Take the medicine and we will all feel better.

You may find this hard to believe, but there actually was a time when I was a kid. Even harder to believe is that I can still remember some of the things that happened back then. For example, all internal ailments were cured with Castor oil. The theory was if you drink that slimy elixir you would pretty much puke out whatever was wrong inside. Oddly, it actually seemed to work. External problems like cuts, abrasions and lacerations required Methiolade. As kids we actually thought this was the blood of the devil himself because it would burn like hell and leave a sinister red stain on everything it touched. As it turns out, the active ingredient was iodine. Just imagine dumping iodine into an open wound. There is a word for that - torture!

No wonder, when the doctoring was over, you felt a lot better!

Not to change the subject but, metaphorically speaking, our camping-tips.com newsletter and web sites need a little medicinal treatment. This month we'll do the Castor oil (newsletter) and next month the Methiolade (websites). Five months have gone by in 2009 and this makes the fifth newsletters to go out, I am proud to say. Now I know you are not going to want to do this but I really need to know what you think about our camping community content. Then we can use your opinions to improve newsletters, videos and websites.

There aren't any essay questions and I don't even grade them so you can't fail '. :-) So pleeeease take our little camping survey ( It's less than 20, mostly multiple choice, questions.)

You'll feel better and so will I but mostly I'll bet you will find our content gets better over time with your input.

Thanks - Ken

Go Camping ( After you do the survey ;-)

Forget the Swine - Go Camping!

I take a week off to go turkey hunting and come back from the woods to find the swine have all but overtaken us. I'm not talking about the flu, I'm talking about the press. There is a pandemic happening all right, but it's not a disease it's a press feeding frenzy. It is so bad my president felt compelled to say "Cover your mouth when you cough." Don't they teach that in kindergarten anymore?

Our vice president says don't fly because you have to breath that recirculated air? A plane is diverted to a landing because someone has flu like symptoms? Our press has taken compulsion to new hipes, I mean heights. I have four words for them - GIVE ME A BREAK ! And find some real story to report or take a vacation if things are that slow. But please, don't go turkey hunting, you might get shot.

After all, a lot of bad things 'could' happen. Let's see, we have the possibility of an E.L.E. meteor, a nuclear holocaust, global warming and, my grandmother's favorite, you could poke someones eye out if you don't put that stick down!

All I can say is I am sure glad it isn't a turkey flu. It took me six years to get drawn for spring turkey which is my favorite hunt because it follows those long hard winters we have here in Camp Verde Arizona. It got all the way down to freezing several times this winter and it even threaten to snow once! Think of the havoc that could have wreaked - cars sliding into ditches, potential power outages and your ears could get cold too.

I have actually had the flu, several times in my lifetime and while it certainly wasn't any fun, I never felt like it was on the same level as small pox or leprosy. I guess that shows you what little I know about such things. Ignorance truly is bliss.....I guess.

I'm going back to the woods. I have never seen a turkey sneeze.

Go Camping!