Tick Repellant

It is not often I share my possible investment ideas. The reason being simple, I don't want to share all the wealth I know I can generate from this, but tonight I am offering this up. I am doing it because I may lack the expertise to implement the patent, or figure out the chemistry needed to make it marketable.

Admittedly, I do know some of the chemistry, but it is more a problem of capturing it in a carrier, or might it be called a applicator liquid, I suppose it could be an aerosol , but in reality I need a facilitator in the form of an applicant to adhere it to a persons body.

I should also mention that there is a certain urgency in this application because of two reasons. One being the need to stop the spread of the insidious ticks that are now carrying around numerous diseases known to afflict humans. It would also appear that every fricking tick in the woods has something. It is just a matter of it getting its teeth into soft human butts. Clearly, Wisconsin is infested beyond recognition with ticks and are keeping development away, which is good, but it is, at times keeping me out of the woods and when I fall asleep while hunting--which may involve laying on the ground, the feeling of the little suckers having their way with me is unpleasant if not disgusting. We need this repellant now.

To top it off, this repellant also will solve part of the global warming issue because it involves using up CO2. By implementing this discovery it is possible other vermin might also be repelled. Unfortunately, one of them might be other people but that is where the innovative chemistry has to come into play. I need a compound that, when combined with my invention will negate the somewhat offensive odor of the active ingredient.

I have considered using the essence of one of the true bugs, better know as the stink bug, because it seems not to have any ill side affects when in the presence of this compound.

In any case, let me address the discovery. I have noticed, along with my brother Crow (and he is astute in the woods----and a great attractor of ticks as can be confirmed by his non-stop use of Doxycycline) that the fumes of the chain saw keep away ticks---yes, and chicks. Never have we come back with a tick after cutting fire wood. Not a Wood Tick or a Deer Tick. The little bastards simply don't like chainsaws. So we have concluded that the exhaust of the chain saw has repellant properties. The trick is to bottle it. Now, we know it has CO2 in it along with a few other compounds, like formaldehyde, heavy metals,etc.,  left over from the combustion of fossil fuels and also a little water. But mostly it is CO2. So that has to be the trick.

Initially we thought of just getting real small chainsaws and run them all the time we are in the woods but found them clearly prohibitive while trying to lure the old lady into a "woodsy". In addition, it was scarring the shit out of the deer, not to mention the turkeys and all the other song birds---not that I was hunting the song birds again.

So, I believe it is easy to see that while we have a solution here, we need some innovation of combing the essence of chainsaw with some manly scent. While we know our chainsaws exhaust, we don't know squat about body washes, soap yes, but none of those girly smelling powders and sprays. Help us out to solve the tick problems---and sequester CO2---because sure as hell nobody else is doing anything.

Morels and Crappies

Occasionally, I forget how good morels are, partly I suppose, because I once ate so many of them in a seven day period, I developed a rather uncomfortable stomach ache from over consumption of something that was not really too welcomed in my gut. It seems I had a reaction. In Colorado one year they showed up in great profusion under the Cottonwood trees along Redstone Creek. Not an event very common, so in our greed we laid those babies away like they were eatable gold doubloons. I mean, we ate them for every meal exercising  the Native American policy that says when one finds something of great value in the line of food, you eat the hell out of it because it will not last.

Whatever benefit it may have to one's body, be it instant culinary pleasure or whatever, it has to be engulfed when it is available. That is why it was common to eat many pounds of meat when a traveler had a dead animal. Lewis and Clark's men ate nine pounds of meat a day--that is what they had and it was not going to keep in 90 degree heat. Well, I took the same policy for the morels of Colorado and it proved to be folly. I didn't even need them but I sure liked gouging myself.

Well, it was years before we ever found more so it was worth it, but here in Wisconsin every year they show up  to some extent and there is no need to pack a gullet---I don't think. I treat them as a specialty item and only cut up one or two of them and serve them on the side, say as a treat. Sweet Jesus, they are good.

So in additional local food pursuit,  last night we took the canoe out to a lake, and I will tell you it was S.... Lake, a lake that only a few years back was considered not worth the effort, and what do you know, the fish were back. I had seen a couple of boats on the beautiful pond last week and figured something was up. So this evening Ann, my guide, or is it ballast, shipped of the west coast and headed out in full sail. What  a big pleasant surprise. In one hour I rounded up at least a dozen of 12-13 inch Crappies. I was full of myself to say the least as the fly rod bent and and the fish came to me. I briefly saw myself as Winslow Homer painting, but Ann, the painter, appeared unimpressed and paid me no mind. The biggest ones were let go as it was breeding time and they were full of eggs. In the end, eight of those beauties ended up either in our pan or frozen.

