Actually, in most cases it isn't, but it is pasteurized. Sterilization would make the medium insanely contamination-ridden, due to the lack of competing microbes. Once mold starts growing, you've gotta toss the medium completely. While this is probably a nice hippy-dippy way to sell mushrooms, there's no way it's going to maintain healthy flushes for long with a "tame" culture like agaricus bisporus. It just can't compete with molds like trichoderma, which is possibly the most common mold on earth. That's not counting the possibly hundreds of people touching the growth medium, throwing their trash in it, discarding unwanted mushrooms into the pile, and the like.

I've read a lot about it (I was once an aspiring mushroom farmer) and I believe it has something to do with pressure+heat killing fungal spores, but leaving beneficial bacterial endospores intact. Essentially, the bacteria and other microbes take up real estate until the fungus shows up, and then it moves into their turf and consumes them as well.

The interesting thing is that in commerical mushroom grows, pasteurization temps are reached naturally due to the size of manure piles. The mass of the piles coupled with the immense activity of microbes within them raises the internal temperature to anywhere between 140f-170f.

Source: Paul Stamets, The Mushroom Cultivator and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms.

Edit
Here's some more places to find information about mushrooms, since I'm hardly an expert. I'm just a guy who reads a lot, essentially.

Books:

• Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, Paul Stamets
  
• The Mushroom Cultivator, Paul Stamets
  
  Those are the standard grow manuals, but if anyone has a suggestion for a more comprehensive or up-to-date manual, it'd be welcome. Mycelium Running is a great book if you're just looking for a fun read about mushrooms.
  
  Websites:
  
  
• /r/mycology - The subreddit devoted to mushroom growing and identification. Probably more relevant info here if you're interested in growing mostly edibles.
  
  
• Fungi Perfecti is good for equipment (I bought all my HEPA filters there, at the time they were the cheapest around). I think they have a YouTube channel too, and that's got some interesting stuff on it.
  
  
• Shroomery.org is a moderately famous mushroom growing forum, with a bit of a bent more toward psychedelics. However, I found tons of great people and information in the edible mushroom forum, and I received a few commerical grade cultures from a very generous member. There can be a bit of a circlejerk surrounding some "celebrities" that post there, but take what they say with a grain of salt, and always fact check against your grow manual. If you see something that looks stupid, it probably is, unless it works. Edit: I don't think Reddit likes linking to the Shroomery, removed the formatting.
  
  Videos:
  
  
• TED Talks: Paul Stamets - Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World - This is basically his "standard" speech he gives when he does talks. There have probably been additions and improvements to it, but the message hasn't really changed. This is "Mycelium Running" in about 5 minutes. Watch this to decide whether you want to read that book.
  
  
• Let's Grow Mushrooms! by Roger Rabbit - One of the aforementioned Shroomery celebrities. His videos are helpful, but make sure to fact check why you're doing stuff, because he tends to leave a lot of that out. This is very nuts and bolts demonstrations of how to prepare substrate, how to provide humidity at a low cost, and several different methods of growing for different species of mushrooms.
  

Thank you for the AMA. It's a topic extremely close to my heart, and it's wonderful to see it getting some serious exposure here.

> I noted the many similarities between how the Nazis treated us and how we treat animals, especially those raised for food.

This argument is something that hit me incredibly hard when I first read Patterson's Eternal Treblinka, and provided the final push I needed to make me give up animal products altogether. I'd sincerely recommend it to anyone remotely interested in animal rights.

Interestingly enough, the man who came up with that theory has since discredited it. His research couldn't support it, as it was only true of wolves in captivity (not even wolves in the wild). There's a really interesting book on it called Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know . It's a fascinating read about dogs and how the perceive the world, and it goes into that now-debunked theory.

A Holocaust survivor named Alex Hershaft went on to found FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement) after drawing comparisons between the atrocities of the Holocaust and animal agriculture. There is also Jewish Veg which is a community who generally supports that message.

There is a book called Eternal Treblinka which outlines the views of various Holocaust survivors and their families in relation to animal rights. It turns out there are indeed many outspoken vegan Jews who support this comparison.

Either way, I'm at the point where I think this comparison does more good than harm because people need to truly realize the scale and injustice of animal agriculture. A person's feelings about an argument do not make that argument any less true. Obviously good activism requires tactful messaging, but IMO the sooner people realize we are unjustly murdering trillions of other on a mass scale the better.

If you move the decimal over. This is about 1,000 in books...

(If I had to pick a few for 100 bucks: encyclopedia of country living, survival medicine, wilderness medicine, ball preservation, art of fermentation, a few mushroom and foraging books.)


Medical:

Where there is no doctor

Where there is no dentist

Emergency War Surgery

The survival medicine handbook

Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine

Special Operations Medical Handbook

Food Production

Mini Farming

encyclopedia of country living

square foot gardening

Seed Saving

Storey’s Raising Rabbits

Meat Rabbits

Aquaponics Gardening: Step By Step

Storey’s Chicken Book

Storey Dairy Goat

Storey Meat Goat

Storey Ducks

Storey’s Bees

Beekeepers Bible

bio-integrated farm

soil and water engineering

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Food Preservation and Cooking

Steve Rinella’s Large Game Processing

Steve Rinella’s Small Game

Ball Home Preservation

Charcuterie

Root Cellaring

Art of Natural Cheesemaking

Mastering Artesian Cheese Making

American Farmstead Cheesemaking

Joe Beef: Surviving Apocalypse

Wild Fermentation

Art of Fermentation

Nose to Tail

Artisan Sourdough

Designing Great Beers

The Joy of Home Distilling

Foraging

Southeast Foraging

Boletes

Mushrooms of Carolinas

Mushrooms of Southeastern United States

Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast


Tech

farm and workshop Welding

ultimate guide: plumbing

ultimate guide: wiring

ultimate guide: home repair

off grid solar

Woodworking

Timberframe Construction

Basic Lathework

How to Run A Lathe

Backyard Foundry

Sand Casting

Practical Casting

The Complete Metalsmith

Gears and Cutting Gears

Hardening Tempering and Heat Treatment

Machinery’s Handbook

How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic

Electronics For Inventors

Basic Science


Chemistry

Organic Chem

Understanding Basic Chemistry Through Problem Solving

Ham Radio

AARL Antenna Book

General Class Manual

Tech Class Manual


MISC

Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft

Contact!

Nuclear War Survival Skills

The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm

Look into crate training - it will help save your stuff when you are not around. Not EVERY dog can handle being alone and absolutely free - especially if they suffer from separation anxiety.

Exercise is always a big consideration with this type of behavior. You say she is getting enough but the timing/frequency may be something to consider. If you are going to leave the house, get in a LONG run AND training before you head out. Many dogs not only need tired bodies, but tired minds in order to be content.

You should take an obedience class with her. It will help you with training her (sounds like she needs it) and help build a bond between you two. Working together builds trust, makes you more sensitive to training and physical needs and gets the ball rolling to change.

It is normal to be frustrated and want to give up - don't. Sign up for a class as your 'baby step' into training and start crate training. Try not to be frustrated. If you FEEL like you are, take a break. Put her in a puppy safe space (her crate if she is OK with it or a room with nothing for her to destroy) and take a breather - trying to train or interact with the dog while frustrated will send everyone reeling. Even if you dont think you are SHOWING frustration, your dog is very cued into your emotions and body language and is likely picking it up (which can make THEM frustrated/anxious).

Remove all things she can destroy from her reach. Put paper away, put away shoes and clothing - even stash the throw pillows and tie up the curtains if you need to. Set her up for success! REWARD her for playing with her toys and redirect her to them when she seeks out non-toy items. Get her some puzzle toys and plenty of natural chews to work through (figure out her favorites and always keep some on hand). There are TONS of things you can do in this type of situation!

If you go through one or two obedience classes and you are still struggling with separation anxiety, call on a behaviorist to help out! Obedience is great for sit/down/wait/going into your crate and being OK with it, but behaviorists (as their name implies) specialize in dog behavior and can help you with things like anxiety with specialized training or medication.

I would also recommend picking up these two books and taking them to heart:

• The Culture Clash
  
  
• Don't Shoot the Dog
  
  If you don't know who to turn to/where to go for training classes - talk to the rescue you adopted her from! Many will have resources for you - some may even have access to free classes or specialized resources! Look for a club/trainer focusing in Positive Reinforcement (not Dominance theory - you should not be doing leash pops, alpha rolls, or trying to 'assert your dominance'. If you hear any of that, run away! Especially for anxious dogs, these methods can just make things much worse).

Get this book. It describes all the problems your having and how to solve them.

https://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557/ref=nodl_

> Ignore bad behaviour.

(Just clarifying for the OP, because I imagine that /u/livmaj already knows what follows:) "Ignoring the bad" isn't referring to allowing the bad behaviour to happen and then just not doing anything to stop it when it happens. Actually, I much prefer how Kathy Sdao talks about this in her book Plenty In Life is Free: Reward the behaviours you want, prevent access to reinforcement for the behaviours you don't. A lot of "bad dog" behaviours are in themselves rewarding to the dog (think of all the yummy things that are in the trash!), so it's important to set up the environment in a way that prevents the dog from doing it in the first place. Put trash cans in cupboards or behind closed doors where he can't reach them, keep your shoes in a closed closet, etc.

And if the dog is in the middle of destroying your shoe, you don't just let him keep destroying it - but don't scold or punish for it either. Identify how he got the shoe, and work to rectify that gap in your management. I also found it helpful to play trading games and teach my puppy a "Can I see it cue?" so that rather than me taking things away from her, she happily carries them over them and gives them to me in exchange for a treat. Sometimes she has something that's totally fine for her to have, so I give it back to her and this is really important so that the dog learns that it won't always be taken away when they "share" with you. I also prefer this method because, once the trade behaviour is solid, it prevents the dog from either turning it into a game of keep-away or from dropping it at a distance and picking it up again unlike teaching a straight "drop it" (which was more difficult for me to train and proof than a trade anyway).

Ye ask and ye shall receive. Here are some good resources to learn more about leash/barrier reactivity:

Books

• Fiesty Fido - Patricia McConnell
  
  
• Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt
  
  
• Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
  
  Websites
  
  
• Mutt About Town - Leash Reactivity
  
  
• Dr. Jen's From Crazy To Calm Training Plan
  
  
• CARE for Reactive Dogs
  
  
• Dogs In Need of Space
  
  Videos (These are mostly to techniques to help with reactivity)
  
  
• Teaching "Let's Go"
  
  
• Giving in to leash pressure
  
  
• Stop barking on a walk
  
  
• How to get your reactive dog under control on a walk
  
  
• Teaching "Look at that" to build handler focus and eye contact
  
  Edit for formatting

As a player and Dungeon Master, it makes me so happy to see /r/DnD making it to bestof more than once. :)

For those interested, the newest edition being released book by book right now is 5e (previously D&D Next when it was still in the playtesting phase). Player's Handbook (PHB) and Monster Manual (MM) are the only rule books out right now. The main storyline book out right now is Hoard of the Dragon Queen (HotDQ) and soon The Rise of Tiamat (RoT).

What you need to play D&D IRL:

• D&D Basic Rules for Players and DMs
  
• 3-4 players (PCs or player characters) is ideal
  
• 1 Dungeon Master (DM), who runs the game
  
• Dice (Wiz Dice is a good starting point if nobody has dice. Just buy the big bag.)
  
• Paper and pencils
  
• Optional: A battle mat (like this one from Chessex)
  
• Optional: Miniatures (minis) to represent your PCs, NPCs, and monsters. I use dice to represent monsters in my games, because minis are expensive.
  
  If you want to play a D&D online tabletop:
  
  
• Roll20.net
  
• Use /r/lfg, /r/roll20lfg, or their dedicated LFG function/forums to find other people
  
• Roll20 itself has all you need to play the game - character sheets, dice rollers, built in webcam/mic, special view for DMs versus players, music, handouts, macros, etc.
  
  
  Shameless plug: My group streams D&D 3.5e (older edition) on Twitch almost every Monday night at 8pm EST. I also play and DM 5e, so I'm happy to answer questions about either edition!
  

Positive reinforcement works for "stubborn" breeds too. In fact, I'd argue that it's even more important for those breeds. If you get a biddable dog like a retriever or a shepherd, you have a lot of leeway to make mistakes. Those dogs will often put up with pushy people or strange customs and keep on wagging.

Shibas and other independent, stubborn types, on the other hand, really need motivational training. Training a shiba (or a sighthound, or a terrier, or any of the 'soft' independent thinkers) is kind of like training a cat. You have to provide them incentive to work--make training fun and let them use their brains to solve puzzles and you'll do great. Make training boring or unpleasant and they'll simply stonewall you, fight you every step of the way, and you won't make any progress.

When Pigs Fly! is a great book specifically about training 'difficult' dogs through positive means. There are other book recommendations and online resources linked in our wiki.

I'd recommend reading up and watching videos from some of the wiki sources before you bring your shiba home. I'd also recommend enrolling in positive reinforcement obedience classes soon after bringing him/her home, so you have a fun, safe place to practice with an instructor's help.

For more "in-depth" training, try clicker training with free shaping. Teaching new behaviors through free shaping works really well for the independent thinkers, because it's all about solving puzzles. It makes performing the correct behavior the dog's idea, which is good for opinionated dogs. Also try tricks training and sports like agility. The more you keep him/her working with you on an ongoing basis in ways he/she enjoys, solving puzzles and having fun, the better he/she will respond to you.

First, read through the sidebar and wiki on this sub and /r/Puppy101. You'll find most of the basic puppy/dog training information there, and I'll be happy to answer any residual questions you have.

I highly, highly recommend you pick up the book When Pigs Fly. It'll help both of you understand how independent dogs think and how to "get through to them."

The main thing to understand with independent dogs is that they need to see a beneficial reason to listen to you. If it won't benefit them, they won't do it.

You can train recall until you're blue in the face, but if coming back to you isn't more rewarding than chasing after squirrels, it's just not going to happen.

This is also why it's so important to avoid positive punishment. If you utilize things like prong collars, yelling, hitting, etc. the dog won't build a strong bond, and will be less likely to listen to you.

Think of a defiant teenager. You know they're going to test you, and if you resort to grounding them, taking their phone away, and taking away the car keys, they're not going to stop being defiant, they'll just become better at it.

"Dominant" is also a vague and misused term. Dogs do not try to dominate us, that theory has been debunked. Dogs with a "dominant personality" are often just very smart and strong willed. It takes patience and creative thinking to train, but it's not impossible by any means.

Just recognize that your dog is going to behave much differently than something like a Lab. A lab will often do well off leash, but your dog will likely never be allowed off leash in open environments. A lab might play fetch until he drops dead, while your dog might just want to run for miles and ignore you. Learn to pick and choose your battles, and don't set unrealistic expectations. Every breed was meant for different things, so don't aim for something yours wasn't bred to do.

Here are some good “starter” books to go through. Starter in the sense that they give a good overview of generalized modern western Witchcraft along with a basis for Wicca is that so interest you. It also has some supplementary guides for those interested in alchemy, mirror work, spirit work and the like.

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft and Buckland's Book of Spirit Communications are good books for getting a decent understanding of what could be (subjectively speaking) considered “traditional” witchcraft. I myself am NOT a fan of the Llewellyn branch of magick, as it is heavily based around forming structured groups and covens and much of the information seems more ceremonial than anything. That being said, these books give a great basic rundown into alot of different styles and tools you will most likely be using or want to use.

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner is great if you want to go down the Wicca path AND it’s made specifically for solitary practitioners along with having some of Scott Cunninghams own spells in it as well.

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs is a good rundown of many common and uncommon reagents used in witchcraft along with their metaphysical uses. Reader's Digest Magic and Medicine of Plants despite the name is a more practical and scientifically written book on the historical and medicinal used of many N. American plants.

Inside the Mirror Box: Spells and Theory for All Practitioners was actually written by a friend of mine. His book gives alot of information on actual spellwork, along with a large selection of Mirror Box spells and a short section on other uses for mirrors (such as divination).

And finally the Encyclopedia of Spirits is a great reference guide for those of us who want to work with specific entities. The author covers the full gamut of spirits and deities from the ancient gods to christian saints and archangels to lesser known spirits.

All it takes to clean up your finish work is a rasp, a bunch of sandpaper down to 1200 grit, and time.

I suggest checking out these books:

http://www.amazon.com/Step---Step-Knifemaking-You-Can/dp/0615116590/

http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Knives-Richard-Barney/dp/087341389X/

These were all invaluable to me when I was learning fit and finish. They're also all probably available through your local library.

If you do decide to buy some tools, you can get a TON of fast, efficient work done from just a cheap belt sander ($50 at Harbor Freight) and a cheap benchtop buffer (get a washing machine motor from a junkyard and built one, or spend $80 on one). Those two tools alone will make a WORLD of difference in your finish work.

One, she's probably going through a teen phase of seeing how far she can push, mine did at around that age. Two, it doesn't sound like you've been consistent enough - my GSD and I didn't 'walk' during her pulling phase. We basically moved two meters, she'd pull, I'd u-turn and we'd start again. We moved all of oh, 2-10m from my door for days. What tools are you using to make this easier for yourself? Easy walk harness? Gentle leader? Are you clicking and treating for check-ins? I frustrated the utter crap out of myself teaching it, but it worked. How often are you training? Are you letting your GSD work for food?

You also sound like your GSD has leash reactivity, which the breed seems to lean towards a little. Have you read into the CARE Protocol and worked on thresholds?

Focus wise, you have to train it. Work on focus by rewarding check ins throughout the day. Also work on focus as a training endeavour like this, and this.

Impulse control - it's yer choice and crate games, and of course impulse control games with tug/toys.

Other resources: Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt, Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Fiesty Fiedo by Patricia B. McConnell, and Fenzi Classes.

TL;DR: This is pretty normal GSD behaviour, and may be part of a teen phase. Keep chugging.

I believe this was the spiritual book he gave klem

If you live in an area where a lot of people keep their dogs off leash, you have to take precautions with your dog, and you need to forget feeling embarrassed about it right now. You have to do what is necessary to keep your dog safe and other dogs safe, and you also can't sacrifice your dog's exercise.

Here's a way to let people know your dog isn't dog-friendly without even having to say it: Amazon: "NERVOUS" yellow warning leash. You can also get leashes that say "NO DOGS" or "CAUTION."

Use a front-clip harness on your dog and be polite and friendly with people. Carry a crap ton of treats with you so you can distract your dog whenever an off-leash dog approaches.

I highly recommend you read a (very short) book called Feisty Fido by Patricia B. McConnell.

this is it actually. Dogs can be territorial, but pissing isn't territorial.
It's explained in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334870106&sr=8-1

I’m definitely not a dog expert — literally getting my first dog as an adult in two weeks — but the tongue behavior is sited in multiple books as a immediate sign that whatever training activity you’re doing went to far, stop immediately and sooth the puppy.

Dr. Ian Dunbar’s “Before & After Getting Your Puppy” link is widely considered a top book on puppy training and specifically calls out the tongue behavior as something to look out for when socializing a puppy.

Two years old is very commonly the age when insecurity starts to crystallize into aggressive behavior. Aggression has lots of little signals along the way before this phase, but you simply didn't have the tools to recognize it. So, I suggest studying dog body language. While consulting a behaviorist to tutor you in this endeavor will certainly speed up the learning process, you can start this on your own. Long term, learning to read your dog yourself is always the most effective solution because you're the one with him/her all the time. Consider, though, that you'll also need to learn to read other dogs' body language so you can spot the personality-types and body language that make are most compatible with your own dog.

Here are some recommendations:

• Turid Rugaas - "Calming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You"
  
  
• Brenda Akoff - Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog
  
  
• And, a subscription to Tawzer Dog, or something like it. These streaming services provide access to a library of dog training educational seminars.
  
  Hope this helps!

Honestly... there's a lot going on here. As you know, a trainer who can evaluate all of this in person would help a lot. Can you ask the shelter to see if they have any trainers on staff or partner trainers that can help you at a low cost?

Based on what you've said, your dog has separation anxiety, is reactive or outright dog aggressive, has prey drive issues, and is generally independent and stubborn.

Separation Anxiety: This guide covers the topic in a lot of depth. The Crate Games mentioned would help the crate training a lot, too. Here's the ASPCA's Weekend Crate Training guide. I'd start completely over with her crate training. Keep in mind that your dog probably has a negative association with the crate so it'll take longer than weekend.

Reactivity: /r/Dogtraining has a weekly Reactive Dog thread with a lot of resources to understand the problem and start working on it. If your dog is dog aggressive, the techniques are the same too. It's just of utmost importance to keep your dog from interacting with another dog. I own a reactive dog - a lot of my walks feel like a stealth game where I hide from other dogs.

Cats/Prey Drive: Honestly... this is the sort of thing you just manage for now. Keep them separated. Give the cats plenty of escapes like cat trees, pet gates, high shelves, etc.

Walking: I use an Easy Walk with my hard puller and it's like night and day. It helped a lot. The front clip harness turns the dog when they pull, so it reduces pulling. You can also try a Halti, but a lot of dogs really hate that without time to condition a positive response.

No Treats: This book is great for learning how to train a stubborn dog. But I'd say, start from the beginning and work on making treats fun and exciting for her. When I first got my dog, he barely ate food from a bowl, much less train for it. I did a few things to make interacting with me/food more fun. First, Finn only got his meals through training/interacting with me in some form. I kept training BASIC and treated him a lot. He walked near me? Kibble. He looked at me? YAY more kibble. He seemed to want to interact with me in any way? GREAT! Kibble party! Say his name and he looks at me? Wooo, shower of kibble. Keep your criteria for success low and build up to it. Getting a dog to drop something they value in exchange for a treat is a pretty high level concept. Make it so the dog feels like playing with you is always rewarding. I also didn't just hand him kibble to his mouth. I throw it in weird directions (helpful for prey/chase drive). I'd hide it and then release him to find it. I'd put it inside a box or something that he got to destroy. There are a lot of food games you can play to make food and yourself more interesting.

You don't have too many options. Furniture at big furniture stores is junk. Some of it is very expensive junk, but it is still junk. There are only three ways to get good furniture:

1. Expensive, boutique builders and commissioned woodworkers. For example, Stickley makes great furniture with great wood and great upholstery, but you will pay for it.
   
   
2. DIY. /r/woodworking is a good resource. There is a learning curve and you need to buy tools, but this will get you very nice furniture at prices lower than the big stores. If you're interested, one of my favorite books is Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. If you want to know what to look for in good furniture, read this book. He teaches you all of the good joints and methods of construction. If you see these used in furniture, you will know it is of good quality.
   
   
3. Antiques. You will find very well made furniture at the antique shop. they really don't make them like they used to, unless you buy boutique/commissioned as mentioned in #1.
   
   Me? I bought a lot of furniture 20 years ago when I was a starving grad student. Had no money, so I bought a bunch of broken antiques for dead cheap and learned how to do furniture repair and upholstery. I still have all of it today and it has held up beautifully. I'm also starting to build my own furniture, too, built the same way that boutique and antique furniture is made. Again, skip the big box furniture stores. All that stuff is a lot of money for cheap junk.

So for 5e there are a couple of things you can look at getting:

• Basic Rules: Look at the section for "Free Basic Rules". These PDFs are basically what you need to start playing D&D. The D&D 5e Player's Basic Rules has information about the basics of the game for players. It's got 4 races (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, and Human) and 4 classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard) and one "subclass" for each class (Life Domain Cleric, Champion Fighter, Thief Rogue, and School of Evocation Wizard). Items, customization, character building, and the general "here's how you play!" are included in this document. Great resource for a simple lookup if you want to introduce someone to the game, since the characters you can build out of it are generally solid characters. The D&D 5e Dungeon Master's Basic Rules is the starting point for your DM. For the most part is bunch of creature/enemy stat blocks with explanations on how to balance encounters to the players' levels, as well as a quick off-hand on how to generate magic items. DMs are the creative source of the campaign, so there isn't much required to actually build a simple campaign.
  
• Dungeons & Dragons 5e Starter Set: This is the most basic form of the game you can get with most things included. Looks like it's $13 on Amazon right now, which is pretty good. The box set comes with a 32-page player guide (mini Player's Handbook), a 64-page Dungeon Master's guide (mini Dungeon Master's Guide/Monster Manual), a couple of pre-generated characters, and a few dice. It's good for getting into 5e if you've never played before since the rules are greatly reduced down to levels 1-6 and there are only 8 classes. Most of the content is the same stuff you can find in the Basic Rules, minus the story that comes with the Starter Set. If someone gets this, everyone else can download/print the Basic Rules and should be good. Most of the content is all about how to play the characters that are in the starter set, not about character generation and the like, so make sure to look at the Basic Rules if you want to play a Halfling Fighter for example. See this comment for more explanation.
  
• Player's Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons 5e): This is the core of most of your games of 5e at this point. This has all of the basic necessities, like character classes, character races, items, spells, feats, etc. This is exactly what you need if you are a player, since this and some imagination allows you to build some pretty fun characters. If you end up playing 5e a lot, I'd recommend that everyone have somewhat regular access to a PHB, considering that 90% of the characters you make will come in most part from this books.
  
• Monster Manual: This is where you'll find the largest collection of all of the "basic" monsters that you can meet in a game of D&D. Enemies in general are in this book, and there is a lot of good explanation into the monsters, their stats, their decision routes, etc. This is super helpful since you can basically do whatever you want with this book and make some awesome fights. Find an enemy you like, but it's too high level? Nerf it somehow, and have your players fight it. I'm actually planning on setting a dragon with her wings clipped and her firebreathing removed, give them a fight, and see how they react.
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide: This is basically world building, combat building, enemy building, item building... basically, if it's not covered in the PHB or MM, the creation of object X or something similar will be in the DMG. It's there for the DMs to be able to balance items or enemies against certain requirements, since there is a lot to take into account. Helpful for the DM who doesn't have as much experience.
  
  So the Basic Rules help out a lot, the Starter Set is basically a physical copy of the basic rules (plus some), and then the core 3 books in order of (my personal opinion of) usefulness are PHB > MM > DMG. I'd say you probably want at least everyone to have a PHB, or access if you guys continue to play.
  
  Aside from that, most of the other 5e stuff you can pick up from wizards are modules. Modules are pre-created campaigns that have quests, items, locations, enemies (number, size, etc.) already pre-designed for you. Each of the following books has some sort of extra character information (like more subclasses, new races, etc.), but nothing is absolutely required. Generally if one person wants to play something (say, an Half-Elf Bladesinger Wizard) they should pick up the book to help build their character and to provide the GM with references to how the character works, but it's not necessary.
  
  
• Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat are two halves to the same campaign aimed at stopping the biggest baddest dragon of them all, the five-headed chromatic dragon Tiamat.
  
• Princes of the Apocalypse is a cool campaign all about cults related to the 4 elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire) trying to be bad. Pretty well designed, I'm currently running this with my group. They seem to be liking it a lot, but then again, I'm throwing a lot of other things in with it.
  
• Out of the Abyss is a campaign set in the Underdark. it sounds really cool, but I haven't looked into it much.
  
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide isn't a campaign but rather a campaign setting book. It's useful for reading up on how the Sword Coast in Forgotten Realms (the "main" D&D world) works. It's interesting.
  
  If you need any other help, please feel free to ask!

Training Positive is one of the best resources out there for newbies, IMO. He has a variety of different behaviors and really explains the WHY very well, so ideally you can take the information and apply it to behaviors he doesn't even cover. His information is all accurate and up-to-date with scientific research. He explains things very well -- I watch his videos to get ideas on how to better explain concepts. This is a good place to start!

As for books: Don't Shoot The Dog is a great one by Karen Pryor. She compares the same learning and behavior principals to people, which I think is hugely helpful in dog training (it's better to focus on our similarities than our differences). For actually teaching specific behaviors, The Power of Positive Dog Training is fantastic. Super simple, practical guides with explanations of WHY it works behaviorally.

Good luck in your research!! Already you're off to a great start just for being WILLING to research.

You can definitely hit the highway with your CBR300 as long as you allow yourself to gradually get more comfortable with riding at speed. Sure, a bigger bike will have more passing power and a little bit more weight which will make it feel slightly more stable, but that extra weight has its downsides too, and it's not like the upgrade will strip away the problems you're encountering now, it would just tone them down slightly.

I remember my first time riding on a highway and how I felt the wind was pushing me all over the place, but after years of riding the thought of wind doesn't even cross my mind. What changed? Truly the change that made the biggest difference was letting the bike find its own balance instead of trying to constantly use steering inputs to react and counter every new sensation I felt on the highway. In short: I developed more faith in the ability of the bike to keep itself upright.

Motorcycles are remarkably self-stable, even your CBR300. Also, motorcycles are actually way more stable at speed than when they are puttering around town believe it or not, and I fear you might be making the mistake of overbearing the motorcycle with unnecessary steering inputs. It might sound scary right now, but if you took your hands off the handlebars at 60MPH while going straight down the highway the bike will continue heading straight, and even if a gust of wind hits you with your hands off the bars the bike will actually self correct on its own and continue heading mostly straight... I'm not saying I recommend that, I'm just trying to illustrate a point: the bike will do the heavy lifting of keeping the bike upright without any help from you at all, your job is to guide the bike with subtle steering inputs.

How can we achieve this? The big secret is not letting your arms fight eachother. Lee Parks adresses this in his book Total Control (excellent read, highly recommended); he recommends only letting one hand/arm be in charge of any given steering input. Don't push with one arm and pull with the other, instead allow one arm to be in charge of the steering input and the other just supports the action by balancing the handlebars. The goal is to relax your arms and be entirely neutral in your grip when no steering is necessary.

Once you get the hang of this you will feel like a zen master every time you hop on your bike, and you'll feel a deeper connection with your machine too because you'll realize it's not just a one-sided effort of you singlehandedly keeping the bike upright, instead it's a mutual relationship between you and your machine and you both have to hold up to your end of the bargain for it all to work out.

I hope some of this helps!

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs is a great resource for the many, many uses of herbs and other plants in magickal rituals.

Edit: Also, a ttrpg with accurate herbalism mechanics sounds cool as hell, I'd love to play it when it's complete!

If you're interested in this type of research, I highly recommend the book, "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know". It is a summary/discussion of a bunch of research studies about dogs and how they act, and things that they respond to.

There is an entire section about dogs' "guilty looks" and the conclusion of the studies/author is that the look doesn't actually show the dog knows the action he did was wrong, because the guilty look is only given once people are around. For example, (using a hidden camera) a dog doesn't have any sort of guilty look after he/she peed on the floor or ate something off of the counter. The "guilty look" only comes after the dog is anticipating that the owner is upset through the owner's body language or voice tone. Dogs don't really understand 'right' and 'wrong', only 'my owner is happy when I do this' and 'my owner is upset when I do that'.

It's more of a "please don't be mad at me" look so that you don't punish them, especially violently. This is actually a theory why (biologically) children/women cry more than men do: it's another social cue that defuses a tense situation instead of escalating to violence.

Come on over and join us at r/reactivedogs.

First off, it’s important to set some realistic expectations. You almost certainly can get this dog to a point where you can walk her around the neighborhood without her reacting to everyone and everything, but she’s probably never going to be the type of dog that is friendly and outgoing to other people or dogs she doesn’t know, or one that you can take to the dog park, crowded public places, etc. Many dogs are just not like that, and that’s okay. That would be like expecting your introverted shy anxious friend to morph into being a social butterfly and life of the party after getting her anxiety under control.

Medication can really help a lot of anxious dogs, but it is important to realize that it is not a cure- just a tool to help bring your dog to a level where training can be productive. It sounds like you are pretty committed to working with this dog, so I would certainly encourage you to talk to your vet about trying something like Prozac (which is a great one to start out with because many dogs respond well to it, and it’s very inexpensive.)

Here’s a list of resources that I’ve been compiling (pardon the copy and paste) that I’ve found very helpful with my own dog (a GSD/pit/husky mix). We’ve also been working with trainers well versed in reactivity, so I’ve included some of the skills we’ve been working on.

————

About Leash Reactivity and how to deal with it:

Dealing with Leash Reactivity: Best Friends Animal Society

The Reactive Dog: Your Dogs Friend Workshop (Video) It’s long, but seriously, watch it. Lots of good info.

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Reactive Dog - A short booklet by well-renowned behaviorist Patricia McConnell who has lots of experience dealing with reactivity.

From Crazy to Calm: A Training Plan for Leash Reactivity

——————-

The Goal: Changing Perceptions with Counterconditioning and Desensitization

Introduction to Desensitization and Counterconditioning

Helping Your Shy Dog Gain Confidence

—————

Foundation Skills

When dealing with reactivity, being able to get your dog’s attention or employ a distraction at the right moment is really critical. These are foundation skills for dealing with reactivity.

Name game (a clicker is not essential- you can use your praise word instead.) Goal: focus.

Look at Me. Goal: Focus

It’s Your Choice. Goal: Impulse control

Leave It (Make sure you are giving a different treat, not the one they’re supposed to leave.) Goal: Impulse control

Emergency U-turn. Goal: Management- being able to get out of a situation that will cause the dog to go over threshold.

Find It Goal: Distraction/diffusion

Engage/Disengage. Goal: counterconditioning and desensitization.

Start by working on these skills in a quiet area indoors, gradually increasing distractions. Then start practicing outdoors in an area with few distractions, again gradually increasing distractions. This is the key to getting a distracted dog to pay attention to you outside. If your dog can’t focus, you need to take a step back (quite literally, in some cases). Set your dog up to succeed- try not to put them in situations where they will fail.

I don't like it when people dismiss veganism because it's seen as movement of privileged white people. That's disingenuous. But it's ugly when white privileged people act like the privilege of money - and choice - doesn't exist.

I come from a poor family. My mom now knows how to make a tofu scramble, thanks to me. But I'm from an area that didn't have soy milk in the grocery store, and I thought of it as exotic rich people food. Promoting veganism to people below your own socioeconomic status can be alienating to them when they have no idea how to cook the foods you're introducing to them. It makes veganism seem like something out of their reach and completely daunting. It doesn't seem empowering, it seems shaming.

My mother is also someone who once cooked everything from scratch and who must now often rely on food banks and instant meals. I wouldn't dream of insinuating that she isn't trying hard enough to be vegan. She also lacks the privilege of time - after work, she is too physically and mentally exhausted to prepare real food.

Anyway, I am very sensitive to issues of class. FWIW, I haven't met a single working class vegan in person, and all the people to introduce me to veganism were indeed vegans from some of the wealthiest suburbs in America (the North Shore of Chicago). And for the first few years I was vegan, I felt like animal rights was something I couldn't allow myself to care about when I was so focused real, painful issues of food access back home, where people literally hunt for food or go hungry. I was the first poor person my new college friends had ever met, and they were a bunch of anarcho-syndicalists. They said some insanely ignorant and offensive things without even realizing it, and yet I was exactly the type of hypothetical person they were sticking up for.

I do cringe when the AR movement appropriates slavery as a comparison. I think black vegans should stick to doing that - otherwise you're going to potentially alienate blacks by comparing them to animals. Same goes for the Holocaust. The comparison has been done well - see Eternal Treblinka - but I have also seen it whipped out for shock value. It ends up being tasteless and offensive instead of profound and thought-provoking.

I think another thing to keep in mind is that the face of veganism is undeniably white and rich, so we can't pretend like people are pulling the "white privilege" thing out of nowhere. It is often conflated with expensive health food fads, and there is definitely a connotation of some foods as "trashy" and others as virtuous. Some of the most popular vegan cookbook authors are thin white women. The marketing is toward people who will try "exotic" food (there's another bit of cringeworthy racism amongst vegans - characterizing ethnic foods as "exotic"), and the activists are people who may have lots of time on their hands but are clueless about outreach.

I'm not saying lower class people are too stupid or busy or impossibly poor enough for veganism to be relevant and important to them. But it took me a long time to feel that being vegan was a compelling and empowering lifestyle choice for me, and it's because I had to connect the exploitation of both humans and animals on my own. No rich kid could have channeled that anger from me, and the anger at all fucked up systems of exploitation is how I communicate the importance of animal rights to the working poor people I grew up with. And as well-intentioned as rich kids are, they honest-to-god often don't get it, and I don't expect them to, but they have to quit pretending like their audience should be 100% receptive to them just because of the animals.

These sound like an excellent resource. Thanks for elaborating, OP.

Here's a link to the Amazon page for anyone curious.

Seconding u/theUnmutual6's recommendations, in addition to u/BlueSmoke95's suggestion to check out Ann Moura's work. I would like to recommend Ellen Dugan's Natural Witchery and her related domestic witchery books. Ellen is a certified Master Gardener and incorporates plants into much of her work.

Some of my favorite plant books!

Plant Science:

• Plant Physiology and Development (you can get away with the previous edition of this one!)
  
  
• Botany for Gardeners
  
  
• Essential Plant Pathology (do NOT get the first edition - the second edition is superior in almost every single way)
  
  
• American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
  
  
  Foraging & Field Guides:
  
  
• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America
  
  
• Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate
  
  
• The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
  
  Herbalism:
  
  
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use (this is the first one I would recommend to novices)
  
  
• The Herbal Apothecary: 100 Medicinal Herbs and How to Use Them
  
  
• The Herbal Medicine Maker's Manual
  
  
• 300 Herbs: A Materia Medica
  
  
• Culpeper's Complete Herbal
  
  Ethnobotany:
  
  
• A Modern Herbal Vol I and Vol II (these could belong in the above section or here - I love love love these books. I think they are a must for any hedge witch or green witch!!)
  
  
• Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees
  
  
• Whispers from the Woods: The Lore & Magic of Trees
  
  
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
  
  I also encourage y'all to look into fungi as well. I work with both plants and fungi and I think they bring a fascinating and fulfilling aspect to my work. Plus, hunting for mushrooms is super fun! I can recommend field guide books for folks who are interested, they just tend to be very region-specific so I'm not going to list all of them here.
  
  For general fungus reading I recommend the following:
  
  
• Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds
  
  
• The Fifth Kingdom
  
  
• Mycelium Running
  
  
• Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing & Working with Fungi
  
  
• Mushrooms Demystified

You cannot safely have them out together until they are assessed by a trained behaviorist. Ideally a vet behaviorist (a person who has basically double credentials - not some tool who calls themselves a 'dog whisperer' after a year of 'working with dogs'. Someone who went to school to be a vet and also study animal behavior.), but a professional force free trainer who is experienced in aggression would work.

Remind you girlfriend of the vet bill you've already paid and ask her how many more just like that she wants to experience. Also, the blood and stress of more fights. If you try to just put them back together that will happen again. Guaranteed. Even if they seem fine when separated, if you won't know how to see the warning signs (and the bark/snap your lab did was probably the 10th or so signal...) and how to deescalate the situation (6 minute fight, water hose, human bitten, huge gashes...) then you should absolutely 100% not try to put them together at all.

Ok, done with scolding. Here's some constructive help.

Taking them to the vet was the right thing to do. Your catahoula x limping is likely because of bruising, and the vet couldn't have done anything about that. Treat her like you would if you got a bad leg bruise - rest, ice (if she'll let you), light exercise the next few days, and if the vet gave you any pain meds for her go ahead and use those as recommended. (NEVER use aspirin or tylenol, or any other OTC human medication on a dog unless your vet has specifically cleared it for the dog you are considering dosing right then.)

Ok, why this happened. Some people have mentioned possible dog aggression, IMO that's not likely. When I have seen cases like this (which I unfortunately have, and not uncommonly) it's often same sex dogs, although not always, and the younger dog is at or nearly a year old.

This happens because your older girl has been playing queen of the house and being a bit bossy. The pup has been a bit rude, but has gotten a 'puppy license' (aka - toddlers don't have to follow the same rules as adults). Now, her puppy license has run out and the older dog is saying "No. Stop that. You're an adult, you know the rules and this is MINE."

That doesn't make either girl right. In fact, they're both a bit wrong, IMO. Your younger girl was probably being a real PITA for a while before she got a serious warning, but your lab escalated things too far.

To have any chance of fixing things a few concrete steps need to be taken.

• Keep them apart until you have someone using force free training working with you and your spouse hands on and in person. Some of this stuff just can't be learned online as it's subjective, and sometimes down to experience/a detailed eye. You need that hands on training for the humans involved before you can safely try having them together.
  
  
• Crate and rotate. To keep them as happy as possible divide your home and give each of them time with you and your SO, play time, and walks.
  
  
• Both dogs need to be spayed. Once you've had one fight it's very nearly impossible to have two intact females coexist. Your best chance of future cohabiting is if both are spayed. Besides that, any dog who shows signs of aggression should not be allowed to pass on their genes.
  
  
• Exercise and training. Both dogs need to have their exercise and training needs met - which likely means increasing what you were previously doing. The 'fun' part is that now, since they can't be let out to run together, this will be a lot more work than it would have previously been. Sorry.
  
  
• Work on the lab's recourse guarding using force free methods. If you try to make this a battle with her it will get worse and you'll have killed your shot at cohabitating your girls. She must learn that people and (eventually) other dogs around 'her things' are a wonderful amazing thing, rather than a risk/threat. This can't be done with force or intimidation.
  
  If you can get some of those things started then you can buy yourselves some time to save up for a behaviorist or experienced trainer to work with. The biggest thing is not allowing a repeat event to happen. Behavior is like a big rock on top of a hill, the more it rolls the more it will roll, so if you are very careful and don't allow another fight it'll be easier to fix in the long term. The more fights they have the harder it will be to eventually have them together and loose.
  
  I know this will be a lot of work and stress for both you and your SO, but if you really focus on this and work through it you could be in a much better place in as short a time as a year. Both dogs with you, happier, healthier, and with you having a much stronger understanding of their behavior.
  
  If you don't put that time and effort in then you could easily end up rehoming your catahoula.
  
  Here's some reading and videos to get you started on working with your girls:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Terms-Dogs-Calming-Signals/dp/1929242360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496795912&sr=8-1&keywords=calming+signals+on+talking+terms+with+dogs
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Other-End-Leash-What-Around/dp/034544678X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=034544678X&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=SAA8r&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Cautious-Canine-How-Conquer-Their-Fears/dp/1891767003/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1891767003&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Interpreting/dp/1929242352/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1929242352&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1891767070&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Fired-Up-Frantic-Freaked-Out/dp/0985934921/ref=pd_sim_14_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0985934921&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-Clicker/dp/1890948209/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1890948209&pd_rd_r=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205&pd_rd_w=A0y3X&pd_rd_wg=HP5o5&psc=1&refRID=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-2-0-Frustration/dp/1617811742/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1617811742&pd_rd_r=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205&pd_rd_w=A0y3X&pd_rd_wg=HP5o5&psc=1&refRID=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Control-Unleashed-Creating-Focused-Confident/dp/B000UCF53A/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000UCF53A&pd_rd_r=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205&pd_rd_w=A0y3X&pd_rd_wg=HP5o5&psc=1&refRID=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205
  
  https://saveabull.com/crate-and-rotate/
  
  https://imperfectdog.com/2016/01/12/imperfect-dog-introductions-crate-rotate/
  
  http://www.thedoggeek.com/2014/08/crate-and-rotate.html
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDeAKj2etMs
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgod6CO8jU
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nyt2WLdQGs
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU-WolM6cgg
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnBPlub1Jgs
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=255hotAlI5o
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6De7kEmOV1Q
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cGDYI-s-cQ
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_7dl4c-IrM
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bg_gGguwzg
  
  

There is not short fix for this. Unfortunately. You'll need to understand thresholds and your dog really well to make your life immensely less stressful. Further resources below.

Resources:

• Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnel, PhD and Karen London, PhD
  
• The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnel, PhD
  
• Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt
  
• Click to Calm by Emma Parsons for Karen Pryor
  
• Fired up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training the Crazy Dog from Over the Top to Under Control
  
• On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals
  
• Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0

As was said by others in reply to your other question, sword making is not something to be taken lightly. I admire your interest, but the wording of your questions seems to imply that you don't really want to learn how to make a sword but that you would like to assemble a sword.

Please understand that questions about sword making are asked almost exclusively by people who are so new to blacksmithing that they have no business making a sword. I suspect that you fall into that category.

Nearly everyone with an interest in blacksmithing has an interest in swords and other blades. And as we learn about how they are made we quickly realize that swordmaking is very serious and potentially dangerous business. I, for one, will help anyone who asks about what it takes to make a sword. But I will not help anyone actually make one.

Just like a gun, a sword is a weapon; and weapons can be surprisingly lethal to both the person holding it and others who are nearby. A poorly made sword can be equally lethal but has the added danger of being either unbalanced or fragile or both. They are also a danger while they are being made; especially if power tools are involved. A large blade that catches on a wire wheel or a sanding belt can cut or stab you very severely before you even have time to react. So please understand that when we see questions about swords coming from novices, we cringe. Making a sword is serious business and is not to be taken lightly.

A blacksmith takes the time to research how similar swords were made and discover what tools materials are needed to accomplish that goal. He or she also works out a plan of each step from start to finish. Many even work for a year or more as an apprentice for an experienced blacksmith to learn how. At the very least many hours are spent reading books and studying both photographs and in person examples of handmade swords.

There are thousands of books on swords both old and new. Many of them focus on certain styles of swords and not all of them go into detail about smithing a sword, but many of them do. You can also find thousands of pictures both online and in reference books on arms & armor at your local library. If you live near a reasonably large city, there might even be a local museum nearby that has some swords on display. Also read as much as you can on blacksmithing and metalworking in general.

By the time you are ready to make your first sword, you will have already built multiple smaller blades and other items while improving your skills, and you will have made thousands or swords in your head.

Here are some books on blacksmithing that I think you will find useful: http://www.hct.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html

You should also read A book or two on modern knife making. "Wayne Goddard's $50 Dollar Knife Shop" is highly recommended by many people here.

I'm not saying you can't make a sword or even that you shouldn't make one. If that's your dream, don't let anyone stop you. But I would strongly encourage you to start small and work your way up.

TL;DR: If you really want to make a sword, I suggest you read it!

I always recommend Before and After Getting Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar, because it really puts into perspective the responsibilities of owning a dog, and the potential long-term consequences of not meeting these responsibilities. It's also an excellent read to learn more about preventing behavior problems, because in my opinion, it's so much easier to prevent behavior problems than it is to try to resolve them later.

Find out what he uses as his water source, if it's tap or he manually buys distilled/R/O water, consider getting him a 5 stage reverse osmosis filter, that one's $89 which is a very good deal imo.

As far as books go, this one from Greg Green is recommended by many, as well as this one by DJ Short, a decades long professional grower. Lastly is one of the most recommended books I see posted, by Jorge Cervantes.

Otherwise, I'd try to familiarize yourself with his setup, maybe take pictures if possible and I could try to suggest things you could buy as improvements :)

Fundamentally, you will believe the comparison to the Holocaust is either valid or not. I do and I'm jewish.

It can still be made tactlessly, i.e. PETA's pictures of dead chickens side by side with Holocaust victims.

The validity is intellectual, not necessarily (although admittedly in part) visceral. As I.B.Singer observed, in his quotes we all know:

> As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behaviour towards creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right.

> What do they know-all these scholars, all these philosophers, all the leaders of the world - about such as you? They have convinced themselves that man, the worst transgressor of all the species, is the crown of creation. All other creatures were created merely to provide him with food, pelts, to be tormented, exterminated. In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka.

In fact I'll throw together some further reading/watching material.

• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eternal-Treblinka-Treatment-Animals-Holocaust/dp/1930051999/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450702656&sr=1-1&keywords=eternal+treblinka
  
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18mZrDujOm0
  
  
• http://salsa.net/peace/conv/8weekconv8-1.html
  (for reference https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.KOBERWITZ)

Hitler wasn't even vegetarian.....something about his cook and a diary of that. But it doesn't matter. He also loved dogs....we should stop loving dogs.

I have no problem and fully support the animal holocaust analogy to the jewish holocaust. It has so many similarities and share nearly the same mindset of oppression. The analogy should just be used in the appropriate contexts and not with people "new" to the idea of animal rights.

As I keep telling everyone, get Eternal Treblinka If someone wants it REALLY bad but doesn't want to pay, I will buy it for them for free.

I make this comment a lot here, but nix the pine and get some hardwood. Poplar, maple, oak, whatever you can get. Don't be intimidated. It is actually easier to work than pine. Pine squished and tears. Tools need to be insanely sharp. This album I made demonstrates what I mean. You have a great start, just keep at it. Hardwood will be far less frustrating.

Also Tage Frid's book is an excellent guide. His hand cut dovetail method is spot on and simple using tools you most likely already have. It is also a great reference on all kinds of joinery done simply and effectively.

Also /u/screwikea has some good points about which way the tails go as well.

If you enjoyed this article, check out a guy called Paul Stamets, he did a TED talk on how fungi can save the planet:

http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world?language=en

Also his book is about mycelium, the "internet" of the plant world

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

It's great that you're planning ahead and trying to do everything right.

> I intend to train my puppy since day one,

For information on puppy training, you'll want to check out /r/Puppy101. They've got stuff in the sidebar that you'll want to read.

>cesar millan philosophie on nose

You can skip the Cesar Millan stuff. He is a television star, not a dog expert. See our wiki page about Cesar for more info. You would rather get great information from well-qualified dog trainers. Our sidebar will lead you to some great stuff.

>What should I do? I don't want the perfect dog (submissive yeah, but not a lab), but I want to well train him, but keep him happy and me happy.

Start by reading everything in our sidebar - we put some great links there for you! Our wiki has lots more information on dog training. You might want to read a few of the books in our book list. Or follow the link to kikopup's videos (see sidebar) and watch her techniques.

>He will have at least 2 times a day intense exercise, 1 morning: he will walk with me (I fatten a little, stop running, now I'm picking the pace) 3.5 km (mountain type of track) and in the future run with me, in the same track, the 2 time on a large space where he can run free of leash, the rest is only pee on the tree, nothing fancy and play in the house. 1 or 2 times a week beach or some rustic mountain or new park for him to explore (and me).

Be careful not to do too much while your puppy is young. His joints can't take a lot of exercise while he is a baby.

>I think this will be enough to keep him soften, but the house training (housebreaking) is the thing that I am more afraid of

The Manners and Everyday Life section of our wiki includes a house training page. Start there.

> P.S. What's the name of that book that talks about training bull terriers? Well famous and I think that I saw it recommended here a lot of times.

You might be thinking of When Pigs Fly!: Training Success with Impossible Dogs by Jane Killon.

Hope this helps!

Yeah... scent hounds and border collies are kind of the exact opposite when it comes to training. Border collies are totally up for anything and everything because they love learning and are very biddable. Bred for generations to work with and listen closely to humans.

Hounds are...motivated by only what they enjoy. There's always going to be a "what's in it for me?" and that thing has to be better than the smell over there from 3 days ago.

That being said, the vast majority of hounds LOVE their food. So you should be able to find some kind of food they enjoy.

A book that may help you for learning how to deal with a less biddable dog is "When Pigs Fly, Training Success with Impossible Dogs" $8 for the e-book.

The author of that book mainly has bull terriers which are a notoriously stubborn and self centered breed.

Additionally, most police departments, AFAIK, don't use civilian dogs. If you're talking more about SAR, honestly it's already too late to really work with him to get to that point - not because 3 months is too old, but simply because you have very little experience. You really need to understand SAR in general before trying to bring in a dog, and having some sort of training experience with the sort of thing along with a training mentor is basically required.

However, if you just want to do that for fun, there is tracking and nosework competitions that would likely be a lot of fun for you to do with your pup!

this book is a nice older resource for the magical uses of herbs. This article is a very simple primer to give an idea of kitchen witchcraft. You can also use resources like
http://www.witchipedia.com for a starting point if you just need general knowledge on something. this live journal article (What a throw back website!) has a lot of suggestions for books in different areas of kitchen witchery.

One of the easiest things you can do is start working intent into your daily, weekly rituals that already exist: banish as you clean, bless as you cook, etc. I like how this page lists some examples of how to work in a bit of kitchen witchcraft to your life. Kitchen witchcraft has an inherent magical quality that is actually super easy to incorporate.

I definitely suggest you start noting things down as you come across them, either digitally or in a physical book. This will help you learn as well as form the foundation of your grimoire/ book of shadows/ whatever you choose to call it.

Cc: /u/vampiras

If my husband got me the scarf I'd be thrilled. If she likes to cook the cookbook is a great choice. The other book you linked has good reviews, too.

If she has not read the series yet you could throw in the first book. If she likes to read she's going to love the series.

My favorite dog training book: Power of Positive Dog Training

Gives you the basics of learning theory, and the 4 quadrants of reward vs punishment. Explains marker training (with a clicker or anything else). Has a 6 week program to follow with your dog for basic obedience commands and some fun tricks and explains each step in detail.

Edit: Oops, I linked amazon.ca by accident. It's also available at amazon.com if you're in the states.

The best start is going to be laying the foundations of communication and a positive relationship. Dog training books are like scripture: highly open to interpretation. The most comprehensive guide I've found that has the most cohesive and wholesome explanation of working with dogs is written by a close mentor and dear friend, Pat Miller, it's called The power of positive dog training

It has a pretty great explanation of separation anxiety, and a list of activities to strengthen your dogs trust in your actions and confidence in itself, as well as a very dry and truthful anecdote about understanding the significance of specific breed characteristics

Fair warning: I don't agree with everything in the book, but 90% of it is spot on. Check out 'Relatioship-Based Approach to Dog Training' — just take whatever info you find with a grain of salt, your gut is typically right

Good choice for a first bike. But its important to understand that you need to respect the machine and what its capable of.

There are plenty of resources here that can help you. First thing first, take the MSF course. This will give you the best start on riding a motorcycle. They will teach you a lot of the very basic fundamental principles that you need to know to ride safely. Dont skimp on this detail. It will definitely help you in the long run.

Second, start reading. I recommend "Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Wello" by David Hough. This is a good book to start with.

After that, - and once you've read through the first book at least twice - look into "Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques". This is a good second book to pick up and commit to memory.


As for gear, I wouldnt trust a $50 helmet. It may work perfectly for you. It may even be comfortable. But in a crash, when you need it to perform at its absolute best, you get what you pay for. Im not saying you should go out and buy an $800 Shoei or something, but the helmet is not somewhere you should be skimping on protection.

The jacket and gloves look fine. As for the boots, I've been using cheap Chinese knock-offs of American combat boots. They are all leather, go up mid calf and with tall socks, I fold the top of the sock over the top of the boot to keep the laces tied. Definitely not something you want to get caught in the gears.

And read this forum (and all motorcycle forums) with a grain of salt. In other words. There are plenty of opinions out there. Some of them good, some of them bad.

And then, practice, practice practice!

Rise of Tiamat is the second half of the a 2 book adventure, the first being Hoard of the Dragon Queen: http://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458181435&sr=8-1&keywords=horde+of+the+dragon+queen

I DM'd all of Horde at a store, it needs a serious overhaul in order to be less of a railroad and to actually make sense. After Horde I DM'd the first 2.5 chapters of Rise of Tiamat which is better, but I would prefer it if PCs actually were able to succeed in the goals presented to them in the campaign. I can't give away more without getting spoilery.

The party starts at level 7 or 8 (depending on where Horde left off and if you are just skipping Horde and starting this fresh). The overarching plot is that a combination of factions need the PCs to act as their agents and stop the resurrection of Tiamat, who is being raised from Hell by a cult of dragons.

Also, I believe the campaign is from 7/8-15, but good luck killing the big T.
Neverwinter isn't exactly central to the story, it's just a 'base' for the party and the factions fighting the cult. This base could really be anywhere, it doesn't have to be Neverwinter. I don't know the lore behind Neverwinter, but apparently Neverwinter needed to be rebuilt and New Neverwinter is where you all are, or something like that? I can't remember, it's been a while.

My FAVORITE books - that literally saved us and that every single piece of advice I could offer would come from - are Perfect Puppy in 7 Days and Before and After Getting Your Puppy. Both books are highly recommended here and we had AMAZING success following the protocols outlined (they compliment each other well). The only regret I have is not following them longer and slacking off.

Some things I would do in addition to changing locks and a deep clean...

Test out and explore the circuit breaker. Know what does what outlets/lights/etc.

Replace all of the smoke detectors if you don't know how old they are. Most are only rated for 10 years. Get a CO combo unit as well. Could save your life later. Pick up a fire extinguisher as well and check it whenever you check your fridge filter (or furnace filter if the fridge doesn't have water filter).

Clean your oven. Always good to have a fresh start.

Have stained woodwork? Invest in a wax stick and stain marker that matches the existing trim to repair any nicks and scratches that happen when you move in :)

Most importantly...remember there is no rush on many repairs. Water is something best repaired as soon as discovered...but little things you may find annoy you (like the off-white outlets and switches) are things you can tackle whenever you deem fit. Owning a home is not as difficult as many people make it out to be. You already have found a good resource. Here is another one I would suggest:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1621452018/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

Most of all...enjoy your home. Remember to relax and share it with others...especially those you care about. Wish you the best!

• Culture Clash
  
• The Other End of the leash
  
• Execl-Erated Learning
  
• Don't Shoot the Dog
  
• The Thinking Dog: Crossover clicker training
  
  All of the above in that order. The first two are on dogs in general and how to work with them with out being a dick. The other three are serious books on dog training theory. The last one especially is amazing and well worth a read once you get the other concepts down.
  
  One other book I would highly recommend to read
  
  
• Be the pack leader
  
  The reason I recommend it once you get in to dog training you are going to her a lot pro and against Caesar Milan. And it is far better to be informed so you can speak competently about it. Honestly I don't think he is the great satan he is made out to be. People need to exercise their dogs more and take an active role in training them. More people need to preach this message. Its mostly the flooding and dominance theory that I personally to find to be bunk.
  
  Read it and read it after you have read the above books so you can be prepared to talk with those that have him as their one and only dog training resource. Don't be a douche with them and put up your nose and shout them down but help try to steer them to other resources instead.
  
  So now you have read books and watched DVDs what now?
  
  Practice! How do you practice? Damn good question. If you have your own dog start there and then find yourself a local rescue or shelter in need and in most metro areas there are.
  
  Volunteer to work with shelter dogs this has many advantages.
  
  
• There is no shortage of dogs that need help
  
• You will be working with dogs at their worst and most stressed
  
• You will get a lot of experience with several kinds of dogs (small, big, hyper, calm, kennel stressed, flat out crazy, shy, confident)
  
• These dogs need the most help and you will be quietly literally for some of them saving their lives by making them more adoptable and staving off kennel stress
  
  NOTE: My own personal bias. Clicker training is godlike. I am getting faster and better results than I ever did with yank and crank or even with lure and reward! I also do all my dog work pro bono with local shelters and rescues.
  
  Example: Teaching a dog to walk at heel in under 45 minutes, with it being solid after only 4 training sessions, completely off lead by 6. Even with my best lure and reward this took months.
  
  TLDR: Read up, get some skills, practice on crazy dogs in shelters, come back to us and ask again after you get a few thousand hours under your belt.
  

You are 100% correct that this is a horrible approach for your dog's particular issues. At absolute best, the behavior will be suppressed but your dog's fear/anxiety will worsen and is essentially a ticking time bomb that could explode and bite someone at any time. Put your foot down and refuse to see this trainer again - it's your dog, not your in-laws. I can assure them that no certified behaviorist would condone this type of training. The best approach is gradual counter-conditioning - teaching him that the things that make him react fearfully/aggressively are actually safe and good things to be around. Check out the book Feisty Fido - it's a fantastic (and relatively short) read geared toward this issue.

Ian Dunbar's "Before You Get Your Puppy" and "Before and After Getting Your Puppy".

The second one is a bit more geared towards after, so it's worth getting both.

I'll second the nod to Dr. Yin as well. She has a lot of free info on her site that is good to keep on hand.

The Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual is a pretty awesome and comprehensive book to have around. The most recent edition was edited by the editors of Family Handyman magazine.

I started subscribing to Fine Homebuilding when I bought a house. Even though it's pitched to architects and builders, it has several how-to articles that are intelligently written accessible to all. It's not like they're trying to teach an electrician about circuits, but instead, for example, it'd be carpenters learning about circuits. Reading it over the years has definitely made me more aware of many aspects of my home.

Here are a couple for your consideration:

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Repair-Improvement-Updated/dp/158011783X

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Maintenance-Dummies-James-Carey/dp/047043063X

http://publications.gc.ca/site/archivee-archived.html?url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/schl-cmhc/NH15-386-2003-eng.pdf

my uncle gave me an old copy of his from the 80s when i moved into my house a couple years ago. some of the things like electrical are outdated but a lot of it is still relevant. it makes all of these big projects sound doable, even for someone like me who can’t drill a screw in straight.

i believe the most current edition on sale for only $24 on amazon right now.

We have very similar dogs (mine's a chihmutt too, possibly chihminipin). We've had her for 7 months, and she's basically plateauing after the initial training we were able to give her for the reactivity. She also does really well at doggie daycare and adores/trusts all the attendants there. They say she's blossomed and come out of her shell and is more sociable with the other dogs too. She was found on the street, probably dumped with her leash and harness still on. She's also on clomicalm and previously dog prozac. Both of which have worked a little but nothing dramatically different.

Not sure what specific training you got, but here are the big things that made the most impact for us.

• on walks, lots of counter conditioning along with 'look at me' (basically lots of high value treat dropping when seeing dogs and strangers). Her threshold used to be ~50 yards before going nuts but now she's a good 8-10 feet. It's so hard to see the progress you've made because the impact of their negative behavior can be so stressful. I feel you!
  
• managed introductions: so not just letting new people come in the house without meeting them outside first (with high value treat dropping as soon as we meet strangers). She normally barks a little but as soon as doggy meatballs or people food drop she starts eating them. People are always instructed to ignore, ignore and ignore. We walk for a few minutes around the block and then when we get in the house she's much more calm. Still NO petting or staring/attention from friends in the house. Basically, she's treated like a cat, with attention only on her terms. While they're in the house, lots and lots of treats dropping every 30 seconds (nobody hand feeds either, just dropping snacks to the ground). She hates it when people put hands out for sniffing for whatever reason, so people don't do it either. It's really the most helpful for people to completely ignore her until she decides she wants to sniff or ask for attention. After ~20-30 min, she's usually begging for attention (they can't pick her up, but she finally asks for some scratches). This method has been absolutely, positively fantastic. We've had several couples over and a dinner party of 6 people. I'm guessing your dog never got to meet strangers either :(
  
  ​
  
  Books/podcasts/websites that I recommend:
  
  
• On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals. I felt like this book opened my eyes to how dogs talk to each other. Now I can look at her, identify her body language and intent AND see what other dogs are thinking/feeling based on their body language. It's a simple, yet super helpful book.
  
• Feisty Fido. Not sure why your trainer suggested a stroller, but that seems really strange. This book was excellent for managing our walks a bit better as well.
  
• Youtube Channel: Kaelin Munkelwitz Trainer. She films her client visits so you can see what she's doing with the dog in real time.
  
• Youtube Channel: Sophia Yin. (rip). She's well known in the training world and is so amazing with the dogs she trains on her channel.
  
  We struggle with her every day, just like you and I know exactly how you feel. There's no going back with her.
  
  At least your dog can be crated while you're gone. Ours has separation/isolation anxiety and is overly attached to my husband as well. So even when I'm here, she doesn't care so much because he's not. We've barely left our house because we haven't been able to find evening sitters :( We're almost $500/ month on doggie daycare so we can go do things during the day when I'm off of work. It's been a slow, uphill climb.
  
  Hang in there, you're an amazing dog parent and he's so lucky to have both of you!

Not specifically Wiccan but potentially some form of witchcraft. Wicca is a pagan religion that employs witchcraft in its rituals whereas "witchcraft" is a category and as a whole pertains to various types of folk magic (thus, Wicca is just one form, there are other types of witchcraft). Most of what is encountered in the US is Neopagan witchcraft, which is mostly derived from European folk magic. However, (outside of Neopaganism) there is also Afro-American Hoodoo (rootwork, conjuring) which sometimes calls for burying objects as well. Depending on your location, there could be a stronger likelihood of the latter.

When it comes to Neopaganism, basically you have individuals who pursue some traditional style of spellcasting (either utilizing traditional methods or drawing inspiration from them) while others create spells with symbolism they've created. However, a difficulty with pinpointing what something buried could be is that the largest segment of Neopaganism is Eclectic, i.e., practitioners who develop highly individualized systems that draw on various sources in addition to personal innovations.

So, you're not necessarily going to be able to look at something and determine what the person who placed it there practiced or what they intended. There can be general indications. E.g., anything with a poppet (doll) would indicate it's a spell either for or against a person, discerning which can potentially be puzzled out by what else is with it.

In terms of identifying magical use and lore regarding herbs, the best book (IMO) on it would be The Master Book of Herbalism Paperback by Paul Beyerl

Scott Cunningham was a prolific writer and while there is debate over his books regarding Wicca, he was well regarded for his knowledge in herbalism and magic. His books are an easy read, such as:

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs & Book of Incense Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham


Catherine Yrodwode is well regarded in the practice of Hoodoo, she runs the luckymojo.com website and has authored various books, here's a link to one of her online articles:

Laying Down Tricks & Disposing of Ritual Remnants in the Hoodoo Tradition - Catherine Yronwode


These just scratch the surface and there plenty of other sources others might cite, but these will give you a sense of direction.

This is a great reply and pretty close to what advice I was going to offer!

Any spell that has worked for anyone - may not work for you based on the intent that was used to create it. What’s in your heart might not mesh with what was in the original creators.

Instead look for spells that you feel comfortable tweaking to make them yours.

Even in so far as changing up the rituals ingredients, and even the words used to make it more personal to your will and intent.

It will definitely help you find a new path in creating your own from scratch.

I suggest Scott Cunningham’s book encyclopedia of magical herbs

To help you get started if you want to change ingredients.

And I like to map out almost like how I would map out an essay on what I want the words to be for a spell.

• what is the intent of the spell
  
• who if at all am I reaching out to if you subscribe to any deities
  
• what offerings are you sharing to said deity
  
• reaffirm the intent in a more personal way
  
• how will I recognize that the spell has worked
  
• thanks and gratitude for the universes attention
  
  Each point is a sentence or two used in the casting.
  
  I hope this helps guide you in a way that strengthens your resolve and confidence in mastering your own spells.
  
  If you have further questions don’t hesitate to PM

Buy a regional guide. Here are a few if you are in the US. It's important to know the terminology that goes along with mushroom hunting.

Also Use the links in the sidebar here, they will tell you the active mushrooms in your area. Once you do this do individual research on each one.

Regional guides

Alaska

Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams

Western US

All The Rain Promises and More
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest

Mushrooms Demystified This is an old book, while still useful it definitely needs updating.

The New Savory Wild Mushroom Also dated but made for the PNW

Midwestern US

Mushrooms of the Midwest

Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States

Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest

Southern US

Texas Mushrooms: A Field Guide

Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States

Eastern US

Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians

Mushrooms of Northeast North America (This was out of print for awhile but it's they're supposed to be reprinting so the price will be normal again)

Mushrooms of Northeastern North America

Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America(Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America)

Mushrooms of Cape Cod and the National Seashore

More specific guides

Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World

North American Boletes

Tricholomas of North America

Milk Mushrooms of North America

Waxcap Mushrooms of North America

Ascomycete of North America

Ascomycete in colour

Fungi of Switzerland: Vol. 1 Ascomycetes

PDFs

For Pholiotas

For Chlorophyllum

Websites that aren't in the sidebar

For Amanita

For coprinoids

For Ascos

MycoQuebec: they have a kickass app but it's In French

Messiah college this has a lot of weird species for polypores and other things

Cultivation

The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home (If your home is a 50,000 sq ft warehouse)

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

Mycology

The fifth kingdom beginner book, I would recommend this. It goes over fungal taxonomy Oomycota, Zygomycota and Eumycota. It also has ecology and fungi as food.

The kingdom fungi coffee table book it has general taxonomy of the kingdom but also very nice pictures.

Introduction to fungi Depends on your definition of beginner, this is bio and orgo heavy. Remember the fungi you see pop out of the ground (ascos and basidios) are only a tiny fraction of the kingdom.

You may be underestimating the ability of your dog to respond to positive reinforcement; you never had to purposefully, deliberately "teach" him, but showing approval through body language allows them to learn, through experience, that this behavior is wanted and rewarded. Dogs are amazingly attuned to human behavior and gestures.

There is surprisingly little research, though, on the cognitive behavior of dogs. A lot of things we just sort of take for granted. I do recommend this book, Inside Of A Dog, as a good overview of what we know about dogs and understanding how they view the world.

Genius of Dogs sounds like it might cover a lot of what you're interested in. Brian Hare researches canine cognition with a focus on social intelligence, evolution, and communication. This book is scientifically supported with recent sources throughout. Another recommend is Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz, who also studies canine cognition but focuses on play and relationships. Horowitz also has tons of references (might be slightly older).

I won't speak on the free feeding part, because there are already a lot of opinions, but I do have a book rec: The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. (I would link like I usually do with book recs but I'm on mobile sorry) The end of that book especially explains a lot of dos and don'ts, and has instructions for teaching basic obedience behaviors like sit, down, and stay (with positive methods, but with or without a clicker, which I like because not everyone likes to use clickers). The whole book is mostly about dog/human misunderstandings, but I think it is a good "beginner's guide" per se.

Anything by Karen Pryor is good if you are interested in clicker training. She and other trainers she works with have also published puppy raising manuals that may be with checking out.

Edit: also this book by Ian Dunbar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1577314557/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_I2vVtb0MY50191XV?ie=UTF8 Dude is like the father of positive puppy training

I wasn't going to write something here, but why not join the fun.

http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Treblinka-Treatment-Animals-Holocaust/dp/1930051999

> Several writers, including Jewish Nobel Prize laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, and animal rights groups have drawn a comparison between the treatment of animals and the Holocaust.[1]

> Edgar Kupfer-Koberwitz, a pacifist, conscientious objector and Holocaust victim who was sent to Dachau for "being a strong autonomously thinking personality",[9] wrote in his "Dachau Diaries" (kept at the University of Chicago Library[10]) that "I have suffered so much myself that I can feel other creatures' suffering by virtue of my own".[11] He further wrote, "I believe as long as man tortures and kill animals, he will torture and kill humans as well—and wars will be waged—for killing must be practiced and learned on a small scale".[11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_rights_and_the_Holocaust

I came here to say this, glad you beat me to it. I learned a similar technique from Pat Miller, who advises teaching some problem barkers to bark on cue as a prerequisite to teaching the quiet command by rewarding pauses in barking. Karen Pryor also puts barking on cue as part of her 'paired cues' technique. Just goes to show there are a lot of neat positive techniques for dealing with barking, if only more owners would do the research.

A mere 4 months ago I was in your very shoes, having never played DnD but wanting to DM. Now I'm running 3 weekly games [Protip: Don't do this]. Luckily for me I found a couple great resources to help me out:

The Dungeon Master Experience is a collection of articles written by one of the best: Christopher Perkins. He's not only a Senior Designer for DnD, but he's also the DM for a number of groups including Penny Arcade, Robot Chicken, and the other designers over at Wizards of the Coast. This will be your most valuable resource.

New DM Guide Reddit's #1 Resource for new DMs.

So You Want To Be a DM: A great collection of starter tips.

/r/loremasters: A subreddit dedicated to worldbuilding.

/r/dndnext: Like /r/dnd but solely for 5e.

The Angry DM: He can be a bit preachy at times, but Angry DM has a great amount of thought put into everything he writes.

/u/famoushippopotamus If you see him post on something, just read it. He's been DMing longer than most of us have been aware that DnD existed.

DnD Encounters is a weekly event at your friendly local game store. Check it out. It's also a great place to recruit players!

[Your head!](Link Not Found): The only thing you really need to get started is an idea, write it down. You'll learn a lot just putting your thoughts on paper and thinking of how to flesh it out.



I would recommend that you go and pick up the Starter Set (HOLY SHIT GUYS ITS $12 RIGHT NOW. BUY BUY BUY!). It comes with the basic rules, a set of dice, a prewritten adventure, and some characters for the adventure. Get a couple players together and this is all you need to get started. After that you can move onto other prewritten adventures, like Horde of the Dragon Queen, or you can write your own.

It shouldn't be that difficult to find people to play with, some people might care that you've never been a PC, but you don't need to play with them. If you have friends who enjoy gaming see if they're interested. And check out your FLGS (friendly local game store). If none of those work, there are plenty of online options as well.

One last note: In my short time DMing I have to say I did not expect the sheer amount of prepwork that goes into a single session. Players have to inhabit a single character and their mechanics. You need to understand not only the characters at the table, but every NPC, trap, and monster you put in front of them. It can be time consuming. It can be hard. But it is also one of the greatest feelings in the world when you hit that flow state where you and your players are building your world together.

Good luck! And welcome to DnD, where the rules are made up, and the rules don't matter either, as long as what you're doing is awesome.

I play 5th edition and all advice is for that edition. 5E is pretty wallet friendly if you don't get it all at once. Here's a bunch of stuff you can look at to help your decision, though not all of it is mandatory.

• Number one, the cheapest, is to simply review the (somewhat limited, I'll admit) materials available on Wizards of the coast and start from there.
  
  
• Second is available in the form of the 5th edition starter set. I own one of these and it comes with everything you need for a game with a group of friends. A criticism I have of it though, is that experienced players will probably destroy the module included with it. I'd just forego this option entirely if you plan to buy any other materials, but it's a very low risk purchase.
  
  
• Third is just a player's handbook, which you really should own regardless of anything . The 5th Edition PHB has enough material to easily homebrew your own campaign with, but it will definitely leave you wishing you had more to work off of.
  
  
• Fourth is any of the several available modules for the game out right now. Having only played Hoard of the Dragon queen (And it's direct follow up, Rise of Tiamat), I can say that with the exception of a long, slightly boring segment in the middle, it's a solid adventure all the way through for the players.
  
  
• Fifth is the supplemental Dungeon master's Guide and Monster Manual, additional resources to help you craft better campaigns, but unnecessary until later. The monster manual should definitely be the first of the two purchases, in my opinion. I wouldn't even recommend the sword coast adventurer's guide unless you plan to specifically adventure in Faerun.
  
  So now that books are out of the way, let's talk figurines. You really don't need them, because ANYTHING can represent things on a board. But they're a fun thing to collect and use. BUT they are a great and fun thing to have. What we do at my table is have everyone acquire their own. I like to buy from Reaper Miniatures, but local comic book and hobby shops might have them as well. Make sure you have bases that are less than an inch wide (A square inch works best), because if you're using miniatures, then you're using a battle grid.
  
  Speaking of battle grids, they're also not entirely necessary, but they definitely help. This is a very reliable one if you take care of it and don't crease it too much. But the fun thing is, if you have a printer, you can print your own Battle Maps! Just set it to print a grid set to 1-inch increments and have as big or as small as a battle mat as you need. 5E technically uses a hex grid for outdoor maps, but we've always ignored that at our games.
  
  As for dice, I think it's the players responsibility to acquire their own dice, but on the off chance you just want to buy the things for everyone, I find a lot of enjoyment in picking through a Chessex Pound-o-Dice, or a Wiz Dice 100+ pack just so everyone has some. Plus, you never know when you'll suddenly need 20d6 for maximum fall damage!
  
  Other than that, just have pencils, paper, and a good way to keep notes handy and you're set.
  
  This is far from a comprehensive guide, and probably the worst thing you could do is buy everything or nothing right at the start. Consider asking friends or checking libraries for these books (And secondhand bookshops near you!) to save a penny or two.
  
  So, in summary, if I were starting out DMing and buying anything, it would be a player's handbook, a set of dice, and if I weren't confident in my ability to homebrew, I'd buy a module or a dungeon master's guide. But you can go further or less far if you like.

There's all sorts of pre-made campaign modules that have already established worlds and towns and people and adventures. You can find them in game stores or pretty much anywhere online. A few of them include Curse of Strahd, Horde of the Dragon Queen, and Storm King's Thunder.

Best of luck with the DMing!

Aloha /u/hba_123. I started a thread a couple weeks ago: Aquaponics Books and Resources. I would recommend starting with Aquaponic Gardening and Small-scale aquaponic food production (free PDF from FAO).

Yep - sounds like you're probably past a lot of the on-bike portions of the BRC. But there is some valuable class room stuff for someone who's not ridden on the streets.

Lucky for you the BRC course book is online - bam:
http://msf-usa.org/downloads/BRCHandbook.pdf

Another couple books that are worth looking at
David Houghs - Proficient Motorcycling
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1620081199

And Lee Parks - Total Control
http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760314039/

I like Parks descriptions of the more technique oriented content. But Houghs book covers a lot of road/traffic survival techniques that are touched on lightly or not at all in the Parks book

A Twist of the Wrist and A Twist of the Wrist 2 oh and Total Control. These books are amazing.

The usual recommendation is Cunningham but personally I prefer Beyerl.

As /u/Ermott stated, if you've got a few years of free time, there is no shortage at all of information to be found online.

If you specifically want a book for reference, here's the list. (I own and have read, and re-read every book here.)

Stock removal knife macking -
Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, revised
How to Mack Knives, by Barney and Loveless

When you're ready to move up a few notches in complexity -
The Tactical Folding Knife, by Terzuola

If forging is more your thing -
The Complete Bladesmith, by Hrisoulas

An overview (and extremely interesting) look at how different modern mackers go about macking knives -
Blade's Guide to Macking Knives

And finally, the condensed Q&A for everything the aspiring knife macker could ever want to know -
The Wonder of Knife Macking, by Goddard
The second edition of this books has mixed reviews centering on poor editing, I've read and recommend the first edition, though slightly dated, for it's solid insight into so many areas of knife macking.

I hope this helps you, don't forget to come back and post photos of the knives you mack!

Books. Do your home work. There is a lot of different ways to make good knifes and lots of ways to make junk. If you understand how you want to make a knife you'll know what tools you need. So is it forged or material removal? How do you want to deal with the tempering? I can go on but I think you get the idea. Here is a place to start http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344738903&sr=8-1&keywords=50+knife+shop

The Padres should order this book

I have it. It is a really good book. If you can get past the internet joke, it's full of good information. I also have its sibling, Understanding Wood.

I recommend R. Bruce Hoadley's "Understanding Wood" (Here's an Amazon link < http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1561583588?pc_redir=1404667512&robot_redir=1 > if you like 99% Invisible or Dan Carlin's podcasts, you can buy it through their sites*)

This is the book we were directed to when asking these types of questions at my Carpentry Trade School. This book will answer all of your questions, and the ones you haven't thought of yet.

• not affiliated with any products or 'casts, just love em while working.
  
  Bonus: Meme from another of his books, haha. http://weknowmemes.com/2011/12/identifying-wood-yep-its-wood/

Leaving mom and litter mates at 6 weeks left him in a developmental lurch. From 5-8 weeks in when they really learn how to me dogs, and how and when to use those sharp teeth of theirs. I would get him into a puppy class with a good trainer ASAP so he doesn't totally miss out. Once he has his first set of shots there's no greater risk of infection from a puppy class than taking him to the vet for his next set.

You also don't know how much, and what quality, human interaction he had before you got him. He may not be comfortable snuggling, he may just be one of those not so demonstrative dogs.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Dr. Yins Perfect Puppy in 7 Days and Dr. Dunbars Before and After Getting Your Puppy

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Here's my brief review.

Edit: I also really enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Not something people necessarily think of as a "tool" but for anyone looking to take their homeowner game to the next level:

The Reader's Digest Complete Do-it-Yourself Manual

Beyond that, people seem to be covering a lot of stuff, so I'm going to throw some I haven't seen yet that are lifesavers when you need them and not easily "fudged" with some other tool:

• Nail sets (you can fudge this but they're like $3, worth it)
  
• Drill bit stops (you can get by without these, but they're a headache-saver)
  
• Retaining ring pliers (seriously, there is NO substitute for these)
  
• Long-nose electrician's pliers (not strictly necessary, but will make any wiring job 1,000x faster and easier)
  
• Rubber mallet (honestly surprised I didn't see this one on there)
  
• Curb key (One of those once-in-a-blue-moon things to need, but if you don't have one, you're calling a plumber.)
  
• Tamper (although depending on the scenario, you might be better off renting a gas tamper when you need one)
  
• Rope, ratcheting straps, bungee cords, velcro wraps, zip ties, carabiners and other clips, etc. (as much as you can manage to store. There is never not a need for this stuff.)

Family Handyman magazine is a good one for the stage you’re at. Sign up for their email list of tips; I have and often find something useful in their newsletter emails.

Familiarizing yourself with the basic tools you need — various simple manual hand tools and their use, simple power hand tools and their use — that is a good first step.

Learning to use tools in the proper way will prevent you from inadvertently making some ill-advised-but-common mistakes, and will help keep you safe in the meantime. (For example— Could one use a flathead screwdriver as a rock chisel? Perhaps. Should you? No, and there are reasons for that and better tools for the job.)

Books like this one:
The Complete Do-it-Yourself Manual Newly Updated

Should be a good starting point. They’ll cover the basic ways houses are plumbed, wired, and some of the basic building techniques.

If you’re planning to do electrical work around your house, I’m going to highly recommend a non-contact voltage tester because it can tell you when a switch still has electricity live to it. I have a couple of weird wiring configurations (multiple breakers used in the same junction box, from three-way light switches) in our 2015 house, and my tester has saved me from risking getting shocked a couple of times. Being careful is also key, but that sort of tester is a good thing to have.

This book has really great reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481734426&sr=1-1&keywords=home+improvement+book

Also I second the Youtube suggestion! My 70 year old step dad who isn't great at home improvement and is even worse with computers successfully repaired our washer with the help from Youtube.

Eternal Treblinka is a book about some of the parallels between these two subjects.

You may not agree, but Isaac Singer, who fled from Poland when the Nazis invaded and (IIRC) lost family members in concentration camps, said that "in relation to [animals], all people are Nazis."

Designating that a certain group is fit only to serve our needs and then die at our whim, all based on arbitrary determination of what traits make a being "worth" anything... different people will relate that to Nazi ideals in different degrees, but there is a lot of similarity.

>well-fed, medically treated animals

You are also operating under the assumption that the animals are not abused. Read "Slaughterhouse" by Gail Eisnitz and then you'll know a little of the firsthand accounts of how horrible humans can be to animals on a day-to-day basis.

Highly recommend this book if anyone is in two minds as to the importance of animal liberation to humans.

btw here are the links if anyone wants… I recommend the Cannabis Grow Bible by Green first. It’s good for beginners. The Cervantes one might seem overwhelming for beginners.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Recreational/dp/1931160589/ref=pd_sim_b_2

http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Horticulture-Outdoor-Medical-Growers/dp/187882323X/ref=pd_sim_b_2

There's an excellent book that takes its title from that quote:



https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Treblinka-Treatment-Animals-Holocaust/dp/1930051999



I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of industrialized slaughter, of both humans and animals.

Excerpt from The Cannabis Grow Bible by Greg Green

Fresh bud (eight weeks canned curing) is the pinnacle point of cured bud. After that the THC cannabinoids rapidly change composition and lose potency. Fresh bud is far better than aged bud. You may hear of other curing processes, but canning works wonders and is affordable too.

Canning sweats the bud, which causes it to retain its smell and flavor and allows the bud to burn more efficiently. By opening and closing the can at different intervals you can control how damp or dry you want your buds to be. Try to use cans that have a larger opening at the lid – enough to allow your whole hand to fit inside. This is because some of the trichomes will fall from the bud into the bottom of the can. Use your fingers to get at these trichomes. You can gather these into a small mass they can be smoked later on.

Drying your bud helps to relax the THC particles by removing water from the bud. This makes THC easier to burn and thus more psychoactive than when it's damp. Applying heat will remove water and will affect the overall cannabinoid content of the bud. It is not a good idea to press bud or to pack tightly during the curing process, because bunching of THC particles will make them harder to burn.

Curing helps to break down Chlorophyll, which has magnesium-containing green pigments. Magnesium is responsible for the sharp and harsh taste in the back of your throat when smoking fresh bud. This is another good reason to cure your bud.

If you over dry your buds you may lose too much moisture, resulting in bud that has less taste and aroma then it should. The best way to add moisture back into your buds is to introduce new fresh bud to your cans. The new fresh buds will share their moisture with the dried bud, bringing them back to a more even level of moisture and restoring their aroma and taste. Some people use fruit slices to bring back moisture, such as apples or orange slices. These fruit slices will also add their own aroma to the buds.

If you have dried your plants for three weeks hanging upside down you can subtract that time from the canning time. Although you can have good bud to smoke two weeks after harvest, it is better to wait for four weeks or more.

that's the fun part. start with sylvia bernstein. http://www.amazon.com/Aquaponic-Gardening-Step-By-Step-Vegetables-Together/dp/086571701X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382709615&sr=8-1&keywords=sylvia+bernstein+aquaponics

There are so many and with many different focal points. I also think a list with some identification as to the focal points for each book would be useful. And I'm always happy to find new good ones, so I am glad for this post.

Rodales is one that I've seen mentioned a ton elsewhere, and I have found it useful too. There is some lore and some preparation and growing information along with medicinal info..

If you are looking for experience logs concerning herb usage, Susun Weed's forum is a nice place to search. The accounts are not made by medical professionals and perhaps are not studies based, but they are from people who test and use herbs on themselves. A very female bent; however, I've not seen a male treated anything but nicely there.

Cunningham's is a good magical go-to based in some lore, but can be problematic sometimes as dangers are not always noted. And the lore can be difficult to track down; though I was surprised that some of it had uses that I was already familiar with from childhood. Many websites about magical correspondences are word-for-word taken from it. It's Llewellyn, but don't let that scare you. I doubt there is an apothecary in existence that doesn't have a copy somewhere.

Miller's Magical and Ritual Use of Herbs was one I acquired years ago when starting the magic/psychoactive hunt. It includes some methods for preparation though the herbs included are limited. I think going to a forum or sub here that is dedicated to psychoactives would probably be more useful for preparation guides, but they may lack the ritual component.

For identification and growing and a tiny bit of lore too, I found Angier's Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants to be very easy to use when I first started. It's not comprehensive and it is dependent on region, but I thought it was a charming read.

I think if you can find a field guide to wild plants that pertains to your geographical area, it would be better. That way you can get out and examine the plants yourself and see how they grow and interact with other plants and their environments. Much of what I have read about the magical properties of plants makes sense when I consider observations of the plants behaviors. Some of it is counter-intuitive too, but what makes a plant magical is sometimes going to be based in a lore you create on your own.

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants was a pricey thick one, but one I have found very useful for its purpose. I think it could be more inclusive, but I think the same thing could be said of every plant book published! If you can find one used, you may get it at a bargain. I bought mine for under 50$US but I have never seen it that cheap before or since. But this is not one that will be in every public library, so if you can afford it and spot it cheap, it may be worth the jump of you are into this kind of information. And of course the ever-loving Erowid is a great resource too.

These are just a few for beginning that I have used, but I have not used them in isolation. And there are several I have on a wish list too (this one has been rec'd to me, and omagah these have a savings account building over here). Websites have been excellent free resources especially to start. U.S. Wildflowers has a huge photo library and links to others if the geographical areas pertain to you. It's helped me get some basic identification of local plants many times.

For medicinal use and contra-indications that might feel safer, there are many hospitals that host pages of advice about herbal medicine and many of those link to studies. Since nothing here should be taken as medical advice, going to those resources may be very helpful. I have used too many to list.

And the same goes for growing guides. Websites are going to be quicker than books, but books may offer things like seasonal planting patterns and landscaping that a simple growing guide might not contain. There are too many of those to list as well.

Sorry for the length and I hope you get many more suggestions!

Sure! I started gathering info on YouTube, so social media witches are strangely my first true love - I get a lot of inspiration seeing actual people practice. I rec Kelly-Anne Maddox for her psychological and tarot content, and Hearth Witch for her practical info - it’s like she reads all the books and presents the best parts. I like Behatilife for astrology and predictions (though I know that’s not every SASS witches bag! She’s very motivational though).

I love Fotis Casper on YouTube for meditation music, he creates music for every full and new moon that somehow correlate with the positions of planets (he uses tones that correlate to the resonance of planets- something I’m sure science witches among us could think is cool).

I don’t particularly love witchcraft books, but when I formulate spells, Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs is the best resource. https://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com is my favorite place to look up crystal meanings.

I’m super privileged to have a ridiculously amazing local new age/witch store that gives me so much inspiration.

As a bonus, my most useful crystal is garnet, and my favorite deck is the Queen of the Moon Oracle.

Awesome! Glad to see another person interested, smithing is fun! Getting started is actually pretty easy as long as long as you aren't planning on crafting gorgeous blades right off the get-go. You really only need a few things:

• A forge (these can be built surprisingly cheap if you are inclined)
  
• Coal or charcoal to fire the forge (not bricket charcoal)
  
• A smithing hammer
  
• An anvil (can be as simple as a piece of railroad)
  
• Steel (I recommend starting with 1095, railroad spikes, or rebar).
  
• A bucket of oil or water (depending on the steel) to quench the blade in.
  
• A magnet. Those ones on the long extending stick are the best. (This is for checking the heat of the steel when tempering it)
  
  An anvil can be pricey, even used, if you get a real one but a piece of railroad can be obtained pretty cheaply though not always easily. Don't pay more than $2-4 a pound for an anvil if you buy a used one. The heavier, the better but starting out it should at least weigh 60+ lbs, preferably 150+. Don't try to use a jeweler's anvil or a cast iron anvil. There's some good videos covering types of anvils and where to find them. Everything else will be easy and cheap to obtain.
  
  You can find all the info you need to get started by searching YouTube for knife making or knife smithing. Walter Sorrells in particular has a good channel with some high quality videos. He focuses more on making knives from steel blanks than on forging, but he does have a couple of good forge videos and happens to have spent some time studying under Japanese smiths so he has some decent info on forging Japanese swords and knives if you are interested. Honestly, for a normal knife/sword the forging isn't that hard, it's the finishing part that takes all the time, effort, and skill. (Not to downplay the skills of most medieval smiths, they had to be much more precise in their smithing than we do today because we have power sanders and grinders to quickly fix mistakes). Most YouTube channels will focus on smithing knives instead of swords and I recommend you start with the same even though swords are awesome. It's the same techniques and process, but knives are cheaper to practice on and swords are more difficult to get right.
  
  If you want or prefer a book, there are a few good ones for sale on Amazon. The Backyard Blacksmith, The Complete Modern Blacksmith, The $50 Knife Shop, How to Make Knives, and The Wonder of Knife Making are all great beginner books (only the last two deal with actually making knives). When you get some practice under your belt, Jim Hrisoulas has a couple of books on bladesmithing that are designed for experienced smiths who want to build better blades and deals with swords specifically.

You might enjoy this book: [Inside of a Dog](Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416583432/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SeV9BbGXCB905). It’s not so scientific that you’re overwhelmed but includes anecdotal info as well.

well for the saws, bench and mortise chisels there is a lot of information on youtube and forums like www.finewoodworking.com. Numerous books on the subject. Much of this subreddit likes these books by Tage Frid

the gouges, well I am starting to look at resources, /u/Gfilter below referenced a book on carving. Also I did not show the 6 books on wood carving and one on tool sharpening that were also included.

Back in the day when books were made of paper, this was the bible for a lot of people. It's a little dated but not bad.

But it depends what you're into. There's books on dovetails, on cabinetmaking, on finishing. For joinery I like this.

R. Bruce Hoadley's Understanding Wood should be required reading, and not just for woodworkers.

For anything else, especially anything specific to joinery, I've found it's basically six of one, half a dozen of the other. A solid foundation of how wood behaves (which you'll get from Understanding Wood) will let you filter out almost all of the bad information yourself, and every book will have bad information. There's value in almost any book that looks like it has value.

The one set of books I'd recommend you definitely not get is Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking; that one is consistently garbage and guaranteed to end in personal injury. Unfortunately, it's also a set that gets recommended in threads like these in a lot of places, because Tage Frid was associated with Fine Woodworking (the magazine, not the practice) for almost three decades and therefore has a lot of visibility.

Links: Identifying Wood & Understanding Wood

[Understanding Wood](Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1561583588/) is a terrific book for a woodworker who wants to... wait for it... understand wood.

The book starts with an applied look at the biology and life cycle of trees, explaining how this effects the material and goes through many chapters on specific properties of timber and how to apply the knowledge to woodworking. This is the kind of information that in my opinion is often much better presented in book form than what is available through YouTube, which is great for imparting technique, but not so much for providing a rigorous understanding of a subject.

Highly recommended for anyone who works with wood.

There are a few times in puppyhood where Shibas are especially big assholes, remember that after neutering the testosterone level will slowly lower over weeks/months and any behavior results you may have been expecting won't show right away.

So here are my thoughts about what might be going on.

Biting
He is walking all over you because he thinks he can get away with it, this can be because there is not consistent discipline from ALL family members. If the puppy gets away with biting one person he will do it to EVERYONE. We taught our boy the word 'gentle' when he bites too much, when he would lick our hand or give us kisses we would say 'good boy, gentle' eventually he learns that gentle means to lick your hand and stop doing the unwanted behavior of biting.

Destroying He might be bored, without enough exercise or mental stimulation puppies can become destructive. Limit the rooms in the house he is allowed to be in, crate him at night, and spray everything with bitter apple spray.

Roaming Obviously he should be supervised when outside and Shibas recall can be really hard to enforce and train. Use high value treats when he comes when you call, and keep him on a long lead while he learns.

I recommend using a behaviorist and/or trainer who is familiar with primitive breeds (Shibas/Huskies), and understand that most Shibas typically do not respond well to aggressive training techniques, instead consider a more positive approach to training check out Shibashake and Dr. Ian Dunbars Book

Do the stuff in this book! It helped me out so much. I only wish that I had done everything in this book. The only thing that I couldn't get myself to do constantly was feed him from Kong products. So I had to deal with him chewing stuff that he shouldn't. It's a really great book, that will help you avoid a lot frustration. It's little rough at times, but worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557

This is a list of other gear that I would buy again:
http://www.biketowleash.com/

https://www.stuntpuppy.com/products/stunt-runner

http://www.gundogsupply.com/k-9-komfort-biothane-check-cord.html

http://freedomnopullharness.com/

http://www.ruffwear.com/Approach-Pack_4

https://www.chewy.com/health-extension-whole-elk-antler/dp/120509?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Health%20Extension&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKEAjw1PPJBRDq9dGHivbXmhcSJAATZd_Bol2vs_muxDY32W-rfRrBwNZ50KYJsRhqfULe3TQE4hoCCVTw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds



best of luck!

You need to treat her accidents as your own fault because that's what they are. If she makes a mistake, it's because you have not been watching close enough etc. What you have done is most likely created negative feelings now associated with the bathroom which will only lead her to try and hide better or hold it longer. You need to take the time and read about dog behaviour and how to train properly and do like someone else suggested and start over like a puppy. I would suggest this book:

https://www.amazon.ca/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557

Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...

Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.

Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D

Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!

Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!

Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)

Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.

Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!

I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!

Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).

I can't say enough about this clicker training book. I started when Lavi was 12 weeks and the first weekend we were sitting on command and doing a few other behaviors. I am a big fan of clicker training. Good luck with the biting, I don't have any suggestions but redirection.

there is a book on the subject, mycellium running, we have a copy and it is worth reading.

How Dogs Learn and Culture Clash

Both great books for new and veteran dog owners.

Oh, how we feel your pain! This sub will be your lifesaver--it's been mine. Here's a great place to start: http://careforreactivedogs.com/

Also, check out YouTube videos by Dr. Sophia Yin and Patricia McConnell. McConnell has a great booklet on reactive dogs, and you can get it pretty cheap used. https://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1527001182&sr=8-5&keywords=patricia+mcconnell

We've also had good success with Feisty Fido and Reactive Rover classes, which were pretty inexpensive through our Animal Welfare League and Humane Society. My girl is making slow but real progress. She still reacts but she calms down much faster, and my hope is that reaction/calming time will shorten and eventually the reactions will fade away.

