Silver lining in the swarms

Y

youngwood

Joined
Mar 23, 2003
Messages
168
The silver lining is not exactly in those nasty, miserable black swarms but.....
in how much I've enjoyed having my khuk strapped to my hip for the past few weeks.:)

Along with the khuk; the karda and chakma have seen reg. use as well. Including cutting roots in post holes, collecting fiddleheads, digging up dandelion roots(chakma) plus of course it's intended purpose . Haven't had the heart to stick khuk in the dirt yet. Least not on purpose!
So the using and wearing of a khuk feels great and is good for my soul - no matter how many bugs want to take up residence in my ear.:D


There was only one awkward instance when a neighbor stopped in. Tried the conversation standing sideways(Khukless side towards him) but gave that up. As maybe even more conspicuous by moving around in the funny way I was. So I just stood and faced him.
The rest of it was him not being able to keep himself from looking when he thought I wasn't. Wonder why he didn't just ask?
I would've, "What have you got there? Very Cool looking! Can I see?".

I guess I could have brought it up but "See what I got here!" (too show-offy). And "Are you looking at my Khuk?! Well ARE YOU!!!" (not my style) was all that came to mind. So gave that one up too.

Won't be giving up wearing khuks though, as they make me feel so much better whatever the battle(bugs in this case).


Shirley
 
It's amazing the amount of work my parents got out of me by suggesting uses for my toys. Trees that needed triming, old shed that needed destroying, etc. were all just chances to use my machetes, axes, and the like. I hadn't discovered khuks yet...

If, instead, they'd handed me limbing shears, works gloves or what have you, I would have fought it tooth and nail! :)
 
Old men have a good time using the khuks too. One of my grandsons just had a birthday too and I gave him a horn handles Bilton. I told him he would get a normal sized Khuk when he finishes his Seal training. It will be a little while so, I will have time to decide what to get and have it looking like a new dollar when he get it.

Shirley, I'm glad that you like the khuk. That Grandson's Girl friend thinks they are pretty nice too. If those two get along in the future the way they do now. We may have another young woman in the family. Any one that seems to like the khuks can't be bad folks.
:) :D
 
LOL neighbours, yeah.

I've just moved into my first place with a garden and have started work on it. lots needed cuttin back. I really enjoyed seeing what other jobs i could use my khuk for - trowel, fork, hatchet...

Our neighbour popped over to say hi, took one look at the blade and asked what i was putting in the garden... wheat??

Plenty of stones, mainly flint, in the ground in our area. The blade looked pretty ragged by the end of the day, but about a half hour of work put the edge and shine back... not mastered a proper convex finish yet though.
 
Shirley-
Nila wanted me to ask if you were eating the 'fiddleheads?' She gathers them when they are small, & steams them. She says we need to gather a bunch of dandelion roots, dry & grind them & try them as a coffee substitute, but I never have. Lots of good stuff to eat out there in the woods; just make sure you gather what you think you are gathering!
 
Well, you could balance it by wearing a pistol on the other hip.

Reminds me of the time I went looking for a pair of cowboy boots at a store in Reno just a block off casino row. There was this set of black patent leather Tony Lamas I shook my head at and moved past, continuing to look. Then a sledgehammer hit me up alongside the head and I realized patent leather doen't need polishing. Bought them, a patent leather belt, and dyed my basketweave N frame holster black and shined it up.

This was in the 70's and I didn't go out for a week without my patent leather boots and my nickeled 4" Model 29 44 magnum.

Oddly, even after the week was up, no one ever said a thing to me about them, EVER? Though I did get noticed one day when I was dressed up in dark grey pinstripe suit and tie walking thru the Nevada legislature. Girl stopped me and told me I had to have an awful lot of confidence to wear that tie ( little pink dancing pigs on a yellow background
with a matching pastel pink shirt ). I told her thank you, as a matter of fact I do.

Top that one, Youngwood!
 
Originally posted by Rusty


little pink dancing pigs on a yellow background
with a matching pastel pink shirt

Top that one, Youngwood!
Click to expand...


You got it hands down, Rusty!!!
That does take an awful lot of SOMETHING!:D :p




Dkp:
Yup, camp fare. They (fiddleheads) were conveniently all around me in the swampy area so in the pot they went(when heads still tight). Young, tender dandelion greens on other days. Have kept the roots(air drying now) to try exactly as Nila suggested. Haven't tried this before either but curiosity finally got the better of me.


Shirley
 
Originally posted by youngwood
Young, tender dandelion greens on other days. Have kept the roots(air drying now) to try exactly as Nila suggested. Haven't tried this before either but curiosity finally got the better of me.


Shirley
Click to expand...

Y'all ain't gonna like it!!!!!!!:barf: :barf: :barf: :barf: :rolleyes: :p

That is unless you like really bitter pseudo coffee. Some folks say it helps to roast the dried roots. It might, ifen ya leave them long enough so they turn into charcoal, something really useful!!!!:rolleyes: :p ;)
 
One of my buddy's in Alabama told me the same thing on that dandelion coffee.....definitely an acquired taste, like poke salad, possum, & a few other things. Several things I ate growing up are ahead of possum: raccoon, ground hog, nutria, muskrat, beaver, snapping turtles, frog legs...............

Nila said to tell about some books she has had for years on the edible wild plants/flowers. One of them is "A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants" by Lee Allen Peterson. Common names in it are sometimes different from the local ones, but it has pretty good descriptions & etc. Somewhere around here is a wild plant/flower cookbook. Will post the name when I run across it. She has had the eleven year old out this spring learning a batch of wild flowers. She has had her learn 40(I think) of the common ones like "Sweet Shrub" & the wild gerranium, & etc. She said the other day that she wished we could get to Oklahoma & pick Yvsa's brain on some of this lore.

