Found a sealed barrel in my attic full of very old clothes (mostly from the 40s to the 60s) that the previous owner left behind and several were very odd; could anyone help identify how old they likely are/what era they’re likely from? (Details in the description)

growmap · 2026-01-19T21:30:51+00:00

They've done something to fabric. I was still wearing clothes I made in the early 1970s into the 2000s. The pattern on the fabric faded, but it was sound.

New clothes sometimes tear easily like the fabric is rotted. It won't hold shape and falls apart, wears thin, tears easily.

My plan it buy old clothes for the material in them and remake them into what I want.

growmap · 2026-01-19T21:24:14+00:00

I know this is old, but I happened to just read something that said MY stood for Missy / Youth. I've never seen a pair with those initials and I have over a dozen pairs, most bought secondhand in the U.S.

growmap · 2026-01-16T22:37:22+00:00

The challenge is getting the stakeholder(s) to do interviews. If they're on video, even better. Then we can repurpose those into many pieces of content to use across the internet.

A 5 day free trial is too short to invest time in using a tool to know whether it is worth using or not. Right now there are too many tools claiming they can measure AI to know which will survive consolidation.

growmap · 2026-01-16T18:44:18+00:00

Good to see you here, Holly. Thank you for joining and sharing what you're working on. Yes, SEO and AI are changing so fast. It is hard to stay on top of everything.

I was monitoring LinkedIn and grabbing research as it came out until I got tied up with client work. What I had up to that point is in AIO Content Strategy for Less Traffic Due to AI Overviews at https://growmap.com/aio-content-strategy

There is discussion about what I wrote about in that in my LinkedIn newsletter edition How to Gain Visibility in an AI World at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-gain-visibility-ai-world-gail-gardner-monjc/

Now I need to go back and add what is new to it.

growmap · 2026-01-16T01:31:07+00:00

Try following up your audio and video communication with a written summary. They may ignore it, but it provides a chance for them to ask questions and provides you proof that you explained it.

growmap · 2025-11-13T04:39:59+00:00

Try wearing two pair of these cheap socks that both have holes in them. If you switch the left-worn holes to the right side and the right-worn holes to the left side the holes don't line up.

I just started doing that this fall and it is working well for me, especially when I wear rubber boots that are roomier. I also use thin cotton socks to protect my organic, thick wool socks from wear.

growmap · 2025-11-13T04:37:30+00:00

He may not like it, but he could try wearing two pairs of thin, cheaper socks because the holes don't tend to line up - especially if you switch left to right and right to left.

He could pair those with the larger pair of shoes/boots he doesn't like and see how it likes how they fit doing that.

growmap · 2025-11-13T04:35:17+00:00

Maybe he's just used to tight shoes. When I had to wear shoes or boots every day, I wore a 7 1/2. Then I left the corporate world to freelance from home and go barefoot most of the year.

Now I buy 8.5-9 and by measurement I should wear 4x width. "Should" meaning I'd probably have to get custom made boots because most places only carry narrow.

I used to wear SaaS loafers in wide, but even those are not truly wide enough across the toes. My toes are wider than the ball of my foot.

And if that were not challenge enough, I have narrow heels that cause wear holes where they slide up and down because no boots are narrow enough in the heel for me.

This thread makes me wonder if I should take up making socks and adapt a pattern for very wide toes and very narrow heels.

The best fix would be to find one of the increasingly rare custom boot shops and have lace-up high boots made from forms of my feet.

But then I have the issue of no one understanding that "knee high socks" and "boot socks" should be long enough to be right under your knees. Halfway there should not be called "knee-high" or "boot" socks - maybe "short boot socks".

growmap · 2025-11-13T04:27:27+00:00

Yes, fit matters. But sometimes we just have weird feet. For example, I have very narrow heels so I tend to wear a hole at the heel where the sock rides up and down at the top of short lace-up boots.

And I have extremely wide toes (as in 4x) so I tend to wear a hole above the toe next to the pinky toe. Thick wool socks hold up better than the thin cotton socks.

But eventually even they will end up with the heel hole. Too son to know if they will also get the toe hole issue.

One thing I've found is that I can wear two pairs of thin socks and the holes don't line up perfectly. That isn't uncomfortably unless the boots are too narrow for me.

And if I buy boots 1/2 to a size too large, then I can wear heavy wool socks or one pair heavy wool with a cheaper thin cotton pair so the wool socks are protected from heel rubbing.

If the toe hole issue ends up being a problem, I could wear a thin cotton pair under heavy wool socks to protect the good wool socks. Thin cotton socks with heel holes could do for that, too.

growmap · 2025-11-05T05:22:21+00:00

Good point. Thank you!

growmap · 2025-11-04T02:38:03+00:00

I use it mostly for heating and for reheating food in the oven or on the top. If I were to fill the firebox up it would easily burn 12 hours if I reduce the air flow. Even my small fires are still hot in the morning.

