Maxwell 10: Following the 15 minute schedule and the monthly menu

[mango_fandango]

Thing is, when one of either Stud John or Forgotten Jesse gets married, the one left will have a room to himself. They seem to believe that men have a harder time controlling themselves than women... will they stick some kind of CCTV thing in there to monitor him and make sure he isn't doing anything? (Y'all know what I mean. Ahem). 

Or maybe there'll be a double wedding or two weddings close to one another so they don't have to deal with this issue (at least not for long).

[Justmurrayed]

12 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

Thing is, when one of either Stud John or Forgotten Jesse gets married, the one left will have a room to himself. They seem to believe that men have a harder time controlling themselves than women... will they stick some kind of CCTV thing in there to monitor him and make sure he isn't doing anything? (Y'all know what I mean. Ahem). 

Or maybe there'll be a double wedding or two weddings close to one another so they don't have to deal with this issue (at least not for long).

I am SO curious as to what they're going to do. Would it be weird if the lone boy moved in with the girls? They definitely could do a camera thing but that would be weird, but I suppose not too weird for the Maxwell house. 

[Divemaster01]

3 hours ago, nastyhobbitses said:

Considering they seemed surprised that you need to stay hydrated when hiking in the wilderness, I'm pleasantly surprised they realized they needed to filter it. Though I'd love to read a Maxwellian "discovery" or "life hack" about stopping unending torrents of poop.

Pro tip for them-Camelbak water system. Whole lot easier to carry and no filtering. 

[samurai_sarah]

2 hours ago, formergothardite said:

(snip)

I've been Googling water filters and I can't figure out what they are talking about with hand warmth. How are they filtering their water?! Maybe they were scooping snow and boiling it to filter it? But that doesn't explain why it would cost them hand warmth unless they didn't bring gloves and scooping snow got their hands all cold. 

@Palimpsest got it right about having to take off your gloves. I'm guessing they're using a filter that requires you to pump the water through manually. It's a long and tedious process to obtain enough water that way.

Nice filters, absolutely essential if you run the risk of having to drink from stagnant puddles! They remove floating particles, plus filter the water. If you're not bothered about particles, you can use a steripen or just chlorine tablets.

And yes, @Palimpsest you got it right about the badly balanced backpacks. You land on your behind quite often, because they wreak havoc on your natural sense of balance. And yes, it's harsh on the shoulders and the back, if you don't adjust a backpack properly, not to mention the chafing! Good news for chiropractors though.

 

Sorry, I get carried away talking about my hobby.

[samurai_sarah]

34 minutes ago, Divemaster01 said:

Pro tip for them-Camelbak water system. Whole lot easier to carry and no filtering. 

In their defence, they do carry water-carrying systems. The blue tubes and nozzles give it away. But you're right that those make life a whole lot easier.

[Palimpsest]

3 hours ago, samurai_sarah said:

Sorry, I get carried away talking about my hobby.

No worries at all.  It is interesting and informative.  Also consider that you are educating Steve Maxwell.  I'll eat my hat if he doesn't read here.

And Heee!   I got 2 things right today.  There's still life in this old gray mare - and apparently I remember more about good hiking practices than the Maxwell male scions have ever learned.

That makes me wonder - when does Steve consider people elderly?  We know he is fixated on 'the elderly" so does he think he has joined them yet?

He is 65, IIRC.  Teri is 2 months younger than me - and I only cop to late middle age.  I am now officially a "senior" though.  I just passed 62 and am eligible for a hefty discount for the town dump, and discounted entrance at most local museums.  Swings and roundabouts.

[Maggie Mae]

The writing is so bad. I can't tell how many days they backpacked, where they went, really, or much of anything of interest.  He mentions that bear cans are required, but doesn't mention if they actually had one. Tip for the future, Maxwell "boys." If you are in a known bear area, you want to store your bear can (with ALL the food) AWAY from your tent. 

 

I disagree about the tent. We backpack, and it rains quite a bit during an Alaskan summer. Our backpacking tent is much nicer, but it's the same style, with the lightweight detached fly. Most Americans use this type, you set up the tent, then attach the fly. We've never had an issue with the inside being too wet. The single wall mountaineering tents weight twice as much, and the ones from a supermarket for car camping tend to blow over in the wind. Also the bigger the tent the heavier. We try to keep everything as lightweight as possible so you can go further. 

 

[samurai_sarah]

10 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

(snip)

I disagree about the tent. We backpack, and it rains quite a bit during an Alaskan summer. Our backpacking tent is much nicer, but it's the same style, with the lightweight detached fly. Most Americans use this type, you set up the tent, then attach the fly. We've never had an issue with the inside being too wet. The single wall mountaineering tents weight twice as much, and the ones from a supermarket for car camping tend to blow over in the wind. Also the bigger the tent the heavier. We try to keep everything as lightweight as possible so you can go further. 

Hah! Flysheet - thanks, I knew I was using a wrong word somewhere, but it eluded me which one!

We'll have to agree to disagree on the question of the tent. I made bad experiences with your preferred type of set-up. This is my tent: http://www.vango.co.uk/gb/tents/1130-banshee-300.html

The inner is basically suspended from hooks on the inside. You can either take it apart each time you pitch, or just leave it in - makes it quicker to pitch in a sudden downpour.

If you look at the price, you'll see that it's a pretty cheap one, for a trekking tent. I picked it for weight, rain-resistance, and because the brand is a local one that designs tents with the Scotland in mind. Neither the tent, nor I have ever been to Alaska, so I can't say how much good it would be over there.

I can agree with you on cheap supermarket tents. And don't get me started on pop-ups, tarps or bivouac bags . Let's exchange stories from the trenches! I'm terribly interested to hear more about camping and hiking in Alaska, and talk gear. 

I've started a thread, so we don't de-rail completely. 

 

[SPHASH]

OMG Forgotten Jesse is responding to the comments!

[catlady]

Jesse and Teri have gotten wordy in some of their replies; did Steve authorize that?  but Teri the 30-year homeschool queen misspelled Adirondacks twice in one reply.  granted, the leghumper spelled it wrong first, but while Teri knew enough geography to know how far away they are, she still didn't fix it.

[Mary C Doates]

I recently checked in on the Maxwell blog after almost a year of ignoring it. I had hoped one of the daughters might have been able to escape, but things in Maxhell are exactly the same as last year.

[WonderingInWA]

15 minutes ago, Mary C Doates said:

I recently checked in on the Maxwell blog after almost a year of ignoring it. I had hoped one of the daughters might have been able to escape, but things in Maxhell are exactly the same as last year.

Wash, rinse, repeat.  It's the Maxhell theme.

[Palimpsest]

35 minutes ago, Mary C Doates said:

I recently checked in on the Maxwell blog after almost a year of ignoring it. I had hoped one of the daughters might have been able to escape, but things in Maxhell are exactly the same as last year.

If one of the daughters, especially Sarah, ever escapes you won't need to look at Titus2 to learn the news.

Free Jinger will crash, there will be a great earthquake, the sun will be eclipsed, the moon will turn red, the stars will fall to earth, there will be a glut of unripe figs, and every mountain will move.

(My apologies to everyone I have offended by misquoting Revelation.)

[mango_fandango]

We've long joked about what will happen if Sarah actually marries. Things mentioned have included smelling salts for all members (since we'll have all fainted in shock), a special announcement in the announcements section among others. I reckon we should begin said announcement with "KER-CLANG KER-CLANG KER-CLANG!!! Get your smelling salts, alcohol, Pepsi and animal crackers!"

[MamaJunebug]

After several Maxwell-free weeks, I felt adventuresome enough to come over here and  then to go over to their blog and see what's up. Hoo boy! Somebody is getting married sometime soon, I'm certain of that after having read so many Maxblog entries having to do with "making the most of the short time we have together."

Question is only: Who? Jess or John? How is it written in the Unholy Words Of The Book Of Steveri---must the elder of the brothers receive his portion first?

And while I am Steven & Teri's age, I am the oldest living generation of my family. I wonder how GiGi is taking the prospect of being shuttled out of her own home and I nto her son-in-law's nasty-ass, cold, sterile place, at his whim?

[kpmom]

My money would not be on Jesse except he seems to be the common denominator in those  "making the most of the short time we have together posts".

I guess we'll find out (after the wedding, no doubt).

If GiGi does give up her home hopefully it's to live with Teri's sister (Tammy?).

[Black Aliss]

On 7/8/2017 at 5:54 AM, BlackSheep said:

First-time backpackers? Not surprised. They hadn't expected snow... in the mountains... in mid-May. More experienced people end up as statistics in such situations. I'm glad that their trip was postponed and that they're okay.