The sun set quietly seeped in a pink hue with flairs of clouds drifting across the still pond. The osprey looking on was probably disgusted with me for taking his future meals but it would appear, for the time being, there is plenty for all.  The morels and the crappies complimented each other there on our abundant evening plates of local goods. I do like the bounty of the land and want it to be known I am thankful for it---really thankful as it is a fact not all people have this. Few people. Don't share this.

Moonshine or Ethanol---All useful

A few months ago in a peak oil frenzy, I decided to make some ethanol, in part, just to see if I could and in part because Popcorn Sutton used to make it and then drink it. Rather like two birds with one stone or one fuel for moving some metaphorical stones and another for getting stoned. The operation was not real difficult, really. As a way of making it more utilitarian to my person , that is one for quality use, I chose malted barley, Indian corn, malted rye and some conventional corn---probably GMO.

Now, it is true one can make the stuff from plain old sugar ( made from many sources), or from any grain, or for that matter potatoes, fruits for sure. It is that easy. If you want some ethanol for your machines just ferment the grains or sugar, then distill it with some heat on a pot and as it goes up the copper coil as it is cooled it condenses. The first run through it was around 65% alcohol and the rest water. I suspect it will burn in that combination but for better fuels it would seem another distillation is necessary taking it up to 90%.

With this product one can run some motors, maybe a chainsaw, certainly my hit and miss motors, possibly an automobile (with a few adjustments). So, that is pretty cool. With a hundred pounds of corn a person might be able to cut a years worth of wood or drive a truck a few miles. The process is some work, mind you, but it could be done when the oil runs out. Of course, a person could not build a car with ethanol as that takes some 30 barrels of oil. I'll be damned if I'm going to use good ethanol to make anything other than a buzz---if you know what I mean.

Better yet, this ethanol can be "doctored" slightly and used as a food product for humans, maybe even has medical possibilities. So rather than using mine for the chain saw (the efforts for fuel production was more symbolic, maybe theoretical, a jesture) I added a few exciting items to my accumulated supply of product.

It is a secret that distillers add "things" to there product to get the desired flavor because ethanol is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Low and behold, I started out by adding a fist full of charred white oak to a couple of quarts of my ethanol, or chain saw fuel. In some cases it remained there for a few months, in others a few weeks. Oh ya, that was one of the magic tastes! To others I added fruit that was laying around in my freezer, let it sit for a few weeks and then extract the fuel, added some sugar and out comes this aperitif, liqueur, or whatever. To the charred spirits a touch of maple syrup brought things even farther along---better than Jack Daniels.

So what I have here is a multifaceted project that will always have value. You got your fuel, not a lot of it, and you have your age-old elixir that might be described as medicinal. All of it is aimed at a rich and full life no matter what. Pretty darn innovative if you ask me.

Turkey Hunting----Side Benefits

Two days ago I hit the deep spring forest with the intentions of making violent contact with a nice gobbler, one that would fit comfortably on my table. I had my 75 year old Wingmaster passed on to me by my father, a nice selection of No. 2s, lots of cameo and a great attitude.

My second blind of the day was located 75 yards above my brothers backwoods pond. On the good years, that would be the wet years, the entire one acre bog and depression is filled with water---and all the other things that go with it.

This is a good year, meaning that the place is alive with the sound of music. Some years I have had to move because the peepers frogs were so loud there was no chance of calling because all peripheral sounds drowned me out as if I was Jimmy Hoffa. This year as I sat among the thick White Pines above the pond, I was treated to a new dimension of unwelcome competition. First off, the geese, I believe two love struck pairs, would go into bickering like a couple of old hags fighting over a Brad Pitt look alike. I couldn't really tell if it was a couple of couples going at it or just a maternal squabble. But Jesus, would they get going, louder and louder. Finally one would fly off in a huff only to return minutes and go at it again. Nothing very articulate, just in-your-face get down swagger.

Then there would be a settling, a moment of peace.  I would make a yelp or two for the turkeys and only to be be followed by a couple of Sandhill Cranes also laying claim to the pond. For reasons unknown, they revved up their trumpets to over 10 and then funneled it into a couple of twin Marshalls. Fortunately, there were but two and the obnoxious shenanigans lasted only a few minutes----every few minutes . I did a little turkey hen chuckles in between but got no response from a romantic gobbler.

In the moments when the two heavies, the geese and the Sandhills, were idle, or in love, or copulating the wood ducks would do some squeaking and the black birds rambled on in pleasant tones, but it was a zoo out there. I found myself thinking, "Oh shit, why don't you all just let loose, I ain't getting nothin' anyway. About then the Barred Owls started monkey talking, blah, blah, blah, yak, yak, yak. A few nice hoots were infused. I assumed they were largely chewing out the kids for spitting out the latest masticated mouse. I went home. What is the point? I can't win out there and the turkeys hate me besides.

The next morning it was off to Treb's holdings where gobblers have been heard and there is no immediate pond to host the jungle of buffoons all hell bent on making my day another shit-canning. While looking for ticks, that would be those little deer tick sons-a-bitches, there was a shuffle in the tree right above me. So I wrenched my neck around to catch the action and here are two pairs of Wood Ducks sitting up in the branches posturing in anticipation of getting laid. I mean, I thought ducks were supposed to be in water not sitting in the oaks carrying on. Again no turkeys. Oh, there was a distant gobble but not in response to me.  I am a loser but maybe I was sent out there not to kill a lousy bull turkey but to take in the nature of it all. I found only one tick making a move on my leg in each place I visited, but saw probably 30 bird species all of whom were trying to get it on. I decide to go home and see if I could do the same---after a tick check of course.

Revolution Watch---Global Warming

This climate change issue has been around for awhile now and, it is safe to say, nothing has been done. I mean nothing. As noted on this CBS news item we have now consistently had a year's worth of 400 ppm of CO2
//www.cbsnews.com/news/first-time-in-800000-years-aprils-co2-levels-above-400-ppm/  

Oh, we have tried (sorta) with 350.org going nuts making noise and James Hansen of NASA screaming his head off but to absolutely no avail because the curve just keeps going up. Recently, Obama announced his meager efforts which may sound pretty but will not make a dent as China fires up a couple of new coal fired plants every week. http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/climate-action-plan

This all comes after last fall's IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) release of it's report that says we need to make massive changes or we are flat-out screwed. Does any of this make any difference. Hell no. At least half of our elected officials think all the scientist in the world are wrong! We live in a world of dumb shits.They think Jesus will take care of us----or is it the Four Horsemen---and that is not a rock group.

It is discouraging to say the least, but in truth, none of us are prepared to do what needs to be done. To leave our rich world and go where we have to go, is not in our future, I am afraid. The economy has to change to one with a much lower standard of living. That will not be done voluntarily but, I suppose, nature bats last and we will go scratching and clawing to a new place. We will not go quietly into that good night.

But there seems to be some hope out there as described Gail Tverberg. http://ourfiniteworld.com/2014/04/11/oil-limits-and-climate-change-how-they-fit-together/  It seems that liquid fuels will soon start to decline and when they do the world's economies will slide, and maybe fail. With that, the consumption of fossil fuels will decline rapidly as will the CO2 emissions. This will not solve all the temperature change as much of that is now set in stone, but it may stop it from being catastrophic as the IPCC report says it will. Getting from point A (today) to point B (tomorrow), or the bottleneck as they call it,  will not be a pleasant ride.I'd like to have that hat.

The Squirrel and the Walnut

Like every yahoo who has a yard and a couple of big trees, we have squirrels. They do provide a certain amount of entertainment and generally are harmless unless they decide to take up residence in the walls of the house---which the little suckers can happen. They like a good nut, and will rifle the sun flowers seeds until they can hardly move. Rather gluttonous, it would seem.

In watching them, day in and day out, one learns a few things about the rascals. Like humans, they have certain things they can not leave alone, and it would seem they will put their lives on line to achieve a certain end. I had noticed before that Walnuts have a certain fascination to them. I will also admit I to have a fondness for them and collect them every year and set them back.

For me it is partly the smell of a freshly fallen, yet green, Walnuts. They have an odor I find unique and intriguing. a richness, an earthy pungent smell that has some special attraction. I do know that as a youngster in the 50s our family would go out into the Baraboo hills and collect them along with Butternuts. It was a good childhood time, a time of all of us being together and a time before my mother died young. It is a fond memory. We shelled them later in the year and they went into cookies, cookies our mother baked.

Apparently the squirrel has the same affinity, maybe not the childhood thing, but the attraction to the odor. In their case, it would seem to be one of genetics for I doubt they were ever trained to seek them out. The reason I say that is our squirrels have never seen a Walnut tree---at least I do not know where. However, take a walnut and put it anywhere and they will have it in hours, and that includes buried in a flower pot under ten inches of soil. The odor must be so  intense to them that they can seek it out at great length.

I had lost nuts to them before, in the garage and in the shed. Leave the door open and the entire cashe will be gone in hours with hulls scattered hither and yon--and that yon is a big deal. Well, I was tired of the looting so I put the nut collection on the back porch a few weeks ago, behind the freezer, and that is a closed porch. Two days ago for a few hours, during a warm spell, I left the door open. That is all it took, for in that time they entered the porch and began rifling the nuts on the spot. Some they ran outside and ripped apart on the steps. Tell me, how could they have known the Walnuts were there and why would they put their miserable little lives on the line to get the damn nuts? They have to be like heroin, and that drive has to be in their genes. I will wager that if a handful of walnuts were placed on the kitchen table, they would be willing make a run for them.

I think there is a message here, maybe a message about humans and our drive to consume every damn thing on earth even at the expense of our own lives. There has to be a baked-in-the-cake drive, a possible dysfunctional gene that causes us to go just too far for that one last nut.