Pro tip #1: Rustic living is a learn-by-doing proposition.
Pro tip #2: Life is a learn-by-doing proposition.
I misjudged my indoor supply of firewood Saturday night.
Generally, when I go to bed I like to have at least enough fuel on the rack to get me to noon the next day. But when Sunday morning rolled ’round, it was pretty clear I’d have to re-stock sooner than that — a lot sooner.
It’s not my first rodeo. I’ve been running this stove in this cabin in these woods for months now. And though my previous experience heating with wood is over 40 years in the rearview mirror, I haven’t forgotten the basics of what to do and how to do it.
There are variables, from temperature to wind, from the space being heated to the wood feeding the fire. It’s the sort of task that abides by fundamental principles, but it doesn’t observe hard-and-fast rules.
And so yesterday morning, I rationed what I had indoors while waiting for the sun to come up. That kept the cabin warm enough for Heeler’n’me. I also took advantage of having a near-empty rack to sweep up all of the bark and junk that had collected underneath it, a mess I seldom see because it’s hidden by an ample supply of firewood.
(Yes, I could easily have pulled from the still-full rack right outside the door. I didn’t. The situation didn’t warrant it.)
At 7:15am, then, several minutes ahead of sunrise, I was down at the wood yard, loading up the truck.
I took on a bit more than usual, ’cause I needed more than I usually do. The haul brought the rack right to the top.
I remembered to re-stock my stash of cedar kindling, too.
What you see in that image, considering the weather forecast, should hold us for two days. Maybe a hair longer than that.
Experience isn’t just the best teacher — it’s life’s only tenured professor. I’ll take a lesson from my miscalculation and apply the knowledge.
With the rack stacked and the stove stoked, Smudge and I drove into town for some light reprovisioning. I’ve come to enjoy our Sunday morning trips, whatever the reason and regardless of the destination. (Yesterday it was Yellville.)
When we got back to The Mountain, I renewed my commitment to rest, at least for one day. Other than necessary chores (like fetching firewood at sunup), I’d avoid physical exertion. I’d do nothing of importance or consequence.
I figured I earned that.
It was in August of 2024 that I spent time resurrecting, re-handling and tethering a Victorinox Fieldmaster pocketknife, a project I chronicled here, here and here.
Only yesterday did I decide to put the final touches on the knife, in the form of minor modifications to three of its tools. Handy as the Fieldmaster is, I think the tweaks improve on a good thing, and performing this simple therapy requires only three needle files — round, triangular and flat.
The first tool I massaged was the combination can opener/screwdriver. The driver is meant for small slot-head screws and, on Victorinox SAKs lacking a separate Phillips tool, those screws as well. The shape of the bit, however, along with its highly polished surface, make it want to “cam out” of a screw head.
Using a round needle file, I removed material where the driver transitions into the can opener’s cutting edge. (This doesn’t disable the can opener.) Basically, it refines the tip into something that more closely resembles a screwdriver (shown below, before I knocked down the rough edges).
I also scuffed the polish off the face of the bit with a flat file, which helps keep it from sliding around in a screw head.
Yes, it’s subtle. It makes more of a difference than you might think.
Addressing the combination screwdriver/caplifter tool was simple — I used the flat file to scuff the bit’s slippery face.
I resisted the temptation to remove more material and “square up” the driver. That effectively would’ve made the bit larger, and I wanted to preserve its original size.
The Fieldmaster features an actual Phillips driver (in place of a useless-to-me corkscrew). Again, the flat file knocked the polish off surfaces that contact a screw head.
In addition, with a triangular file, I scuffed the inside angles and refined the tip into a properly sharp cross.
Altogether, these simple mods took me 15 minutes. Not great pictures, but you get the idea.
I harbor no illusions that a set of cheap needle files transforms pocketknife tools into high-end mechanic’s screwdrivers. But having done the same to a dozen or more SAKs over the years, I can assure you that it’s an improvement.
In short, it was worth my time. Maybe it’s worth yours, too.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable