The Earth is Enough

Laminarman · May 5, 2004

I figured I'd post a little off topic here. I would assume most of you are outdoors, destructo/building, hunting, fishing, farming and gardening type folks so I was wondering what you like to read. I find myself reading farming and gardening and landscape books since buying a tractor (what the hell happened to me??). I'm an avid outdoorsman. One of my favorite books is The Earth is Enough by Harry Middleton. A great read.

Please tell me what you like to read. Sorry if this post doesn't appeal to some of you.

Poppa · May 5, 2004

Oddly enough, since getting serious about buying the tractor, I have spent most of my time reading the websites and flyers of different tractor companies. I also have spent an inordinate amount of time at TBN.

Imagine that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

Whiskey · May 5, 2004

Laminarman:

When I do read it's most likely "how to books" or "repair manuals"...buy the way, the last one, reading repair manuals really freaks the wife out! When she comes in the house and I have the owners manuals for one of the the tractor's or trucks in my lap...she'll say something wrong with the tractor's...no hun...just reading....you get this complete blank stare.

It's kind of fun to mess with a women's mind and see them go blank /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Laminarman · May 5, 2004

Whiskey:

I could get in trouble and say that messing with a woman's mind is easy, but I see what you're saying. When I read about making my small organic farm profitable or how to have a successful organic vegetable garden, my wife just gives me a blank, dead stare and I have to check if she's breathing. She does that for one or more reasons:

1. I don't have a farm
2. I don't plan on having a farm
3. The "organic" movement drives me crazy (sorry)
4. I will likely never sell anything to make my nonfarm profitable
5. I eat meat...lots of it after shooting (er..harvesting) it myself
6. Vegetarians drive me crazy (sorry again).

I have one question Whiskey...what kind of whiskey do you like to sip??

Soundguy · May 5, 2004

Lets see.. besides the online tractor and related forums, I read prinbt publications about the same.. tractor club newsletters.. and antique traqctor mags.. like antique iron, and vintage power. Also many related mags like Hobby farmer. Tractor manuals and shop guides as well as feed, implement and livestock literature.. whether provided by a manufacture as product info.. or a comercialy available "'how o raise 'x' ".

I also hit a few technical publications about electronics and engineering in general to make my boss happy! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Besides that.. the daily newspaper cover to cover...

'bout all I have time for..

Soundguy

Boondox · May 5, 2004

I used to read a lot about small scale farming, but found so many of them applied to a particular situation (lattitude, altitude, soil type, etc) that I gave up and just figured we'd build on our experience. Still use books as primers, but we're actually at the point where we're thinking of writing our own!

To me, few things are as relaxing as sitting outside with my pets or livestock reading woodworking mags or, gasp!, Harry Potter! Gotta keep the books away from the sheep though; they nibble the corners!

Pete

Whiskey · May 5, 2004

Laminarman:

So, I see you do know of what I'm talking about....that stare is weird huh?......

Anywho....I don't sip top shelf, never devolped a taste for it...go figure / Jack Daniels or Early Times is what you will most likey find in my "I need to unwind cabinet" or "I'm having a bad day cabinet" or what ever ya call that place where you keep the fire water!

BillyP · May 5, 2004

Hey Whiskey. If you're ever close to Tennessee, try your best to go throw Lynchburg TN. It's a little town but the Jack Daniels distillery is there. Very interesting place to tour. The wife and I have toured it twice and I don't even like whiskey /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Burk · May 5, 2004

Makers Mark!! During my last job I spent alot of time in Kentucky. A water glass with 6 ice cubes and fill up with Makers Mark will diffently help you unwind. I also enjoy reading, I will check it out

Boondox · May 5, 2004

Way back in the early days at the gourmet coffee roaster where I work we tried a whiskey flavored coffee. Turned out to be a bad experiment as the whiskey evaporated off the freshly roasted beans too quickly, but my oh my did the plant smell interesting for a while! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Pete

Bird · May 5, 2004

( tried a whiskey flavored coffee. Turned out to be a bad experiment )

I can imagine how that worked. Is it "Irish Coffee" when you put the whiskey in coffeee. I'd heard it was good, so I tried it many years ago, and in my opinion, ruined both the coffee and the whiskey. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Of course, I'm just not a whiskey drinker, unless you count a little Scotch and water now and then. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

rockinmywaypa · May 5, 2004

Laminarman As long as you're not going to farm an excellent crop to not grow is thistles. This kind of reminded me of a story I read about a guy that wanted to collect on a gov't program that paid you to not raise pigs. He thought razerbacks would be a good choice to not raise.

Laminarman · May 5, 2004

Whiskey, books, not raising pigs. This is a good post.

Here's how I like to unwind: Lights off except for my reading lamp next to my big leather chair, big chunky ice over which is poured a little (or lot) of Gentleman Jack (mmmmm) and a little George Bird Evans:

"Yesterday I looked up into our golden maples and everything I saw was heaven, the aching beauty of these mountains that all my life have had me and I them, from the time when I was a boy I loved them without understanding the meaning of love"

From A Dog, A Gun and Time Enough

Egon · May 5, 2004

I make weekly trips to the library bringing home about six to eight books that vary from scientific to Agatha Christie and anything between. Favorite reading spot is in the camper parked at the lake or on the big leather recliner in the sunroom. Never sip when readin as it ruins what little concentration I have.

But I can spend hours sitting in front of a fire with a cool barley malt sandwich.

Egon

Tdog · May 5, 2004

Makers Mark or Knob Creek will do just fine!

Reading? Northern Tool, Harbor Freight, Craftsman, etc.

But gotta admit, over the last year [spent a lot of time with my wife at drs offices & hospitals], I read & re-read several things, all the way from the Lord of the Rings trilogy to Harry Potter to Band of Brothers. Nothing was as enjoyable, though, as the re-read of Huckleberry Finn!

Bird · May 6, 2004

( over the last year [spent a lot of time with my wife at drs offices & hospitals], I read & re-read several things )

Me, too. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif But it was reading magazines and newspapers instead of books.

Youare · May 6, 2004

My favorite reading material is the owners manual of life. It helps me put the events of the world, especially today, into the proper perspective and brings me to the place of being thankful for all that I have.

The earth will do for now but what's beyond it is far more intresting. It's nice having a relationship with the Creator of all that is. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Randy

SCB · May 6, 2004

Have to agree on the makers mark. As far as reading, in a word, ANYTHING. My wife laughs at me because if I don't have a manual or how to book (or my computer for TBN), then I'll read candy wrappers, or billboards, etc. Compulsive that way I guess. Good Post!!

Laminarman · May 7, 2004

Since I posted this topic, any recommendations on "how to build things" books beyond ordinary Lowes "How to Build a Deck" or Landscape book? Any soup to nuts books on light construction work and building?

ljh2 · May 7, 2004

I enjoy a sip every now and then of W.L. Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon... and on occasion for a change of pace a little Jameson 'Red-Breast' Irish Whiskey isn't too shabby either. Good to unwind with either one -- especially on a cold winter night in front of the fireplace. I surely wouldn't want to ruin a nice Whiskey with any ice or water though. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

On the other hand, like Egon said, a nice cold beer while sitting around the campfire is pretty nice too. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif