Here's a potpourri of some helpful tidbits to make life easier.
1. Every time I use an SOS pad I wind up throwing it away because it rusts before the next time I use it. Seems like such a waste so now I cut the pad in half before I use it and they seem to last forever.
2. We've all come back from the woods with some blood on our clothes. Ours or some animals or.....? Anywhooooo. Put some hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and you can wipe the blood right off.
3. Ever get a splinter in the woods? Of course you have. Instead of reaching for your knife next time grab the duct tape instead. Lightly apply a piece of duct tape over the splinter and just pull it right out. This won't work, or course, if the splinter is broken off below the surface of the skin.
4. If you carry a thermos to work or into the woods in the winter you know that tastes and odors can sometimes be absorbed by the thermos. To clean it up just add a couple tablespoons of dry white rice and some water. Give it a good shake and the rice will scrub it clean. Or...... fill the thermos with water and drop in four Alka Seltzers and let stand for an hour. A really cruddy thermos may need to soak longer.
5. If you have kerosene lamps, you can clean the chimney the way grandma did. Fasten a piece of sponge to the end of a stick to clean it then use old newspaper to give it a sparkle. Simply turn the chimney as you insert the newspaper.
6. You can test the quality of your kerosene by putting a small amount in a can. If a lit match will readily light the kerosene it is poor quality. High quality kerosene will not readily light. Seems counter intuitive but it's true.
7. Sometimes a film develops on the inside of the kerosene lamp that washing will not remove. Use the same method for cleaning a thermos above.
8. To prevent your lamp wicks from smoking, soak them in vinegar then let them dry thoroughly.
9. Your campfire can predict the weather. It's true! If the smoke does not ascend or travel upward easily but spreads out instead it usually means foul weather approaches (or you need to open the top of the tipi.:D)
10. Dew and fog are indications of fair weather.
11. Ever beat the dickens out of a coconut trying to get it open? No need to. They are actually quite easy to open. All you need is a sturdy meat cleaver. Hold the coconut in one hand with its center (or equator) resting firmly in your palm, with the "eyes" on one side and the stem on the other. With your other hand, simply give the coconut three or more firm whacks around its center with the blunt "back" of the meat cleaver and watch the hard shell crack open into two halves. Be sure to do this over a large bowl to catch the sweet coconut water as it drains from the open coconut.
That ought to keep you busy for a while.
