Doing things the old way

[bluefoxicy]

So I noticed someone had a straight razor, and someone else said he also tries doing things the old way... this raises an interesting thought: Who all does what in some non-modern way?

Myself, I'm trying desperately to get rid of my (brand new) car because I did NOT want an automatic and my cosigners (I had no credit) refused to sign for it if I got a manual. I didn't get ABS and won't get ABS or traction control on the next car unless I can turn both off via a dashboard switch.

I also don't have a microwave (toaster oven though), and no plans to get one. I have all cast iron cookware (aside from the brew pot), including a cast iron tea kettle, flat iron griddle/grill, and 16 inch traditional chinese wok. I've used the wok to pop popcorn, make fajitas, boil hotdogs and beans, make soup, and will probably use it to make macaroni and cheese later. I prefer natural charcoal for grilling, not briquettes or propane (will probably smoke some beef ribs or turkey legs using some hickory chunks later...).

I use a Unix type system (Linux), which is both old fashioned and new! POSIX design was always proper... new crap is just slapped together haphazardly based on goals handled by isolated groups, not a technical-committee-reviewed overall design.

I use vacuum tube amps for guitar. Still use silver-tin solder when I build them, even though lead solder is safe (the lead oxides used pass through, rather than concentrating in the body; inhaling the rosin fumes from either type is nasty) and flows easier.

I use a safety razor (i.e. blades, but not straight), rather than electric.

 

[Bob]

I have all modern appliances. You got me.

But I work in history all day: http://www.reconstructinghistory.com is my day job. I also play around with historical stuff as a hobby.

I cook in an open hearth. I've brewed using an historical setup, indoors and out (see this thread). I've practiced living history in various fashions for a decade.

And I shave with a safety razor, soap and a brush.

Bob

 

[Revvy]

I shave with a soap and brush, have most of my life...I have my dad's old straight razor but I am waaay to scared to shave with it...

I adjudicate (referee) and Tallykeep (keep score) for an 1800's era recreation Base Ball Club.

Bobnq3x is my hero!!!!!!

 

[bluefoxicy]

You guys got me on the soap and brush; I use gel, Mach 3 marketing fluff smells like limes <3

 

[McKBrew]

Not sure I understand your line of thinking. You are willing to accept some, but not all newer technology, what is the end goal? I don't have anything against manual transmissions, believe me I miss the ones I've had, but I am all for anti-lock brakes, traction control, etc... because it's there to save my a$$. I couldn't live with out a microwave.

Again, not knocking you, but trying to determine what your criteria are for accepting some items but not others. Realistically you could live without the computer, cell phone, and a vehicle depending on your location. On the same note you could accept an older microwave.

 

[Borisbbadd]

You can live without modern things....................but why ???

 

[Duckfoot]

Safety Razor, soap, mug and a badger hair brush here... :rockin:

I also prefer lump hardwood charcoal w/ a chimney starter... Lighter fluid is fuel of the devil...

I don't like ABS or traction control (even though my gal's BMW has it and it has probably saved my life on a few occasions ) and I prefer a manual transmission as well...

I admire and respect some of the traditional ways of doing things, but I must admit I do enjoy nuking a bag of popcorn for a quick snack on occasion...

 

[flyangler18]

I play rugby- not much hi tech gear going on there. A ball, a pair of cleats and 15 guys to a side.

I shave with a safety razor, soap and a badger hair brush- and I'll be using a straight razor soon.

I tie trout flies and built my own fly rod.

I have cut yidaki with Yolngu in Arnhemland.

I'm studying West African percussion on a djembe fashioned from a solid log with crude tools and I've reskinned it- soaking the goatskin, shaving the hair, tightening the verticals.

Why forgo some modern conveniences? To slow down a bit.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

luddites unite!


overthrow this damned industrial revolution!

