Ah, the glory of an Easter Sunday, huh?
I like getting a bit of down time. (Actually slept in until 4:46 AM!) Except, as you might expect, my idea of down time is a little rough around the edges. Mainly, it means a change from head work to thing work. The workaholism never changes – just the outlet…
Or, to put it another way, going from “inside” work to “outside” work is like dropping from “immediate mode” into ‘lag mode” because “out here” lags behind the speed of thought. But, I digress.
So far this weekend, in lag mode, I moved a phone line coming into the house because it was inconveniently placed right where a stringer for the deck stairs needs to go. Not a hard job. But every hour matters, and at 77 the “time box” is not filled to “unlimited.”
While I was out doing phys-world mischief, I got to thinking about the next book I ought to write. To explain that, we need to talk about welding.
Welding School
One of Elaine’s boys — working for a federal government near you — is up in the Pacific Northwest in welding school for five weeks.
For Christmas this year, we pretty much loaded the boat for him: a nice multi-process machine, grinder, helmet, gloves, chipping hammer, and on and on. By the time we were done, it was a 25-item list. Family gift.
Reason being, he has a daughter heading toward college in a few years, and I got to thinking: what’s one of the best things you can give a young person besides tuition help?
Another meal ticket.
That’s a phrase people don’t use enough anymore. But there’s an art to collecting meal tickets. I started at 16 with a first-class commercial radio license. Then I picked up a journeyman R&E ticket, worked remote military sites and got “papered,” added news certs, eventually a B.A. in business, then an M.B.A., and a few books besides.
But the paper is only part of it.
The Meal Ticket Discussion
There’s another kind of meal ticket: being able to do damn near anything.
I’m a checkride away from a commercial pilot’s license, have the commercial drone ticket, can swing a hammer, do 3D printing, design circuits, copy Morse, handle plumbing, farming, ranching — yes, there’s a difference — and a whole lot more. Music production, hydroponics, art, fine woodworking…the list goes on.
And the funny part — funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha — is that just when you get maximally qualified, you’re about ready to die.
It’s a rigged game. Make no mistake about it.
Generational View
Wielding a grinder may not be the ideal time to think about such things, but in the Ure family it matters that eldest children become failure-proof. Or as close to it as possible. The easiest way to do that is not to make them specialists in one narrow lane, but to help them learn how to think across a whole range of practical domains.
That’s when it occurred to me that, in addition to clipping ShopTalk Sunday pieces, I really ought to write the definitive book to leave behind.
Not a woodworking book — there are tons of them.
Not a welding book — same story.
Not a CNC-only book, not a 3D-printing-only book, not a casting-only book.
What’s missing is the broad-spectrum maker’s book. The book that says, here are the major levers humans can learn to pull in the physical world, here’s how the domains fit together, and here’s how to think your way into the right process before you burn time, money, and materials on the wrong one.
An hour later, working on the greenhouse, the title came to me:
Title: “The Jack of All Fabs“
And only a few minutes after that, the architecture for the whole thing showed up.
Every chapter would run on the same frame:
Learning Objectives. Why This Matters. Domain Discussion. Core Concepts and Processes. Making by Objective Integration. TRIZ in Action. Supplies, Consumables, and Maintenance. Practical Projects and Examples. Key Takeaways. Review Questions.
That consistency is one of the real strengths of the idea, because it keeps the whole thing from reading like a pile of shop notes. Instead, it becomes a unified educational system.
Chapter One
The first chapter would be called:
Magic: The Working Domain of Humans
Its job would be to define the human making domain before tools ever enter the story.
Because in a garage, on a homestead, or in a fab shop, the first failure is often not a bad weld or a dull saw blade. The first failure is misunderstanding the problem.
A gate doesn’t sag merely because the hinge is weak. It sags because load path, weather, alignment, fastener choice, and mounting all live in the same domain and somebody missed one of them.
A 3D-printed bracket doesn’t fail because “plastic is bad.” It fails because the part belonged in a different material, a different geometry, or a different orientation.
Making starts in observation, not machinery.
So the first chapter would teach the reader to think in terms of active domains:
Structure. Motion. Heat. Fluid. Weather. Control. Appearance. Repairability. Cost. Time.
That, to me, is the real magic of humans. We notice what’s wrong. We imagine what “better” looks like. We define success. We recognize limits. We choose means. Then we act on matter.
That’s practical intelligence.
And practical intelligence is broader than tool skill. It includes feel, sequencing, adaptation, consequence-thinking, and the ability to turn imperfect materials into good-enough outcomes under real-world constraints.
So before the reader gets to welders, saws, lathes, slicers, code, routers, or castings, the book would start with problem sighting, objective awareness, constraint recognition, and why experienced makers often “see” failure before it happens.
Because their first question is not:
What tool do I want to use?
It is:
- What is the objective?
That’s a very different way to approach making.
Why Bother?
There are several reasons.
First, people don’t value free stuff.
Second, this fits into a bigger Peoplenomics theme of future readiness.
And third, the hands-on part matters now more than most people realize. If you can get a decent bead on the future that’s coming, then practical skill starts to look less like a hobby and more like a driving manual for getting through a rough patch before the fact.
That’s where this idea begins to matter.
I know gifted tradesmen in one field who are nearly helpless in others. Excellent welders who can’t diagnose a simple control problem. Good woodworkers who get lost around motion systems. Fine machinists who don’t understand fluid handling, weathering, or electronics.
That’s not a criticism. It’s just reality.
What seems to be missing is the buffet table and the nutrition list in one place.
Not mastery of everything. That would be nonsense.
But a serious map of the making world.
Wood. Fine woodworking. Welding. Sheet metal. Casting. Turning. CNC. 3D printing. Circuits. Controls. Repair. Layout. Finishing. Field fixes. Homestead utility. Material judgment. Design by objective.
In other words: a book for the kids — and not just the kids — that says, here are the families of capability worth learning, here’s how they connect, and here’s how to begin becoming harder to break.
Anyway, holiday weekend. Loose notions turning into chapter titles before sunrise.
There are worse ways to spend a morning.
You do remember this is 4-5-6 day, right?
Write when you get rich, and turn on the shop lights now,
George@Ure.net
Many have said, “My dad can do everything.”. Mine couldn’t do open heart surgery but I have no doubt he could if he should ever have wanted to. For example, when I left for a tour in the SE Asian conference he had just bauled home an old truck chassis from a neighbors junkyard. I got a letter from Mom where she told me Dad was building a motorhome for them to go traveling in. About 6 months later I got another letter where she said your father, which meant dad was in the doghouse, wants to know if you would want this motorhome he built. If not he’s going to get rid of it. Wait, what?! Long story short I returned 6 months later and parked out behind the barn was the motorhome. I can best describe it as a 28″ Winnebego. Complete with fully finished interior, heater, kitchen, propane fridge, and to top it off licensed and road legal. And curtains that Mom made.
As you said having a well rounded skill set is essential. But I believe just as important is a mindset that nearly any skill you desire to learn or master is limited only by your imagination.
You would be a good example. Keep up the inspiration.
Stay safe. 73
I’d like to read that book.My parent’s generation had alot of practical skills because their parents were adults during the depression. Things were made, remade, built, and rebuilt. Parent’s tried to teach those skills to their children but each generation was less interested in learning.
The Foxfire books are incredible……
Yes!!! Excellent books! In modern society the struggle is getting above the poverty lever so that you can explore new skills. Foxfire is kind of for the farm/survival and really cool. I learned so much along the way, but poverty is a grinding force…you have to love George’s enthusiasm!
My late husband was a master at “turning imperfect materials into good enough outcomes”. He was the king of very good (what he called) “cobble jobs.” One of his most important teachings for me was “study the mechanism.” Whether attempting to assemble an item with Chinese English instructions or figuring out why whatever I was doing wasn’t working, he would always say, “Stop! Study the mechanism!” Invariably I would then figure out the error of my ways.
Amazing man – engineer, plumber, carpenter, electrician, musician, and poet.
And with an eye toward great spousal selection!
Yes, Renaissance man. Sadly, irreplaceable.
“engineer, plumber, carpenter, electrician, musician, and NOT poet.”
That sounds familiar.
‘Thing is, the “cob-job” is meant to be temporary — stuck back together and made to function, until you can fix it properly, and yeah, that’s what I call it, too.
And you ALWAYS study the mechanism…
My shop light just popped up into the sky! When much of your work is outside, the same making techniques apply, but weather and sunshine matter too.
I agree that being able to function in many disciplines at a “workmanlike” level is essential. Speed is less important unless it’s your specialty and income. Staying limber and functional while doing these things is essential too. Productivity matters, but so does calm reflection, meditation, and appreciation of nature and life itself. We can’t do it all, but we can do some things, and we can do them well enough to be comfortable with them.
medication, and appreciation – there fixt that fer yah
I learned, years ago when I was refurbing hundred year old toasters and lamps, that I could never do it and make a living. I was too obsessed with doing the job right, using highest-quality materials, to do it quickly enough to profit from my refurbs. Restitching mica wafers with new nichrome took many times longer than splicing a burnt heating element and cost more, but when I was done, that Sunbeam or Toastmaster was new or better, except cosmetically, and would likely last another hundred years without attention. I kinda do the same with HAM radios. I wish I could do full restorations, but settle for disappearing the rust and touching up the paint because I daren’t try and duplicate the face lettering. Maybe I could, but probably not, and then I’d have an appearance-ruined radio to try and foist on someone — no can do…
George, please fix the typo in the title. Not because we don’t know what it means, but because titles are what is generally searched upon. Search engines of any kind are generally intolerant of spelling errors.
Happy Resurrection Day!
Guess that did answerr the robotics questyion though, huh?
No Schnaaps Talk, no projects, no work. It’s a Holiday. And tomorrow …
Do You Dyngus?
His Orangeness has a 1pm EDT speech / press op while markets are trading. Hello TreasSec Bessent. Maybe work a slow bleed switch to after 4pm? Just sayin’
Tip of the spear grows dull when constantly burnishing the edges. Tomorrow is go no go day. While making Herculean efforts to minimize collateral damage (loss of life) … we hope for the best as warriors go into battle.
The extraction story unfolded as the Michigan romp in Final Four closed down. I was nearly dancing in the dark. Well done to literally hundreds of Specials who did the duty, then stepped back out of spotlight. Well done.
Tomorrow South Bend, IN will be all about the Polish Dyngus Day. I won’t go, since so many of the Great Old Birds are gone. Still, the stuffing of Kielbasa and prepping of eggs goes on apace.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/micheleherrmann/2025/04/20/what-is-dyngus-dayand-heres-why-polish-americans-celebrate-it/
We Germans were extended cousins.
Get thee a Dyngus.
Egor
https://time.com/article/2026/04/05/-safe-and-sound-how-a-u-s-airman-shot-down-in-iran-was-rescued-from-a-mountain-crevice/
Had to destroy the back-up flying ambulance due to it’s malfunction??, safe pilot is now seriously wounded..ahh the stories they tell…”Praise be to Allah”
‘When the airman was found, he was taken to two MC-130J aircraft that were waiting nearby to exfiltrate him out of the country. But the aircraft malfunctioned, which led to U.S. forces destroying at least one of them, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Trump announced just after midnight on Sunday that the airman, whom he described as a “highly respected Colonel,” was “SAFE and SOUND!”
He said in a later post that the airman was “seriously wounded,” and that he would hold a press conference on Monday at 1 pm at the White House.’
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trump-issues-expletive-laden-threat-against-iran-as-details-of-u-s-aviators-rescue-emerge
‘Meanwhile, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.
In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have died there.
Trump promised strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges and said the country would be “living in Hell” if the strait, a crucial waterway for global trade, isn’t opened to marine traffic by Tuesday. He ended with “Praise be to Allah.”
Downed & Destroyed during rescue op, or was it all about Stealing enriched uranium op?
2 – C130’s
4- lil Bird Helo’s
4 – Blackhawks
2 – MQ9 drones
All that for 1 Guy… who president of Iran claimed to have an American pilot in captivity at yesterdays presser..
“Fog” is really getting thick now..
you fail to show both sides score card, how about the iRAN leaders trading positions? let alone all the damage to their properties???
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/irgc-intelligence-chief-majid-khademi-eliminated-precision-strike/
tbs : who cares about the gear. It’s paid for. We have plenty more. It’s a not a motto it’s a dedication to “leave no one behind” – well done US Military.
Pararescue [excerpt] “… Whether shot down or isolated behind enemy lines; surrounded, engaged, wounded, or captured by the enemy; PJs will do whatever required to deny the enemy a victory and bring our warriors home to fight another day. “Leave no Airman, Marine, Soldier, or Sailor behind” is our nation’s supreme promise and responsibility …”
https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104514/pararescue-1t2x1/
It makes me proud. Possibly an agenda clouds your senses?
Egor
I didn’t know SB had a significant Polish population. Whiting does. My favorite SIL was born and raised there. Her kin were about evenly-divided between The Calumet and Duluth. She taught me much about Polish people (she was also the #1 source for Polish jokes {back when folks had a sense of humor and could actually laugh at themselves without taking or giving offense.})
Ray,
South Bend, industrial city which hosted : Studebaker, Oliver Plow, Singer Sewing Machines, Wheel Horse Tractors, Uniroyal, AM General, etc., etc. has every nationality imaginable. It became a stew, where Hungarians Poles and Germans had sections without divisions (ex : ChinaTown). Those old Polish women put on an annual feast not to be missed.
Egor
OMG! I just got an email saying that Harbor Fright is closed for the day!
Now I have to make or fix something rather than just buying more tools.
The withdrawal! It hurts, but at least I’ll get something done.
Happy Easter to all!
Wow, George, what a fabulous idea that is! Looking at the big picture of an item, no matter the size, and showing the proper depictions of assembly would be an important and very instructive tool. However, how things work when all the components are installed correctly might require some real world examples. And, these real world examples could show both the success in design and the failure in implementation and explain the reasons why. Your examples could include such items as a gate, a bridge, a runway, and even an aqueduct. How cool this will all be.
Good Morning George,
Good article today. I Totally agree.
I too am skilled at many things. Somethings I am a Master at. Grabbing gears is one of them. It is like breathing for me. I don’t think about breathing. I am also certified in many other things. I am licensed BNSF Conductor License and M can and have driven about anything. From Giant Tonkas, Ore Trains, I an signed off to run any kind of equipment from a D-10 Dozer to Cat 6020 Mining Shovel, I have a CDL CLASS A, am MSHA Certified. I am also Licensed Security agent. I also have my Merchant Marines Certs, MMC, TWIC, Passport, Certifications in firefighting, CPR, AED, Coast Guard Certifications, Current Top-Secret Clearance with the Department of Homeland Security and have my pistol and sharpshooter certifications. I am even certified on Naval Nivation. I can work in the wheel house, the deck department and the engine room. I am not tig and mig certified but I have passed the Pipe weld test for Arch Welding. I Took welding at the community college to learn how to build better hot rods in my early 20s.
The weld must be stronger than the metal it joins. Lay a fat row of dimes.
The only missing part of your article today that I would add is, Always treat everyone with the same respect. Treat the Janitor of a company the same as you would treat The CEO. That has served me more than any other skill. You never know who you are talking too and who they know.
A week from today, I will be getting on a plane bout this time of the morning in rout to Suva Fiji. To board a vessel that can stay out to sea for 300 days without needing to refuel. I will be working in the engine room. That whole job came from someone who name dropped me to someone important at the University of Washington. Not only did they name drop me they said I was outstanding Human Being, a really hard worker and qualified for the job. They called me when I was out mowing my lawn and less than 3 weeks later I am flying out to a research ship to be at sea for 40 days.
Right at the time that Fuel hits $7.30 a gallon for Deisel and pretty much squashes any construction trucking. Out at that jobsite, the big 3-million-dollar contract I got for my company came to a screeching halt. Because they burn 8000 to 1000 gallons of fuel out there a day running heavy equipment.
You know how I got this job George? I was talking to a person who was unimportant to my job, at the time and they said their father needed some wood chopped. I said what is the address? I will go chop his wood for him. So I went and chopped up a few cords and stacked it for him a while back. Free of charge. I will be old some day and may need someone to come chop my wood. I ran into them a few years later, I was chatting and telling them about getting my certs at the Maritime institute waiting to go to MSC. They ran into a friend from college, who now runs the Marine oceanography department a few weeks later. Name dropped me for a position and whalah Andy is going to sea. Working on a NOAA Type Vessel out of Suva Fiji. I got to talking to them and we hit it off so good, they said their other friend may be looking to fill that same position permanently for University of Hawaii come end of October. They would pay for me to relocate to Hawaii and give me a living allowance. 2 months out to sea, one month home. Pays $450 a day whether I am out to sea or not.
They asked me what my plans were. I said Well, I am going to do this job for you. When I get back, I will either go back driving Truck and paving black top all summer if Fuel Prices drop. If not??? I am going to Wyoming to do door dash for Forest Fire Fighters in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. All that gets done around end of October. They said perfect! When you get back, lets line you up with that job working for the University of Hawaii. I said that all sounds Good to me.
All that is the result of treating people who are the janitor with the same respect as you treat a CEO. You never know who knows who. The Opportunity to do door dash for fire fighters job came from helping Somone’s kids over in Idaho when I lived there. When I helped them out, I didn’t know what their parents did for a living.
I think that is the most under rated skill. Helping others. It opens doors you never knew existed. Like working for the University of Washington, in the engine room, on a research vessel out of Suva Fiji. Right when Fuel hits $8.30 a gallon for trucking. and working in the mountains driving a brand new F-350 Super Duty to help the Forest Fire Fighters in the mountains there after the dryest winter in years. Then possibly moving to Hawaii.
and THE DUDE may have completely different plans. Which I assure you, if HE Does? It will be even better than these plans. THE DUDE has my full permission to direct life as HE sees fit.
and all i did was say, Well THE DUDE must have something else planned. What Can I do? I will mow my lawn. That I can do. After my work got shut down due to fuel prices, my IRS Return got kicked back for the second time because some company reported a different number than what was on my W2. So now I have to do a Zoom Call on Monday to verify my identity to gain access to what numbers they have so I can refile on line.
My buddy had the same thing happen and he said right after his zoom call, he got on line filed it to match what they had at the IRS and the money was deposited in his account the next day. The IRS actually owed him $50 more than what he thought he was originally getting.
Lets hope that is the same for me. :)
I best get the woman up and get to Church. Not sure If I will make it back on here before I get to Fiji, Have a very busy schedule this next week. Lots to do before I go.
hmmmmm…
Like Christ, I too have risen from the dead many times in this lifetime.
Thanks to THE DUDE, for
Amazing Grace that Saved Wretch Like me!
WHoooo Hooo!
I Win with God within.
California is no place for a heavy equipment operator right now:
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/diesel-surges-above-8-san-fran-gulf-shock-exposes-californias-disastours-policies
The Hawaii gig sounds cool. You definitely have a higher power as an agent.
“They called me when I was out mowing my lawn and less than 3 weeks later I am flying out to a research ship to be at sea for 40 days.”
Jesus, prompted by the Holy Spirit, voluntarily withdrew to fast and pray in the desert for 40 days.
It’s no coincidence that there are 40 days in Lent.
The only thing Id like to add before I head out is, if it is truly from THE DUDE and HIS perfect will? no man or thing or entity can take it from you.
and those who take things from you that don’t belong to them???? Eventually shoot themselves in the leg. It is just a matter of time.
