Ted’s essays

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box fan box

We have been living with a really ugly shroud for our box fan. It started life as a temporary housing for my box fan to vent the smoke from my home coffee roasting out the shop window. I hinged it to the ceiling, then swung it out of the way for the 99% of the time it was not in use. In that application, being ugly just did not inspire change. It made its way here from that house, serving the same need in a similar fashion at my studio window. Forest fire smoke motivated me to drag out the single-room air filter to do a tolerable job of clearing the air we breathe while indoors. It helps our bodies […]

October 23rd, 2015 | Category: health, household |

shooting range grand opening

The Bitterroot’s premier indoor 10-meter international shooting range had its grand opening today. That is to say that I finally figured out how to hang my spotting scope in the sally port. I had previously conquered hanging the pellet trap and a cover for the window in the East Door. I have yet to install an electric target light, but the plastic lets the afternoon sun in marvelously. The spotting scope is just a lean back from my shooting position when I’m at the prescribed 10-meter distance from the target. Thus I can take my shot, call my shot (where I think it went), then lean back and confirm my shot, before loading the next round. That is one of […]

October 13th, 2015 | Category: guns |

firewood factory

My tool set for processing firewood. Missing from the photo are my chainsaw and its manual counterpart, the crosscut saw. I’ll have to update the photo later. From right to left … (isn’t that how we all process?) hatchet (old friend) probably a pound and a quarter head, for kindling splintering and light-duty splitting. hand splitting maul, 3 1/2 pound head, for light-to-medium splitting taking standard split wood to small stove size. small axe for light-to-medium trimming, limbing and splitting. axe, another old friend, to trim, limb, cut, chop and split. double-bit axe, a good, old one, new to me for extended cutting. splitting maul, a real one for turning Montana evergreen rounds into standard split firewood. wedge pair and […]

October 9th, 2015 | Category: household |

Stone Soup Kitchen Project

Here is a flier I am taking to various churches, restaurants and other places with community-grade kitchen facilities. Click on the image for a better view of it. In case of disaster, The Bitterroot may be on its own for an extended time. Red Cross, FEMA and others will have their hands full in populated areas. It is up to us to prepare ourselves and our community. Therefore, we need a way to feed ourselves as well as those who are unable to. There is no other way to get along with them … and cooperation is necessary for civilization to continue. THE STONE SOUP KITCHENS will accept anonymous donations of food and turn it into nutritious meals for those […]

October 4th, 2015 | Category: community, preparing |