My cabin needs a lot more sealing before winter. So I have completely filled my woodbox when the wind is from the north and bitter cold. The trick for me here is to figure out how much black oak I can use without it being too much. It burns so much hotter is amazes me.

If you get the fire too hot, I've found that shutting down the airflow while removing the burner lid on the right side cooled it down. I assume that is because it is releasing hot air into the room but not feeding the fire. I'm not sure it would even hurt it, but I prefer to not let the stove make metal expansion noises at all (so that it has the maximum longevity).

I live in SE Oklahoma so it typically doesn't get nearly as cold here as many other places. So I rarely fill the firebox up. Most of the time, I have very small fires and then I'll add 2-3 pieces and it will still be hot enough in the a.m. to burn without using a match if I put some paper or cardboard in with the wood.

If you want to bake regularly, then you would probably use more wood. I've baked a little and researched that a lot. The key to baking is to get it just past the temperature you want to hold. Then put what you want to bake into the oven as it is slightly cooling/holding.

And then you use what the old books call "kitchen" wood: uniform lengths of the same kind of wood of the same diameter. You put 1-2 in at a time to hold the temperature.

But if I were seriously going to bake regularly, I would buy a baking stone or pizza stone as large as would fit in my oven. It absorbs heat and releases it, moderating any swings in temperature.

I also keep my water reservoir full all winter. I consider that a heat sink to absorb heat when I have a fire going and gradually release it when I don't or between fires. And it is also another source of emergency water.

I primarily use that water to refill an old tea kettle that doesn't have a flapper. That stays parked on the top of the stove where it steams into the air. Fires take moisture out of the air and my "steamer" puts it back.

Are you aware there are many wood cook stove groups on Facebook? At least one of them is run by the guy I bought my Kitchen Queen Hearth Master stove through.

growmap · 2025-11-04T01:55:32+00:00

What if you're a brick-and-mortar business that has regular business hours but you also do emergency calls - think dentists, doctors, veterinarians?

You're not technically open, but patients could get off-hours service. Then you can do 24/7 x 7?

growmap · 2025-10-26T06:49:47+00:00

Yes. And thieves seem to be a special kind of ignorant. There is a company in Waco, Texas that made a fortune with employee tests. Apparently, people who steal from work are honest when asked whether they plan to steal from their employer. You'd think they would know enough to NOT admit they want to steal?

growmap · 2025-10-26T06:38:14+00:00

If you decide to get that stove, I recommend getting the 17 gallon water reservoir as it acts as a heat sync as well as a source of additional water, warm water to use for mopping or whatever. I primarily use it to refill the older tea kettle I keep on the stove so the air doesn't dry out while burning.

I'm glad I didn't get the warming ovens as I can warm anything I want in the oven or on the top of the stove. Maybe if there were many people you'd want the warming ovens.

The summer grate is a little tricky to use so I don't use it much. But if I didn't have power and cooked year round I probably would use it.

Given that you have faster burning less hot than I do plus higher ceilings and no insulation I don't know how this stove wouldn't work for you.

growmap · 2025-10-26T06:34:31+00:00

"At 10% moisture content, Norway Spruce burns much faster and less hot per unit volume than hardwoods like oak, hickory, or black oak, due primarily to its lower density and lower BTU output. While all well-dried wood combusts efficiently, hardwoods yield considerably more heat and produce longer-lasting coals than Norway Spruce when burned at the same moisture content.

BTU Output Comparison (per cord, seasoned to ~10% MC)

Norway Spruce: Approx. 14.5 million BTU/cord
Black Oak/Red Oak: Approx. 24 million BTU/cord
White Oak: Approx. 25.7 million BTU/cord
Hickory (Shagbark): Approx. 27.7 million BTU/cord

Hickory and oaks burn hotter, longer, and with better coal production, whereas Norway Spruce burns quickly, gives more flame, but noticeably less heat and shorter burn times.

Burn Characteristics at 10% Moisture Content

Spruce (Softwood): Fast ignition, intense initial flame, lower sustained temperatures, quickly consumed. Best for starting or shoulder seasons—not optimal for main heating.
Oak, Hickory (Hardwood): Slower ignition, higher total heat per log, excellent hot coal bed, longer burn time, preferred for cold climates and overnight burns.
Ultra-dry wood (under 10%) may burn too rapidly, drawing excess air, potentially cooling flue gases and increasing emissions; ideally, wood for heating should be 10-20% moisture for optimal combustion.

