Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Month: January 2024

So you want to hike with your dog – Safety and care on the trail

In the first post in this series, I talked about some of the considerations on whether or not you should take your pet on a trip with you. Today, I plan to discuss some of the health and safety concerns you may want to think about while hiking and camping with your dog.

Happy birthday Mary Bentler Menke

Mary Josephine Bentler was born to Joseph and Deina Holtkamp Bentler on January 26, 1920 in Houghton, Iowa. Mary is a distant relation of Walt’s through the Link side of the family.

There’s a (button) hole in my bandana!

It may seem like an odd concept, but I sew a button hole on my bandanas. A bandana is an amazingly useful piece of outdoor kit. It can act as washcloth, towel, strainer, dust mask, handkerchief, bandage, and even, with care, a holder for hot items.

Happy birthday great, great uncle Alva Finkbone

Alva Finkbone (Finkbohn) was born on January 19, 1850 to John and Rachel Mendenhall Finkbone. He was born in Darke County, Ohio. Alva is the 2nd great uncle of Walt. His sister Lydia was Walt’s great grandmother.

Another birthday? Already? How did that happen?

On the 21st, this blog will be three years old. Another birthday is coming quickly. It amazes us that we have been writing the blog for that long. We’ve told lots of family stories and covered many other topics.

Happy birthday and anniversary Franz Xavier Boeding

Franz Xavier Boeding was born on January 12, 1796 in Neunkirchen, Germany. Franz is the great grandfather of one of Walt’s cousins.

To do or not to do – resolutions

It’s the start of a new year and many people use a time like this to make resolutions to change something in their lives. And I do use the time to consider things, but I don’t really make resolutions in the traditional way anymore.

Happy birthday Opal Marie Stetler Brehm

Opal Marie Stetler was born on January 5, 1919, to Chancey and Grace Davis Stetler in Venedocia, Ohio. Opal married Walt’s second cousin, Harold Brehm.

Stop the Shenanigans at Hoosier National Forest!

Hoosier National Forest, which oversees Charles C. Deam Wilderness, is proposing some Draconian new camping rules for the Wilderness. That’s bad, but there’s worse. The change will also allow them to arbitrarily change the rules in the future without any way to prevent it. We have to stop this!

Repairing a belt loop on jeans

Jeans are generally a tough item. They hold up fairly well to most use, eventually becoming ragged and worn. One place where I have noticed frequent failure on jeans is the belt loop.

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