As an avid hiker, I envy their trip. Beautiful place.

This. I was only a few lines in before I stopped thinking about Jesse's SOTDRT prose and started freaking out about their utter ignorance wrt avalanche hazards. They are so lucky to be alive (I guess their god had his hand on them all the time, which might explain why he was too exhausted afterwards to prevent the Grenfell tower fire)

2 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Free Jinger will crash, there will be a great earthquake, the sun will be eclipsed, the moon will turn red, the stars will fall to earth, there will be a glut of unripe figs, and every mountain will move.

That's a shame about the figs. They're so good once they ripen.

[Granwych]

On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 8:32 PM, SPHASH said:

Is Pasta a curse word in Maxhell like deviled eggs.

"Noodle shells" takes up more space and uses more words than "pasta."  Which is important if one is getting paid per word, but thankfully, Anna isn't.

 

On ‎7‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 10:37 AM, Escadora said:

 Ruthie, Lydia, and Daniel appear to be wearing those food-catching bibs, which is a good thing because

   that's most likely all the food they'll be getting at that particular meal.  Can't waste any!

On ‎7‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 5:17 PM, formergothardite said:

The Maxwells are always baffling. 

Stupefying, absolutely stupefying, and I personally find the whole lot frightening.

[fundiefan]

There is something going on in Maxhell. 

For us, we think of houses, courtship, marriage, babies.

For them, the boys have their own room. Sarah is hiding in the shed to cobble together another book. They're doing some fundie speaking thing, 

I am not excited. I think if it were anyone else, I'd 'read the signs'. But, it's Maxhell. They cut lettuce with a knife instead of a pizza roller or bought new bible covers.

Something going on, by definition, is change. We live normal lives and think of normal things. Maxwells - well, they don't think that way. 

As an aside, I was emptying out the fridge. I had a shit load of leftovers, not enough of anything to redo its original purpose. Threw some brussels sprouts and broccoli onto a pan and roasted it in the oven with some fine Penzys veggie seasoning. Heated some pork ribs in a skillet with some very special seasonings and added sliced potatoes with some more Penzy's seasonings. Added a bit of fresh lettuce to a seven layer salad I had left over from a party on Saturday to crisp it up and added mushrooms & cukes that weren't originally there. 

All this mixing of the past week's leftovers has given me this week's lunch menu. 

I am not special - - -I am merely making the point that, lo, we all make use of leftovers and sometimes doing so is freaking awesome!

[MamaJunebug]

Sarah's in the shed? 

A brief synopsis, anybody somebody? 

My mental health is too fragile to go to Maxhell.com more than once every 6-7 weeks. 

[Dark Matters]

Cayenne pepper on the pie crust instead of cinnamon?  Almost as exciting as the Cheese Paper Incident!

https://blog.titus2.com/2017/07/11/whats-on-the-outside/

[Palimpsest]

10 hours ago, fundiefan said:

I am not special - - -I am merely making the point that, lo, we all make use of leftovers and sometimes doing so is freaking awesome!

Leftovers can indeed be awesome.  And we don't need the Maxwells to tell us that.

Teri's latest post preaches about how you can't tell the state of a person's heart (or well-being) from the outside.  We now have the answer to why they all think Anna's cooking is so wonderful.  

Teri must be a terrible cook.

She once sprinkled cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon on cherry pies.  No-one could tell until they bit into them.  I find that odd because cayenne pepper is bright red and cinnamon is brown.  

[formergothardite]

You can typically smell cinnamon when you sprinkle it too. I think Terri must be completely checked out where she is just going through motions. 

[Palimpsest]

27 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

I think Terri must be completely checked out where she is just going through motions. 

Or she just made the whole cherry pie thing up because she thought it was a good analogy.   That's not fibbing in Maxhell - it is poetic licence.

True confession: I once confused paprika with cayenne and the result was barely edible.  Cayenne and cinnamon though - not at all probable.  

[danvillebelle]

I call bullshit on the cayenne/cinnamon mix-up.  There is no way you wouldn't smell that, either while sprinkling it on or the second it came out of the oven.

Also - someone at Maxhell has been sneaking episodes of Little House; the great cayenne/cinnamon chicken mix-up that Laura pulled on Nellie Oleson, Season 5.