 

[bluefoxicy]

Not sure I understand your line of thinking. You are willing to accept some, but not all newer technology, what is the end goal? I don't have anything against manual transmissions, believe me I miss the ones I've had, but I am all for anti-lock brakes, traction control, etc... because it's there to save my a$$. I couldn't live with out a microwave.

I'd rather avoid anti-lock brakes and traction control. I was zoned out pacing a pickup truck in front of me that went out of view taking a ramp from one highway to the next... don't ask me how he did it without rolling, but I hit a 20mph curve at 60mph. Spun out, didn't want to turn back into the skid for fear that if I moved too close to the curb I'd hit it and flip, and brakes don't work sideways, so I just kept check on the steering enough to keep the car from rotating too far past 90 and coasted around the curve-- sideways! No antilock brakes, no traction control, and that wasn't even the proper way to regain control out of a skid (like I said, too close to the curb, might hit it and flip); I just called it as I saw it based on the terrain and situation, and managed to get the car to slowly creep towards the inside of the curve (and away from the curb).

Those things will save your ass yeah, but if you don't stay aware of your car they won't. ABS doesn't improve overall road safety, because the idiots with ABS realize they can safely go 60mph in the rain down side streets when it was only safe to go 20mph with standard brakes. If you're going 20-30mph and you slam on the brakes, you will slide; ABS will save you. If you're going 60mph, ABS will not save you, you are running that stop sign and hitting that truck. You just won't hit it sideways while spinning around at 60RPMs.

I just prefer the feel of the road without all the gadgets trying to mess with me. I stay very aware of my car and its interaction with the world around it. I even taught myself to threshold brake, and to adjust my braking force when trying to pull off complex maneuvers (i.e. avoid a cat in the rain when I just had to slam on my brakes because the stupid thing decided to rush out in front of me!!!!!) without losing control.

If I make a mistake, I recognize it and adjust for it quickly. You might prefer to follow the speed limit; remember you have to go slower in the rain and snow even though your car feels safe when you're going 20mph over the speed limit; and just floor the brakes in mindless panic when something goes wrong, with the hopes the car will save you. As long as you don't assume 4 wheel drive means you can go 60mph in the snow simply because your car WILL and the speed limit's 60, you should be fine. That's pretty much what I do too, just without the extra equipment backing me up.

As for the microwave thing... have you ever used a toaster oven? Put a slice of pizza in the microwave once, it'll get all soggy after 30 seconds but be warm and have melted cheese. Put it in the toaster oven for 3 minutes and it gets crispy, with warm melted cheese and hot tomato sauce. Everything works better with convection and radiation heat (my toaster oven has a convection fan! ^_^).

 

[Rick500]

I prefer "the modern way" when it's some combination of better/safer/faster/cheaper... but I do build guitars and prefer handmade rasps to anything else for carving necks and body contours. So I guess it just depends on the task at hand.

I'm with you on microwaved pizza... ick. Toaster oven all the way.
But I do use the microwave for a lot of other stuff. No better way to make popcorn, IMO.

 

[tdavisii]

I had open heart surgery and only bit on a piece of bark for pain Im all about technology anti lock brakes, disposable razors, and i i even use a microwave. On the other hand i only brew AG and love to bowhunt because of the history and tradition behind both............go figure

 

[bluefoxicy]

I had open heart surgery and only bit on a piece of bark for pain Im all about technology anti lock brakes, disposable razors, and i i even use a microwave. On the other hand i only brew AG and love to bowhunt because of the history and tradition behind both............go figure

I've read that all-grain will always taste better than extract. I guess that's subjective, but apparently someone notices a real difference at least.

Bow hunting can be fun. I try not to kill things, but I like eating dead things.

 

[olllllo]

I liked this site better when it was read aloud by the town crier.

 

[John Beere]

I liked this site better when it was read aloud by the town crier.

I lol'ed... heh

 

[EvilTOJ]

I'm posting this from my slide rule.

 

[Bob]

I like the "old ways" and the "old things", but I don't consider myself a Luddite.

I enjoy following developments in science and technology. I've been following the Large Hadron Collider as closely as I can with my limited understanding of the science. (By the way, if you thought the LHC was going to collapse the universe, click here: Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the earth yet? ) I'm typing this message on a box that H G Wells would have considered magical.

But I disagree that progress is always good, that biggerfasterLOUDERMORE is the best of all possible things. That's why we've got spilling-over landfills and a finite amount of petrochemicals. Not only does doing things the old way slow life down and let you savor it more, it also tends to have less impact on our environment. Fewer plastic razors, for example.

The march of progress will continue. Technology will continue to advance. Consumer-electronics marketing will continue to pound desire for the latest new mobile phone or wide-screen plasma HD TV into our collective psyche.

But what do we really need? Do we need a widget that lets us put on headphones and listen to music instead of interacting with other people? Do we need a widget attached to our mobile phone that urges us to cut off real conversations in order to answer the phone? True story: I was talking to a person, having a detailed, intricate conversation about a rather esoteric subject. Suddenly, she starts having a completely different conversation with the Bluetooth thingy in her ear. One does not expect to hear "Hi! How are you!" twice in one conversation, does one? All without the simplest, "Please excuse me" or explanation. She just ended our real conversation and started talking someone else - "Whatcha up to? Me? Oh, nothing." - really? Nothing!? I haven't spoken to her since.

Do we need to watch King of Queens on a wide-screen plasma HD TV? What's wrong with going to the bookshelf and reading an improving book? Hell, log on to your high-speed WWW connection and read something improving. Go to FactCheck.org and figure out the candidates. Go to Google and search on ways to improve your brewing. Just slow down a bit and stop rotting your brain to mush with insipid TV programs, stop being a sheeple and start slowing down. Experience your own life instead of watching someone else's (false) life on reality(?) TV.

That's what it's all about. It ain't being a Luddite. It's about living a real life.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[EvilTOJ]

I actually do like doing some things the old fashioned way. Heck, who says I need to spend hours and hours crushing grain, soaking it in hot water, rinsing it, boiling it, fermenting it, waiting 6 weeks for beer when I can just go to the store now? There's just something to be said for doing something the hard way is better sometimes. It makes you appreciate how much better doing things the easy way is, so you better appreciate it. My mom and stepdad bought a T@B trailer for camping, after years and years of tent camping. They figured they've had enough sleeping on the ground and want some luxury. They think it's the freakin Taj Mahal. It's rather amusing seeing this tiny thing next to the $150,000 behemoths in the RV campground areas.

I'm all for advances in technology, but I fear that our consumer-based culture will turn us into whiny-ass blubberslobs that won't be able to function without them. Oh wait, that's already happening! How many times I have gone camping where some halfwit fuaksticks just have to play their pristine SUV's stereo so loud for hours and hours? Or bring floodlamps so it's not so dark? IT'S CAMPING YOU MORONS NOT TAILGATING!!

In other news, here's a news still from the Large Hadron Collider firing up for the first time;

 

[uglygoat]

do you guys take your dirty linens down to the river and wash em with a bar of lye soap and a rock?

 

[flyangler18]

do you guys take your dirty linens down to the river and wash em with a bar of lye soap and a rock?

Nah, but I do hang clothes/linens out on a line to dry whenever I can.

 

[KingBrianI]

EvilTOJ, if you're camping close enough to SUVs to hear their stereo, you're not doing it right!

 

[nyer]

That's one of the reasons I started brewing my own beer. I also like to make my own sausage. My favorite old fashioned thing to do is bowhunt for deer. I absolutely love disappearing into the woods all alone and getting as close to a deer as possible. I do use a modern compound right now but I have been practicing with a recurve. I make my own arrows and my ultimate goal is to make my own recurve and wooden arrows and then take a deer from the ground with it.