The people on this sub are awesome and full of support and ideas. Good luck on your journey!

Check out books by Patricia McConnell (especially The Other End of the Leash), Brenda Aloff's guide to canine body language, Stanley Coren, Jean Donaldson's Culture Clash, Jane Killion's When Pigs Fly. Dogstardaily is great and has some free e-books. Also check out NILIF as a good way to institute structure without resorting to "dominance methods" and this page has some great advice as well.

You need to learn about canine behavior cues to keep yourself safe. Most dogs you come in contact with will be nice and not a problem, but you need to learn the signs of a dog that might bite. Don't listen to anybody who talks about canine behavior on TV.
This seems like a good resource if you are willing to invest a little bit of money:
Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog https://www.amazon.com/dp/1929242352/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aB-NBbHPWQ68H

This is where I get my mushroom plug spawn.

There are many others out there but I pretty much stick with Everything Mushrooms.

Here's a good page on how to do the log cultivation.

I used Gulf Wax instead of cheesewax because I wanted the logs to be vegan, turns out cheesewax is still vegan.


It's good to have a second person. My grandfather was a huge help having a lot of experience with torches, tools, and lumber in general. He marked a 5/8" drill for the proper depth and drilled all the holes while I went around with a rubber mallet nailing the plugs in.

Once we finished drilling and hammering we rigged up an old food can with some metal handles and melted the wax in it with a torch. Using some old craft brush, I'd dip the brush in the hot wax and dab it on all the plugs, the g'pa would reheat the wax as needed. Then we stacked the logs. Now, we wait.

It's probably too late to do an outdoor cultivation unless you happen to be in a part of the world that isn't going to go below 50 degrees F for another few months. There is always the PF Tek.

If this stuff fascinates you then you need to do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Paul Stamet's Mycelium Running. It doesn't get into step by steps but covers a wide variety of cultivation methods with lots of pictures of insane outdoor grows.

The Mushroom Life Cycle

An Easy Wild Bird Seed Tek

Building A Fruiting Chamber

Easy Bulk Substrate

Edit: If you are really interested in mycology all Paul Stamets books are must reads

Mycelium Running is a good start

I would recommend that you purchase some DIY books to help you with jobs around the home:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018

https://www.amazon.com/Renovation-5th-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/1631869590

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Repair-Improvement-Updated/dp/158011783X

Hmm...most useful things for $300. I would recommend Lowe's/Home Depot, but since you're limited to Amazon....

• Stud finder/level
  
  
• Measuring tape
  
  
• Hammer
  
  
• Assortment of nails/screws of varying lengths(for shelves/pictures/etc)
  
  
• Duct tape
  
  
• Voltage detector
  
  
• Drywall saw?
  
  
• Good LED flashlight(or more than one)
  
  
• Paintbrushes
  
  
• Extension cord
  
  
• Homeowner's bible
  
  There's lots of other stuff, but my mind has drawn a blank right now.

Two budgets.

Collins Complete DIY Manual https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007425953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZE-RBbG8FS60W

The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1621452018/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZF-RBbRYDBZ5W

I just purchased the following book, and it's great. Highly recommended.

The Complete Do-it-Yourself Manual Newly Updated https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621452018/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3-sHzbRJE9KW2

In this electronic age, there are still some classic books worth having in the toolbox. I think if you want it to be useful and thorough it can't be small.

• Time Life's Home Repair
  
• Family Handyman's similar
  
• Black and Decker's

As another shiba owner, constant work is required, but they're so worth it. I highly recommend reading Shiba Inu's (A Complete Pet Owners Manual) and The Culture Clash to anyone that is seriously considering a Shiba.

I've read Culture Clash and Don't Shoot the Dog and both are quite excellent. The Amazon reviews are better than anything I could say:

Culture Clash

Don't Shoot the Dog

Also, my wife is reading the latest Karen Pryor book and liked it quite a lot, too (we're into clicker training):

Reaching the Animal Mind

>Even with a prong collar

Aversives never help a reactivity situation. They put more stress on the dog, which is what he already feels while on leash. He most likely has learned to associate other dogs and being on leash with not being a safe situation and so is reacting the only way he knows how.

This is a great primer to get you on your way to having him be calm. It will take time; these kinds of problems build very quickly and need consistent and extended work to fix. Also reactivity is a problem that will come back over time if you cease working on it and do not do regular upkeep and maintenance.

There's also genetic components as well. GSDs are knows to have lower thresholds for things than say the average lab.

> if I'm not particularly doing this 'exercise' but going for regular walks, how should I react to the triggers?

Any walk can turn into a training exercise for us if triggers appear. Not ideal, but that's the dog I have. Runners are trickier because they're moving faster and by the time you see them, the dog's likely over threshold already. Ideally, you'd avoid runners while you work on controlled training exercises, but a dog's gotta walk, and a few people can devote all their time to training. Do the best you can, and understand setbacks happen. When in doubt, I think creating distance is best. Sometimes for me that means doing a 180 and literally running in the other direction with my dog to move as fast as I can away from the trigger.

Learn to be clear with kids about not approaching your dog. I've found they often listen better than most adults :/

> she started barking I tried to divert her attention to a treat and moving a bit away from the trigger, but to no avail

Thresholds are an important concepts for reactivity. I think one of the biggest issues with people first starting out in training is that they often attempt to work when their dog is already over threshold. Working under threshold is key to progress. This is some good reading.

> I know I should avoid giving the treat AFTER she barks at all costs, because then I'm basically telling her I love it when she barks at the triggers

Not necessarily, I don't think. You could also be rewarding for stopping barking and focusing back on you. For example, if my dog starts barking at another dog, I might first create distance between us and the other dog, then when I get her attention back on me, reward. Take a few steps closer to other dog with her attention still on me, reward, and continue to work with her under threshold.

Keep in mind that you'd also (and preferably) want to be rewarding when there's a trigger when your dog is calm and before she actually reacts. Ideally, you'd never put your dog in a position where she'd react and never need to reward for attention back on you, but that's impossible to achieve with a reactive dog in the real world.

> I'm very interested in dog psychology to be honest.

I highly recommend Patricia McConnell's books and blog for people just getting into it. She has a book for reactivity training, but The Other End of the Leash is great for a more general read.

Also check out r/reactivedogs and the resources on their wiki as well as those on the reactive dog support group here.

I'm working on the same problem with our min pin. I picked up Fiesty Fido which came highly recommended. The techniques in the book definitely help, however it's still a work-in-progress for me (been working on it for about 4 months now). Basically as long as I spot other dog more than a block away, I can employ some of the strategies with my dog, and get her to be calm. However, if the dog pops up around the corner, she gets wayyyyyy too excited and the only course of action is the "U-Turn" and running the opposite direction.

I suggest the Wicca Bible and Cunningham’s encyclopedia of magical herbs to start. If possible, have them mailed to a friend’s house or a PO box.

https://smile.amazon.com/Wicca-Bible-Definitive-Spirit-Bibles/dp/140273008X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=wicca+bible&qid=1568859279&sr=8-2

https://smile.amazon.com/Cunninghams-Encyclopedia-Magical-Llewellyns-Sourcebook/dp/0875421229/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=cunninghams+encyclopedia+of+magical+herbs&qid=1568859312&sprefix=cunningha&sr=8-2

Remember that this is an earth-based faith. We mostly use our powers for the good of the world environment. If you cast selfishly, you won’t see the results you want.

It sounds like you're able to work a lot with correspondences. For that alone I'd recommend Stephen Skinner's Complete Magician's Tables. You'll find numerous correspondences between quite a few plants and planets, signs, entities, etc. From there you can work out when to harvest, perhaps the type of metal tool, things you can use them for, etc.

Going a little more plant-centric, Cunningham's Encyclopedia is a nice reference.

edit: linked to skinner's book

>kitchen witch

Kitchen witch is specifically a term for those who practice magic that is quick and simple. More like "folk magick" -- so called because a lot of the ingredients for this magic are found in the kitchen. For example, a kitchen with might boil someone's picture in salt in order to purify them of any bad influences. Or put a representation of someone in the freezer in order to cool them off and stop them from doing harm.

>What resources do you use for herbal knowledge?

It really depends on how much you already know. If you are an absolute beginner I recommend Cunningham's two books on the subject. The first is a reference book on Herbs and their magical properties called Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. The second is his Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews. The first one really talks abotu the herbs themselves, but the second one gives you different ways to use the herbs by making oils or essences out of them.

> I live in an apartment and would like to grow my own herbs, no balcony. Where do I start?

I would google search for something called "urban gardening" it's a really big movement of people who discuss just this. I don't know a lot about it personally but I'm sure you will find others here who do.

Hope this helps :-)

Usually, for every magickal endeavor you want to make incense for, there is a household correspondence that you can use to make it. We wouldn't be Witches if we weren't crafty, right?

Some texts that will help you find correspondences (If you can't buy them yourself, you can always browse them at a bookstore and take notes. Places like Barnes and Nobles carries these kinds of books. They are worth buying secretly and sneaking home, imho.) :

• Cunningham's Magickal Herbs
  
  
• Cunningham's Incense, Oils, and Brews
  
  
• Cunningham's Magical Herbalism: The Secret Craft of the Wise
  
  and while you're at it, for extra sneakyness:
  
  
• Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen
  
  There are other books out there about herbalism, but Cunningham's books are simple and effective primers to get you started down the road towards Herbalism. Just remember, there is WAY more advanced stuff out there, and if you care to learn it, you can.
  
  For more immediate help regarding making incense, A video about Herbalism from Cunningham: [Herb Magick] (http://youtu.be/Mn6B2m1pLoE). The video may not have an extensive correspondence list, but it'll get you down the road.
  
  PLEASE DON'T POISON YOURSELF.

Also get him this book for his birthday or something. Tells you how to do everything on the cheap.
https://smile.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=50+knife+shop&qid=1562951506&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I learned from YouTube. Also a great start is this book. http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956

What you're referring to is usually called stock-removal. I'd look into Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop

It outlines both forging and stock removal techniques as well as ways to make the necessary equipment on the cheap. (It actually used to be called the $25 knife shop, but it has been updated a good deal and since then the dollar has gone through a good deal of inflation)

What kind of tools do you have right now?

there are tons of resources online to learn blacksmithing/bladesmithing

youtube,
iforgeiron.com,
/r/bladesmith

the list goes on and on but those are the best IMO


also books abound on the subject

it you want to get started cheap look into
https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495550648&sr=8-1&keywords=wayne+goddard+50+dollar+knife

but keep in mind this was $50 in the late 80's early 90's (whenever he wrote it) so it might be a bit more unless you can find and scavenge some of the things you will need. which isnt as hard as it sounds actually

Edit: formatting

i did a quick google to see if leaf springs were ideal and they are so i put out feelers for some of those.

And also in the course of that found recommendation for the $50 knife shop book so I bought him that on amazon. link: https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482254778&sr=8-1&keywords=50+knife+shop

Thanks folks You both got me exactly what I needed!

This book was what started it all off for me in knife making. It was tremendously helpful in answering a lot of beginning questions and giving valuable advice on how to begin.

You might like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Gourmet-Medicinal-Mushrooms-Stamets-ebook/dp/B004GTLS2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396469718&sr=8-1&keywords=growing+mushrooms

http://www.amazon.com/The-Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396469733&sr=8-2&keywords=growing+mushrooms

My complaint about these books is that they are geared for exactly what you're talking about and not necessarily low-tech home cultivation. They cover just about everything you would need.

TMC gives:


Spawn Run:

Humidity: 90-100%

Substrate Temp: 78-84F

Duration: 10-14days

CO2: 20,000PPM or 20% by volume

Fresh Air Exchanges: 0

Light: None



Pinning:

Humidity: 95%

Air Temp: 55-60F

Duration: 7-14 days

CO2: less than 600PPM

Fresh Air Exchanges: 4/hr

Light: 2000lux / hr for 12 hours a day. Grow-lux type bulbs recommended.

Watering: regular misting once to twice daily until fruiting bodies are 30-40% of harvest size, at which point water is used to prevent cracking.



Cropping:

Humidity: 85-92%

Air Temp: 60-64F

Duration: 5-7 weeks

CO2: less than 600PPM

Fresh Air Exchanges: 4-6 per hour

Flushing Interval: 10 days.

Light: 2000lux / hr for 12 hours a day. Grow-lux type bulbs recommended.



Edit: Giving credit where credit is due. It's a good book. Buy it.

Read Paul Stamets book Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, and also The Mushroom Cultivator which details a lot of info on spore storage and culture practises.

Its so easy to get one contam spore into whatever you're doing - ordinary air has so many contam spores in just 1cm^3, its almost impossible to work 100% sterile. But not to worry: the best we can do as cultivators is hold off the inevitable. A good cultivator will do what he or she can to work clean but all the time understands that all grows will ultimately end in contamination - thats just natures way.

The contaminations themselves often sporulate on the surface of cube spores which after finding residence on nutrient media will then 'piggy-back' using the spores which touch each other. The contaminations can often be 50 times smaller, and so can easily rest like a pest on the spores surface. An electron microscopy picture can really show you well what I'm trying to say here. They also reproduce far faster than their larger basidiospore cousins in the cubensis family, so can out compete them for the available resources that you have so kindly provided for them.

Its not that having a lot of spores in a syringe is a bad thing, its just that throughout my experience with cubes I've found that 'less is more' - the more spread out the spores are from each other, the more you can isolate the good strains and culture out the contams. :)

This book helped me really understand what makes my dog feel loved and what he experiences: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Buy this: http://www.amazon.com/Tage-Teaches-Woodworking-step-step/dp/1561580686 ; Tage Frid was the Sagan of woodworking.

Then buy whichever of these Taunton books pique your interest: http://store.finewoodworking.com/series/cig-series.html

Then you need a project... you can't effectively learn woodworking without doing it.

Check out Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. Can probably get it from your local library - either off the shelves of via interlibrary loan.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to use too small of plane for the job. The bigger the boards, the bigger the plane.

Most people use a #4 Smooth plane as their starter plane. It's a good overall plane, but if you're trying to get something large flat it's workable but not great.

I usually use a #5 Jack or #7 Jointer plane. I've also replaced most of my irons and chipbreakers with Hocks. This is not a route to take if you don't find hand planing to be a "religious" experience.

Most people think that Hand tools are the "Cheap" way to do it. You can get a cheap #4 hand plane and it will work, but a good quality hand plane will be much more expensive new. See if you can find a Stanley Bailey #4 for a much better plane at a reasonable price. If you find you absolutely love hand planing, I've heard good things about Veritas and using my instructor's bronze Lie Nieson was an amazing experience.

Used planes are hit-and-miss if you don't know what you're looking for. Lots of them are in pretty poor shape, and then you're competing with collectors who want them for decoration. Stanley #4 planes are pretty common on the used market and pretty cheap but anything else gets harder to find quickly (except for Ebay, but then you can't inspect it yourself before buying so it's a gamble). I've found a couple of #5's in decent shape, and I'll occasionally run into something else, but usually too expensive or not in good shape.

Note that you could probably find a decent 4" bench power jointer on craigslist in most areas for less than $100 (usually Craftsman)

If you want to learn how to do lots of traditional woodworking stuff, I'd recommend picking up a copy of Tage Fried Teaches Woodworking. I'm pretty sure he covers planing stock, including winding sticks in there.

I agree with what much of u/hoffbaker has said already with a couple notes. If your shopping through craigslist and pawnshops for tools (and you SHOULD) I would recommend a corded drill unless you find a barely used cordless. It will likely be cheaper and certainly more reliable. Mallets are cheap, but if you dont want to buy one right away you can always us a sacrificial board to protect your work.

Additions: Hand rasps and files, a few ratchet straps, miter box (make it yourself). Finally grab a copy of Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking (there are 3 books in the series)

https://www.amazon.com/Teaches-Woodworking-Joinery-Veneering-Finishing/dp/1561580686

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, Vol 1 and Vol 2 (amazon has them combined into one book for about $20). Vol 3 focuses more on design, and I wouldn't really consider it a "must have".

http://www.amazon.com/Tage-Frid-Teaches-Woodworking-Step-By-Step/dp/1561580686/

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking.

This three piece set (the last is frequently left out because it's mostly plans for his furniture, but there's excellent info in it as well) is a comprehensive guide to woodworking, in no-nonsense fashion, from the ground up. Tage goes over hand tools, sharpening, power tools, etc...

The guy was an editor at Fine Woodworking for years, as well as being a professional craftsman, as well as a teacher for many years. He knows his stuff, articulates it in a legible fashion, and doesn't get caught up in hand tool vs power tool trends, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Tage-Frid-Teaches-Woodworking-Step-By-Step/dp/1561580686

The second edition is actually Understanding Wood. No joke. This guy is the wood master.

Your coasters are a prime example of wood shrinkage, there is nothing you can do except watch the crack get bigger and smaller according to the relative humidity. The size of the crack will change every day. See the cover of this book

Regardless of whether you take an apprenticeship or attend a college program, I would highly recommend expanding your knowledge on woodworking. There are five basic books I could not have survived without.

"Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking" by Tage Frid - This is for a box set of Tage Frid's three books. I bought them separate, but one link was easier than three links. You can buy these off of Amazon or eBay for quite cheap if you're a smart shopper.

"Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology" by R. Bruce Hoadley Edit: Recommended for a better understanding of the materials you're working with.

"Identifying Wood: Accurate Results With Simple Tools" by R. Bruce Hoadley Edit: Recommended because as a carpenter or woodworker, you should be able to identify most common wood types.

If you're just beginning and don't want to spend the $100ish it would cost for all of these, start with Tage's first book. "Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: Joinery: Tools and Techniques". It will teach A LOT about design and wood in general, which will help you when applying for apprenticeships and/or carpentry/cabinet-making school.

It should be noted, these are textbooks for the most part and as such, read like one. If you're fresh out of high school, it should be easy to resume an old studying routine; if not, I suggest coffee, a chair that's comfortable and a notebook for note-taking. Seriously.

This one's kinda dry: http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Craftsmans-Guide-Technology/dp/1561583588 but contains tons of useful stuff. A few things I've learned:

• How wood & glue work. E.g. roughing up the surface doesn't help.
  
• Dimensional variation in longitudinal, radial, tangential wood dimensions, and how to design for these changes.
  
• How to more accurately identify wood species. E.g. just looking eyeballing a piece is not sufficient, even 'experts' will sometimes misidentify.

Congrats! Do you already know what kind of dog it is and how old it will be?

For some books and reading I've heard good things about The Puppy Primer, by Patricia Mcconnell and Brenda Scidmore. There's also Before and After Getting Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. It used to be two separate books but they've since combined them.

/r/puppy101 also has some great resources in the sidebar!

You can start training your puppy now, just keep in mind that small puppy=small attention span. Training sessions should be 2 minutes tops, keep them exciting and full of positive attention. Start out by getting him used to being handfed, then move to an easy-to-train command like "sit". Once he's got that down or seems to need more variety, gradually begin to introduce more commands.

As for treats, you can use kibble from his main diet as a minor training reward to start out with. You can also use soft treats like training treats or freeze-dried liver. Just don't go too overboard on rewarding!

