Almost Finished...the Multi-Generation Chair

Growing up, we hand-milked our few cows.  When we went to milk, we always stopped at the little, cedar log "seed house" and shelled corn to put into the troughs for the cows to enjoy while we milked.  We always sat in the same old ladder-back chair with a white oak split bottom.  That chair stayed in the seed house all my life and my mom never remembers a time it wasn't there.  Looking at it, it is a perfect match for two of our inside chairs, as well as my Papaw's high chair.  They were likely bought near the same time, which would put them at being around 113 years old.

The inside chairs all have their original seats in them, and are in exceptional condition.  Considering that they've all gone through my great-grandparents, grandparents, parents/aunts/uncles, and all of us grandkids, it is a true testament to their maker's craftsmanship that they have held up so incredibly well.  The one from the barn, however, had seen better days.  The frame was in perfect condition except for the few layers of paint and decades of dust.  The seat, sad to say, was shot.  probably 70% was still solid, but one corner and side were completely apart.  Considering the fact that I don't live where I can fell a white oak anytime I want, and don't honestly have time to hand make white oak splits, restoring an original style seat wasn't an option.  So, what's any self-respecting country boy to do??? Improvise!

At What Cost "Protection"

It's amazing to me what our government attempts to do, all in the name of "protection."  There are times that I wonder where the understanding of the founding ideals of our country has been ferreted away, as it is surely not in the minds and pens of those in Congress.

Please, take a moment to view the videos on the Off Grid Survival blog, as they are quite enlightening.

From Off Grid Survival Blog:

In a disturbing speech from Rand Paul on the senate floor, we learned today that the government considers having guns or more than 7 days of food a possible terrorist activity.

In the speech Rand Paul says “Someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weather proofed, someone who has 7 days of food in their house” can be considered a potential terrorist by the federal government.

He warns that under a new provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act the federal government could lock you up indefinitely if you are suspected of activities that they consider terrorism related. That’s right the military will now have the power to lock up anyone, even American citizens without due process and without being convicted of a crime.

Full post from Off Grid Survival

CDC Warns of New Swine Flu Strain - ABC News

U.S. health officials remain on the alert for additional cases of a new swine flustrain that infected three Iowa children this month.

Since July, 10 Americans have been sickened by S-OtrH3N2 viruses that picked up a gene from the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The new flu strain combines a rare influenza virus (H3N2) circulating in North American pigs and the H1N1 virus from the 2009 outbreak. New flu strains develop when flu viruses combine in new ways. They can pose health risks because people haven’t yet developed immunity to them.

CDC Warns of New Swine Flu Strain - ABC News:

I'm Sorry, Folks!

For all who have been reading and waiting for an update, especially on the possibles bag tutorial, I offer my most sincere apologies!  The past week has been pretty busy.  The sister-in-law and her kids were at my house all week so there were 5 kids running around (2 12 year-olds, an 8 year-old, and 2 7 year-olds).  In addition, this Thanksgiving was the first major holiday since my dad passed, so I spent a couple of days with my mom.  The Wednesday the previous week would have been their 39th wedding anniversary as well, so it's been a tough time for her.

With all of that going on, I haven't had a chance to do much work on anything, or even be online very frequently.  I haven't been able to move forward with work on the newest bag, thus no updates to the tutorial.  I hope to be able to get at least a small update for the next step in the process this week.

On a good note, I did get the weaving of my chair seat finished this weekend.  I'll try to post pictures as soon as possible.  The chair was one of my great-grandfather's that had been at the barn all my life, and as long as my mom can remember as well.  We used to sit in it at the corn sheller to shell corn for the cows when it was time to milk.  The old white oak split bottom was completely gone in one corner, so there was no way to salvage it.  I took the old bottom off and cleaned up the chair, then used jute twine to weave a new seat in the original herringbone pattern.  It turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself!

Ok, enough rambling for today.  Again, please accept my apologies, dear readers, and I will do my best to get back in gear soon!

God bless!

Are You Prepared?

With all of the natural and man-made disasters to befall the world recently, many more people are beginning to rethink their ability to survive horrific circumstances.  Unfortunately, not enough are considering and acting on how to be prepared.  It's often blamed on either an "it won't ever happen to me" or "I can't afford to prep." While I can't do much about the first (except to remind folks of the Japanese Tsunami or the tornadoes that devastated the Southeast on April 27 of this year) there is a great post dealing with the second on the Apartment Prepper blog.  Please, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Prepping on a Budget - The Apartment Prepper

Making a Possibles Bag Part 1

Adventures in Recycling - Making a Possibles Bag from Reclaimed Leather
Part 1: Selecting and Preparing Leather

When selecting a garment or other leather item to remake, pretty much anything goes depending on the size of the bag you want.  There are, however, two major considerations: 1) Quality of the leather and 2) Environmental conditions expected during use.

1) Quality of the Leather
     The primary consideration when making a bag from another leather item is quality.  The leather needs to be heavy enough and of good enough quality to hold up to deconstruction and reconstruction, as well as day-to-day use.  Leather that is too thin, or has weak sections will not hold up to any normal level of use, and may not hold up to the deconstruction process (I speak from experience here).

2) Environmental Conditions
     The secondary consideration is just as important.  If a bag will be used in a day-to-day setting, pretty much any leather item designed to handle occasional exposure to water, etc. should be fine (i.e. jacket, skirt, etc.).  If a bag will be used in rugged areas and expected to come into frequent contact with water, the item in question will need to be of a somewhat heavier leather and preferably treated with a waterproofing solution.

Adventures in Recycling - Making a Possibles Bag Intro

Adventures in Recycling - Making a Possibles Bag from Reclaimed Leather


Introduction


Recently, I had the harebrained idea to make myself a leather possibles bag.  Now keep in mind, I haven't sewn a stitch except for attaching a button in 25 years.  On top of that, I didn't have a local place to get decent leather that didn't cost a fortune.  So, what's a guy to do?  If he's as nutty as me, he looks for completely unrelated parts to make something new.  Enter the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new blog home of FoxfireSkilz.  Some folks may recognize me from my tweets on the #PrepperTalk and #Bushcraft lists.  I guess I should give you a little information about myself.

My name is Brandon and I'm originally from Lawrence County, Alabama.  I've been happily married to my beautiful wife for almost 15 years.  We have three wonderful children: DS1 (12), DD (8), & DS2 (7).  My wife is a high school biology/zoology teacher.  I am a software engineer for a global software and integration company.