 

[jds]

I brew my coffee with an old-fashioned french press, although I heat the water in an electric kettle. I drink the coffee from a hand-thrown ceramic mug made by a master craftsman, although I re-heat said mug and coffee in the microwave.

I discuss the millennia-old art of brewing over a communication system that's not a half-century old.

All in all, to me the "doing things the old way" part is interesting, but it's the juxtaposition of the old and the new that really brings a grin to my face.

 

[Laurel]

I think it's silly to do things the old-fashioned way for the sake of doing them the old-fashioned way.

Not having ABS and TC on a car seems ridiculous because you think you're "better" than them. Of course some good driver know-how is no replacement for them, but paying attention and using the two will usually make you a better driver than not. There's a reason F1 uses ABS, and when they switched from TC cars to not TC cars, lap times decreased notably. LOTS of race drivers prefer using cars with ABS, and traction control really does help in low traction situations of every day driving. You can continue to feel that you're above them, but professional drivers don't avoid cars that have them. The "better than TC and ABS" sentiment seems common among the boy racer types, of which I used to be. The more I learn about technology and see it's application, the more I appreciate it.

I use "old-fashioned" methods when I get an end product that I perceive to be "better" in some way. I make my own pasta when I want to prepare a very tasty meal. I use my french press because in my experience, I get a better product than if I were to use a Mr. Coffee, and it's less mess. I sear meats and do most of my cooking in a cast iron pan, but choose to use a nonstick pot to make rice.

I'll be moving up to all-grain soon, but you can bet your ass that I'll be using the technology of a modern cooler, modern CPVC for a manifold, and I'll be checking my water and mash temps with an instant-read thermometer. I also use star-san instead of boiling all of my items. I take birth control so I don't get pregnant and I'm VERY glad for modern dentistry that allowed me to keep a molar and have a root canal done instead of having the tooth pulled.

I also prefer to use a printer instead of a typewriter, an MP3 player instead of a record player or paying a band to follow me around, and a gas powered-lawnmower instead of a motorless push mower.

 

[Donasay]

For me it isn't about doing things the old way or the new way. It is about understanding how things work, doing things with the utmost care, ensuring quality, and being connected to the things you use and make. I don't do everything the "Old way," but I have tried to do many things the old way just to see how things are done.

A quick run down.
Starting soon I will be shaving with a straight razor.
I use a silvertip badger brush and shaving soap.
I have a car without any modern amenities ABS traction control etc, and to the extent possible I do all of the maintenance and care.
I have personally made some of the furniture in my house, (Kitchen table, book shelves, coffee table etc.)
I garden every summer and eat what I grow all summer long
Every summer I use my excess tomatoes to make sauce and preserve it for winter

I make my own food from scratch whenever possible including:
Jelly and preserves
Pasta
Bread
Saurkraut
Sausage
Salsa
Potato and corn chips
Hummous
And several other things the list can go on.

As an extension of the making your own food thing:
I brew my own beer
I make my own cheese
I grow my own hops

There are other things I have done in the past and decided not to continue doing because they took to long:
Soap making
Candle making
Making my dog's food

I have considered starting but decided against:
Bee keeping
Keeping chickens for eggs

And as a little **** You, I am a man and I know how to make yarn and knit.

 

[flyangler18]

Donasay,

I really like your philosophy. Making things from scratch is definitely all about having a better understanding of the process involved- not too mention the pride when you've finished the job!

There is an invariable nostalgia that goes along with slowing down and making things from scratch- one of my fondest memories is watching my grandmother make every single meal from scratch using 'intuitive' measurements- and it's carried over into the way that I cook as well. Certainly, we don't have to do these things- but dammit, I love going out into my garden and picking everything that I'm going to make for dinner that night. Nothing beats a big fat tomato fresh plucked off the vine, IMO.

 

[olllllo]

I started a thread a long time ago that relates to this tangentially:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f19/what-last-genuine-authentic-experiences-49098/

 

[tdavisii]

For me it isn't about doing things the old way or the new way. It is about understanding how things work, doing things with the utmost care, ensuring quality, and being connected to the things you use and make. I don't do everything the "Old way," but I have tried to do many things the old way just to see how things are done.

