or a squirrel. I really don't need a reminder. I came back to camp, sat and watched chipmunks and birds for a while, read a bit, and figured I deserved a small nap. I fell asleep inside the tent with the door open for not even an hour, got up and had a drink from my TANG canteen. I read a while longer and went for another walk, still taking the .22 in case I changed my mind.


When I sat against another tree to scan for game, I looked at the rifle I was carrying and remembered when I bought it. I was 20 years old and bought it at the Woolworth store I worked at for my sister. It was my 16th birthday gift to her. She did carry it through the woods a few times, even though she has never shot any game in her life. That rifle has had barely 50 rounds shot through it, almost always at empty cans in dads backyard. When she moved out, got married and started a family she left it there. I asked her about it one day and she told me to take it since she never used it anymore. So here I am, almost 25 years later, carrying that good old Marlin 25 into the woods. I never appreciated it's simplicity before, but now I do. I'll never get rid of this rifle, never.


When I once again headed back to camp around 5, it was time to start dinner. The Strikemaster and lint starter once again did the trick perfectly, and with the treebark tinder, dinner was cooking in no time. In a pot, I added water with instant rice, 3 chicken boullion cubes, TVP,(textured vegetable protein-a meat substtute), dehydrated onions, and dehydrated jalepeno peppers. It smelled wonderful wafting through the woods as it simmered over a fire. I started another small pot for coffee and relaxed against the tree while I waited.


The tree I always sat against at camp made me laugh to myself every time I looked at it. At some point in time, my dad had dumped some junk in the woods, and this tree grew with a piece of fan belt stuck in it. The tree now stands well over 30 feet high and around 14" in diameter, with that piece of hose sticking out the west side about 4 feet off the ground. Later when I had gotten to their house on Friday, dad asked me if I saw that tree with the belt, which made me laugh out loud. "yea dad, thats where I set up camp". Funny how he remembered one particular tree and that happened to be where I sat up. Coinicidence??? I snapped a picture of it with my cell phone and sent it to Lisa....I got back in response "Stop using your phone, your battery will die, I love you". I had to laugh.


I sat on that bucket and had dinner with coffee. It wasn't really bad at all, it just needed a bit of salt, which I had in tiny containers. I *had* some black pepper, but the container came open and spilled all through my bag, oops. I ate and wrote notes for this entry in my notebook,and just relaxed with some more coffee. It wasn't a busy day by any means at all, but I just sat and watched nothing special. As the temperature started to slowly drop and the sun started to set, I sat under the shelter and added more wood to the fire. THIS was what it was all about. Sitting around doing nothing at all and watching a fire. No noise, no distractions, just me, nature, and the glow of a warm fire. I don't want to leave this. I considered another day and night, and wondered about the forecast. Since I can get the Weather Channel on my phone, I checked and it still called for rain and thunderstorms in the morning around 8-9:00. I was a bit disappointed, but I missed Lisa and a nice comfy new mattress. I had a permanant camp set up now. I can always come back again, and I will, probably several times.


I woke up early again, long before the sun and layed in the tent until the sun started to peek over the hill. I got up, started a fire to get some heat, (it was 54), and make some coffee. As I got light from the fire and from the rising sun, I checked the forecast again, hoping something had changed but it didn't. It called for rain starting around 9am and storms rolling in around 10. As the water heated, and I warmed up under the shelter, I began to pack things up to head back. Of course, nothing packed up as easily as it did at the house. How the hell did all of this fit in that pack anyway??? Arrrrggghhhhh!!!!! The last of the things finally packed, and I sat back for my last cup of coffee in the woods, which ended up being three, lol. I don't want to head back. I want to stay here one more day, or seven. But, I can't. I really don't want to sit through a thunderstorm right now. Maybe on another trip, but not this one. I finished the coffee, smothered the fire, strapped on my pack, and walked to mom and dads at 9am.


I walked in the door to my dad yelling "hey! It's Jeremiah Rambo!" I had to laugh, cause it was kinda funny and normally he isn't. Even though I had oatmeal back at camp, mom insisted on making bacon and eggs. We ate breakfast and sat down in the living room with dad in front of the t.v. that's on all day. For once, something interesting was on, and we watched three episodes of Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey. Great show with a great host. Watching that show got us to talking about guns and shooting like old times again. While we watched, I got in his gun cabinet and one by one brought out all the rifles and shotguns, wiping them down and checking for rust. We talked about each and every one as I cleaned them. When he got them, where he got them, and what he did with them.


I brought out an old single shot bolt action WInchester, and he had a hundred stories about it, everyone one of which I enjoyed. Grandma had gotten him that rifle for Christmas when he was 12 years old. He told me that grandma had hidden it in the couch and he found it, shooting it when she was at work, and cleaning and putting it back every day till Christmas morning. He told me how he would pick and sell berries to make money for ammo for it all summer, and how he would sit in the back and shoot pennies into a tree and walnuts off another one. I've heard from people my whole life that it's impossible to shoot the bore out of a rifle, but believe me, this one is. I shot it once 20 years ago and was lucky to hit a pie plate with it, lol. It's worn out. The bore is gone, the bolt is loose, and you have to hold it closed to even fire it. It's old, beat to death, and basically worthless as a firearm. But as a piece of family history, it's priceless. He told me to take it home, but I didn't. I will someday, but not now, not yet.


We sat around and talked the rest of the day, which turned out to be nice, of course. That 9am rain didn't start until almost 3:00. Those thunderstorms never came. But I had a great time in the woods and a great day with my dad. It was well worth taking those 2 days off of everything. I didn't practice any of the skills I intended to. I didn't try making that solar still. I didn't set snares to catch or shoot any wild game to cook over a fire. I didn't gather and eat any wild plants. I spent my time either wandering around the woods or just sitting and staring off into the trees. None of this is what I expected but it was everything I wanted. I have no regrets on this trip, other than I wish I had stayed longer. Well....there's always next time. And believe me, there will be a next time.


I can't wait to get out there again. I don't know when I will be able to, but I am definitly going back several times throughout the spring and summer, maybe even fall when I want to squirrel hunt. I loved my solo trip, but I kinda wish I had company. Lisa will camp with me, but there has to be a potty (LOL) and she can't sleep on bare ground. My friend Mike had mentioned he might want to go, but I'll talk to him about it for the next trip maybe. I know my bud Tammie would love it there as much as I do, but I don't see that happening again. Yanno....that whole thing with spouses and all. It's silly, she's my bud, but I understand the whole view from her husbands perspective. I'll just show her my camp when we get out for more vines and materials or later in the year during hunting season. For now, I'll enjoy the memories of those two short days on my own, and revisit the new camp area when I get time. The neighbor is giving me a camoflage tarp he has on his utility trailer sometime soon, and I'll use it to add a second layer to the shelter frame for more water resistance. (I won't always avoid camping in the rain!)


I had a wonderful time out there. I cleared my head and came back refreshed, which was the main purpose of the whole trip. I think I am going to do a second part of this entry about the trip, making it a gear review of everything I took with me. Some things I took along were new, some not so new. Some worked well, and others didn't. I packed a lot of things that I didn't use, some things I didn't really need, and some things I forgot or ended up needing. I may start that entry this weekend, but for now I'm going to close this now longest blog post in history. Thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed it!