The Hunt – February Buy List

The countdown continues. We're seven weeks out from the first dry run. Some things need to be in hand to make that dry run meaningful. The tent and stove are in hand, of course. We can call that the January Buy List. Here is February:
1) cots
2) cookware
3) toilet
4) hunting knife
5) water jugs
With two weeks available in March, the last few items needed will be acquired then. I'll have to ship those directly to Michigan. Time is moving quickly and spring is on the way. Soon, I'll have to turn my attention to the garden as well.
But for now, it's Sunday, and a lovely one at that. Why not ruin it by doing my taxes?

Regulations

This was a big week in the world of regulation. How’s that for a hook? Bet you can’t wait to keep reading…

President Obama says reduce regulations. This is an incredibly easy statement to make. However, it is insulting to the thousands over the years that have created rules to protect the public from the free market. One of the things that the free market needs to thrive is a fully knowledgeable class of consumers. On the other hand, one of the things that most inhibits the free market is knowledgeable consumers that sees when the cost of items doesn’t match the usable value. How does the Western world ensure consumers are protected and informed? Regulations. So which of them are “just plain stupid” exactly?

Taco Bell’s “meat product” doesn’t meet the federal regulation for beef. According to the lawsuit, it’s also below the regulation for “meat product” at only 35% beef. To me, that may actually be a selling point. Mixing beef with oatmeal is a pretty green trick. But regardless, shouldn’t we know what comprises our food?

Pennsylvania’s new governor is ignoring the fact that PA is the last state to NOT have natural gas drilling regulations. We’re also in the middle of the “fragging” controversy. Shouldn’t we have some limits on how fast business can move before science can prove that, at least, we don’t do irreparable damage? There’s a similar row over growing genetically modified organisms. Biology here is pretty simple: plants cross-pollinate. Man-made round-up-ready genes will get out into the wild.

The bank failures and the mortgage crisis almost brought down America, despite regulations being in place. Maybe they weren’t the right ones, sure, but I doubt the families that lost their houses would say that we should let the banks do as they please unchecked.

Pharma industry recalls are both fresh in the mind and, unfortunately, continuing in the industry news. The apparent gap between FDA and EPA regulations on saccharine has been quoted ad nauseum: FDA says you can eat it and the EPA calls it a hazardous material. Quoting that as being an example of regulations gone wild is, itself, just plain ignorant. Most chemicals in bulk are hazardous. That’s why we can’t dump food process waste untreated into estuaries. A tanker full of whiskey is a bomb, for goodness sake. Delicious, sure, but a bomb nonetheless.

So what do we do about it?

One final, unrelated note. I hear that one of the followers of this little communication is in a show to open in February. I wish I were able to get back to Michigan to see it.

The Excitement is not Ebbing

We are only a few Saturdays past the new year’s dawn. Already it feels like I’m falling behind. There is so much that needs to be done to be ready for the Great Hunt. Today, with nothing spectacular planned and lacking ability to sleep in, I made myself a hearty breakfast of Biscuits and Gravy, loaded up on coffee, and headed north to the Dixon Muzzleloading Shop (

http://www.dixonmuzzleloading.com

). Two men working the store guided a surprising number of shoppers through the store packed with various and sundry goods for shooting off out-of-date weaponry. I started a kit there today, in a gasketed dry box (made in the U.S. by MTM) of all the things I wish I had just a few weeks back, when I and my friend Frizzen got just about everything we could get stuck in the barrel of a gun stuck down the barrel of our gun. I have a tool designed to pull out stuck ammo, to remove cleaning patches that slipped off the ramrod, a device that delivers FFFF powder to the pan reliably, and a brass hammer for knapping flints. I also picked up a couple of “Pioneer Press” books on how not to shoot your eye out while learning to use a flintlock.