I have seen that happen more times than I can count.
and who am I to deny them from limping for the rest of their lives. They earned it. Good for them. :)
Great Idea! That book would be a family asset for future generations. I was blessed to develop a systems outlook through a diverse range of hands-on experiences during my early years. They have served me well throughout a long life.
In today’s world, a narrow specialization can become a carrier death trap. In a depression, a wide range of skills may be the only thing keeping the wolf away from the door.
George and Elaine are smart enough to avoid crowds. So am I. Here’s a serious analysis of why it’s a good idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAmZGCvIRM
A happy Easter weekend to you all. I have been sleeping well with a new and simplified arthritis protocol. Give it a few months, and I will share if it holds up. I’m not above placebo effects, but nerve bundle burning pain doesn’t generally respond to placebo.
My cycling projects are progressing. I tried out the new stealth mountain bike pads under the regular clothes yesterday. I was worried about overheating. With a front blowing in, just the opposite was an issue. The pads ventilate well. I’m letting myself heal a few more weeks before I try another long supply run. With gasoline available and hovering around $4 local, economics are not pressing. My objectives are to keep some minimal level of physical conditioning, maintain proficiency with equipment, and keep equipment ready to use. Proving manhood doesn’t really figure in; however, working through adversity and failures is part of the ongoing process.
re: Turkey Easter Dinner
feat: Ukrainian Pavska dough rising
Sound the sirens, a Servant’s weekend holiday travelogue began on Good Friday in Kyiv. The President of the Ukraine posted a selfie of his online conversation with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV allegedly during a Russian missile attack. Saturday reflected the President’s arrival in Turkey aboard his Ukrainian government’s jet to meet President Erdogan. An interesting easter egg ensued on Sunday as President Zelensky flew over the road to Damascus aboard a Turkish government-supplied Airbus to meet the President of Syria.
Speaking of elephants in the room, the tiny Syrian Rock Hyrax, considered unkosher according to “Wikipedia”, is occasionally mistaken for a rabbit. However it is actually “most closely associated to elephants”.
Great idea about a book like that if only we can get the KIDS to see it, LOL most can’t even tie there own shoes anymore because they use Velcro, For me I have more expired certs than most could ever think about, from any type of motor vehicle and all cranes to being certified to electrical wiring for space flight equipment and a expired single engine pilot license oh and must not forget certs for ammunition and explosive handling. also I can operate all endmills and lathes along with all types of welding, mig, tig, stick etc. etc. and any type of gas as well. People like us George are a LOST breed. LOL I guess AI will replace us and that will be the worlds downfall! FACT!
Phew..first off..the Philippines coconut wine is delicious..its about either but months old and dam..I could drink more than one cup of this..
Now in the service they had what was called MidRats… one of the things I loved was a gravy..
about 1/2 cup of bacon grease and droppings..
1/2 cup games f flour
three cups of milk ( or water )
3 eggs
first off you melt the grease.. put the flour in it and make a rue.. keep stirring until it begins to brown.. then add the milk..stir until it starts to thicken to gravy consistency..
put the eggs in one at a time salt and pepper it before you dump the eggs in it..
as the gravy boils the whites begin to firm up once the egg whites get done break the jokes and egg whites stirring it into the gravy..
serve over toast or potatoes..three eggs will serve a whole family..
you can add hamburger sausage etc. the cook on base use to make a big pot of this it was one of the favorite items eaten..
I like onions and peppers in it..sometimes a few veggies..
my father use to like this as well he called it SOS and he had to have it over toast..
(“Wood. Fine woodworking”)
I was specials cutter..and human mule for one of the best cabinet companies is in the US.. loved that job..learned a lot..when I first got the job was putting in two cardboard corner blocks..over and over..the guy next to me..putting in one door hinge screw.. because of the recession..we got ten hours a week .. which is why I had to work multiple jobs and donate plasma to survive..anyway..
the night foreman asked what would you like to know..everything.. so he moved man me from work station to work station until I had the ability to step into any of the positions..now the book..
being specials cutter you had to have the dimensions of every cut and every dado.They gave me the cabinet bible as references to every cabinet…. when I left I kept the book they didn’t want it back ..what’s funny is one of my grandkids is an engineer for building homes.. I asked him if he’d like it..no he didn’t need anything like that..they are to busy building houses my other grandson is doing the same..a house every three days..it must be slowing down though my neighbor has more time off recently….
