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Making Fire
The SAS Survival Guide (Collin's Gem series, written by an x-military type) describes several low tech methods for starting a fire: bow and spindle, hand drill, stick and trough. The author also mentions more modern tools such as a magnifying glass, flint and steel, magnesium stick and steel, matches, lighter, etc. The modern methods are easy, of course.
I am interested in the primitive methods. I have practiced the bow and spindle method and can get a blaze going. But this method was deceptively hard -- what I was missing were the details on how to set up the materials properly -- everything from having a straight spindle with a good rounded point that will spin fast adn , to making the bow correctly. And then getting the tinder going, even getting the ember to fall into it is another challenge that requires skill. Now I am trying another method that is proving to be impossible. That is the hand drill method.
The hand drill method:
"Cut a V-shaped notch in hardwood baseboard. Make a small depression. Use stem of hollow softwood with soft pith core for spindle. Roll the spindle between palms of your hands, running hands down it as you go to press it into depression... Apply steady downward force...." The book recommends using a spindle with a diameter of about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
So I took a stalk of dry mullein, and I cut it into a spindle. Then I broke off a piece of dead wood from an apple tree. I have been using this as a baseboard. I practiced with no results for several hours the other day, then the next day, and the next.
Now my hands are blistered, scabby (I bled from rubbing them raw), and bruised to the bone from all of that spinning. Today, finally, I got smoke and an ember but no fire. I shall try again after my hands heal.
Anyway, this stuff wouldn't be so difficult if somebody knowledgeable were around to demonstrate it. But oh well. That is the story of my life. With a drunkard for a father and a wire monkey for a mother, I have been pretty much on my own and have had to figure out things for myself (usually the hard way) since the day I was born. That's not a big exaggeration.
My girlfriend has been down in California for the last couple of weeks. Before she left, she shaved my head for me. I have trouble doing this myself and end up with uneven razor tracks, cuts, and tufts of hair whenever I try it. Now I need to figure out how to do it... It's growing out, and I like to have it shaved every 2 weeks or so.
I haven't seen or spoken with anyone for several days, and except for posting in Bluelight Blogs, I haven't interacted with anyone. Isolation is what I prefer. I don't like being crowded. (2 is company, 3's a crowd). I don't even get a phone signal from the ranch, but if I hike up the first ridge, I can make calls although the signal is weak. So I turn inward. I spend more and more time thinking about my dreams. Although I sleep only 4 or 5 hours a night, I have had a lot of vivid dreams the last few weeks.
Not only are they extremely vivid, but they have been unusual in several other ways. First, they all focus very narrowly on a specific word or words, images, symbols, or songs. Then there is another element -- the compelling feeling that I must remember and record whatever word or image that was conveyed in the dream. Also, there is often a feeling of being plugged into a kind of network that is often represented by a an image of a net of starlight. And then there as been a Synchronistic element.
Many lately have contained information that was new (at least I have no conscious memory of them) to me but at the same time, corresponded to things (songs, foreign words, names, and geographical locations) that exist in the waking world. Several nights ago for example, I dreamt of a song called "Cucurrucucu Paloma." It was not something that I have ever heard or have reason to believe that I have ever been exposed to. It is in a language I don't speak (Spanish). But I googled it and was surprised to find that there is a song that bears that name. It is a Mexican Huapango song written by a singer I don't know, Tomas Mendez, in the 1950s.
I found a youtube link and even an english translation. The theme accurately described the dream scenario and even how I felt during the dream sequence.... Also, the melody is what I remember from the dream.
I suppose if you have enough dreams, eventually by chance they will hit on something, but this series have the sense beforehand that they represent (a figure in the dream saying that they do) something and many of them have. Also, I am left wondering why they do.
Again, I think dreams are mostly mental noise that isn't worth remembering, but given the encouraging results with that example and others that I have been getting over the last couple of weeks, I will share the salient points of several dreams I had last night.
First dream: Qua-yim -- Dream of Strength
A mountain lion stood outside the cabin and looked through the bedroom window. He watched me as I slept. He spoke one word: "Qayeem."
I don't know how to spell/transliterate, but it sounds Arabic. He seemed to be trying to get across the sense that it was important that I should not forget. I awoke. Moonlight streamed in. I wrote it down, and went back to sleep.
To me, the lion represents strength. I also had the impression of bursts of wind and something to do with the breath.
Second dream: Xymosa -- Dream of the Dead
I stood in a city. I think it might have been the city of "Dis" from Dante. The river Acheron flowed through the heart of it, dividing the city between the side of the Living and that of the Dead. I stood on the bank and tried to peer through the mist that obscured the opposite shore. I was curious what it is like in the Land of the Dead.
I decided to explore (I had thoughtfully brought an inflatable raft that I had hidden away in my backpack and avoided the boatman who controlled the river crossing). Thus I paddled across and entered the Necropolis. Tombs from ancient ancient civilizations of many eras were all around. Beyond them, the Meadows of Asphodel stretched to the horizon.
As I wandered among the tombs, I noticed two dark figures approaching. One was a ghoul who was systematically (and quickly) digging up the corpses from their graves and devouring their organs. His companion was a skeletal crow. Patches of feathers clung to his bones which oddly seemed to be made of black metal. He croaked one word at me as he chased me out of the Land of the Dead and back across the river: Xymosa.
Third dream: Zalim - Dream of Cruelty
Later during the night while in a dream, I became conscious that I was dreaming. The dream was about dragons doing horrible things to people. In that moment, I had the distinct but rapidly vanishing memory that in the earlier (non-lucid) part of the dream, I had been told or shown something significant. I could not remember what it was, only it seemed that I had been shown something that I needed to know and that whose knowledge (that the knowledge of which) would affect my life. I distinctly remembered one word: Zalim.
"Zalim za ..?????"
And ".. Noversky"
This last one was associated with a specific street address and a name of a city and a country. Who is Noversky? I will look them up an Google Streetview when I get a chance.
Fourth dream: Hano - Dream of an Island
I skied down a steep slope of fresh snow. I weaved in and out of a line of trees on the edge of an orchard that grew on part of the slope. At the bottom of the hill was a family estate. A man had returned from a trip. He said he had been on business at an island called "Hano Island."
Again, I have never heard of it. Does it exist?
Fifth Dream -- Bone Juice
I was riding a city bus. A teenage girl was being loud and annoying as she gossiped about boys with a girl friend on her cell phone. She giggled when she spoke the word "Bonejuice" into the phone.
I thought about the meaning of the word "bone juice" for a moment after I woke up. It is English, but it's a reference I have never heard. I have no idea.
Sadly, the solar is dying. The days are short and the sun is not strong enough to fully charge the batteries if I keep running my computer for more than a half hour. There is no juice to power this computer and stay online to google this stuff. I type it into Notepad from a notebook as fast as I can, go online, wait for the page to load (painfully slow), copy and paste into my blog, correct spelling errors, then disconnect the internet again to save power. The power inverter is beeping its low power warning at me. In a few moments, it will shut off and kill my laptop. My laptop is 10 years old and does not have a working battery.
I might get the generator going. There is a Titan 2000 diesel generator in the barn. In the spirit of being off the grid and wanting to have as little as possible to do with the "Oil-based Consumer Economy" that is proving to be unsustainable and so destructive, I would like to modify the generator to burn biodiesel or grease or something.
Making Fire
The SAS Survival Guide (Collin's Gem series, written by an x-military type) describes several low tech methods for starting a fire: bow and spindle, hand drill, stick and trough. The author also mentions more modern tools such as a magnifying glass, flint and steel, magnesium stick and steel, matches, lighter, etc. The modern methods are easy, of course.
I am interested in the primitive methods. I have practiced the bow and spindle method and can get a blaze going. But this method was deceptively hard -- what I was missing were the details on how to set up the materials properly -- everything from having a straight spindle with a good rounded point that will spin fast adn , to making the bow correctly. And then getting the tinder going, even getting the ember to fall into it is another challenge that requires skill. Now I am trying another method that is proving to be impossible. That is the hand drill method.
The hand drill method:
"Cut a V-shaped notch in hardwood baseboard. Make a small depression. Use stem of hollow softwood with soft pith core for spindle. Roll the spindle between palms of your hands, running hands down it as you go to press it into depression... Apply steady downward force...." The book recommends using a spindle with a diameter of about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
So I took a stalk of dry mullein, and I cut it into a spindle. Then I broke off a piece of dead wood from an apple tree. I have been using this as a baseboard. I practiced with no results for several hours the other day, then the next day, and the next.
Now my hands are blistered, scabby (I bled from rubbing them raw), and bruised to the bone from all of that spinning. Today, finally, I got smoke and an ember but no fire. I shall try again after my hands heal.
Anyway, this stuff wouldn't be so difficult if somebody knowledgeable were around to demonstrate it. But oh well. That is the story of my life. With a drunkard for a father and a wire monkey for a mother, I have been pretty much on my own and have had to figure out things for myself (usually the hard way) since the day I was born. That's not a big exaggeration.
My girlfriend has been down in California for the last couple of weeks. Before she left, she shaved my head for me. I have trouble doing this myself and end up with uneven razor tracks, cuts, and tufts of hair whenever I try it. Now I need to figure out how to do it... It's growing out, and I like to have it shaved every 2 weeks or so.
I haven't seen or spoken with anyone for several days, and except for posting in Bluelight Blogs, I haven't interacted with anyone. Isolation is what I prefer. I don't like being crowded. (2 is company, 3's a crowd). I don't even get a phone signal from the ranch, but if I hike up the first ridge, I can make calls although the signal is weak. So I turn inward. I spend more and more time thinking about my dreams. Although I sleep only 4 or 5 hours a night, I have had a lot of vivid dreams the last few weeks.
Not only are they extremely vivid, but they have been unusual in several other ways. First, they all focus very narrowly on a specific word or words, images, symbols, or songs. Then there is another element -- the compelling feeling that I must remember and record whatever word or image that was conveyed in the dream. Also, there is often a feeling of being plugged into a kind of network that is often represented by a an image of a net of starlight. And then there as been a Synchronistic element.
Many lately have contained information that was new (at least I have no conscious memory of them) to me but at the same time, corresponded to things (songs, foreign words, names, and geographical locations) that exist in the waking world. Several nights ago for example, I dreamt of a song called "Cucurrucucu Paloma." It was not something that I have ever heard or have reason to believe that I have ever been exposed to. It is in a language I don't speak (Spanish). But I googled it and was surprised to find that there is a song that bears that name. It is a Mexican Huapango song written by a singer I don't know, Tomas Mendez, in the 1950s.
I found a youtube link and even an english translation. The theme accurately described the dream scenario and even how I felt during the dream sequence.... Also, the melody is what I remember from the dream.
I suppose if you have enough dreams, eventually by chance they will hit on something, but this series have the sense beforehand that they represent (a figure in the dream saying that they do) something and many of them have. Also, I am left wondering why they do.
Again, I think dreams are mostly mental noise that isn't worth remembering, but given the encouraging results with that example and others that I have been getting over the last couple of weeks, I will share the salient points of several dreams I had last night.
First dream: Qua-yim -- Dream of Strength
A mountain lion stood outside the cabin and looked through the bedroom window. He watched me as I slept. He spoke one word: "Qayeem."
I don't know how to spell/transliterate, but it sounds Arabic. He seemed to be trying to get across the sense that it was important that I should not forget. I awoke. Moonlight streamed in. I wrote it down, and went back to sleep.
To me, the lion represents strength. I also had the impression of bursts of wind and something to do with the breath.
Second dream: Xymosa -- Dream of the Dead
I stood in a city. I think it might have been the city of "Dis" from Dante. The river Acheron flowed through the heart of it, dividing the city between the side of the Living and that of the Dead. I stood on the bank and tried to peer through the mist that obscured the opposite shore. I was curious what it is like in the Land of the Dead.
I decided to explore (I had thoughtfully brought an inflatable raft that I had hidden away in my backpack and avoided the boatman who controlled the river crossing). Thus I paddled across and entered the Necropolis. Tombs from ancient ancient civilizations of many eras were all around. Beyond them, the Meadows of Asphodel stretched to the horizon.
As I wandered among the tombs, I noticed two dark figures approaching. One was a ghoul who was systematically (and quickly) digging up the corpses from their graves and devouring their organs. His companion was a skeletal crow. Patches of feathers clung to his bones which oddly seemed to be made of black metal. He croaked one word at me as he chased me out of the Land of the Dead and back across the river: Xymosa.
Third dream: Zalim - Dream of Cruelty
Later during the night while in a dream, I became conscious that I was dreaming. The dream was about dragons doing horrible things to people. In that moment, I had the distinct but rapidly vanishing memory that in the earlier (non-lucid) part of the dream, I had been told or shown something significant. I could not remember what it was, only it seemed that I had been shown something that I needed to know and that whose knowledge (that the knowledge of which) would affect my life. I distinctly remembered one word: Zalim.
"Zalim za ..?????"
And ".. Noversky"
This last one was associated with a specific street address and a name of a city and a country. Who is Noversky? I will look them up an Google Streetview when I get a chance.
Fourth dream: Hano - Dream of an Island
I skied down a steep slope of fresh snow. I weaved in and out of a line of trees on the edge of an orchard that grew on part of the slope. At the bottom of the hill was a family estate. A man had returned from a trip. He said he had been on business at an island called "Hano Island."
Again, I have never heard of it. Does it exist?
Fifth Dream -- Bone Juice
I was riding a city bus. A teenage girl was being loud and annoying as she gossiped about boys with a girl friend on her cell phone. She giggled when she spoke the word "Bonejuice" into the phone.
I thought about the meaning of the word "bone juice" for a moment after I woke up. It is English, but it's a reference I have never heard. I have no idea.
Sadly, the solar is dying. The days are short and the sun is not strong enough to fully charge the batteries if I keep running my computer for more than a half hour. There is no juice to power this computer and stay online to google this stuff. I type it into Notepad from a notebook as fast as I can, go online, wait for the page to load (painfully slow), copy and paste into my blog, correct spelling errors, then disconnect the internet again to save power. The power inverter is beeping its low power warning at me. In a few moments, it will shut off and kill my laptop. My laptop is 10 years old and does not have a working battery.
I might get the generator going. There is a Titan 2000 diesel generator in the barn. In the spirit of being off the grid and wanting to have as little as possible to do with the "Oil-based Consumer Economy" that is proving to be unsustainable and so destructive, I would like to modify the generator to burn biodiesel or grease or something.