From there, since I was in the neighborhood, I went to a certain HUGE sporting goods store that starts with the letter C. Moving from Dixon to this place was akin to the difference between the old downtown streets imagined in movies of the 1950s and going into a Walmart. I felt sick. My mind tends to associate outdoorsy ideas with Americana. This is wrong. Outside of a pair of woolen socks, I found nothing made outside of China or some other developing nation that trades slave labor for cheap goods. Even the famous Woolrich brand red-and-black plaid flannel jacket was imported. I left with my socks and a Hav-a-Hank bandana.

Satisfied for today, and wearing a new orange hat, it’s time for laundry and playoff football.

The Land of Pharma - A real publication

I just had an article published in Controlled Environments Magazine. Here’s the link. Enjoy!!

http://www.cemag.us/article/holistic-user-requirements-example-through-airlock-design

And this reminds me that I need to get back to the story I was telling months and months ago… Stay tuned.

So, this is a list.

Some things may already be accounted for, some others not. The reason I’m putting this up, dear reader, is because I’ve had a heck of a good time looking up “camping” solutions for these everyday issues. Have a house? Well, what’s the best alternative for a week in the woods? Have work shoes and play shoes (as my mother drove into me as a child)? What will be needed to keep my feet intact in early January 2012? If you have some time, I encourage you to flip through the links below and explore the pages. Some of them, like those sites designed for self-sufficiency or for emergency, have a lot of rather interesting items. I found it enlightening as well that such a specialized website as “Camp Toilet Reviews” actually exists, and, I assume, thrives.

I tried my best to find American-made versions of all of the items below. I will, of course, be keeping my eyes open for second-hand items. If anyone out there has any leads or ideas, please leave a comment!

Guns - example,

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/mzTraditional.php

All the stuff that goes with guns (to be detailed separately)

Tent -

http://www.davistent.com/

. Will get a 10 x12 tent

Ground cover / tarp - also from Davis Tent

Stove - Unsure of the brand we’ve purchased. It is resting in Michigan.

Cooking supplies including a way to make coffee

http://www.opencountrycampware.com/

Food -

http://www.mountainhouse.com/

Cots

http://americanmadeoutdoors.com/product/SSI-15040.html

Sleeping bag / pillow -

http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bags/BagsExpedition.html

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=dealers.dealers&step=3&zipinput=19454&zipradius=25&type=US

http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=59&CFID=384797&CFTOKEN=27499236

Lanterns, lighting, flashlights, etc - Maglite is American made. Hopefully, we’ll find old oil lanterns on garage sales.

Hunting Knife

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/knifedetail.asp?kid=23

Rope -

http://www.rawganique.com/HArope.htm

First Aid Kit(s) -

http://www.earthwaveliving.com/catalog/Medical_First_Aid_Kits-114-1.html?gclid=COnpgKe1maYCFcbd4AodWUyZoA

Jump-start box for the truck (I have one)

Water containers -

http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_160_A_c2c_E_ln_A_name_E_WaterStorageandAccessories

Tools - Shovel, hammer, snow shovel, etc

Camp toilet -

http://campingtoiletreviews.com/

Lots of waterproof matches -

http://beprepared.com/search.asp?t=ss&ss=waterproof+matches&SID=GOOGLE&EID=GLEKC200703113&gclid=COjEt9y1maYCFc9w5QodJQ_JoQ&bhcd2=1293899080

Clothes - For Hunting, For in the tent, For sleeping, gloves, shoes for in the tent.

Boots -

http://www.danner.com/boots/canadiantm-600g-hunting-boots.html

Snowshoes -

http://www.northernlites.com/

Backpack

https://www.battlelakeoutdoors.com/shop/catalog/

A way to charge cell phones with manual power

http://www.windstreampower.com/

Chains for truck tires

http://www.tirechain.com/CarChains.htm

Camper for back of truck. Get a sliding window? Come on Craigslist!

Writing utensils

Personal hygiene stuff so we don’t lose our teeth. Towels. Unscented Soap. Toothpaste and toothbrush. Razor, maybe.

Newspapers to help start fire.

Alarm, if not using the phone.

Cameras

Whiskey

Camp Flag. We should design something. I’m open for suggestions.

What else is missing?