I got him interested in making beer..he made a really good raspberry sour..
Thought I’d share this..
https://iran.liveuamap.com/
https://warmonit.com/?lat=-17.0770&lon=-10.9324&zoom=1.50&view=global&timeRange=7d&layers=conflicts%2Cbases%2Chotspots%2Cnuclear%2Csanctions%2Cweather%2Ceconomic%2Cwaterways%2Coutages%2Cmilitary%2Cnatural%2CiranAttacks
https://www.defconlevel.com/global-conflict-map
https://rsoe-edis.org/eventMap
the one above is my favorite..
Build a boat. Do everything you can learn. That should tap you into just about everything necessary.
Then give up the ‘there’s a time limit’ business.
You are in it forever, but in different form. No loss to move on. Time is just an illusion.
Today’s societal remembrance is to remind us of the endless love that is possible with this life we are living.
Keep on keepin’ on.
Stiks
Exactly…Through the years, life pushed me to learn the kinds of skills that actually create a better quality of life. Yesterday for Easter, I brought a couple gallons of homemade wine to dinner. Everyone kept telling me I should bottle it, but now that I’m back to working, time is tight and it’s hard to keep up. I finally managed to get it done today, quickly, just to stay ahead of it.
The truth is, if circumstances hadn’t forced us into a place where the only way my wife could enjoy wine was if I made it myself, I probably never would have learned how. The same goes for cheese making, roasting coffee, and a dozen other things. I learned them because I had to — and once I knew how, I shared what I could. Most people just look at me and say, “Why bother? I can just buy it at the store.”
And that’s the difference between generations. My mother in-law taught bobbin lace because back then, if you wanted lace, you made it. My wife used to do it too, before her stroke. But today, very few people sew, knit, or make anything by hand. It’s easier to buy it ready?made.
The younger generations those in their fifties and down have grown up in a time of plenty… good jobs, easy credit, fast food, and convenience everywhere. They never had to learn the skills that once kept a household running. I didn’t learn them for nostalgia. I learned them because life demanded it and was forced to to maintain a quality of life. Now I carry the knowledge that used to be ordinary and try to share it to those that need it,
but today feels almost rare and you’d be shocked at how many raise their eyes and go oh god here he goes again…
all turning into hillbillies here behind king hillbilly . swigin moonshine , back slappin telling tall stories . yep i knew the day would come , disgrace.
I’ve been pondering Olfart’s decision to plant beans and peas with okra to follow in yesterday’s comments. I’ll go with the Bing assertion that a year’s supply of beans or lentils for one is 60 lbs. Cook times for lentils run a third of the same amount of beans or peas, and they don’t have to be soaked.
25 lbs of black Lentils from D’Lynn’s preferred, Palouse Brands runs $80 including delivery, in some sort of storage container. Not sure how they are packed, or if they have to be taken out of the container and put in a Mylar bag with an O2 absorber. Rainy day 5 gallon pails have a whopping 36 lbs, but are $96 plus freight. Their 6 each #10 cans are $113. plus shipping with a total weight of maybe 33 lbs.
Finding bulk dried field Crowder or Cream pea variants is a tougher research issue.
Camellia Brand has 25 lb bags of Crowder or Cream peas for $80 plus shipping. You will have to dry can yer own.
Store bought is still too cheap for me to start plowing and planting legumes. The 25 lb storage container of black lentils sounds like a something I might want to have in the pantry.
I do miss my fresh okra. and squash. Still a bit early. Got to thinks about it.
I planted Blue Lake variety beans, because we prefer them as green beans rather than dried. The purplehulls because at $40 a bushel locally grown, I’d rather pick them myself.
Hard to open those big ,heavy containers of beans, even with the fancy gadget you can buy. #10 cans need a special can opener as well.
The 3.5 gallon container is new to me. It doesn’t look like a 6 gallon, and probably opens differently. I don’t generally use 6 gallon containers, but I keep several of them and the aluminized liners for emergency stock-up scenarios. I keep quite a few 1 gallon set-ups for the same reason. The last dry canning I did was a 25 lb bag of muesli into multiple one gallon containers. The main thing you need to rotate yearly (or so) is a stock of oxygen absorbers.
Several 25 lb or 50 lb bags of staples will keep you alive for a year. Not something I would normally do unless I saw something real bad happening very fast. The #10 can are more practical. There is one outfit that makes a #10 can vacuum sealer and lids that LOOB was trying out. That would help extend life of opened cans.
Personally, I’m an omnivore. If TV dinners or commercial canned foods are cheapest and tasty with lowest prep labor, I got no problems with them, at least on weekdays. Life of the wet canned stuff is not good, and a TV dinner lasts only as long as the lights are on. Freeze dried and dry canned are good for unexpected circumstance and shelf life. The freeze dried takes the least time and energy to use (but the most to make).
I raised my kids to understand that anything which moves, either internally or externally is a machine, or a bunch of simple machines bound together to perform a complex task. A proper machine should work forever. If it doesn’t, it is either dirty, worn, or broken, and it can be returned to service by remediating the dirt, wear, or breakage.
The one thing I couldn’t do was get them to visualize how (or why) some things were simple machines, like: A screwdriver or wrench is a lever, and a drill bit is a chisel.
They could not escape their preprogrammed concept that a simple tool which, in a diagram or Disney cartoon (apologies to Jiminy Cricket), performed a linear function, was the same tool when it applied a rotational function — IOW “torque” can be a specialized form of linear force (and creates an ideal takeoff point for a discussion of elementary integral calculus.)
A drill bit is a steel rod with a bevel ground into one end, and (usually) two chisels ground into that end on opposite sides of the bevel. When a drill bit drills, each chisel cuts shavings out of the substrate that’s being drilled. Drilling metal will demonstrate the shavings better than drilling something softer.
WKRP radio station coming to Cincinnati
CINCINNATI (WDTN) — Baby, if you’ve ever wondered Wondered whatever became of me I’m living on the air in Cincinnati, Cincinnati, WKRP
More than 40 years after “WKRP in Cincinnati” was canceled, a radio station with that same call sign is actually coming to southwest Ohio.
Oak City Media Inc., a nonprofit organization in North Carolina, currently operates 101.9 WKRP in Raleigh, North Carolina. The station recently announced the WKRP call sign is headed to Cincinnati.
While we’re not parting with WKRP-LP just yet, Oak City Media’s reached an agreement in principle to share the “WKRP” call sign with a radio station that serves the Cincinnati market. No details until all the T’s are dotted and the I’s are crossed but we’re pleased to help make something right in the world: after nearly 48 years, there WILL be an actual WKRP that listeners in the Queen City can enjoy.”
https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment/music/wkrp-radio-station-coming-to-cincinnati/
Personally, I always thought they patterned the TV show’s name off of WKRC in Cincinnati (550AM, I think. It is a 1000 watt powerhouse.) My Dad used to listen to the Reds games from outside Cadillac, Michigan on KRC in his ’53 Nash, when I was a small child…
“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”
And … they can fly (point of fact, a flock overnighted in our trees in town)
https://woub.org/2025/11/27/cincinnati-sitcom-joke-flying-turkeys-bird-experts-may-have-last-laugh/
~E~
disparate observations
seems to me that the perception of the US has been changed forever – no longer a symbol of strength and reliability but an international pariah, much the same as Israel.
even those of you cheering on the Iran campaign (is a war of choice a campaign or just an all-out ransacking of resources and a demand for tribute from the American Caesar?)
if the war ends tomorrow you surely can’t believe that the terrorist blowback will not visit your shores?
the reaction to this in the comments is very telling – silence, denial, regret, blind patriotism, pride…………..
where it ends?
winter : total kaka ^ that is. Agenda much? Yep. ~E~