On various occasions, I’ve mentioned that we had a well when I was growing up that was practically unusable. We could use the water from it to flush commodes inside the house, but that was about all. For all of our drinking, cooking, and washing, we brought up our water in buckets from a little freshwater spring down the side of the mountain.
The reason the well water was mostly unusable is that it contained too much rust, or iron. I took the attached picture here while on that walk in the woods with my daughter the other day, specifically to show you all exactly what this sort of water looks like.
If you ever come across water like this in the woods, you’ll know it has unusually high iron content if it appears orange like the water in this little runoff area here.
I got tired of carrying booze, fuel, and medicine and got the bright idea to see if a strong enough whiskey might not serve all three purposes.
#WhiskeyStoves #BoozeForFuel #PocketCooking #ThePracticalWoodsman #PleasantHillbillyPickle
For centuries, families across Britain slept in what was known as a box bed, a wooden bed built into the wall or enclosed with doors, designed to keep out the bitter cold of winter.
Far more than a place to sleep, the box bed was a practical solution in cottages where space was limited and every bit of warmth mattered. By enclosing the bed, families trapped precious heat, reduced draughts and gained a little privacy in homes where several generations often lived under one roof.
These humble beds witnessed every stage of life. Children were tucked into them at night, babies were born in them, and loved ones spent their final hours there, surrounded by family. In many cottages, the box bed even formed part of the wall itself, helping divide the living and sleeping areas of a single-room home.
To modern eyes they may seem cramped, but to those who lived through harsh winters with little comfort, the box bed was a warm, secure refuge, a simple piece of craftsmanship that helped ordinary families ...