A quick run down.
Starting soon I will be shaving with a straight razor.
I use a silvertip badger brush and shaving soap.
I have a car without any modern amenities ABS traction control etc, and to the extent possible I do all of the maintenance and care.
I have personally made some of the furniture in my house, (Kitchen table, book shelves, coffee table etc.)
I garden every summer and eat what I grow all summer long
Every summer I use my excess tomatoes to make sauce and preserve it for winter

I make my own food from scratch whenever possible including:
Jelly and preserves
Pasta
Bread
Saurkraut
Sausage
Salsa
Potato and corn chips
Hummous
And several other things the list can go on.

As an extension of the making your own food thing:
I brew my own beer
I make my own cheese
I grow my own hops

There are other things I have done in the past and decided not to continue doing because they took to long:
Soap making
Candle making
Making my dog's food

I have considered starting but decided against:
Bee keeping
Keeping chickens for eggs

And as a little **** You, I am a man and I know how to make yarn and knit.

I was all for ya until the whole yarn and knitting thing J/k

 

[CraigC]

Not having ABS and TC on a car seems ridiculous because you think you're "better" than them. Of course some good driver know-how is no replacement for them, but paying attention and using the two will usually make you a better driver than not. There's a reason F1 uses ABS, and when they switched from TC cars to not TC cars, lap times decreased notably. LOTS of race drivers prefer using cars with ABS, and traction control really does help in low traction situations of every day driving. You can continue to feel that you're above them, but professional drivers don't avoid cars that have them. The "better than TC and ABS" sentiment seems common among the boy racer types, of which I used to be. The more I learn about technology and see it's application, the more I appreciate it.

This is true, but not the whole story. There is a significant difference in how racing systems are configured compared to how street systems are configured. Traction control on race cars is designed and implemented to give maximum traction at all times, and the margin of error between the limits of the traction control and the limits of the car's real traction is very small. That's far different from some guy driving his Honda and having an intrusive factory traction system cut in to prevent him from getting anywhere near the limits of the car. Same goes for ABS.

That said, anyone can "outdrive" their traction system on their street cars, but it sure as hell doesn't mean they're better than it. If you actually go to a road course and run it with your TC on, you'll find that your fastest laps are the ones where your TC cuts in the fewest times. Smoothness is the key to fast driving, and people tend to mistake their "jerkiness" (which brings the TC on) for skill.

 

[tdavisii]

maybe traction control but NO ONE can out smart the anti lock brake system. Just because there are too many variable when braking.

 

[CraigC]

maybe traction control but NO ONE can out smart the anti lock brake system. Just because there are too many variable when braking.

Correct. My point was just that racing ABS is different from the ABS on a Camry.

 

[DUCCCC]

Another safety razor, soap, brush and cup user here!
I love my old Gillette! 10 blades for $1.88, that's like a $300 savings over those 12 bladed things they're sure to bring out next year.

I use CFL bulbs in the house where I can, but I love my Dietz kerosene lanterns too. I have a few muzzleloader rifles, but I also built my own AR15A2.

I like things that are simple and work well, and that I can work on myself. I don't just use old tech for the sake of it, but rather because sometimes the simplicity of the old way is just plain good to use.

I love my drip type coffee maker with the clock and timer settings, even though I have a stovetop perc type maker too. Both make good coffee, but one of 'em has it ready, hot and waiting for me when I wake up! (I don't dare toss out any SWMBO jokes here, lest it gets read and I find myself sleeping in the garage for a while...)

 

[KingBrianI]

This is true, but not the whole story. There is a significant difference in how racing systems are configured compared to how street systems are configured. Traction control on race cars is designed and implemented to give maximum traction at all times, and the margin of error between the limits of the traction control and the limits of the car's real traction is very small. That's far different from some guy driving his Honda and having an intrusive factory traction system cut in to prevent him from getting anywhere near the limits of the car. Same goes for ABS.

