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Our new firewood guy brought us some of the best firewood in 2017-2018.  He had great mixes of Colorado spruce and Engelmann spruce, split beautifully, along with ash, oak and sugar maple, with some pine ponderosa scattered in, we went through a lot of it.  Fatwood is the greatest fire starter you can find.  Add about 5 sticks to the bottom of your log cabin stack and viola, great fire, with no paper or other kindling of any kind. ____________________________________ Fatwood From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fatwood is derived from the heartwood of pine trees. The stump (and tap root) that is left in the ground after a tree has fallen or has been cut is the primary source of fatwood, as the resin-impregnated heartwood becomes hard and rot-resistant over time after the death of the main tree. Other locations, such as the joints where limbs intersect the trunk, can also be harvested. Although most resinous pines can produce fatwood, in the southeastern United States the wood is commonly associated with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), which historically was highly valued for its high pitch production. Coniferous tree sap is a viscous liquid, that contains terpene, a volatile hydrocarbon. Over time the evaporation of the terpene changes the state of the sap; it slowly gets thicker until it hardens into resin. New fatwood leaks the sticky sap, while in aged fatwood the sap has hardened and is no longer sticky. At every stage of the aging process, fatwood will burn readily, even when wet. Because of the flammability of terpene, fatwood is prized for use as kindling in starting fires. It lights quickly even when wet, is very wind resistant, and burns hot enough to light larger

From https://tribalcollegejournal.org/four-legged-healers-horse-culture-as-medicine/ What do we think of when we hear the word “therapy”? Living in the modern world that we do, some may think of psychological treatment that they would receive in a clinic or hospital. Others may think of group counseling meetings. We must recognize that these are interventions that are based on the western European paradigm of illness and diagnosis, in which an individual is experiencing “symptoms,” and treatment draws upon scientific knowledge to reduce those symptoms. Now, placing ourselves in history, what did our ancestors do for therapy? Those who still practice traditional Native culture may think of medicine people who use plants, herbs, or other natural remedies. Of course this would not be called therapy, but rather something like medicine or healing. Taking it even further, let’s imagine our ancestral nations when they were flourishing cultures. What might we discover? Images reflecting the “Masters of the Plains” may come to mind; societies in which all goods and practices were tied to nature in every way. I am suggesting that these images do not only reflect visual scenes or cultural practices, but that they also demonstrate a health and wellness paradigm. That is, living well meant there was no separation between nature and the people. We knew our place within nature; we knew that we are nature. As such, we honored and learned from our relatives, such as the horse nation, buffalo nation, and silent nation (plants), about living in balance. The extent to which we currently see ourselves as individual people, separate from nature and each other, is a sign of our adopting a western European paradigm as a result of colonization. However, during this current generation, as prophesized by Black Elk, many

In 1902,  Jack O'Connor, this country's foremost gun and hunting writer was born and he died in 1978 just two days short of his 76th birthday, was born in Nogales, Arizona, where he grew up in what he fondly described as "the last frontier." It's interesting that fellow outdoor writing legends Jim Harrison and Jim Fergus have settled in and around Nogales in more recent generations.  Being a prolific reader, I have made it a goal this year to read all of his books, after owning a half dozen of his best known best know books for over 20 years now. Jim Casada of Outdoor Life, https://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/jim-casada/2007/09/remembering-jack-oconnor writes this about O'Connor: O'Connor was the product of a hard land and a difficult childhood. His parents drifted apart and then divorced when he was quite young. Fortunately for O'Connor, his maternal grandfather, James Woolf, was a key formative influence during O'Connor's boyhood and saw to it that the youngster had ample exposure to the outdoors.  "Bird hunting was grandfather's dish," O'Connor would reminisce in one of his literary works. Woolf, who hunted birds with a vintage Purdey, endowed his youthful protage with a sense of style and an appreciation for fine guns that would be reflected in O'Connor's writings.  From O'Connor's mother, who was a teacher, came a recognition of the importance of education. Following a short stint in the Army, O'Connor pursued undergraduate studies at Arizona State Teachers College and the University of Arizona. A few years later, after earning a master's degree in English from the University of Missouri, O'Connor married Eleanor Bradford Barry. Theirs would be a marriage marked by mutual devotion, countless wonderful days spent afield together and the rearing of four children. After he

From http://www.twinrocks.com/legends/168-medicines.html His father had shown him how to cut the stems with an ancient flint blade from the sacred medicine bundle and to sprinkle pollen which in itself was a prayer. His gather had told him too that flowers have power, that they belong to Mother Earth and that they should never be broken without a purpose. He knew that "purpose" meant "ceremonial," that the plants were as important to a chant as were prayers, songs and sandpaintings, that their uses had been decreed when the Navajo were created, and that the decrees were irrevocable. Dezba: Woman of the Desert; 1939, Gladys A. Reichard.The so-called Mormon tea or Brigham tea is a mountain bush that grows on high slopes. There are two kinds: one of yellowish green and the other of purplish green. On a few occasions our camp had a Mormon cook who knew not only how to prepare food well, but also a great deal about plants and animals. I had the opportunity of drinking some of this tea prepared by him. When it is brewed from the fresh plant, it has a n astringent taste; otherwise it tastes like sarsaparilla and is quite pleasant. The plants should be dried in the sun and then boiled for ten to fifteen minutes to make the tea. Our cook told us that Brigham tea grows at higher levels to get away from sheep! All animals are very fond of it. When suffering from distemper, horses and cattle develop a great craving for it. The Early pioneers, while crossing the desert, found that it made a good drink, and considered it Heaven-sent. There is even a patented concoction made from this herb and sold today over

Much has been written about the Horses of the Sun in Navajo mythology. Look up a Navajo legend about horses and you’ll find a version of this story. Johano-ai, the Navajo Sun God, starts each day from his hogan in the east, and rides across the skies to his hogan in the west, carrying the shining golden disk, the sun. He has five horses: a horse of turquoise (blue), a horse of white shell, a horse of pearl shell, a horse of red shell, and a horse of coal. When the skies are blue and the weather is fair, Johano-ai is riding his turquoise horse or his horse of white shell or of pearl; but when the heavens are dark with storm, he has mounted the red horse, or the horse of coal. And a further interpretation of the colors is found in this accounting: The five horses of the Sun Father are a way of telling time, Navajo style. White shell and pearl horses represent dawn, turquoise is noon, red shell is sunset, and jet or coal is night. 1952, King of the Stallions, print courtesy of Charnell Havens

Silver: Coin, German & Otherwise Let's get this out of the way up front, we are talking about three hundredths of one percent between sterling and coin silver.  That isn't much, so what is the big deal? In her 1936 pamphlet on Navajo silver, Margery Bedinger gives three lengthy paragraphs—half a page—to explaining the difference between sterling silver and coin silver. She states, “This difference is too small to greatly affect the properties of the alloy...” (1936:15) Having said that, she spends two and a half more paragraphs discussing the two different alloys. But she asserts that the difference is “…a fact that becomes significant when one is trying to date an old piece of jewelry, for the two sorts of money have different colors and take on a different luster when made up and so can easily be distinguished by the expert.” (1936:16)  John Adair, writing just a few years later, claims that the actual working of the silver, like annealing, will affect color. He concludes, “Therefore, individual pieces can never be dated accurately on the basis of color.” (1944:29) It is true, however, that silver and nickel oxidize differently. Nickel turns skin green, silver turns black, and nickel seems to oxidize faster. But immediately after buffing it is difficult to tell them apart. I use the sound method—nickel has a tinny sound when dropped on a glass display case. Most writers simply add to the confusion: Mexican pesos were supposedly purer silver and thus easier to work. According to coin dealers this is not true: Coin silver was almost the same in both countries (U.S. .900, Mexico .903) until the Mexican Revolution of 1910 when Mexican coins gradually contained less and less precious metal. It

Stampede Strings & Bolo Ties Adapted from the Perry Null Trading Company newsletter The bolo tie has nothing to do with the Argentine throwing weapon that consists of three round stones tied together with leather thongs. With that thing around your neck you were in trouble. It was also not invented by some fellow in Arizona with a good imagination in 1940 something. In fact, the bolo tie has been around in some form for many years.  For white consumption the original form was known as a stampede string. In the 1850’s inmates in Deer Lodge Prison were braiding them out of horsehair. It was time consuming, which was probably the idea. The cord went around the crown of the hat and though the hat with two small holes. The hanging cords were joined together with a slider, also made of hair. The tips were two large fluffy tufts of hair hanging from the cord ends.  In a stampede or a tornado the cord was snugged up under the chin with the slider. It might not keep the hat on your head, but it did keep the darned thing on your person. A similar cord—gold—went around the brim of the hat of a cavalry officer. The next development was also part of the cowboy’s dress. The scarf—bandana, neckerchief and 17 others, some not fit to print—was a common item of dress. It was pulled up over the face when riding drag, eating the dust of the herd. Or robbing a bank if that was your thing. The tie slide is faster to slip off.  The Zuni version was pretty early. Sheep vertebrae have a hole the right size for the purpose. The earliest ones were painted, then came

