Ah - a sunny, cool, dry autumn day here in the Northeast.

Weather ahead looks great - perfect time to haul all the emergency gear out onto some tables to review what's in there, dig into the first-aid kits and replace old stuff, check the flashlights, cycle the emergency food and make a copy of all the cards in my wallet, front and back.

Might also change the oil in the generator, just because.

I use June 1, beginning of the tropical hurricane season...change out the stored water, charge up the 12v batteries, charge up the AA Eneloops not being used, make sure the back up battery for the cordless drill is charged, top off the gas cans, check on the propane bulk tanks, start up the generator (I should probably run it more often, but usually only every 3 months)....like most of the old timers down here, it's easy to get complacent...especially if there haven't been any major storms in a number of years....

This time of year the kids are in school and we start to have activities and holidays so we don't get much chance to go out and hike or bike or fish or camp and just plain old use the gear. So now is when I start updating inventory lists, checklists, documentation, etc.

are you BORED???

you know I've always wanted to make one of those giant spring traps.
the kind where they bend over a tree and put a net on the ground. and then someone gets whisked into the air.
looks like loads of fun.

why don't you start by snatching the neighbor's cat ... or dog???
Hahahahaha!!!

Pete2

the picnic table in the back yard is used in the summer as a home for the house plants.come the cool weather they go back in for the winter.that gives me a small window of opportunity to get some old,and i mean old camp stoves out and do a bit of what the collectors in the UK call fettling,repair-fix up-spruce up.



a pump leather here,a gasket there and stoves that were just puffing along spring back to life.







with the four cans of Coleman fuel and five gallons of kerosene i got over the weekend i should be able to at least have hot food and one warm room if the power go's off in Minneapolis this winter..

Do I see a Primus 71 lurking in that wonderful collection of yours? I still have mine. It is fifty years old....

sharp eyes Hike!..yup a 71 out of it's case for a fuel cap replacement. the 71 in the case fits right in that square cook kit/case for the Peak stoves.i like the bigger fuel tank on the 71 compared with the almost tiny ones seen on the 123's in the foreground.
those are just the tip of my stove collection "iceberg"

Yup, fall is season switchover time for me. Time to add more warmth and hypothermia to the kits.

Just as a reminder for those of us in the climate grey-zone, where we can get a sunburn and frostbite in the same day: I've gone for two day hikes this week. Both beautiful sunny days with a bit of a breeze. T-shirt weather during the day, but that wind packs a chilling punch. I was sweating and now I'm chilled and we got home hours ago. The other night it was 75C in the house and I still had a chill, even after changing my clothes. "Ya sweat, ya die" might be extreme but it rings true. My dad always that the best way to get warm is to stay warm, but I sometimes forget when the temps are in the high teens to low twenties (C) during the day.

i got my "waiting for the tow" winter boots and clothes dry bag out of storage and into the trunk.my old canoe hauling car has a drop down back seat so i can get into the trunk without going outside.no stove or other drama in this one just lots of warm clothes.

I hope this is a mistake as 75C = 167F. Perhaps you got a little confused while trying to make life easier for us Celsius-challenged folks. I appreciate the effort. I still cannot get it through my head that 30 degrees (C) is hot.