Build a Fire Pit A great way to enjoy an evening is to relax by an open fire — and a firepit can make it even nicer. They are great for outdoor entertaining, and when the weather starts to cool off, you can still enjoy the outdoors. Preparing for a Firepit Patio firepits are available in kits or as separate components. Some are steel bowls or frames that you can move around the yard. Before you begin construction: Step 1 Check with any local ordinances or homeowners' association guidelines to see if firepits are permitted. Step 2 Select a convenient and safe location for the firepit. Step 3 Place a small flag at the selected location, and check it periodically over a few days to determine the prevailing wind direction. Building the Firepit The following procedures are for installing a basic firepit ring of concrete blocks surrounding a steel firepit bowl with a cover. Firepits should be installed on concrete patios, pavers or bare dirt. Gather the materials and tools you'll need for this job. Step 4 Step 5
Monkey's Fist | How to tie the Monkey's Fist | Decorative Knots Uses: The Monkey's Fist (ABOK # 2200 - 3, p 354) is used both as a decorative knot and to weight the end of a heaving line (see caution below). Tying it: The Monkey's Fist is usually tied around separated fingers. For the demonstration, a U-shaped piece of metal strip was used instead and three turns of rope were used in each direction. After each set of complete turns, change direction by passing the end through the middle. For each direction count carefully: it is very easy to miscount and have more strands on one side than the other. Finishing it: The animation shows an overhand knot being inserted into the center. Alternative Monkey's Fist Finish Alternative Finish: Ashley describes a version shown here where both ends remain outside the fist and are spliced together so that the Fist becomes part of an eye splice. Split heaving line into two coils Splitting the Coil: Before throwing a heaving line, split the coil into two parts. Preparing to heave the line
DIY Survival Candles: The Olive Oil Lamp In our last DIY survival candle making article, I showed you how to construct the butter candle. The butter candle can light up your home for at least four hours. But there is another survival candle that can last even longer than the butter candle. This lamp also will produce the most heat of any DIY survival candle that we have talked about thus far. Supplies: A Glass Bottle and it’s capA pint (16 oz.) of olive oilA paper towelA lighter or match Steps: 1. 2. 3. Be sure to drench the entire towel in olive oil first. Push the paper towel through the cap’s hole. 4. The Olive Oil Lamp is by far one of the best survival candles that you can make with your kitchen supplies. Want to learn more? Save Black Iron Blog: Easy Cast Iron Skillet Reconditioning The "finished" skillet. Ready for use and continuous improvement. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate how one can recondition a piece of cast iron cookware using items you probably have in your house or apartment. This process uses no specialized equipment (like an electrolysis tank) or large amounts of a nasty chemical (lye). It also does not require power tools or very much elbow grease. You will need: 1 can of aerosol oven cleanerplastic bagsordinary white vinegara scrub pad or #0000 steel woololive oil and/or Pam cooking spraypatienceThe skillet we are dealing with is a Wagner Ware 1056 {1935 -1959} that is in neglected condition. There is abundant surface rust and lots of crud and gunk (if I get too scientific with these terms let me know). I paid 9 dollars for this skillet at an antique store. If you are lucky enough to inherit some cast iron this may be similar to what you receive. The first step in getting this Wagner #6 cleaned up is to remove the old ruined seasoning.
How to build a backyard pergola This simple square trellis turns a patch of ground into a handsome outdoor room Philip Harvey; design by Lankford Associates Click to Enlarge This 8-foot-square trellis provides an inviting place to relax and enhances the view of the garden from the house. These homeowners were handy enough to build it themselves, but you could have a contractor do it for you. From Sunset 's Patio Roofs & Gazebos book Materials Concrete, #4 rebar & form lumber for footings Gravel 6x6 posts, pressure-treated 2x8 beams 2x4 trellis stock 1x8 trim Galvanized nails & outdoor screws Sanding & finishing supplies Paint, stain, or wood preservative Directions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Next: Building and design notes
25 Habits of Highly Effective Hikers Backpacker Magazine – August 2008 by: Michael Lanza, Illustrations by Colin Hayes Some people just have more fun. They get out every weekend, enjoy extraordinary summer adventures, and they make it all seem so easy. 1. >> The best adventures rarely happen spontaneously–you make them happen. >> Plan the details months in advance. 2. >> Plan well in advance so you have time to find the best companions. >> Communicate the details and difficulties of your proposed trip to prospective partners. >> Agree on training goals for demanding hikes. >> Ask potential companions about prior trips. >> New partner? 4. >> Identify five destinations within an hour of home for dayhikes and overnights. >> Make sure your gear is organized in one place (a big plastic bin in the garage, say). >> Keep camp foods–dry goods like pasta and rice, fixings for a simple dinner and breakfast, and perishables like cheese–on hand so you can take off on short notice. >> Break in boots on dayhikes and errands.
