Smatters

Matters of the Smith-Atwood family

Favorite Posts

Chevy Bolt: A Tour Under the EV's HoodNovember 21, 2019
Obituary: GrumFebruary 5, 2026
Cato Went BogusApril 24, 2020
Charter Presentations for Scouting UnitsApril 4, 2011
Maypole FAQJuly 14, 2008
The Postcolonial Wood Badge StoryOctober 5, 2021

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Rick

  • Real Winter

    Real Winter has arrived at our home today. The Weather Service calls it ‘blizzard conditions’ so I skipped the rush-hour trip to a volunteer breakfast in St. Paul. There is an honest-to-gosh snow drift…

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  • Dangerous Yardwork

    I think chain saws gain mythic proportions in any safety-conscious household. My dad grew up on a rural farm in the early 1900s, and statistically, a farm is about the most dangerous “natural” workplace…

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  • Making Spock Ears

    Here is an adorably geeky photo of Alex and his fiancee, Courtney. The big story, though, is in constructing the Spock ears. Alex and Courtney made a desperate search of costume stores and such…

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  • Reading Alcott

    My secret vice is that I read adolescent fiction on my smart phone. This awful habit started years ago. I have the collected works of Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery and I…

    Read more: Reading Alcott

  • Abuse by a Scout Leader

    A Burnsville Scoutmaster has been accused of molesting three troop members. It’s impossible to 100% prevent such incidents, just as it’s impossible to prevent death and injury during scouting events. Scouts are specifically taught…

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  • Bye, Whimsey

    We said goodbye to Whimsey this morning. She’s been a wonderful dog, though we knew the cancer would be taking her soon.

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  • Linux and Gnu on “Revolution OS”

    There was a documentary produced back in 2002 about free software, open source, Linux, Gnu, Stallman, and Torvalds. A topic ripe with irony. I finally saw the documentary, Revolution OS, on Netflicks. The video…

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