Get as many friends and family of a variety of ages to come and visit/treat your puppy in the next couple of weeks as possible. Socialization is key and the 8-10 week window can, in a lot of ways, determine your dog's demeanor going forward. I'm sure you know, but you should avoid taking the puppy out to meet other dogs or into areas with high dog traffic until he is finished with the parvo series of vaccinations.

This is just the tip of a very large iceberg of puppy info. I'll put in a plug for /r/dogtraining and /r/puppy101 here! Both are great resources. We also relied heavily on the advice of Ian Dunbar while training our corgi. His website is here, he also has a great book Before and After Getting Your Puppy which was our bible. We basically did a less intense versions of his errorless house, chew toy, and crate trainings and our corgi was accident free by 3 months, is happy and bark free in his crate, and has yet to legitimately destroy anything.

Congratulations on your new pup and happy training to you!

First, read Ian Dunbar's Book.

• Socialize your dog. Have her see, smell and meet as many people as you possibly can. Walk her in many different environments. Have her see people in skates, bikes, skateboards. Learn how to introduce her to other dogs and then have her meet as many dogs as you can.
  
• As you have probably seen in this subreddit, pitbulls are very often affectionate and not aggressive. However, they are powerful. A playful nip from a chihuahua is very different than a playful nip from any 80+ pound dog. From the dog's perspective, it's the exact same ludic behavior. See the book on how to teach your dog to learn to have a soft mouth.
  
• It is an every-day commitment. She will need her walks, her training and discipline exercised every day. If you don't have the time or energy to do this, don't get a dog. Any dog, any breed. Watch some Dog Whisperer episodes and you'll see that even the cutest fluffiest breeds can get unstable and neurotic without this level of attention from their family.
  
• Have your kids learn how to train her, and have them train an exercise her as well. That creates very strong bonds and will also let her know that even though they may be small, they're still figures of authority.
  
• Learn to relax while your out and about with her. If you're about to have a tizzy with worry about what others think about you having a big dog, your dog has no choice but to be nervous. She will look at you for guidance and will follow your lead.
  
  Feel free to DM any other questions you have. If you decide to rehome her, please find a reputable rescue organization or a no-kill shelter.

Hi and thanks for replying. Your information is offering me good insight into what I need. I was looking at these two books: http://www.amazon.com/Leader-Pack-And-have-Your-Love/dp/189176702X/ref=la_B001ILMAOY_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1341528918&sr=1-3 and http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557/ref=la_B001K83EFO_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341528963&sr=1-1

The puppy and my dog have established their pack order today it seems like. For the most part he was limping or had a cone on the entire week, so my dog was avoiding him. Now that he's had the cone off for a day, she has established dominance with him and they are hunting in my back yard, running in patterns already Lol.

Thank you. I have been told that this is also very good. Have you read or used it as well?

"In relation to them, all people are Nazis"

Isaac Bashevis Singer

https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Treblinka-Treatment-Animals-Holocaust/dp/1930051999

Always good to hear when people are familiar with Freire! I don't like using such militaristic metaphors, but the grenade reference is (if I remember correctly) a paraphrasing of Guy Debord, author of Society of the Spectacle and instigator of the May '68 student protests in France. Seemed relevant.

I'm actually in the process of ordering books, but I don't know how hopeful they're going to be. I'm just excited to get new books. Gotta find things to get excited about. The first is Green is the New Red about the construction of 'ecoterrorism' and the second is Eternal Treblinka, which looks at the emergence of industrial scale killing of humans and animals. Pretty uplifting stuff haha.

http://www.adaptt.org/killcounter.html might perhaps be of interest to you.

Eternal Treblinka is indeed an excellent book every Vegan (and non-Vegan!) should read.

Maybe his butt itches? :-P

Sniffing the butt is polite in the dog world - it's less threatening than a face to face meeting. When a dog turns his back he is saying "I'm not a threat" it makes the other dog more likely to react in a peaceful way, and your dog is calmed by this too.

Some references:

• Calming Signals
  
  
• Illustrations by Lili Chin - the whole album is awesome.
  
  
• Giant book of Canine Body Language
  
  

> We had baby gates at the kitchen for a while, but they got in the way of humans. He will stay out of the kitchen while people are watching, but noy while we are at work.

Can you just put up the baby gate while everyone's out of the house? There are also gates that have swinging entrances for humans to pass through. We banned our grey from the kitchen early on, finding that management is the easiest and most effective method. I know it's hard getting the kids to on board, but it's well worth the effort. Being food-driven is a strong part of the breed (though of course there are exceptions), and it's easier to manage deep-set breed traits like that rather than trying to work against them.

If boredom is an issue, what can you do to help alleviate that? Toys, puzzle treats, and snuffle mats can all help a food-driven hound stay occupied. We love freezing kibble and other treats in our dog's Kong.

Greys typically do tend to be harder to train because of their independent nature, not intelligence. I love Jane Killion's When Pigs Fly: Training Success with Impossible Dogs, as it helped a bunch with ours. You may never get to the same training level as other, more biddable dogs, but you can make progress.

I recommend Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It's now a TV series on Starz. Some bill it as romance, but I think of it more as a time-travel adventure. There are eight books in the series, so if she likes the first, she'll have a lot of reading to do.

http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Diana-Gabaldon/dp/0440212561

• I have not been well. Sickness and death and other bad things. But hey, New Girl started tonight, and it's Sons of Anarchy night, so that's nice.
  
  
• I've been drooling over ILNP's Homecoming.
  
  
• How about some lotion bars?
  
  
• The Dune series is one of my all time favorites, and I've been reading the Outlander series recently.
  
  
• Mani! Here's a better picture.
  
  
• Happy anniversary!! I hope you two have a great day. :)
  
  Thanks for hosting!!

For outright erotica literotica is hard to beat. Everything is nicely categorized, rated, it's easy to find something you'll like. Some are short pieces, some long, some in between.

I'm a BDSM/kinkster and/or into pretty dark stuff, so I don't have any other good sexy book recommendations that seem like they'll suit you.

But Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is so freaking good. There are lots of ways to describe the books, amazon will do a better job than I can right now.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Honestly, it's often dubbed as romance, which it has, but there is so much more to it.

Yeah, don't worry, you can do it! If you enjoy books, the best intro to science-based training methods that I've read so far is The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. It's simple but pretty comprehensive for the things most dog owners run into.

If you can give us more detail about the behaviors you want to discourage and the ones you want to encourage, we can help you come up with an action plan that you both can enjoy doing.

1. I would baby gate him in a dog/baby proof room. No carpet just in case he has an accident. No pillows or blankets in case he decides those look fun to destroy. Ask the foster family what their normal routine is for leaving him alone in the house.
   
   
2. Will depend on the dog. Mine was minimal because my dog had not interest in chewing things or getting himself in trouble. Some good things to do would be to ensure no access to garbage and recycling. If you have plants make sure he can't knock them over or eat them. You have children so just think about what you did when you baby proofed the home.
   
   
3. Fromm would be a good upgrade from Blue Buffalo. Fromm Gold specifically
   
   
4. I like Lupine Pet Products. I also really like rope style leashes and biothane. Biothane is water proof. I but a lot leashes and collars on Etsy.
   
   
5. I just lock my dog in there over night. However, he sleeps in his crate all day on his own. It is his safe spot. I would never ever stick my arm or hand in there to try and grab him. That is his personal space and I do not violate it. Make sure you teach your kids to always leave your dog alone when he is in his crate. If your dog has a good relationship with his crate he will retreat there to rest and relax on his own. It should always be available to him.
   
   
6. This book and a clicker. Super straight forward and fun. Don't buy too many toys to start. Buy a few different ones and see what your dog likes and that are safe to give him. I would also pick up some bully sticks
   
   
7. Don't overwhelm him with new experiences to start. Don't have visitors over for a couple weeks. Limit his exposure to new things. Take him out for walks but don't bring him to the pet store until you guys can build a relationship together.
   
   
8. I would be careful with hugging, grabbing collar, kissing the dog's head and just being too affection. Humans are primates and dogs are canines and each species has different ways of communicating. Hugging and face-to- face contact is the way to communicate if you are a primate but not if you are canine. It is scary and can be threatening to a dog. Patricia McConnell has a great book on this subject.
   
   
9. Look into the two week shutdown. Do not feel the need to rush him to the dog park or your kids soccer games in an effort to socialize him. He has probably had a lot of changes in his short life so just take it slow. Once he is settled in a month or two look into doing a pet obedience class at a training club. It is a great way to learn more about dogs, get your kids involved in dog training and get your dog out the house for some fun. You will also learn the basics for having a well behaved dog.
   
   
10. I'd take him in a month or two unless the adoption contract requires to take him in sooner.

First of all congratulations on having a dog! Obviously you are a concerned owner and eager to learn and this is a great thing!

Everything you written about her being confused, refusing food, even not going up the stairs is probably due to the fact that she was taken out of her everyday environment. Allow a couple of days for her to get used to you and for you to get used to her. Read about training through positive reinforcement (use the clicker for best results). I strongly recommend reading Pat Miller's The Power of Positive Dog Training as it leads you through the process of teaching your new dog new commands from week to week. Before actually using the clicker, read about it or watch a must see playlist by kikopup.

The easiest way to train your dog is to use food as a reward and lure. Combined with a clicker to mark the exact moment when your dog did the right thing leads to great (and very fast) results!

And now to your specific questions and some other stuff I think is related and important:

Crate training should be done gradually and in a very positive way (refer to kikopup or the book I've mentioned). You will basically teach her to want to go there on her own as a safe place where she can take a time out and relax. If she hasn't been crated in her previous home, she might not take it to well. Be sure to leave the gate open and start working on closing the gate and leaving the room gradually. This means that in the beginning you reward her for going near the crate. Then throw a treat inside the crate. Then reward her for staying in the crate and so on. As with everything else in dog training it is better to put lower expectations on your dog so you "set your dog up for success".

Stairs: she maybe never encountered stairs. If the vet said she's healthy I'd say she just needs to get used to them. In case the stairs are "see through" (like these for example) many dogs won't go up them because they probably think they'll fall through them. As generally dogs don't like to be carried around, she won't get used to you carrying her up and down the stairs in the beginning. After a few days try luring her with treats (holding a treat in hand in front of her nose and slowly moving it forward) the instant she follows your hand - give her the treat. And then repeat for every step. You can also put treats on stairs to motivate her to come up. You'll have to see what works best.

Food/treats: you should see what is the recommended daily amount of food for your dog. Take one half of that and use it as treats and the other two quarters use as morning and evening meal. You should remember that treats shouldn't be an extra on top of dogs food for the day. In that way the dog will be food motivated and eager to please you in order to get the treat.

Establishing dominance. I'm not in favour of people downvoting a post whenever someone says "dominance". It is an old concept, but all of dog training up until recently was based on it so it is very normal that people who are not into dog training still think that this is the way to go. I'm sure you can read about the theory (sidebar) and why is it wrong. As long as you don't use any painful or intimidating methods and respect your dog's boundaries and body signals you can call it whatever you like (but preferably don't call it dominance so as not to confuse people :P ). If you don't want your dog sleeping in the bed with you - teach him where should she sleep. But if you're ok with the dog sleeping on the bed but you're afraid she will turn out into a dominant werewolf if you allow her - you have nothing to worry about.


Good luck!

Here's a fantastic introductory book on positive dog training techniques:
The power of positive dog training

Get the book. Even if you're not a "reader", the middle section is essentially workshops on training certain tricks.

I have to admit, when I first got my dog last year, I just assumed that dominance was the way to train a dog. Mainly because of our good friend Cesar Milan. However, as soon as I picked this book up I realised the error of my ways.

How can you convince your boyfriend that positive is the way forward? Try and get him involved. Pick up that book, get him to pick a trick from the book to teach your dog. It will be a real eye opener.

Another important point that has been mentioned by others - you both need to be consistent. Him hitting the dog for misbehaving while you're using positive techniques will be counter productive. It is very easy to miscommunicate with negative training techniques. He can be essentially poisoning your training, especially as he has no clue what he's doing.

Good luck!

You should try only doing your steering input with the arm on the inside of the turn. Trying to steer with both arms means you're going to be needlessly flexing a lot of muscles as your arms try to fight each other. By steering with one arm the bars will feel a whole lighter and your outside arm will stay relaxed and free to work the controls with more dexterity. It also lets the wheel move slightly as is it responds to the road through the turn. Nothing on the road is going to try and rip the bars from your hands mid turn so just let them wiggle as they like (dirt is a different story).

The first time you try this, do it somewhere nice and open because you might find the bike turning in more quickly than you're used to. I was actually quite surprised at how much easier it made turning the bike. It feels like you shaved 100 pounds off your machine. It reduces fatigue substantially as well.

For attribution, I learned this technique from the book Total Control by Lee Parks. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Edit: the second review on that amazon link mentions this exact technique and reviewer's amazement with it's effectiveness.

Space does not permit all the tips I've learned by reading this, this, this, this, and this.

But, briefly:

• watch out for "edge traps"--where road work or a 2x4 in the street or anything similar can catch your tire and turn it to the side.
  
  
• go somewhere safe, not on the road, and practice. Learn how hard you can apply your brakes, and how to ease off the back as you apply the front. Set up cones and practice various kinds of turns.
  
  
• look far ahead, look all around, predict what other vehicles are going to do in one second, two seconds, five, ten.
  
  
• Three words: Shots and wheelies.

Check out Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch.

Also Total Control by Lee Parks.

How is leaving your foot on the lever relevant to proper shifting technique? That's like me saying you shouldn't use your clutch because someone had their hand on it for X miles with it partially engaged on the highway and they burned it out.

Of course it's going to cause wear on the transmission, everything causes wear. As I mentioned, properly preloading will make it smoother and cause less wear on the transmission.

>"Press your foot down with just slightly less force than that needed to engage the next gear. Next, quickly roll off the throttle approximately 25 percent of its twisting range. When this happens, the torque force on the transmisssion will temporarily unload, and the preloaded shift lever will now snick into the next gear. For regular shifts at less than full throttle, a simultaneous, light stab of the clutch will help ease this process. For full-throttle 'speed shifting,' no clutch is necessary. In fact, it's actually harder on the transmission to use the clutch in this type of situation than to just let the loading forces do the job." - Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques by Lee Parks

Likewise I'm not trying to convince you to do otherwise. I just want to prevent the spread of misinformation to whoever else may be reading this thread.

Don't think there is a video for this one, but "Total Control" is the other book I've heard highly recommended:

http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760314039/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2HWO5QG40KDXN&colid=3LRDY2AKFPCOR

Looks like HOTDQ and Rise of Tiamat are also on sale for around $20:

• Hoard of the Dragon Queen
  
  
• Rise of Tiamat
  
  Volo's and Xanathar's are around $30:
  
  
• Volo's Guide to Monsters
  
  
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything
  
  SCAG is $30, as is the not-yet-released Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes:
  
  
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
  
  
• Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (pre-order)
  
  ...and scrolling down the list, it seems a bunch of normally $50 adventures are also on sale around $30-34. The DMG is $32 and the Monster Manual is $34:
  
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide
  
  
• Monster Manual

I am not a huge fan of romance novels but Outlander by Gabaldon has lots of romance and a great story to boot. http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Diana-Gabaldon/dp/0440212561

There is a lot of crap erotica out there, for sure. Finding good ones are hit or miss.

I tried a regency romance once. Super cheesy and cliche. Not for me.

I like Literotica because there are lots of stories to browse. There good stories and there are a lot of bad stories. Sometimes I will open a story, read a paragraph or two, and go right back to searching for a new one.

I've been trying to find good erotica books and series. Every other book is a Shades of grey clone. There are times in most of them where I end up rolling my eyes at some of the dialogue and descriptions. Sometimes, I will skip over parts if I'm just not into it.

A lot of erotica on Amazon for the kindle is free. It will often be the first book in a series to try to convince you to continue reading the rest. I read lots of these free ones and if I like the author/style then I will consider reading more. I haven't found any I like enough yet but I keep trying. Sometimes I can read enough of a bad erotica to do the trick. There are definitely some that I just quit reading.

Not erotica but I will also /r/gonewildstories. Nothing like stories that can actually happen.

The best erotica I have read is the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A. N. Roquelaure, which is a pseudonym for for Anne Rice. But be warned, this is very, very heavy BDSM. It might be too much for many and at times it was a little heavy for me and I consider myself to be relatively kinky.

The best romance novel I have read was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It is a time-travel, historical romance to be exact. From what I remember it was actually a pretty good read. If you are going to read a romance, I think this is a good one to start with.

Though not erotica, Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey is a fantasy novel with some romance/erotic elements. I read it several years ago before my libido bottomed out but I'm pretty sure it turned me on. Interesting read as well. Definitely has a theme of sado-masochism, but compared to the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy it is nothing. If you already enjoy fantasy novels you should give it a go.

Hope that helps. You really have to dig to find anything good. That being said, often the act of searching alone is enough to get my engines revving.

Oh, interesting. :) I'm always on the lookout for new reading material. I've not heard of Outlander. I shall have to look into it. GOOGLE!

Dis? http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Diana-Gabaldon/dp/0440212561

I would really like a used copy of Outlander. My friend recommend it to me earlier this year as I have a soft spot for Historical Fiction and haven't read a good romance story in awhile.

It's listed on my books WL as well.

Thanks for the contest!

Outlander first book in the AMAZING series :)

Ok, I had some things to do, I wanted to reply to this earlier...I love this stuff :D

I dunno if you're looking for a specific training (general obedience, agility, protection, etc.), so I'll include a bit of everything that's helped me or that is well-regarded.

For general understanding of dog behavior, I really, really intensely love Jean Donaldson's "Culture Clash." It's not a workbook for obedience, it's more of a compilation of different techniques and why the author chose to move toward the training style she did. It's a little scathing at times. It's also relatively short (I think I finished it in a day or two), so as a general introduction, it works great.

If you have a puppy and are looking for puppy-specific knowledge, Ian Dunbar is the go-to name. There's lots and lots of Dunbar stuff out there, just plug his name in and go to town! Paul Owens' "The Puppy Whisperer" is also pretty good.

For general/pet obedience work, you really can't beat Pat Miller's "The Power of Positive Dog Training". Karen Pryor, a pioneer in clicker training (bridging the gap between marine/whale operant conditioning and dogs), also put out a great one, "Don't Shoot the Dog! The New Art of Teaching and Training". Really, anything by Karen Pryor is worth picking up if you're interested in the subject.

There are certain facets of dog body language and behavior that are pretty essential to know, and which are often neglected or incorrectly labelled in dominance-heavy learning (for instance, appeasement behaviors and fear aggression). A great start here is "On Talking Terms with Dogs" by Turid Rugaas, a Norwegian dog trainer and behaviorist.

Let's say you have a specific problem. Here are some good starts to overcoming common doggie fear issues: Patricia McConnell's "Cautious Canine and Ali Brown's "Scaredy Dog! Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog.. Patricia McConnell's "I'll be Home Soon" is great for separation anxiety, Terry Ryan's "The Bark Stops Here" for barking. One of my faves is Emma Parsons' "Healing the Aggressive Dog".

Finally, a book that I cannot stress enough in its awesomeness is Jane Killion's "When Pigs Fly! Training Success with Impossible Dogs". If you're stuck with a breed that was bred to work independently or you often feel that your dog is just plain ignoring you, this is a great thing to pull out.