Liberation from Civilization! (this article is an attempt to shorten, personalize and update my signature post A Framework for Personal Action) third chart in my collapse scenario for civilization For many years the thesis of this blog has been: Our civilization is in its final century, and there is nothing we can do to prevent its collapse. When I began writing this, I was largely dismissed as a defeatist and a depressed ‘doomer’ (or worse). As awareness has grown about the now-inevitable end of (a) cheap energy, (b) stable climate and (c) the growth economy, there is a growing acknowledgement that the collapse scenario I have written about is at least conceivable. If the collapse of industrial civilization cannot be prevented, what should we do now? In a way, much of what I’ve written on this blog is an attempt to answer that question, without being too presumptuous, and appreciating that there is no one right answer to it. Here’s what I’m doing to that end: 1. Full House, by Stephen J. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Liberation
How a Girl Built a Gate | Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer It’s true! I built our gate all my little bitty self. I’ve been asked several questions about my gate, so I thought I would share how I made it. My husband and I had just finished building the fence. (I give him credit for all the labor-intensive work there. My husband is very busy with work during the summer and I was growing a bit impatient. So…I built it myself! Here she is: Aint she perty?? Here is it from the other side: Do you love the window detail as much as I do?? I actually considered using a metal doormat as an insert, but I decided to go searching online and found this. First I had to figure out how to work around the window. To start, I built my rectangular frame using three pieces of 2×4 and 1 piece of 2×6 for the bottom: Don’t worry about the diagonal pieces, yet. Your measurements my vary. Then while they were on flat, even ground, I screwed them together using 3″ Deckmate Star Drive Screws: I screwed them in diagonally from the top and the underside: Okay, so where were we?
Backpacking Light 101 A Lightweight Primer to Backcountry Travel for the Uninitiated By Ryan Jordan Ryan Jordan is the co-founder and Publisher of Backpacking Light. Ultralight backpacking, contrary to proclamations by Those That Carry Heavy Packs, is not practiced by that crazy fringe segment of wilderness society that derives their calories from obscure edible roots and their shelter from two twigs and a waterproof handkerchief. Ultralight backpacking is not hard, nor does it discriminate against those with physical challenges. How-To: Seven Steps to Enlightenment 1. Don’t have a digital scale yet? 2. Camp chairs, GPS units, espresso makers, the latest Clancy novel, cellular phones – do you really need all this stuff? 3. We have been fed a steady of diet of conservative backcountry theology that has created generations of hikers that prepare for winter but only hike between July Fourth and Labor Day. 4. Ultralight backpacking requires that you rethink your equipment list. 5. 6. 7. The Ultralight Way of Life
Is Your Chocolate Real? Cacao vs Cocoa: What You Need To Know... Is Your Chocolate Real? Cacao vs Cocoa: What You Need To Know… A growing number of studies show that chocolate, especially antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, has health benefits that put it squarely on the latest list of superfoods. The good news is you can make your own chocolate with only 3 super healthy ingredients: cacao, coconut oil and honey! Remember my article 5 Ingredient Swaps For Healthier Eating? So, What Is The Difference Between Cocoa And Cacao? Let’s take for example a popular brand: Hershey’s chocolates. Studies show that the darker the chocolate, the better. that contains at least 65 percent cacao, recommends Joy DuBost, PhD, RD, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman. Did you know also that dairy inhibits the absorption of antioxidants from cacao? Cacao contains far more antioxidants per 100g than acai, goji berries and blueberries. 7 Health Benefits Of Raw Cacao Luckily, I was able to find an organic cacao powder at Whole Foods but it is also available online. . 1.
Translucent Concrete Stains Concrete & Masonry Stains QUIKRETE® Translucent Concrete Stains (No. 7215-15) semi-transparent appearance highlights the natural variations in concrete and masonry surfaces. QUIKRETE® Translucent Concrete Stains can be used in multiple color combinations to acheive a unique multi-tone, layered appearance. Features & benefits include: Penetrating Stain does not peel Water based, Polymer-Bonded, UV Resistant formula Interior or exterior use Matte finish Low odor & Low VOC Ideal for garage floors, driveways, pool decks, sidewalks & patios Available in: 1 Gallon (3.8L) bottle 5 Gallon (18.9L) pails
33 Days Across Wrangell St Elias National Park: The Southern Spiral Traverse – Perpetual Weekend by Jim Harris The Objective: As seen from afar: Numbers that defined our world: Wrangell St Elias NP and Preserve: 13,200,000 acres² (20,587 miles²) Distance traveled: 430 miles (~220 miles on land and ~210 floating) Time: 33 days (25 days on foot and 8 days paddling) Distance on trail: 0 Resupplies: 3 Bears: 14 Other park visitors: 0 Jars Nutella eaten: 5 Gallons olive oil used: 0.7 Hours of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed: 1.2 Width of tent space space, per individual: 15” Width of foam sleeping pads: 20” On the long, unpaved road to McCarthy, with the bumpin’ sound system. Almost midnight with a great bivy spot at the airstrip When Chuck Norris goes to bed at night he checks underneath for Garry Green. Cisco won the rock-paper-scissors for shotgun seating Garry dropped us off at Tebay Lakes As the sound of Garry’s plane faded, we found we were very, very far from anyone else. At the end of the first day we could look down the Bremner valley and see the Copper River on the horizon.
Homemade Organic Toothpaste An Old Swiss Teeth Whitening Recipe… | Natural Snippets A couple of years ago we were lucky enough to escape ‘drill and fill’ and to find a biological/holistic dentist and (really important for me) one who didn’t use needles. Our dentist does not fill teeth and so I then began to study how to optimise our diet for tooth remineralisation. This done I then began to research anything that could hinder the process and found the mention of glycerine. It is used to give the toothpaste a ‘glossy’ sheen but it also leaves a coating on the teeth, which in turn prevents remineralisation. I have read that it takes multiple rinsings with pure water to actually rid your teeth of this glycerine film. Step 1: Recipe & Ingredients… The Recipe… The recipe for ‘Snow Caps’ I found in a book I would recommend to anyone interested in essential oils and their uses, it is written by Valerie Ann Worwood under the very apt title of: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. Ingredients… Step 2: Method & Storage… The Method… Storage…