Snarking On A Tropical Becker Island

I blame the Maker's Mark for breaking the snark thread. Yeah, it's all coming back to me now, it was the alcohol...

 

That's some real nice technique brother!

 

Then we're screwed again, 'cause I just chugged a HAMR.
Excellent post-knifemaking beer.

 

I won the BK5 in this week's BF drawing!

 

Nice man, congrats!

 

That’s awesome. Congrats!

 

NICE! Very Cool

 

I can't decide if attempting to clean up has failed me, or if my memory has betrayed me.

I admit, I'm not an overly tidy person.

About a year and a half ago I decided it was time to clean and organize my garage. I did some preliminary purge work, bought some new shelves to help, but before I could get the job done, my father's dementia kicked it up a notch. Suddenly we had to put him in a care facility.

When I went up to see him and check on step-mom, she sent me home with a truck bed (and cab) full of his tools and stuff.

Some of it I thought I might use one day - fishing poles, tools, etc. Some of it was stuff I associated with my childhood - like an old double-barrel shotgun that someone tried to fix but did a poor job and so just lived in Dad's gun cabinet never coming out. Some of it I knew was ridiculous to take because it never meant anything to him - like two rusty old lawnmower blades that I'm sure he only kept because he's cheap. But step-mom just wanted that stuff gone as well so I took it. I figured I could throw it in the garbage when I got home more easily than she could at her house.

I was kind of wrong.

Turns out even that worthless old stuff was harder to throw away than I expected. It was like throwing away part of my dad. So it has largely sat in my garage since then.

Late this spring that emotional stuff started getting under control. The things I knew didn't mean anything to him, like the lawnmower blades, reverted back to being what they actually are - things. As that clarity developed, I was able to just throw out some things here and there as I saw them and decided I'd never use them again. I can't even tell you what all I threw out. Most of it was stuff I should have thrown out years ago. My plan was to get the garage under control once the first cold front pushed through and the garage was no longer an oven.

But, I guess I got over zealous. Or my memory failed.

Two days ago I was talking with one of my sons about not being able to find a small "hatchet" like the one used by the landowner's friend out where we deer hunt. Then it occurred to me: I've got Dad's two old lawnmower blades that would be great for making into that kind of hatchet. Plus, I've got the skills. I could make two. It would be fun. The boys could have a memory with a great story behind it, and I'd have a reason to get back out in the shop.

Yesterday I went to look for the blades.

I looked again today.

No luck.

I guess I tossed them in one of those, "Oh, I'll never use this" moments.

Crap.

Edit: Ha! Turns out it was my memory. And they are thinner than I thought. Still might take a run at it though

Sony for the long post.

 

standard thickness mower blades are too thin for a hatchet -- but make great machetes.

 

The mower blade probably is too thin even for what I am thinking. But hatchet might be the wrong word. This thing the guy has is maybe 1/4" thick. Wouldn't surprise me if it was marketed as a backpacking hatchet or a hunting hatchet.

 

A little googling and I think it's something like the Gerber Pack Hatchet is modeled after

 

still a hatchet -- but usually 1/4" thick. mower blades are usually 3-4mm

 

Re: post-depature cleanup
going on 3rd year now...

 

I need to lay off the booze a bit. I don't get drunk per se, but it's becoming a bad habit to use booze to knock the edge off.

 

Sounds like you’ve identified something and you want to change it proactively. That’s good. My September resolution is to start eating healthier.

 

Need to do that myself. My wife cooks healthy meals, but I like to snack too dang much.

 

I’m doing the same. I keep finding myself eating unhealthy stuff during downtime. The summer was stressful, I’m about to start my regular routines again. I hope that brings positive change. Gonna try to start exercising again too.

 

now that the edge has been taken off the heat, I can spend more time outside and working on projects -- which means less time to snack.
I've dropped a couple of pounds over the past couple of weeks, which is a good start -- because I gained more than a couple over the previous 6 months.

need to pick up some straw bales and build an archery backstop.

 

I cleaned out my shed a few weeks ago with good intentions of lifting weights again, but have never taken the plunge. I'll be way more likely to do it as it cools off myself.

 

Heat definitely makes it harder to get motivated.