Vernal Independence Kresten

That's right. That's my real mormon name. Find out what your real mormon name is with this handy and hilarious mormon name generator...

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/mormon/

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It's gotta be fresh!

No we don't starve our birds. They get fed every morning, but this little guy just can't wait! Maybe he just likes his food as fresh as possible. He jumps right in the minute Peggy goes inside with the food.

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Using my Christmas present

I finally got enough research and studying done to feel comfortable making the first set of test bullets for my 7mm Remington Magnum. I made 50 rounds, ten each of 5 different powder loads. Next I'm off to the range to see which ones my gun likes best. Then I'll reload everything I have with the same load.

Pressing in the bullets


My results. YES these are my bullets and YES I took the picture.
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When you have a tiny shop...

....you gotta make the most of the space you have. I made a torsion box from some old counter-top and mounted it as an extension on my table saw. Then I cut a hole, dadoed the edge and made a plexi-glass base plate for my router. Voila! Instant router table. It can even share the table saw rip fence. I made a blank cover for the hole when I'm not using the router.

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My Mandolin - Not the stringed kind...

Peggy got some pickling cukes from Bountiful Baskets last week and we made pickles. Our little mandolin was just not cutting it (no pun intended) so we went shopping for a new one. Guess what...they're dang expensive! $50 for a cheapo.

We decided to skip it and by the time we got home I had hatched a plan. One old high-carbon steel knife and some scrap oak did the trick. By the way - this is about the 10th thing I've made out of re-purposed oak that used to be the trundle on the kitchen table Dad made when we were kids!

My radial arm saw worked perfectly for cutting the ramp.

Just the right thickness - and it only cost few minutes of shop time, which I don't mind!
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Christmas blog

We cheaped out this year and decided to post an electronic Christmas Card this year. (Thanks for the idea, Al!) Click the link below to pop over there!

Merry Christmas to all our loved ones!

XR's Christmas Card

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Gosh! I love the Japanese!

Check out this cool story in a blog I stumbled across. If you're like me, you'll end up loving the Japanese too - even if just a little.

Make sure to read the entire story so you don't miss the best stuff!

Ogori Cafe
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MyParentsWereAwesome...

Like nostalgic old photos? Check out this cool blog I ran across...

MyParentsWereAwesome.com
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Volleyball Season Again

Charlotte is in Yellow, Jersey #7, Teal shorts.

Klara is in dark blue, Jersey # 1, light green plaid shorts.

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No longer just a gatherer!

FINALLY!

We glassed a hill all afternoon on opening day and at about 3:00pm I spotted two small bucks working their way over the top of the hill. We watched them for a little while as they wandered through the bushes and then back over the crest of the hill. We were about 420 yards from where they were and had to move into a better position. We circled around and down to a closer ridge over the next hour, keeping an eye on them as we crept ever nearer. Our friend, Clay, ranged them at about 180 yards. I waited for quite a while for a good shot and finally at about 4:30pm one presented a side and stood still for a few seconds. I squeezed one off and hit him, but he didn't go down immediately. A few seconds later he popped up again about 30 yards to the left and just stared at me. The second shot dropped him where he stood. Then it was the steep climb to get to him and the half-mile uphill drag out. After many years of deer hunting, I finally have my first Coues Whitetail. Thank you, Clay, for all the advice and support!

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