Weekend Open Thread: Tis the season edition…

H. Clay Aalders
Weekend Open Thread
·11 Comments·

Actually, this might be a better 2020 tree:

Howdy folks.

Apologies again for the half-assed open thread last weekend. Took a family day and got our Christmas tree, and went for a hike. Plus Wednesday was Press Day, and I just ran out of gas. Of course, this being 2020, our plastic Christmas Tree stand cracked the next day, and Saturday we get to undecorate the tree so we can transfer it to another stand, and then we get to redecorate it. Last weekend it was the traditional first (of about 3 dozen) annual screenings of White Christmas, but tomorrow I am watching Ohio State.

At least the solution to our problem is more straightforward than this…

I was lame, and forgot to ship Mark R.’s new CRKT M40. I will remedy that on Monday. I have a Ruana T-shirt to give away. It is an XL, so if that doesn’t work for the winner, I have a Ruana hat you can have instead. As always, 5 comments or replies count as entries, and Mark doesn’t count this week.

This actually seems like the best case scenario this year…

Because it can always be worse…

Anything new with y’all? Score any good Black Friday/Cyber Monday steel? I never pulled the trigger on the $30 Buck 110. Just laziness on my part. Because the deal was as good as the $32 Boker Kalashnikov I got from BladeHQ on Cyber Monday about 5 years ago. But that was the exception. The deals were largely tepid this year.

Have a great weekend everyone…

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H. Clay Aalders

H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. He spent the past 20 years as a woodworker and fishing guide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Tennessee. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives - spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. His background is in fixed-blade hunting and bushcraft knives, but has jumped into the world of vintage slipjoint collecting with both feet since coming to work at Knife Magazine. Clay’s primary role is as Digital Editor, curating and creating new content for our website and blog, as well as maintaining the Knife Magazine social media accounts (FB/IG: @theknifemag, Twitter: @knifemagazine). He is also a contributor and Associate Editor of the print magazine.

11 Responses

  1. All: I am still improving “healthwise”. Lingering fatigue especially in my legs is the most prevalent aftereffect of the virus I had last week. I spoke with my doctor about testing for covid. She said that since I am recovering from “something” that I can wait a couple of weeks. If I tested now, there is the possibility of a “false positive”. So, I continue to stay at home; BUT, I do get in the F150 and get my MegaMillions and PowerBall tickets! Looking ahead to the knife shows in 2021!! Hocky

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  2. I’m just going to hang up one of those pine tree air fresheners and maybe stick a couple LED’s to it for effect if any company comes over. (don’t want them to think I’m a Scrooge)

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  3. CRKT K.I.S.S. Ed Halligan design. MIB including paperwork. Pawnshop in Hagerstown, $10. If anyone is interested in a nice automatic, I got a Bear & Son AC900 B4-P, Bold Action IX, “Bearstrike” carbon fiber/G10. Do not have the box. Never used.

    Since Wednesday, December 2, I have been fighting an “unknown” something. Started with a fever and aches. Being old school I downed some 500mg aspirin and then another. Fever broke on Thursday. Fatique and ache all over. No breathing issues. I kept bombing my system with the mega-aspirin (. . . my blood must have been “0-W-Zero” by Friday). Sore throat on Friday and Saturday (. . . I have not had a sore throat, EVER. Mom and Dad had my tonsils and adenoids taken out when I was “2”). Started salt water gargles and drinking black tea with honey. Soothing, yeah man. So, I am doing much better here on Sunday. Still have a slight sore throat but aches are gone. Thinking about getting tested for Covid this week. Maybe I caught the flu. . . God sure had some bad days when he invented viruses. But then again, the Almighty had a sense of humor. Why else are there platypi? Hope everybody is doing well Hocky

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    1. Hockey, I hope it was “just” the flu. Sounds like you’re on the mend. Keep it that way!
      And I hope you are over this crud soon.

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      1. Good morning, Mark R: Feeling about 99.9% “normal” today. Thanks for the wellness wish! Still “thinking out” this Covid testing. Hypothesis being: If I test “positive” – I recovered. Consequences of “positive” test: Contact tracing (which is confined to my family in my home) and canceling some important appointments. I am leaning towards self-isolation for the next week. IF I test “negative”, THEN “What the hell was that BUG?”. NOTE: I read an article in the newspaper that the Baltimore Ravens players (like 20 of them) who tested “positive” had UP TO “FOUR” DIFFERENT STRAINS of COVID-19! So this virus is MUTATING, uh-oh. Meanwhile, I continue to read my Clive Cussler novels; currently, “Atlantis Found”.

        Reply

    2. I’m glad you have a new companion! Smart and loyal needs in that pup! I hope it’s a great woods buddy. And, I join you in raising a glass to your old and new canines! Prost!

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  4. Been enjoying using my new custom (deceased dog paw) Gerber Terracraft. Looking at it, I wasn’t sure about how it would feel in hand, but it fits like a glove. The sheath is an impressive addition considering the price. I am going to fit it with a dangler though, as it rides too high for my comfort.
    The other day a friend asked me to sharpen an old auto her father had given her way back. I obliged. Clearly it was an old gas station special that would prolly cut the handler sooner than the target object.. Anyhoo, feeling bad for her, I wound up giving her my Boker Kalashnikov.
    Somehow this led to mind justifying a replacement automatic. Insert Gerber 06 Auto, tanto in G10. Trying not to take advantage of a new friend at Gerber.
    I’m rambling, my wife surprised me with a 7 week old Boarder Collie/Husky puppy last Sunday. I have not slept more than 2 hours at time since… and tonight I’m drinking to these canines, old and new. Salud.

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  5. the turkey carcass bones beat up my older than me yanagiba; it did a fine job of carving but chipped the edge in multiple spots when run aground (onto joints, etc.). abuse and depression. at least it’s better than the way my other one arrived. repair and relegate to slicing duty only.
    just pulled in a sak spartan so as to have a carkscroo in the van. seven bucks and it’s weird: it has the toothpick but no tweezers. never saw that before. time to touch up the edge i’ll seldom use.

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    1. to be clear, i’ve seen plenty of these where the tweezer was missing; this has the toothpick receptacle (and pick intact), but no spot for the tweez to go.

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  6. I picked up a Mora Eldris light, not on discount, but for just over $20 I thought I would see what all the hype was for essentially half a 511 basic at double the price

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