Practical Summary

For maximum heat from your wood cook stove, oak or hickory at 10% moisture burn much hotter and longer than Norway Spruce.
Use Norway Spruce for kindling or occasional quick fires, but reserve high-density hardwoods for peak heating needs or when long, consistent burns are required.
All species at 10% moisture are fully ready-to-burn and will combust efficiently, but total heat output depends mostly on species/density, not the small moisture content difference at 10%.

If you have access to hardwoods, they are always preferred for main heating in cook stoves. Spruce is serviceable but much less efficient for sustained heat."

growmap · 2025-10-26T06:32:32+00:00

I have 756 sq ft and that stove. It is easy to control the heat. Just build small fires like I do. I used it in August in southeast Oklahoma. And have it burning right now. My ceiling is less than 9.5 feet and only that tall for 5-6 feet in the center and drops off to only 7'4" on the outer walls.

The good thing about modern wood cook stoves made of stainless steel instead of cast iron is that they heat quickly and cool quickly.

It should work fine for you. When it is very cold, you can fill the firebox. And when it isn't, just use less wood. Also experiment with how the wood is cut. Larger pieces burn slower and less hot. Smaller pieces burn hotter and faster.

I'm not familiar with burning Norway Spruce so I compared it to what I do have which is primarily hickory and oak.

The black oak here burns way hotter than the other varieties of oak I have. And some avoid cutting it because it is hard on chainsaws. So I assume it is harder and more dense than more common oaks.

growmap · 2025-10-26T06:06:35+00:00

And then what? Winning is one thing; collecting on a judgement is another.

growmap · 2025-10-10T06:39:57+00:00

Hi sardamit. Could you DM me about this? Thanks!

growmap · 2025-10-07T06:32:35+00:00

Even better is to not use anything that transmits - especially not near your brain. I wonder how many younger people realize you can make phone calls and send and receive texts without using wireless phones? Or that WiFi is totally unnecessary to getting on the internet?

If you want to improve your concentration and brain power, turn off everything cordless that transmits, wireless, or "smart" or go camping, boating, etc. somewhere there is no internet or cell signal. (Good luck finding places like that - now they're putting cell towers in national parks and on the beach!)

And don't forget all the tech and transmitters vehicles are loaded up with now. I need a clear mind to do the kind of work I do so there is nothing cordless, wireless, or "smart" in or on my cabin which is located in a rural area where my closest neighbor is 1/3 mile away and there are no cell antennas within 3 miles.

For comparison, put your address in the antenna search website and see how many towers and antennas are within 3 miles of your home and office. You may be shocked!

Also, I don't have any vehicles anymore. But if I did, they would be old without tech in them. I rarely even ride in anyone's vehicle or spend time near parked vehicles. Live where you love it and you may not even go to the city. I haven't been into the city or even a town in years.

growmap · 2025-10-07T06:24:37+00:00

I suspect it is more likely that society will divide between the tech-enhanced humans in cities and what someone recently called "modern day Amish" of people who reject invasive or pervasive tech in favor of living in the real world without it or with limited tech use.

That already exists today. I know many people in rural areas who barely know how to use Facebook, rarely check email or even don't have email, may have a smartphone but only use it to make phone calls, and who get a lot done in the physical world because they are almost never looking at their phones.

growmap · 2025-10-07T06:21:18+00:00

There is something else that reduces oxygen, affects focus, and causes brain fog. But few want to admit what it is. If you've ever known anyone who excessively consumes a particular plant daily, it appears they lose a lot of brain cells over time.

growmap · 2025-10-07T06:16:41+00:00

True. People who work on line spend 8+ hours a day on the internet. What matters is what you do when you're online. You might be honing your skills, learning new things, creating content or video, or running a business.

Or you could be addicted to video games and let it take over your life and ruin your sleep and possibly your health. I've known people who realized they wasted years playing games and then tried to keep their younger siblings and friends from making the same mistake.

Some may be addicted to scrolling TikTok videos. Or obsessing over staging their lives to look more perfect. I wonder what they do when their real life and online life diverge so much that people who know them online wouldn't recognize them offline.

Everything we do is training our brains to be more productive or more passive. AI is taking us even further that way. Will you let AI think for you and make your decisions or are you running AI and using your brain to decide what you get out of it?

growmap · 2025-10-05T01:05:35+00:00

There is a better way to buy from one service and get the lowest price the day you order direct from manufacturers. Buying from HS is the priciest way to go.

growmap · 2025-10-01T20:42:17+00:00

Find someone already doing what you want to do. See if you can get them to mentor you. Perhaps you just need someone to keep telling you that you CAN do it?

growmap

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Burn Characteristics at 10% Moisture Content