Pale Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida)-washing with the crushed leaves & stems is reputed to prevent the rash from Poison Ivy.
 
Originally posted by DKP
She said the other day that she wished we could get to Oklahoma & pick Yvsa's brain on some of this lore.

Pale Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida)-washing with the crushed leaves & stems is reputed to prevent the rash from Poison Ivy.
Click to expand...

DKP I'm not anything near to a Medicine Man, but I am a Man that's been known to do a little Medicine.;) :footinmou

The Jewelweed does work. Funny thing is that whenever there's a toxic plant, to humans, there's s'possed to be a medicine plant for it nearby according to all the old ndn tales I hear.
I don't know what it may be for poison ivy in this part of the world, but surely something grows here close by.
The closest I've seen the jewelweed to here is up by Patterson Missouri where my son lives.
He inherited the good ndn part of me that doesn't let us be affected with the poison plants, we've got tremendous crops of poison oak here!!!!
Bo on the other hand, my grandson, didn't inherit that part of the blood and gets poison, ivy, oak or whatever at the drop of his hat.:(

I used to dig quite a lot of echinicea, either variety is just fine, but since it's cantrainindicted for me I don't use it anymore.
I used to make a decoction for our Sweatlodge out of Yarrow, Echinecia, a little fresh White/or Black Cedar leaves and stems, our local White Sage, with a little Passion Flower Vine and Cleavers. We mixed it 4 dipper fulls of tea to a full bucket, water buckets, of water.
There was never anyone that came down with a cold or bronchitis or nothing for at least a week after a Sweat.:D
There got to be so many new people coming I had to quit or get them to sign a liability waiver.:( :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Yvsa .....The Jewelweed does work.
Click to expand...
I used it in Kentucky shortly after my college years.
I stuffed a whole plant in a blender with some Witch Hazel (drugstore solution, not the plant) and blended it up. Stored it in the fridge for several years after my initial use.
Don't know if it retained potency, as I never needed it again.
 
My apologies for tardy reply.
For the past week since we were outdoors mostly anyway, we went with the flow and just stayed out(impromptu tent camping). Using the house mainly for supplies - and showers!

I'm thinking HIKV must present with a symptomatic "gleam in the eye" or other telltale sign. I was only thinking of and missing being here; when I'd hear "MOM!...No... computer while we're camping out."
Could swear I was NOT reaching for the "ON" button!!!


DKP:
Sure know what Nila means about Yvsa. I take note and not just cause -Rusty told me to.:D
So much knowledge in such diverse areas. Plenty of folks here I'd wish as next door neighbors.

Have many Peterson field guides can't figure out why I don't have that one. Apparently a good one - I think your 11yr old daughter knows more than me. :D :cool: :eek:

I know Jewelweed works quite well for Stinging Nettle.
And they do grow in close proximity. When I get burned/stung by the Nettle, I know I can pretty much turn around and find the Jewelweed.
And now maybe save some in fridge.

Yvsa:
What are "cleavers"?
 
Originally posted by youngwood
Yvsa:
What are "cleavers"?
Click to expand...

Shirley "cleavers" are called by many names, bedstraw, clingers, sticky weed, etc.
It grows in almost a vinelike configuration, a soft plant, that has small longish leaves in a sort of star shaped growth.
Cleavers are also good as a pot herb like dandelion, lambs quarter's, sorrels, docks and such. if you have the patience to gather the leaves and tender parts.;)
I have several containers of it dried as well as Yarrow, a good sweat inducer good for fevers, Sweet Yellow Clover, the real leggy one with the small flowers,(you have to be careful with it because if it molds it becomes toxic) the sweet red clover that looks similar to the white clover many people have in their yards.
Yellow, White and Black aromatic Cedars are also good medicine you just have to be careful with it as the oils will burn tender tissues if left applied to long.
The Cedar is wonderful dried and burned for smoke over hot coals, just not so hot as to set the dried leaves and small stems afire.
A weak tea of the Cedar, like Spruce will prevent scurvy.
Y'all up North got lots of stuff we don't have in the south that's good medicine.

As usual, more than you asked for or wanted to know.:rolleyes: :p ;) :D hehehehehe:)
 
Originally posted by Yvsa

As usual, more than you asked for or wanted to know.:rolleyes: :p ;) :D hehehehehe:)
Click to expand...


That's cause asking the "right question" is an art I have yet to perfect. :(
But I likes to learn. :)
In that, is my faith to one day know something.
Maybe. I hope.
I likes to be optimistic too!

:)
Thanks for help.
 
Have you ever read the "Foxfire Books?" There are 8 or 10 or them in a set. Some information on herbs, & edible plants. Local library might have them, or part of the set, anyway.
 
You reminded me that I do have a boxed set of Foxfire books.
I remember it being very interesting reading. Some do-able stuff, some odd but certainly more pertinent to me now than when I lived in the city.
More than half my books/stuff are in the shed, which was the first building put up. We lived out of the camper van while building the house. Still building, books still in shed.
Wonder what else I've got, that I totally lost track of!?

Out of the arbitrary boxes brought in. Are such like:
Stalking the Wild Asparagus - Gibbons
Earth Medicine -Earth Food - Weiner
Wildwood Wisdom - Jaeger
Bushcraft - Graves
Various Tom Brown's, Bradford Angier's.
Too tired to list more.

My "all too apparent" trouble is I've forgotten more than I remember. Not that I knew much to begin with and that mostly book learning.
So am thankful for any help I can get! Especially the first hand experience offered here.

So y'all don't be shy.:) ;)
 
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