I saw something yesterday that reminded me of something from my checkered past.

I was cleaning my rifle and had a bunch of oily patches to get rid of so I did what I always do. I put them in an old tuna can, took them outside and lit them. I don't like keeping oily waste around the house. It's a fire hazard.

Some of these were not really oily and I noticed that they were charring. It reminded me of the char cloth I used when I lived in the tipi that I used to make fires with.

I had a striker and a flint and would shoot a spark onto the char cloth which would instantly start smoldering and I'd put it into some tinder and blow until I had fire.

I actually got pretty good at it and occasionally I'd light a roll your own cigarette off of the glowing char cloth.

I lit a roll your own with my flint and steel kit in a bar a couple of times and that turned a couple of heads. What turned the heads is not that I did it, but how fast I did it. One strike, a quick puff and I'd stick the smoke into the glow and draw and then put the lid back on my tinderbox to smother it. 

It only took a couple of seconds.

Anyway, I thought about it and looked in vain for my striker and then simply ordered one on line. 

It'll be here in a couple of days and I suppose it will be interesting to see how good I still am at lighting a fire with flint and steel.

While I was at it I ordered a boomerang as it jumped out at me. I have one years ago made by Wham-o and got pretty good with it. 

This one only cost me a couple of bucks and I figure I'll try it out some afternoon and practice until I get bored.

Then I suppose I'll give it to some kid that will likely break a window or something.

Or maybe I'll break a window or something with it and then give it to some little kid so he'll get blamed for it. Who knows?

Anyway it'll be fun to see if I can still get a fire going as fast as I used to be able to.



To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY