What Did You Do Today?

[Tradslinger]

had some huge and I mean huge jalapenos so I got busy making poppers. used cream cheese, slices of onions, marinated venison and wrapped with bacon. My father who loves poppers, showed up five minutes before the first batch was done so he got some hot and ready. We had been thinning out the squirrels at the bird feeder much to our cat's delight. It takes him about three days to eat all of one but he eats it all but the tail and the stomach. He had been whining at me today as he flipped the tail around from the last squirrel a week ago. So, I picked off two English sparrows from the feeder and he was on them in a flash. used a 22 cal PCP air rifle and he knows that good things for him happenes when he hears it go off. also worked on a knife handle for a friend, it will be done in another day or so. Yeah, I ate four of the poppers and am stuffed.

[Eric Krewson]

My late wife had a thing about bird feeders, no telling how much bird seed she went through in a month. Of course every other critter in the woods came to eat as well, mostly squirrels and coons.

One day the squirrels decided they needed the stuffing out of our expensive deck furniture for their nests. The WAR was on, I killed over 50 in the next few weeks, I shot 13 out of my dwarf plum tree in one afternoon, up to that point I had never gotten a plum out of it.

After my wife died, the first thing I did was take the bird feeders down. I kill a few marauding squirrels out of my blueberry bushes every year but for the most part I won the squirrel war.

[Yooper Bowyer]

Wow, that's the most aggressive and most successful squirrel war I have heard of yet.  Nice job.  I wish I had that many squirrel hides

[Tradslinger]

a friend that had four apple trees but never ever got any apples for the squirrels asked me to thin out a few with my air rifle. He just wanted one apple pie. after almost three months, I had taken out 101 squirrels, he got a bunch of pies. I was using an R10 22 cal. with  a Hawk scope. He has never forgotten that either. 

[Tradslinger]

Still having problems since the covid thing, went to VA and then to the ER. Have what they are calling Post Covid Pneumonia . So waiting on meds now. my left lung was giving me fits, had fluid in it. even the wife had to go get meds to help kick her problems out. rough stuff

[Pat B]

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Tradslinger. 

[Tradslinger]

the sun was out and it was some warmer so I opened the garage door and pulled out my stand for working my bows. just had to do some scraping on the Osage. still way too thick and wider than I want to I began slowly working on it. I basically was cleaning up some of the deeper bad spots as I did. I have half of a small knot to take of about six inches above a fadeout on the edge, there is extra wood on the other side. So it was just a thirty minute session just to do something with it. Brought it back inside to inspect it closer and mark what needed to be done next. this will be a slow build as I recover and only do a little at a time but this should hopefully result in a better bow. was going to have to quit anyways, the water pill kicked in. just felt great to see some wood curling up.

[Tradslinger]

this was actually last evening, but the wife and I went over to my Grandfather's old place to get something that the thieves hadn't stolen yet. The place was taken over by a late uncle and he was a hard drinker so it was a mess. Then he died about 15 years ago. People had ripped the wiring out of the walls and just trashed it. the doors had been taken off and the termites have been at work. But still on the porch somehow, was a huge work table. 4'x8', all made of 2X's with 4x4 legs. We had to clear a path to it and then off of it and then to the edge of the porch so I could back the Tacoma to it. And was it ever heavy. it took us a while but we got it loaded and tied down. Only had to go a quarter of a mile to my place. going to make one heck of a work table.

[Eric Krewson]

I made a Flemish bowstring jig for an old friend who manages the sporting goods dept at the locals Dick's. I have known him since he was a teenager about 35 years ago. He makes all kinds of strings in the archery shop at Dicks but never learned how to make a Flemish string for Trad bows, he sends all the people who want one to my house.

I have made hundreds of strings over the years and don't really like to make them, I find boring work. If I give Steve a jig he can make strings for these people.

I copied my old string jig that I made 35 years ago and have made countless strings on it. I put feet on my jigs so I can sit in a comfortable chair, make strings and hold the jig firmly between my knees.

[Allyn T]

That's a very nice jig Eric

[WhistlingBadger]

I got out in the shop yesterday and mangled some blue insulation foam to make a fake rock wall for a new aquarium build I'm doing.  It's a re-creation of a Sumatran rice paddy.

[Tradslinger]

still finding how weak I am, yesterday we managed (the wife mainly) to move, get rid of and clean a big area in my second bay of the two car garage (filled to brim with more of my dad's stuff). We were able to unload the 2x6 and 2x4  4'x8' work table and wash all of the built up dirt and grime off of it. finally got it inside where we put on a thick coat of varnish. Now I will be able to drag my belt sander easily out a door to use outside plus I can put my big vice on the corner of the table to get most of the shavings outside as well. After a careful sweeping by my wife, I used the leaf blower to get most of the remaining dust outside. Now I have room to move my knife sharpener and bandsaw around easily. I can also get my clamps hanging nicely. great day for sure.

[Allyn T]

I cut up a foam foot pad and used it to pad the jaws of my vise. It's even tapered on one side to fit pyramid bows, used it last night it works great!

[WhistlingBadger]

I cut up a foam foot pad and used it to pad the jaws of my vise. It's even tapered on one side to fit pyramid bows, used it last night it works great!

still finding how weak I am, yesterday we managed (the wife mainly) to move, get rid of and clean a big area in my second bay of the two car garage (filled to brim with more of my dad's stuff). We were able to unload the 2x6 and 2x4  4'x8' work table and wash all of the built up dirt and grime off of it. finally got it inside where we put on a thick coat of varnish. Now I will be able to drag my belt sander easily out a door to use outside plus I can put my big vice on the corner of the table to get most of the shavings outside as well. After a careful sweeping by my wife, I used the leaf blower to get most of the remaining dust outside. Now I have room to move my knife sharpener and bandsaw around easily. I can also get my clamps hanging nicely. great day for sure.

Sounds great, guys.  It's fun getting stuff like that done.

[Tradslinger]

Rather than watch the depressing news which I don't anymore for years, I did some more in my "shop". managed to wire in some new lights overhead of the new workbench and a switch for them. have power to the bench as well. moved my sander, bandsaw and knife sharpener to better locations for both room and ease of operation. released another possum elsewhere. got my clamps all hung up out of the way.