That said, anyone can "outdrive" their traction system on their street cars, but it sure as hell doesn't mean they're better than it. If you actually go to a road course and run it with your TC on, you'll find that your fastest laps are the ones where your TC cuts in the fewest times. Smoothness is the key to fast driving, and people tend to mistake their "jerkiness" (which brings the TC on) for skill.

Hey Now! My "Honda" has traction control, ABS, AND is probably about the closest you can get to an F1 car without paying much more or having something custom built. At the track, of course I would turn the traction control off. But if it ever kicks on around town, it's because something is very wrong in which case I'm glad for it. It's generous enough to let you get some rotation from the back tires without kicking in as long as you don't go crazy.

 

[CraigC]

Hey Now! My "Honda" has traction control, ABS, AND is probably about the closest you can get to an F1 car without paying much more or having something custom built. At the track, of course I would turn the traction control off. But if it ever kicks on around town, it's because something is very wrong in which case I'm glad for it. It's generous enough to let you get some rotation from the back tires without kicking in as long as you don't go crazy.

I didn't intend to pick on Hondas, or say that people shouldn't have traction control. My point was just that there is a huge difference between TC on a street car and a race car. As to my TC on the track comment, it's amazing how far TC will let you go as long as you're smooth with your inputs.

 

[bluefoxicy]

maybe traction control but NO ONE can out smart the anti lock brake system. Just because there are too many variable when braking.

Not really.

As you apply the brakes, the wheels start to slow down. When the wheels rotate sufficiently slow, the force needed to turn them starts to approach the force of friction. The wheels begin to "slip" -- part of the wheel's surface will lose traction first, and the wheels will begin to take less than one full revolution's circumference per same unit of road traveled. In other words, if your wheels take you 5 feet when they turn once, they might turn once inside of i.e. 5.25 feet (5% slippage).

Your optimum braking force occurs at 11% slippage. Anti-lock brakes attempt to maintain this. The mechanism for this is simple: They sense wheel rotation speed. If one wheel is rotating slower than the rest, then a computer uses hydraulics to release the brakes on that wheel until the wheel catches up to the others. This works if we assume that one wheel slips faster than the others, and by equalizing it we keep a specific amount of slippage. In some cases 2-3 wheels slip, and the system doesn't activate; older ABS installations used ABS sensors and hydraulics on two wheels and had this problem a lot, while newer use it on all four and don't have this problem often.

If you adjust your steering, you have a different amount of force. Adjust it too far (i.e. take a sharp curve at 60mph, even on totally dry road and good tires), and your wheels effectively lock in the current direction of motion, and you skid (sideways). Generally, when braking and turning, you need to brake less to avoid slipping too much. If you turn too hard, you need to brake less than 0 braking force, which means you spin out.

Your only braking variable in most situations is traction with the road. ABS works by it based on equalizing relative wheel speed as an indicator of slippage. In situations involving gravel and snow, there are other considerations; humans can routinely stop in 20% less distance than ABS can stop them in if on loose gravel or deep snow. In other bad situations, it doesn't matter; try ABS braking on wet leaves, even if you don't slide you can't brake fast and your steering is minimal before you start skidding.

There's a difference between a very fast braking human and ABS: ABS will always operate in such a way that you have continuous control over the vehicle. Humans will often panic and skid, or intentionally push the brakes hard enough that doing anything other than a straight stop is impossible; I know I've stopped in short distances somehow where I'd have to let off the brakes if I wanted to attempt to maneuver, because turning the wheel with that much braking force would just spin me.

ABS does its job, and works very well for most drivers. Experienced drivers will want it off in the snow and gravel, because they can definitely stop faster. Most of us can't otherwise outdo ABS, but some of us can keep up with it and enjoy being in control of our car, including braking. Most of us can't threshold brake either (which can outdo ABS), and threshold braking gives you zero control.

 

[phissionkorps]

Most of us can't otherwise outdo ABS, but some of us can keep up with it

Let's see you pump your brakes 3x per second. Video or BS..

 

[BigKahuna]

I live in a shack, I kill what I eat, and I poop in a hole.



























NOOOOO Just F**ken with ya. I'm Mr Techno Gadgetry...but my budget keeps me a bit behind....Anyone know where I can get the "Any" key for a comedore 64?

 

[bluefoxicy]

Let's see you pump your brakes 3x per second. Video or BS..

Pump your brakes for what exactly? That's cadence braking.

When I brake, I push the brake pedal down smoothly and quickly until I feel the car starting to skid. I then back off the brakes a little bit to grab the road again, and then smoothly push down.

As you pass the braking threshold, you'll come loose from the road and suddenly stop slowing down. This is what ABS senses individual wheels doing; its reaction is to release pressure and then gently reapply it again until the wheels start slipping again. The above technique mimics this, and in truth simply lets you quickly and easily apply "threshold braking." Tends to stop me pretty damn fast, on non-highway roads I've always stopped within a car length (even from 40mph) when I had to panic stop.

Cadence braking works the same, except you release the brakes and hit them hard again and again. The reason you do this is so you can keep control; threshold braking breaks down as soon as you try to steer, and you have to release some brake pressure to keep control. it's easier for a human to just pump the brakes. Similarly, ABS will detect one wheel slipping and back off on it, then begin reapplying until it detects slippage again (i.e. not rhythmically pumping, it actually backs off when applying too much pressure instead of fully locking and unlocking).

I prefer threshold braking to cadence braking when I'm driving without ABS. If I need to cadence brake, something is very wrong, because I have basically no real stopping power and braking isn't going to work anyway (i.e. on ice). Like ABS, cadence braking also extends braking distances on deep snow and gravel, although it gives better control than locking your wheels (which you want to do on deep snow and gravel if you can afford to just slide straight).

Point is, no, I can't and don't want to pump my brakes 3x per second. There's better ways to stop.

 

[purple]

As a newer driver I am very thankful for the ABS and other features of my newer automatic Passat. I however will most likely be pulling her apart so that I can replace the water pump and timing belt myself. Savings of $700-800 over the dealership even after parts are factored in.

I don't use a straight razor and neither does my husband. I get my 4+ blades free after coupon, so why do otherwise. He does have an old safety razor and soap/brush set he uses sometimes but it tends to not go well with cutting himself, lol.

We have more cast iron than two people need (just bough adorable mini-casseroles last night on clearance) buy hard lump charcoal and use a charcoal chimney. I can't do without my Pam Pro or Weber grill spray or non-stick aluminum foil (which we reuse after washing). We grow a garden and have hunted for meat, with a bow (in-laws make and hunt bow). I prefer a well and a septic field to town treated water and a wood stove for heat to a hot or air system.

I look forward to finding the time and money this winter to make my own brews. If we purchase the house we're looking at we will probably grow our own grains, as well as get a couple chickens, a goat and a pig, maybe a meat cow or a couple turkeys. We will be looking into solar panels though and our CFLs will be moving with us (3yrs strong).

I adore the old ways and think the knowledge should be preserved, but I don't always think they are best. I've made a shawl starting from the sheep (fun program down south) but does that mean I want to every time?

 

[bluefoxicy]

He does have an old safety razor and soap/brush set he uses sometimes but it tends to not go well with cutting himself, lol.

I tend to pull my 5 blade razors straight; if they slide sideways even a little, they can cut. Also have to be careful the angle going over soft, easily-bunched skin; if i.e. your chin gets squeezed a little as the blade slides over, it can knick off some skin.

I can't imagine a girl shaving. Too much complex terrain I'm mostly unfamiliar with. You're on your own figuring that out but I'm sure you got it covered.