Leading the Glamorous Life without Love It Ain't Much Top This . . . The story of Top Hats Adapted from an article by Ms. Lou Carver There has never been a more sophisticated and dominating hat in fashion than the top hat. When the first top hat was worn by the haberdasher John Hetherington in 1797, it caused a near riot. According to a newspaper account, “passersby panicked at the sight. Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, and an errand boy’s arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob.” So Hetherington was taken to court for wearing “a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people.” What Hetherington designed was a modified riding hat of the day, widening the brim and lengthening the top area. In 1823, Antoine Gibus came along and modified it even more to a collapsible opera hat; which made traveling with it much easier and during the opera could be stored flat, under the seat. It was not until 1850 that the top hat really took off when Prince Albert starting wearing it in public and it became the fashion rage. The Victorian top hat was really making a statement, not merely being worn as part of a costume. Gentlemen were simply saying they were important and classy. By 1900 the top hat was made with silk and worn only for special occasions, such as weddings and dances, as we commonly see it worn today. However, there was a great top hats resurgence in the 1930s when Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and others, brought it back in favor with motion pictures. Every affluent American had a top hat and black tie and tail.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Epsom Salt From https://www.top10homeremedies.com/kitchen-ingredients/top-10-health-benefits-epsom-salt.html Epsom salt has numerous health benefits as well as many beauty uses. It is made up of the chemical compound magnesium sulfate. Magnesium, one of the components of human cells, is required by the body to regulate more than 325 enzymes and plays an important role in many bodily functions. Magnesium deficiency has also been associated with health problems like high blood pressure, osteoporosis and migraines. Sulfate plays a key role in the formation of brain tissue and improves the body’s absorption of nutrients. It also helps in the detoxification process. As magnesium sulfate can be absorbed through the skin, enjoying Epsom salt baths on a regular basis is an easy and ideal way to enjoy the health benefits of Epsom salt. Epsom salt also can be used topically or taken internally. Here are the top 10 health benefits of Epsom salt. 1. Eases Stress Epsom salt can help you calm down when you are feeling stressed. Stress drains the body of magnesium and increases adrenaline levels. Magnesium plays an important role in the release and uptake of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical in the brain. This creates a feeling of well-being and relaxation while also reducing anxiety, irritability, insomnia and abnormal heart rhythms. Add 1 cup of Epsom salt to warm bath water. Soak in it for 20 minutes to feel more relaxed and sleep better. Take an Epsom salt bath about 3 times a week to enjoy a stress-free life. 2. Aids Detoxification Epsom salt can assist in eliminating toxins from the body. The magnesium in Epsom salt is required for detoxifying cells. It also helps detox the body of environmental contaminants that can potentially cause ill health.

I was going to write a review on this excellent read, 12 Rules for Life, but this review from Amazon about covers it all. ByAlex on January 23, 2018   Jordan Peterson is a beacon of light in this chaotic world, a psychologist whose writing combines science and common sense. One of his talents is his ability to articulate complex ideas to a wide audience. Regardless of whether you have a background in psychology or not, you will understand this book. It covers his twelve rules for life, which are intended not only as a guide for life of the individual, but as a remedy for society’s present ills. Peterson believes that the cure for society starts with curing the individual, the smallest unit of society. Peterson’s well-known advice to clean your room is a reflection of the truth that if you can’t even manage the most basic and mundane responsibilities of life, then you have no business dictating to others how to fix society. One of the main themes of this book is: Personal change is possible. There's no doubt you can be slightly better today than you were yesterday. Because of Pareto's Principle (small changes can have disproportionately large results), this movement towards the good increases massively, and this upward trajectory can take your life out of hell more rapidly than you could believe. Life is tragic and full of suffering and malevolence. But there's something you can start putting right, and we can't imagine what good things are in store for us if we just fix the things that are within our power to do so. The 12 Rules for Life: In Peterson’s own words, it’s 12 rules to stop you from being