Last year my husband and I embarked on a 5,000 miles round trip road trip from our town just north of Atlanta, Georgia to Stevensville, Montana. At first, we had planned on driving our Jeep Wrangler, but when we calculated out the MPG and comfort level, we opted to take our Honda Accord instead (which averages 36-39 MPG on the highway.) It was my uncle's 50th birthday, and it was my aunt and uncle's wedding anniversary, and we wanted to take a road trip.
I won't lie. I'm a planner. We planned for MONTHS once we knew what we were going to do. I went through and mapped our route (we'd eventually bring a road atlas, printed out directions, and our GPS with us so we knew we wouldn't get lost.) Then we looked at places of interest we'd like to stop. Finally, we booked our lodging along the way and marked spots on our printed directions where ideal locations would be to fuel our vehicle. The entire trip spanned eleven days.
The scheduled spots of interest included Sioux Falls (as in the actual falls,) Wall Drug, Mt Rushmore, Iron Mountain/Needles Highway, The Purple Pie Place, Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone National Park, Philipsburg, Montana, and Skalkaho Pass on the way out. On the way back, we didn't really have anything scheduled other than stopping at a place to eat called "Busted Nut Bar & Grill" (Andrew being a mechanic and all.) Well, after being a bit more realistic, our drive out to Montana consisted of the following stops:
* A lovely rest area somewhere on the Nebraska/Iowa border for lunch
* Mitchell, SD Corn Palace
* Badlands National Park
* Wall Drug
* Mount Rushmore
* Iron Mountain/Needles Highway in Custer State Park
* Beartooth Highway
* Yellowstone National Park
* West Yellowstone
* Yellowstone National Park
* Stevensville, MT
And now it's time to talk about our trip...
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
Cutting Costs: Cell Phones.
I am sure you've seen the commercials airing in which users from other cell phone providers talk to another provider about what they currently pay per month. These users' bills are normally between $200 and $400 (just for his or her bill, not their family members'.) WOW. $200-$400? There are so many options out there, why would someone ever pay that much for a cell phone bill each month?!
I have used GoPhone for, I don't even know how long. I originally used AT&T when they were Cingular (before Smartphones.) I briefly used Verizon, but the service area couldn't compare to [AT&T] at the time.
I *know* I have been using GoPhone for at least nine years. I use the "pick your plan" option. For awhile, AT&T was preventing iPhone and Blackberry users from using GoPhone. Let me rephrase that: you could purchase an iPhone or Blackberry and use it for calls and texts, but you could not use the unlimited data with Smartphones.
That all changed in 2014 when AT&T decided to allow iPhone users to enroll in a data plan included with GoPhone packages. My bill has fluctuated among $75 and $55 and $50 and such depending on what plan I've chose. But now? Now I am on the $45/month plan with unlimited (anytime) talk and text, and I get 1.5GB of high speed data each month. This does not mean if I use all 1.5GB I don't get any data. It just means when 1.5 GB is used, I get slower data. But you know what? That doesn't really matter.
The ISP at our home offers nationwide hotspots, and several businesses and other locations offer free WiFi. Because of this, I rarely use my data, and that's good because that data now rolls over to the following month if it goes unused.
As a side bonus, when you enroll in autopay (automatic debit from your bank account,) and the payment is successful, you immediately get $5 deposited into your account as a thank you.
My cell phone bill is $40/month. I get unlimited talk and text, and now I get data (if I need if if there isn't WiFi available.)
No one should be paying $200-$400 (or more) each month JUST for their cell phone.
Let's keep this in mind, though....no one can please everyone 100% of the time so I'm sure you will read plenty of grouchy reviews about GoPhone. Like I said, I've used GoPhone for at least 9 years, and I don't see me stopping anytime soon.
I have used GoPhone for, I don't even know how long. I originally used AT&T when they were Cingular (before Smartphones.) I briefly used Verizon, but the service area couldn't compare to [AT&T] at the time.
I *know* I have been using GoPhone for at least nine years. I use the "pick your plan" option. For awhile, AT&T was preventing iPhone and Blackberry users from using GoPhone. Let me rephrase that: you could purchase an iPhone or Blackberry and use it for calls and texts, but you could not use the unlimited data with Smartphones.
That all changed in 2014 when AT&T decided to allow iPhone users to enroll in a data plan included with GoPhone packages. My bill has fluctuated among $75 and $55 and $50 and such depending on what plan I've chose. But now? Now I am on the $45/month plan with unlimited (anytime) talk and text, and I get 1.5GB of high speed data each month. This does not mean if I use all 1.5GB I don't get any data. It just means when 1.5 GB is used, I get slower data. But you know what? That doesn't really matter.
The ISP at our home offers nationwide hotspots, and several businesses and other locations offer free WiFi. Because of this, I rarely use my data, and that's good because that data now rolls over to the following month if it goes unused.
As a side bonus, when you enroll in autopay (automatic debit from your bank account,) and the payment is successful, you immediately get $5 deposited into your account as a thank you.
My cell phone bill is $40/month. I get unlimited talk and text, and now I get data (if I need if if there isn't WiFi available.)
No one should be paying $200-$400 (or more) each month JUST for their cell phone.
Let's keep this in mind, though....no one can please everyone 100% of the time so I'm sure you will read plenty of grouchy reviews about GoPhone. Like I said, I've used GoPhone for at least 9 years, and I don't see me stopping anytime soon.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The war is here!
My husband and I have been growing container vegetable and herb gardens for a few years now. During that time, we've been introduced to tomato hornworms and the right growing spots for the various plants.
This year we planted a small garden on the side of our house using a variety of containers ranging from one gallon milk jugs to City Picker Patio Garden Kits, and finally 5-gallon HDPE food-grade buckets. As we lease our home, we are unable to plant in the ground, or we could be fined for "improvements on the property."
We planted strawberries and marigolds in one gallon milk jugs and mounted them to our privacy fence. We planted basil, peppermint, dill, and cilantro in window boxes mounted on our fence. Then we planted tomato, marigold, lemon thyme, squash, nasturtium, bush beans, tomato, bush beans, jalapeno, and cucumbers. Of course all of those were in different containers in a line. We made sure we drilled appropriate drainage holes in the containers, and none of our containers sit on the ground (because what would be the point of drilling holes if you're going to cover them with the ground?)
We planted a bit later this year as last year, mid-April, we had a FREEZE...not a frost but a FREEZE here in Georgia that quickly killed our plants (even though they were covered and insulated.)
And the war is here against pests.
Thus far, we have already encountered (in four weeks) spotted cucumber beetles, striped cucumber beetles, ants, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, dogsbane leaf beetles, and unidentified caterpillars (I haven't found them yet, and the wild birds have been snatching them off our plants for us when they find them.) We've done everything we were supposed to do for pest control, and now we have to kick it up a notch. Last year I read about flattening a piece of aluminum foil around the base of a cucumber plant to prevent cucumber beetles. The cucumber beetles laughed at that. We tried planting highly fragrant marigolds nearby (as in directly next to them) - again, the cucumber beetles laughed. This year, we've continued with the tried and true method of eradication (nitrile gloves and trapping them when we see them.)
Then I remembered that my work uses food-grade diatomaceous earth for one of our products. Not only do we use it, but a few months ago we got some 50 lbs sample bags in of various particle size to test, and there they sit - partially used on our shelf. What's diatomaceous earth? Well, it's basically a powder made up of pulverized fossilized diatoms. Remember the diatoms we saw in slides in school? The little wheels and cylinders that look like glass? Yes, those diatoms. Diatomaceous earth, however, is a respiratory irritant so you should use a mask and safety goggles when applying.
Let's see how this works...
This year we planted a small garden on the side of our house using a variety of containers ranging from one gallon milk jugs to City Picker Patio Garden Kits, and finally 5-gallon HDPE food-grade buckets. As we lease our home, we are unable to plant in the ground, or we could be fined for "improvements on the property."
We planted strawberries and marigolds in one gallon milk jugs and mounted them to our privacy fence. We planted basil, peppermint, dill, and cilantro in window boxes mounted on our fence. Then we planted tomato, marigold, lemon thyme, squash, nasturtium, bush beans, tomato, bush beans, jalapeno, and cucumbers. Of course all of those were in different containers in a line. We made sure we drilled appropriate drainage holes in the containers, and none of our containers sit on the ground (because what would be the point of drilling holes if you're going to cover them with the ground?)
We planted a bit later this year as last year, mid-April, we had a FREEZE...not a frost but a FREEZE here in Georgia that quickly killed our plants (even though they were covered and insulated.)
And the war is here against pests.
Thus far, we have already encountered (in four weeks) spotted cucumber beetles, striped cucumber beetles, ants, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, dogsbane leaf beetles, and unidentified caterpillars (I haven't found them yet, and the wild birds have been snatching them off our plants for us when they find them.) We've done everything we were supposed to do for pest control, and now we have to kick it up a notch. Last year I read about flattening a piece of aluminum foil around the base of a cucumber plant to prevent cucumber beetles. The cucumber beetles laughed at that. We tried planting highly fragrant marigolds nearby (as in directly next to them) - again, the cucumber beetles laughed. This year, we've continued with the tried and true method of eradication (nitrile gloves and trapping them when we see them.)
Then I remembered that my work uses food-grade diatomaceous earth for one of our products. Not only do we use it, but a few months ago we got some 50 lbs sample bags in of various particle size to test, and there they sit - partially used on our shelf. What's diatomaceous earth? Well, it's basically a powder made up of pulverized fossilized diatoms. Remember the diatoms we saw in slides in school? The little wheels and cylinders that look like glass? Yes, those diatoms. Diatomaceous earth, however, is a respiratory irritant so you should use a mask and safety goggles when applying.
Let's see how this works...
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Milk, not milk.
Today, we try something new. While not severe, we have minor lactose intolerance issues. It doesn't matter if we drink factory-farmed cow's milk or organic, small farm cow's milk - it's the same response.
I had tried soy milk in the past, and the flavor was..."okay." Okay as in not awesome, and okay as in not terrible. It sort of tasted like the adhesive on the back of older postage stamps. It was that sort of okay.
I had tried soy milk in the past, and the flavor was..."okay." Okay as in not awesome, and okay as in not terrible. It sort of tasted like the adhesive on the back of older postage stamps. It was that sort of okay.
I've seen the commercials advertising coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, etc., and as I happen to really enjoy almond (read that as - baked goods go from vanilla extract to almond extract in their recipes) I decided to try Silk's Almond Milk. It was on sale for $2.99/half gallon at Publix, and I had clipped a $0.75/off one half-gallon coupon a few weeks ago. My total investment would be $2.24 (plus tax) so I figured - why not? It's one of the least expensive "let's try this" moments I've had.
Let's get the nitty gritty about almond milk out of the way before I talk about my review on it:
* 60 calories per serving, 118 calories per serving for 1% cow's milk
* 60 calories per serving, 118 calories per serving for 1% cow's milk
* 50% more calcium than dairy milk, (cow's milk - 35% calcium; almond milk - 45% : daily values)
* Vitamin E source, no vitamin E in cow's milk
* Vitamin E source, no vitamin E in cow's milk
* Cholesterol and saturated fat free, 10 mg cholesterol for cow's milk and 2 g saturated fat
* Free of dairy, soy, lactose, gluten, casein, egg, and MSG (cow's milk - you do the math)
* Non-GMO almonds, some cow's milk may be from cows fed GMO grains (we aren't anti GMO nuts, but it's worth mentioning for those who are concerned about GMO)
Other nutrition breakdown:
60 calories
2.5 g total fat
* Non-GMO almonds, some cow's milk may be from cows fed GMO grains (we aren't anti GMO nuts, but it's worth mentioning for those who are concerned about GMO)
Other nutrition breakdown:
60 calories
2.5 g total fat
0 cholesterol
160 mg sodium
35 mg potassium
8 g carbohydrates
1 g protein
10% vitamin A
45% calcium
4% riboflavin
0% vitamin C
2% iron
20% vitamin E
4% magnesium
Milk nutrition breakdown (1%) :
118 calories
118 calories
3 g total fat
10 mg cholesterol
143 mg sodium
0 potassium
14 g carbohydrates
10 g protein
10% vitamin A
35% calcium
35% calcium
5% vitamin C
1% iron
The one thing cow's milk has going for it that almond milk does not is protein. Everything else? Almond milk wins in my book.
My review:
The commercials boast almond milk as being silky and smooth "just like real milk" and a "good milk substitute." I poured myself a glass (see the photo above?) Immediately you can see that it is creamy and smooth and somewhat resembles dairy milk. If I showed you the above picture without identifying it, you might say it is dairy milk, but it's not.
I purchased the original flavor (I didn't want to be biased.) It has a mild almond flavor, and it is a creamy consistency, but it's not the heavy creamy consistency that sits on your tongue like dairy milk. It's creamy, and then it's gone. It is okay - I could drink it.
However, when you do more research into commercial almond milk, you'll quickly find that all of the good stuff from almonds gets lost when it becomes commercialized almond milk (like protein.) If I was to continue to drink almond milk, I'd probably look at recipes for making my own.
However, when you do more research into commercial almond milk, you'll quickly find that all of the good stuff from almonds gets lost when it becomes commercialized almond milk (like protein.) If I was to continue to drink almond milk, I'd probably look at recipes for making my own.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
I made fire!
Okay, no. I did not actually make fire. Andrew and I took the last weekend in April off from work, and we traveled to Western North Carolina. First, we drove up to Asheville along the scenic route as Andrew had never been in that area before. We stopped for a driving break along the Nantahala and watched two rafts with paddlers float by us. The weather was amazing: sunny. Spring was popping up with green leaves and a nice breeze. Needless to say, it was the perfect drive.
We arrived in Asheville around 1pm, and we headed to the Biltmore Estate (I already had tickets.) Again, it was another spot that Andrew had never been, and the last time I visited it was 2004. My how much it has changed. I love the architecture of the Biltmore, and I love the iron chandelier hanging four stories with a cantilevered staircase surrounding it. However, it has become much more touristy. First of all, Fridays are not the days to visit. It was packed with school tours of disrespectful kids cussing and pushing people around. It made walking through the house incredibly difficult. Second, the Biltmore herds you into a "chute" between the banquet room and breakfast room for a required picture. It would be nice if this picture had the same conservatory back drop as what is behind you, but it's one of the "pick this up at the end of your tour" pictures in which you are pasted into the back drop of the Biltmore. After walking through the house (and trying to avoid the school tours,) we continued down to the gardens. Sadly, the only thing in bloom at that time were the Azalea bushes in a separate location. Here are some of the photos we snapped at the Biltmore (you are not allowed to take any photos, recordings, or sketches of the inside of the Biltmore. This sucked because I wanted a photo of the kitchen!)
The next morning our friends Silvia, Nona, and Mark drove up from Atlanta so we could all head to Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith Festival in Spruce Pine, NC. It is about an hour from Asheville, and it is a quaint and unique town. The majority of smiths and booths there were hosted by Penland School of Crafts in Burnsville, NC (nearby.)
We met up with our friend, Lo, who had been attending Penland for a few weeks. She was participating in a "snake-off" (forging a snake in a designated amount of time.) Unfortunately, she couldn't get a good heat as the propane tanks were freezing, but here she is in action:
We were able to see some awesome demos including one by Elizabeth Brim. You may notice she wears a pearl necklace. She does this because when she started smithing someone told her it wasn't ladylike to blacksmith so she started wearing a pearl necklace.
The festival was so much fun. We ended up spending five or six hours there before heading up to Penland for a pig roast and a tour of Lo's shop. After climbing the winding drive to the school, it was as if the mists parted, and here was this wonderful world called Penland.
Some of the awesome sights seen around the shop:
And of course, Mark had to get in on some fun, too. Andrew and I were outside standing near the awesome forged gate (seen above) when we heard a hammer ringing on metal in the shop. I said, "I recognize those hammer blows. That's Mark." Sure enough when we walked in, Mark was forging his own snake at Lo's coal-burning (awesome) forge. Andrew said to me, "give it a few minutes, and Mark will have a crowd." Sure enough - he did. Also at the festival and Penland we met Jamie Rogers of Big Giant Swords. She had recognized Mark from an event while we were at the festival, and we had the chance to meet her while we were watching Elizabeth Brim's demo.
By the time we came down off the mountain, it was time to call it a night. After breakfast the next morning, we all headed our ways. Andrew and I stopped at Spring Ridge Creamery in Otto, NC for some milk, cheese, and ice cream, and then we stopped in at a flea market in Mountain City, GA before picking up the dogs and heading home.
It was an awesome weekend, and we can't wait to move up there in about three years.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Flooding you with blacksmithing posts.
Luckily, my husband has been bitten by the blacksmithing bug. After his introductory February 15th class, we headed to Metal Supermarkets - Marietta (ask for "Heinie") to purchase some of our own square stock steel for Hammer Therapy on Friday nights at the Goat n Hammer. We picked up some 1/4" and 1/2" square stock (1/4" hooks, 1/2" fire poker.)
While we were only supposed to go to Hammer Therapy on the 27th, we decided to go on the 20th as well (who am I to argue, right?) The drive down to Atlanta was fun (not! see "omg! snow flurries! panic! pull over!") and we arrived in time for Hammer Therapy. I decided to just work on J-hooks while Andrew decided to work on all three. After a good two plus hours of hammering some steel, we called it a night. Not much to brag about. We made hooks. It was cold.
Instead, we invited any of our friends to come down on the 27th to the 6-8 Hammer Therapy and dinner afterwards at Six Feet Under. I've been arguing with the weather and crossing my fingers for a clear night, and it appears to have worked (thus far. It is Georgia, after all.)
I don't have any new and interesting pieces to share with you, but if you think blacksmithing might pique your interest, I invite you to Hammer Therapy on Friday nights. It is open to beginners who want to see if they might enjoy swinging a hammer enough to participate in the introductory classes.
I enjoy it so much that I signed up for the blacksmithing curriculum class and start on Monday, March 2nd! (which I just realized is not too far away)
While we were only supposed to go to Hammer Therapy on the 27th, we decided to go on the 20th as well (who am I to argue, right?) The drive down to Atlanta was fun (not! see "omg! snow flurries! panic! pull over!") and we arrived in time for Hammer Therapy. I decided to just work on J-hooks while Andrew decided to work on all three. After a good two plus hours of hammering some steel, we called it a night. Not much to brag about. We made hooks. It was cold.
Instead, we invited any of our friends to come down on the 27th to the 6-8 Hammer Therapy and dinner afterwards at Six Feet Under. I've been arguing with the weather and crossing my fingers for a clear night, and it appears to have worked (thus far. It is Georgia, after all.)
I don't have any new and interesting pieces to share with you, but if you think blacksmithing might pique your interest, I invite you to Hammer Therapy on Friday nights. It is open to beginners who want to see if they might enjoy swinging a hammer enough to participate in the introductory classes.
I enjoy it so much that I signed up for the blacksmithing curriculum class and start on Monday, March 2nd! (which I just realized is not too far away)
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Everybody's working for the weekend; I'm working for blacksmithing.
The title about says it all. I don't have many updates to share, but I will say that I forged to finished my first knife last weekend (the 14th, of all days.) I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks to the wonderful instruction by Mark (see previous post,) I have learned a sliver of how metal moves, how to make it move in the direction I want it to move, and how to fix most of my blunders. However, not so contrary to the rest of things I try, every once in awhile, they'll be a blunder that I am at a complete loss as to how to fix, and even Mark asks, "what the fuuuuuuh?" I don't know. I consider that talent!
The culmination of the previous classes (J-hooks and S-hooks, fire poker, and copper spoon) is the railroad spike knife. Everything that had been learned in prior classes is used in the railroad spike knife class. I had some wobbles along the way, but instead of causing a "WTF" moment, I was able to pull it back around and, with the help of Mark's instruction, fix my minor blunders. Looking at my knife NOW, I pick it apart, "I could have cleaned this up a bit more; I could have straightened that out just a bit," but that's how it's supposed to be, right?
And this is my finished product.....
The culmination of the previous classes (J-hooks and S-hooks, fire poker, and copper spoon) is the railroad spike knife. Everything that had been learned in prior classes is used in the railroad spike knife class. I had some wobbles along the way, but instead of causing a "WTF" moment, I was able to pull it back around and, with the help of Mark's instruction, fix my minor blunders. Looking at my knife NOW, I pick it apart, "I could have cleaned this up a bit more; I could have straightened that out just a bit," but that's how it's supposed to be, right?
And this is my finished product.....
__________________________________________________
Riding on the confidence high from my RR spike knife, I then signed up for the Viking Belt Knife class. Now, I could already tell by the finished product that this knife was going to be quite different from the RR spike knife. The fact that it is forged from a piece of curved metal from a coil spring didn't bother me. The statement by Mark earlier in the day was enough to make me go, "oh dear God...." and that statement was, "dress warmly...make sure you eat a good meal before you come...we have a lot of metal to move, and I don't want anyone growing faint." Normally, that'd be a har har har moment. This was NOT a har har har moment.
After leaving work near the Atlanta city limits at 4, I drove home, grabbed good to eat on the rest of my drive home, got home at 5, let dogs out, fed dogs, changed clothes (wear layers,) waited for Andrew, and headed down to Goat n Hammer. Basically my drive went point A to point B to back down to point A and then 15 miles further. Did I mention it was f*%#ing cold? Cold as in....20s (Fahrenheit) with a windchill making it "feel like 8 degrees." Good thing forging = fire.
After leaving work near the Atlanta city limits at 4, I drove home, grabbed good to eat on the rest of my drive home, got home at 5, let dogs out, fed dogs, changed clothes (wear layers,) waited for Andrew, and headed down to Goat n Hammer. Basically my drive went point A to point B to back down to point A and then 15 miles further. Did I mention it was f*%#ing cold? Cold as in....20s (Fahrenheit) with a windchill making it "feel like 8 degrees." Good thing forging = fire.
We start with the spring coil that has been cut, and for sake of brevity, I will say the steps go something like this (give or take a dozen I am probably missing, and several heats in between:)
* Forge curve to flat piece
* Set down at measured mark
* Set down on horn at original mark and then 90 degree mark until about 3/8" or so
* Flip piece around, and start drawing out the 4" to 7" (lots and lots and lots of King Kong hammering...not with a power hammer....a regular 2 - 2-1/2" hammer)
* Clean up drawn out piece into nice squared piece
* Make octagonals on diamond one side, 180 degrees to other side
* Make octagonals on opposite diamond on one side, 180 degrees to other side
* End up with a nice, almost round shape
* Flip piece back around and put in fire
* Bring piece out, hammer square point on end to draw out to 4-1/2" length (I think...if I remember correctly.)
* Hammer "blade" flat (after turning 90 degrees from the hammer point)
* Hammer the shit out of it until it's the right thickness
* Clean up hammer blows, ensure bottom line is straight, smooth top line to a nice, gentle curve, draw down tip
* Cross peen down the middle of one side of the blade
* Cross peen down the blade edge of the other side
* Repeat
* Ensure blade is cleaned up nicely
* Flip blade around
* Fish tail the end of the octagonal side
* Curve fish tail to match curve of ricasso
* Heat and curve fish tail end into loop
* Fish tailed end should fit nicely in ricasso area
I got the set down portion. I ran through octagonals (because of time and the fact that I can come back and clean them up,) and I started on my blade. That's it, and hey, I'm okay with that. I won't give up on my little knife, but like other pieces I work on (artwork,) there comes a point when you need to set it to the side and give it some time before picking it back up again to continue work on it. I'm not mad at it. I'm not upset at the way it is turning out, but it just needs some time so that I can work on some other things (like hooks and such,) build up more confidence and skill, and approach it fresh in the future.
Got home around 11:30 last night, showered, and in bed for work the next morning. Feel like a cross between a flu patient and a hard-worked older woman.
* Forge curve to flat piece
* Set down at measured mark
* Set down on horn at original mark and then 90 degree mark until about 3/8" or so
* Flip piece around, and start drawing out the 4" to 7" (lots and lots and lots of King Kong hammering...not with a power hammer....a regular 2 - 2-1/2" hammer)
* Clean up drawn out piece into nice squared piece
* Make octagonals on diamond one side, 180 degrees to other side
* Make octagonals on opposite diamond on one side, 180 degrees to other side
* End up with a nice, almost round shape
* Flip piece back around and put in fire
* Bring piece out, hammer square point on end to draw out to 4-1/2" length (I think...if I remember correctly.)
* Hammer "blade" flat (after turning 90 degrees from the hammer point)
* Hammer the shit out of it until it's the right thickness
* Clean up hammer blows, ensure bottom line is straight, smooth top line to a nice, gentle curve, draw down tip
* Cross peen down the middle of one side of the blade
* Cross peen down the blade edge of the other side
* Repeat
* Ensure blade is cleaned up nicely
* Flip blade around
* Fish tail the end of the octagonal side
* Curve fish tail to match curve of ricasso
* Heat and curve fish tail end into loop
* Fish tailed end should fit nicely in ricasso area
I got the set down portion. I ran through octagonals (because of time and the fact that I can come back and clean them up,) and I started on my blade. That's it, and hey, I'm okay with that. I won't give up on my little knife, but like other pieces I work on (artwork,) there comes a point when you need to set it to the side and give it some time before picking it back up again to continue work on it. I'm not mad at it. I'm not upset at the way it is turning out, but it just needs some time so that I can work on some other things (like hooks and such,) build up more confidence and skill, and approach it fresh in the future.
Got home around 11:30 last night, showered, and in bed for work the next morning. Feel like a cross between a flu patient and a hard-worked older woman.
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