Howdy Ya Dewit!

Surviving a Wolf Pack Attack

2012-01-31T12:01:00.000-06:00

The new Liam Neeson movie, “The Grey” has stirred up the folks at PETA and other assorted animal activists groups who are quick to assure you that wolves are basically harmless to humans and more scared of us than we are of them. They like to point out that there are only two documented cases where people have been killed by wolves in North America. Well that’s a bit of statistical semantics

The Rat Resistant Bird Feeder

2012-01-14T19:41:00.003-06:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King Our squirrel resistant feeder is 2 stories up. Seattle has a century and a half long history as a major U.S. seaport and the rats to prove it. When you move to King County and go to hang your bird feeder, someone will inevitably warn you not to because it will “attract rats”. Sheila and I decided we wanted to see the lovely songbirds of the Pacific Northwest outside

Rolltop Desk Scanner Drawer

2011-12-31T20:00:00.000-06:00

My HP Scanjet scanner has a pretty large footprint. As a result, my rolltop desktop was kind of crowded. My wife, a devoted minimalist has been muttering darkly about my junky desk for some time. Seems it is difficult to dust - a minor, but serious crime in the household of She-Who-Must-Dust-Daily. So as a Christmas present, as much to myself as to her, I decided it was time to get her off my...

Homemade Doggie Treats for Christmas

2011-12-18T02:11:00.000-06:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits Introduction: If you’re wondering what to give the family dog for Christmas, have I got a fun holiday cooking project for you – peanut butter puppy biscuits. These things are great. My dog loves these better than any dog biscuits I’ve ever bought and I know what’s in ‘em. Here are the ingredients: ½ cup hot water 2 beef bullion cube ½

Second Story Bird Feeder

2011-10-26T23:26:00.000-05:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King If you live on the second floor or you have a second floor bedroom, hanging a bird feeder can be problematic. Here's an easy to make bird feeder hanger that puts the feeder outside your window. Materials: Broomstick Screw-in hook Paint to match the window trim Bird feeder 2-flag bracket Screws Drill with Philips driver bit Step 1 Mount the flag bracket to the trim

Pullout Desk Shelves You Can Make

2011-10-25T01:42:00.000-05:00

Kitchen cutting boards that pulled out of the cabinet were all the rage a few years back. The same principle works if, like most of us, your desk is piled high with computers, printers, scanners and the myriad other bits of desk debris that are the hallmark of the technical age we live in. I'm lucky. My oak rolltop desk came with, not one but two pullout writing boards, complete with inset

Adding a Secret Compartment to Your Rolltop Desk

2011-10-18T03:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm giving away my secret hiding place. I'm not terribly worried about it. To find my hiding place, the average burglar would have to hit more than 200 million homes in the United States to find mine. The main reason to make such a hidey hole is to keep your wallet out of the hands of your sticky-fingered teenager or to provide a place for the keepsakes your wife threw out when she

Building the Tire & Concrete Movable Volleyball Posts

2011-10-17T15:40:00.000-05:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King Way back at Keene Public School, we used to play volleyball on an uneven dirt and rock basketball court with a net strung between two metal poles stuck into a car tire full of concrete. I think that public schools are prohibited from using anything so practical (or cheap) anymore, but if you look you'll still find a few here and there on church playgrounds or gyms. It's

Pickling your own Jalapeno Peppers

2011-09-27T16:06:00.000-05:00

© 2011 by Tom King Recipe Courtesy of Texas A&M Horticulture Agri-Life Extension: Peppers http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/pepper.html What could be cooler than whipping out a Mason jar full of your own home-made jalapenos next time you’re having nachos at the house? It’s not hard to do with the proper preparation. You can buy raw jalapenos at the

Super Simple Canoe Garage Hoist

2011-09-23T17:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a simple way to hang a canoe in your garage. 1. Screw 4 screw eyes to the ceiling joists above where you want to hang the canoe. Space each pair of eyes about two to three feet apart and each pair should be directly over the the thwarts nearest the ends of the canoe as shown. Screw a pair of flag cleats to the wall near the front and rear eyes for tying off the ropes. 2. Tie a

King Ranch Chicken - Regular & Vegetarian Versions

2011-09-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

Tex-Mex at its best… Great holiday or potluck dish! I had trouble finding this recipe in our cookbooks after the move. I've taken on the role of regular chef in our newly blended household and decided to make some things I like, since I have kitchen duty. One of the advantages of being the family cook is that you get to make things you like and if anybody complains, you can just whip

Pickin' and Freezin'

2011-09-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

What to do with all those blackberries.. (c) 2011 by Tom King The wild blackberries up here in Washington are something to behold. Big fat juicy things, just right for making home-made blackberry cobbler. Only thing is they don't know how to make Bluebell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (TM) to go on 'em. When I go back to Texas to get my truck, I may have to fill it up with Bluebell and some

The Industrial Strength Doggie Pee Pee Place

2011-09-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

In my last entry I suggested building a special place for your dog to relieve itself. My brother-in-law read the article and got inspired. First let me tell you about Rick. He's kind of a cross between Hank Hill and Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. He has this thing about doing things "right". Now I was thinking I'd knock together something out of drywall screws and one-by-sixes, but Rick had other

Dog Pee Burns in Your Newly Sodded Lawn

2011-09-06T18:57:00.000-05:00

I've Got Good News and Bad News by Tom King © 2011 Miss Sheila, Daisy and I (and Justin, Rick, Sue, Mr. Muggs and the 4 cats) all just moved into a beautiful new home we're sharing in Puyallup, Washington here in the shadow of Mt. Ranier. One of the more exciting things for me about the move (other than living under an active volcano) is the fact that we have store-bought grass! I grew

Daisy's Butt – Treating Flea Allergy Dermatitis

2011-06-22T19:23:00.000-05:00

by Tom King (c) 2011 Introduction: Poor old Daisy, my half something, half something else black and white hound dog suffers with what one vet told me was “fleas” and another, more helpful, veterinarian explained was flea-allergy dermatitis. The first vet acted like I was some neglectful redneck living in a trailer park that left his dog outside in a bare dirt yard. The second doctor knew me and

How I Survived A "Windows XP Recovery" Attack

2011-06-02T09:18:00.003-05:00

Let me stay first that I believe any hacker who writes hijacker programs, viruses, trojans, malware of any kind or who snoops around in my private files should be stripped naked, hog-tied and branded on his forehead and his butt with a big letter "H" by the hairiest, smelliest cowboy we can find (on who's been out on the prairie way to long and thinks the hacker has a "purty mouth". Then he

Talking to Your Doctor About Medication Side Effects

2011-05-28T07:25:00.001-05:00

© 2011 by Tom KingAnyone who's ever taken meds has experienced a side effect from that medication. If you took aspirin and your headache went away, that was a side effect of the aspirin. Meds all have good side effects (those you want) and bad side effects (those you don't). Physical side effects are obvious, but no so with psychological side effects. So what can you do if you suddenly start

Georgeburgers!

2011-05-10T05:03:00.000-05:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King This recipe is the long kept, secret recipe that made Mrs. George the top vege-burger maker for some 50 years in my hometown. Keene, Texas is an Adventist College Town and everybody there was either a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian. Vegeburgers were to Adventist kids, what Big Macs were to everybody else. I used to save up two or three days' paper route money to buy one of

Turf Grasses for Your Play Areas

2011-04-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King Introduction Kids are tough on lawns. They tend to beat down paths, compact the earth and generally make it difficult for grass to maintain healthy growth. A variety of grass species lend themselves to children's play areas. Properly cared for, these deep rooting grass types provide a soft impact surface that reduces fall impacts. Watered, fertilized and mowed as recommended

How to Handicap Archery

2011-03-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Like golf, the handicapping system for archery allows less skilled archers to compete meaningfully with more skilled archers. A handicap, once established for a certain types of bow, the handicap can be used in all types of competitions with that bow type. The handicap number is simply added to shooter's raw score. If you compete with more than one bow type, you'll need to establish a separate

Simple Homemade Country Shelves

2011-03-16T01:27:00.000-05:00

My son and I built this set of country-style shelves for my wife one Christmas. It took us an afternoon to build it and a couple of days to stain and varnish it leaving time for the varnish to dry between coats. You don't need more than simple tools and a few basic carpentry skills. Here are the tools you need: Circular Saw Saber Saw with furniture quality blade Drill Philips driver bit #6

Dealing With Bullies and Their Parents

2011-03-10T18:05:00.001-06:00

In the midst of economic collapse, Middle-Eastern uprisings and a budget struggle threatening to shut down the country, President Obama today gave us a speech about bullying. It is ironic that the very atmosphere of political correctness fostered by the folk who put the President in office is responsible for the rampant rise of bullying in American schools. Where I grew up, if you did something

Easy Homemade Canoe, Kayak, Ladder and Lumber Rack for Your Pickup Truck

2011-03-04T18:15:00.002-06:00

And it's removable......(c) 2011 by Tom King This thing will carry canoes, kayaks, ladders and lumber as advertised. It will also haul pipe or posts and gives you something to tie bottles of welding gas or oxygen to so that it doesn't fall over. Here's what you need to build it. Materials: 4 pressure-treated 12 foot 2 by 6 boards 2 pressure-treated 8 foot 2 by 6 boards Box of-3-1/2 inch long

Make Your Backyard Ball Field Look Professional

2011-02-27T22:33:00.001-06:00

Make a Homemade Line Marking Machine (c) 2011 by Tom King Introduction: A homemade line marking machine can be cobbled together from a pipe, some window screen and bits of plywood. A commercial line-marker isn't very expensive, but if you want to put one together for yourself, this is one way to do it. Stuff You Are Going to Need: Half sheet of half inch plywood 4 round head bolts, one

Homemade Backyard Swings

2011-02-03T20:28:00.004-06:00

(c) 2011 by Tom King I love swings despite my checkered history with them. When I was in elementary school and weighed not much more than a mid-sized cannonball, I took to launching myself for distance from the formidable steel and wood swingset on the Keene Public School playground. I was small then and fearless and could outdistance anybody in my classroom, even the older kids. I was already