Oct 1st, 2009
by Michael Martens.
“The real Paul Bunyan of lumber camp storytelling lives through Michael Edmond’s superbly researched, richly illustrated, and engagingly written study. The last and best word on Bunyan!”-James P. Leary, professor and director of the Folklore Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Who has heard tall tales about the lumberjack hero Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox. “Out of the Northwoods” tells the true tale of Bunyan’s origins in the Wisconsin northwoods. It includes eyewitness accounts of how the first Bunyan stories were shared on frigid winter nights around logging camp stoves in the Wisconsin pinery. It describes where the tales began, how they moved out of the forest and into print, and why publication changed them forever.
By sifting through the unpublished manuscripts of early editors of the tales, Michael Edmonds unearths dozens of authentic Bunyan stories told aloud by Wisconsin lumberjacks between 1885 and 1915. Edmonds recounts a saga of lies, hoaxes, thefts and greed that transformed the private jokes of working-class loggers into mass-market picture books for toddlers. The central characters include a genial northern Wisconsin con-man who claimed he invented the lumberjack hero, a spunkyUniversity of Wisconsin co-ed who collected the tales in logging camps in 1915, and a mild-mannered curator of the Wisconsin Historical Museum who lifted federal documents to keep the truth alive.
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press, founded in 1855, is the state’s oldest publisher.
Posted in: Books, Fun Stuff.
Sep 13th, 2009
by Michael Martens.
This year was a bumper crop for green beans. We had so many from both our garden and the CSA box that I decided to try canning green beans. With the proper equipment, canning vegetables is easy and a great way to enjoy the bounties of summer any time of the year.
If you want to start home canning vegetables, you will need to invest in a pressure canner. The water bath method of canning takes too long and it doesn’t get the product hot enough to thoroughly kill any microorganisms that may be lurking. Low acid foods, like most vegetables and tomato products need to be brought up to 240 degrees farenheidt to properly preserve them. The jars may seal at a lower temperature, but you run the risk of botulism poisoning.
A couple of great resources for home canning can be found at the Ball’s homecanning.com and the University of Georgia’s Center for Home Food Preservation.
By the way, I ended up with 12 pints of green beans this summer. You need about 3/4 pound of fresh beans for each pint, so that gives you an idea of how many beans I had on my hands this summer.
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Mar 31st, 2009
by Michael Martens.
In the backpacking world, the ten essentials are considered to be the 10 items that anyone should have before going out into the wilderness. The list has evolved since it was first proposed back in the 1930’s and there is still ongoing debate of what is considered essential. But the ten essentials can be considered those items which you can’t find of easily fashion in the wild and are considered necessary for survival. My favorite interpretation of this list is the updated 10 essentials listed on the REI site:
- Navigation
- Sun protection
- Insulation (extra clothing)
- Illumination
- First-aid supplies
- Fire
- Repair kit and tools
- Nutrition (extra food)
- Hydration (extra water)
- Emergency shelter
I’ve been searching for a good list of essential items for Emcomm and ARES members to have as the foundation for their go bags or jump kits. Most go bag lists take the ‘kitchen sink’ approach with the expectation of a three day deployment. To carry this much equipment may be a good thing If you where traveling to a disaster area to provide communications as part of a recovery operation, but I think it actually creates a disservice to the average communicator.
Continue reading →
Posted in: Camping, Emergency Communications, volunteerism.
Mar 8th, 2009
by Michael Martens.
The Rib Mountain Trail is a meandering 12 mile loop located south of Rib Mountain near Wausau. The bulk of the trail runs through and around the Nine Mile Recreational Area, but some of it is on private land. The trail is maintained by Boy Scout Troop 453 of Rib Mountain. The trail is marked with signs like the one in the picture. If you complete the entire loop you can purchase a patch from Troop 453. Separate patches are available for both Winter and Summer hikes. I’ve skied portions of the loop as most of the trail that runs through the Nine Mile Recreation Area is groomed for cross country skiing. The scenery is beautiful and worth taking a day to hike the loop.
You can start the loop anywhere, but I recommend parking on the access road just south of the Wausau School Forest on County Hwy KK and picking up the loop there. Please see the trail map and brochure for more information about this excellent community resource.
Posted in: Camping, Scouting, hiking.
Jan 25th, 2009
by Michael Martens.
President Obama says it so succinctly in his inaugural address:
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
Posted in: Emergency Communications, Scouting, volunteerism.