If you're not so big on books and want videos, hop on youtube and look up kikopup! She's utterly brilliant and has a ton of videos to choose from. If you want to get more into that angle, look up the terms "shaping," "capturing," and "luring" - three different but related methods for encouraging dogs to do specific behaviors.

Finally, if you want to get down to the science of it and think more about wolves, L. David Mech is the name you want to watch for. And I have more sources on specific dogsports (gundog work, agility, etc.), but this post is already hideously long, so I'll leave it as is.

Hope that helps!

I like https://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-Dog-Training/dp/0470241845 . Don't be turned off assuming it's some hippie dippie nonsense. It's based on the same concepts and methods reputable caretakers use with large dangerous animals.

These 2 books are great! I recommend them
http://www.amazon.ca/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Guide/dp/1929242352/ref=pd_sim_b_14

http://www.amazon.ca/Power-Positive-Dog-Training/dp/0470241845/ref=pd_sim_b_19

Positive reinforcement/clicker training is the way to go with whippets (and all animals).

Some great YouTube channels I’d recommend are Zak George and KikoPup. Their videos are very informative and watching how to train the tricks helps a lot with training your own pup.

The website of dog trainer Victoria Stillwell, Positively, has lots of good articles on training. I also found the book “The Power of Positive Dog Training” by Pat Miller to be a big help as well.

r/dogtraining is a wonderful resource for ideas and problem solving.

Avoid like the plague any training program or trainer who advocates dominance based training theories or getting rough/violent with their animals while training. Dominance theory is outdated, disproven, and based on incorrect information. It can break down the bond of trust between dog and owner, as well as crest problems like fear based aggression towards the owner.

Congrats on your whippet puppy and best of luck with training!

This book is amazing: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-Dog-Training/dp/0470241845

Alright, I'll give that a look! I'm also thinking of reading this, do you think it would help aswell?

Well, I'd caution first time dog owners against adopting a stray off the street rather than through a rescue that has evaluated it. If its a puppy its one thing, but older dogs who have been strays or ferals for a while can come with some challenges. If nothing else, do try to rescue the pup and contact local rescues (especially if you can guess the breed and find a breed rescue) as puppies get adopted pretty fast. If you do choose to keep the pup yourself, search for a local trainer using the terms "Positive only," "positive reinforcement" and "clicker training" to local a positive-based trainer. Avoid trainers who advertise "balanced," "traditional," or talk about "dominance", "pack leader", or "alpha."

There are a ton of wonderful resources out there, and here are some very worthwhile books to look into

Before And After Getting Your Puppy

Puppy Primer

Power of Positive Dog Training

Family Friendly Dog Training

And specifically addressing house training -
Way to Go!

Anything by the following authors (who also have online articles) is pure gold:

Patricia McConnell

Pat Miller

Ian Dunbar

Suzanne Clothier

Grisha Stewart

Pia Silvani

Jean Donaldson

Sophia Yin

Also check our Dr. Yin's amazing series of youtube videos

And for general training (as in obedience and tricks) Kikopup is phenomenal.

I've worked in rescue for years and I foster harder dogs. If you every need any advice or questions answered you are welcome to contact me individually as well :-)

Lee Parks also has a very good book, geared more to the street. All of them have the same basic info, only thing different I recall Parks talking about is he like to pull the outside bar to countersteer, rather than push in the inside. Easier leverage, less unintended input from your body mass. It is worht trying both ways to see which is preferred

Here's a list, off the top of my head - I know all these are on my bookshelf, but I'm probably missing a few more:

Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club by Sonny Barger

Freedom: Credos from the Road by Sonny Barger

Ridin' High, Livin' Free: Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories by Ralph Sonny Barger

Dead in 5 Heartbeats by Sonny Barger

Under and Alone by William Queen

No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels by Jay Dobyns

Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library) by Hunter S. Thompson

Street Justice by Chuck Zito

The Original Wild Ones: Tales of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club by Bill Hayes

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart

The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa by Neil Peart

Against the Wind: A Rider's Account of the Incredible Iron Butt Rally by Ron Ayres

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford

Honda CB750: The Complete Story by Mark Haycoc

Shovelhead Red The Drifter's Way by Roy Yelverton

Shovelhead Red-Ridin' Out by Roy Yelverton

A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performan​ce Motorcycle Riding by Keith Code

Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques by Lee Parks


Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig - Still my favorite. A high school english teacher bought it for me when he found out I had just passed my motorcycle road test. I've read it at least 15 times, and get something new from it each time.


But the best recommendation - Buy the FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL for your bike and read it. Read it often, until you can almost turn to the exact page for each procedure.

Hoard of the Dragon Queen

For any backround information, just refer to the wiki:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

For the adventures, buy either of the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496916563&sr=8-1&keywords=5e+starter+set

https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Kings-Thunder-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786966009/ref=pd_sim_14_9?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0786966009&pd_rd_r=G32SS8JKKV8E0RJEWD11&pd_rd_w=q2eos&pd_rd_wg=Fl90h&psc=1&refRID=G32SS8JKKV8E0RJEWD11

https://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496916592&sr=1-1&keywords=hoard+of+the+dragon+queen

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Tiamat-Adventure-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965657/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496916610&sr=1-1&keywords=rise+of+tiamat

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=princes+of+the+apocalypse+d%26d&sprefix=princes+of%2Cstripbooks%2C573&crid=1MNP7K2PCNO3F

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Abyss-D-Accessory/dp/0786965819/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496917649&sr=1-1-fkmr0

You could also learn the lore while playing games like:

• Neverwinter Nights (1&2)
  
  
• Baldurs Gate (1&2)
  
  
• Neverwinter Online
  
  
• Sword Coast Legends

There aren't a lot out there specifically for 5e (assuming you're playing 5e, don't remember if you mentioned it) yet. In fact the only ones I'm aware of are of the campaign variety (a string of 'adventures') and there's nothing wrong with any of them. I've run Hoard of the Dragon Queen, The Rise of Tiamat, Princes of the Apocalypse and I'm currently running Out of the Abyss..

You can always take a module from an older version of the game (or from a completely different game even) but you'll have to do some work to get it ready. The stats for the monsters will be different - you'll need to look up the same or similar monsters in the Monster Manual and have the stats ready. Other than that though the plot, maps and the rest can be used as-is.

DriveThruRPG has some modules that don't cost too much. You get them as a pdf instead of a physical book, but everything you need is there. Again, if you use one from an older version of the game you'll have to do some prep work.

You can find them on EBay as well. Some of the most famous ones are Tomb of Horrors (really though - don't do it. Your players will hate you), Ravenloft (my personal favorite module of all time which a Redditor has converted to 5e) and here's a list that I largely agree with.

If you're looking for an adventure to adapt that's set in the Astral Sea there's Hunt for the Heretic in Dungeon #203 http://www.dmsguild.com/product/155343/Dungeon-203-4e

The upshot is that there's a pirate ship that's been raiding the world from the Astral Sea and the authorities want to bring that to an end. It's geared toward players around level 14 or something like that so you'll need to pull the numbers back quite a bit, but the bones of it might make for a fun adventure--you might even make whole different encounters with different, more level appropriate threats.

Another suggestion if you want to go with a published adventure would be Horde of the Dragon Queen. At the end of that adventure you end up teleporting to a somewhat unusual location to face off against the main villain. That final battle could just as well be on the Astral Sea, at which point the PCs might find themselves having that place to themselves, as in they have a stronghold (ehem and potentially a dragon friend) to enact their Skyrim fantasies as they fly around IN THE ASTRAL SEA!

Here's that one on Amazon if you're interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506588515&sr=8-1&keywords=Horde+of+the+Dragon+Queen

Hoard - not Horde it turns out - of the Dragon Queen

Rise of Tiamat

Princes of the Apocalypse - available April 7

(5e) New DM (just finished the 5e starter pack). I plan on running Tyranny of Dragons soon and I just bought the adventure book (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786965649/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Will I need any additional books ( I.e the monster manual or dungeon guide?)

Sylvia Bernstein's Aquaponic Gardening book was a good starter for me, she covered most of the basics as well as outlining the different system setups with pro/cons. http://www.amazon.com/Aquaponic-Gardening-Step-By-Step-Vegetables-Together/dp/086571701X

I also like Sylvia's youtube videos and while I think some of her company store's stuff is pricey, basics like potassium carbonate/calcium carbonate, ascorbic acid ( deals with chloramine ) are fairly reasonable.

Another youtube video source is Murray ( I can't remember his name ) who is the Australian Johnny apple of Aquaponics.


One word of warning, 10 gallons is going to be a bitch to stabilize for the first month or two. Its really easy to have the PH locked into 7.4-7.6 @ below 72-74 degrees fahrenheit, only to find the PH @ 6.2 when the water goes up. Also, my 120 liter system ( 30gallon ) system instantly jumps from 6.2 to 8 PH if I add more then 2 grams of carbonate ( potassium or calcium ) to the system.


As for Goldfish, I've heard recommendations of 3-5 baby goldfish per gallon but Goldfish are super pooping machines, so perhaps more like 1-2 per gallon until you #1 stabilize your system #2 need the extra ammonia.

Sylvia Bernstein's Aquaponic Gardening is a lovely primer.

Here is the non-mobile link from the comment above
***
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There is a ton of information on this subreddit! Takes a little bit of digging with the search function, but it's out there.

There is more information than you can imagine for free out on the internet. I believe that if you're paying money to learn about aquaponics, then you're getting ripped off. The exception to this is perhaps a book or two, such as this one.

This site has the basics covered.

This forum has an incredible amount of knowledge, run by people from all around the world who have years and years of experience running aquaponic systems.

Good luck in your hunt!

I liked Aquaponic Gardening May have everything you want.

Personally I looked up whatever I could, read some books, and then built my own system. After that it was just trial and error....and reddit posts of course :P

I got some good information from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Aquaponic-Gardening-Step-Step-Vegetables/dp/086571701X

Depends on what type of learner you are. Do your prefer hands on work (tacit) or reading from books (explicit)? If you prefer tacit try building a small system from scratch and find out what works and what doesn't. Experience is the best teacher in my opinion. If you prefer the other method start with http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/086571701X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1373268569&sr=1-1&pi=SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp,TopRight,12,-18_SH30_OU01_AA160 If you have problems along the way we are here to help! :)

I bought this book and it has so much useful information that you will need to know. You could find all the info online, but when it is all in one place it makes it so much better. Best $20 I've spent so far.

The blog is mine. I'm not quite sure I understand your points, so please respond. :)

>Frequent cycling water isn't just for the plants, but to filter fish waste solids and chemicals to help keep the fish healthy.

>Why make a single filtering job with one electrical item into a two-filter job with multiple electrical points?

The filter will be running constantly to filter the waste, build biofiltration, and keep the fish healthy. I'm spending less on grow media, so the cost of the filter is almost covered by savings on excess grow media (net cost is $20 if I only buy 25 gallons of media instead of 50). The electricity consumption may be slightly higher, but I think the pro's of being able to move the plants, spend less on media, and have a more stable biofilter will negate the additional cost of electricity to run the filter. The hydroponic guy suggested that using a grow bed will not be as effective as using a filter for the bioload. He suggested that as the growbed fills with water and then drains, any part of the grow bed that dries will not have bacteria, only the moist parts.

The point of NOT using a completely filled grow bed is to allow me to move the plants around, facilitate cleaning the grow bed, and cut down on how much grow media I need. The timer won't use the same amount of electricity as a constantly running pump.

The filter is necessary because the water isn't running directly onto the grow media. Using the grow media as a filter still requires cleaning out the grow bed and the sediment at least once a year. This will be much easier with this design.

I'm new to aquaponics, so I'm learning. I've read Sylvia Bernstein's book on Aquaponic Gardening from front to back, so I know all the suggestions and rules of thumb. I'm suggesting a better way to do things based on advice from a hydroponics expert with a little aquaponics knowledge.

I can still return the filter if need be, but please do respond so I can figure out what design I want to go with. I'm not suggesting that I know more than you, but this is what I know. That's why the header of my blog says "sharing my learning experiences with aquaponics." I come to this community for knowledge, and to share my experiences.

Do yourself a favor and get this book. It will tell you everything about how aquaponics works to include EVERYTHING scientific behind it. This was the first book I purchased and I read it front to back twice before I even thought about starting a system. Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/086571701X?cache=ef0e54c7d28c493923004a32aae3b4a2#ref=mp_s_a_1_1&qid=1393886769&sr=8-1

YouTube is great, however, a lot of YouTube videos are just showing systems, not the guts or science. Again, if you want to know the science behind it, find "Bright Agrotech" on YouTube. The guy deals with large aquaponics daily and dumbs it down for the novice.

Lastly, if you can't find what you're looking, ask here! We're here to help just as others have helped us in the past. But read that book seriously! It will answer 98% of your questions.

Good luck!

This book is like an aquaponic bible: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086571701X/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Highly recommend it! It should have everything you need to know to get started.

My favorite book on the subject is Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

This one by Scott Cunningham’s really good.

Okay;First off you need a Grimoire.Its basically a spell book.You can purchase one online or write it yourself like a journal!

I highly suggest keeping a journal about magic.Write all of your experiences,feelings and failures of all the spells,rituals,invocations you have casted.
Also create a section on herbs.Write there effects down and how they make you feel!

Heres a book on Herbal Magic: https://www.amazon.com/Cunninghams-Encyclopedia-Magical-Llewellyns-Sourcebook/dp/0875421229/ref=zg_bs_12486_3/135-8205043-8790655?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PQJ6TXTK6F6GKV41VFXN

Dont worry.If your not into herbal magic you dont need to get into it :)

As for purchasing,i suggest buying traditional Magic books from Amazon.

Im not exactly sure what you may not like so heres a link of 5 books for beginner Witches,with synopsises,summaries and why it may be good for Beginner Witches: http://learningwitchcraft.com/5-best-witchcraft-books-for-beginners/

I recommend checking out this channel and watching her video about what you should be thinking of while casting a spell.

Here are 2 links from this site which is hella helpful:

https://exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft/Witchcraft-for-Beginners-Free-Spells-Exercises-and-Lessons.

And: https://exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft/Witchcraft-For-Beginners-The-Five-Essential-Parts-of-Casting-Spells

I wish you the best experiences as a Witch!

May you use your powers for good always.

And focus on meditating,lucid dreaming,seeing auras and Astral Projection.You are very gifted in it,so please focus on it always :)

Check out the Occult subreddit,They're
all about Astral Projection and alike :) https://www.reddit.com/r/occult/

Good luck my Witch friend!

It really depends on what kind of herbs you like to use. I like using yarrow for spells, but that one isn't edible. Edible herbs I like are rosemary, mint, oregano, basil and cilantro (aka coriander). I also use plants that arn't really herbs, like marigold. If you don't know what plants you want,t ry browsing through Cunningham's' Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (or another similar book/website).

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs is kind of close to a no-brainer for herbs.

The best advice for runes from the runemaster that taught me was to ignore the meanings and definitions floating around out there and look at historical material, for example the rune poems, and decide for yourself what each rune means. It's more work but gives you a more intimate understanding of the runes. If you would prefer a reference work that provides meanings for each rune, there are dozens of books out there. Or just buy a set of runes; most come with such a reference. If you want to put in the extra effort, Stephen Pollington's Rudiments of Runelore is an excellent and academically-oriented resource.

Good luck!

The Following list is taken from the Witches & Warlocks FB page. (This is Christian Day's group)

Witches and Warlocks Recommended Reading List
This is a collection of books recommended by our admins and participants in the group. Books must be approved by the admins so if you'd like to see one added to the last, please post it in the comments at the bottom of this list and, if it's something we think is appropriate, we'll add it! We provide links to Amazon so folks can read more about the book but we encourage you to shop at your local occult shop whenever possible! :)


BEGINNER'S WITCHCRAFT BOOKS

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft
by Raymond Buckland
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0875420508

Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
by Margot Adler
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143038192

Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch: Mastering the Five Arts of Old World Witchery
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635500

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738702765

The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition
by William Walker Atkinson (Three Initiates)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585428744

Lid Off the Cauldron: A Wicca Handbook
by Patricia Crowther
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1861630328

Mastering Witchcraft
by Paul Huson
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0595420060

Natural Magic
by Doreen Valiente
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0919345808

Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick
by Ellen Dugan
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738709220

Old World Witchcraft: Ancient Ways for Modern Days
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635055

The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells and Rituals
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738705314

Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment
by Laurie Cabot
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385301898

Solitary Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation
by Silver RavenWolf
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738703192

Spirit of the Witch: Religion & Spirituality in Contemporary Witchcraft
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738703389

Witch: A Magickal Journey
by Fiona Horne
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0007121326

Witchcraft for Tomorrow
by Doreen Valiente
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0709052448

Witchcraft Today
by Gerald Gardner
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806525932
The Witches' Craft: The Roots of Witchcraft & Magical Transformation
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/073870265X
The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill
by Robin Artisson
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982031882

WITCHCRAFT HISTORY AND RESOURCE BOOKS

Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches
by Charles Godfrey Leland
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982432356

Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints & Sages: A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else!
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062009575

The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca
by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0816071047

Etruscan Roman Remains
by Charles Godfrey Leland
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1494302519

The God of the Witches
by Margaret Murray
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0195012704

The Weiser Field Guide to Witches, The: From Hexes to Hermione Granger, From Salem to the Land of Oz
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634792

ADVANCED BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

Blood Sorcery Bible Volume 1: Rituals in Necromancy
by Sorceress Cagliastro
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935150812

The Deep Heart of Witchcraft: Expanding the Core of Magickal Practice
by David Salisbury
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1780999208

Teen Spirit Wicca
by David Salisbury
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1782790594

Enchantment: The Witch's Art of Manipulation by Gesture, Gaze and Glamour
by Peter Paddon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936922517

Initiation into Hermetics
by Franz Bardon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1885928122

Letters from the Devil's Forest: An Anthology of Writings on Traditional Witchcraft, Spiritual Ecology and Provenance Traditionalism
by Robin Artisson
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500796360

Magical Use of Thought Forms: A Proven System of Mental & Spiritual Empowerment
by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowick and J.H. Brennan
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567180841

Magick in Theory and Practice
by Aleister Crowley
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500380679

The Plant Spirit Familiar
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982774311

Protection and Reversal Magick
by Jason Miller
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1564148793
Psychic Self-Defense
by Dion Fortune
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635098
The Ritual Magic Workbook: A Practical Course of Self-Initiation
by Dolores Ashcroft-Norwicki
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578630452
The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of the Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition
by Evan John Jones, Robert Cochrane and Michael Howard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1861631553

The Satanic Witch
by Anton Szandor LaVey
http://www.amazon.com/Satanic-Witch-Anton-Szandor-LaVey/dp/0922915849
Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality
by Raven Digitalis
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VS0N5K
The Tree of Enchantment: Ancient Wisdom and Magic Practices of the Faery Tradition
by Orion Foxwood
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634075
The Underworld Initiation: A journey towards psychic transformation
by R.J. Stewart
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1892137038

HERBALISM, CANDLES, INCENSE, OILS, FORMULARIES, AND STONES

A Compendium of Herbal Magic
by Paul Beyerl
http://www.amazon.com/dp/091934545X

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
by Scott Cunningham
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0875421229

The Enchanted Candle: Crafting and Casting Magickal Light
by Lady Rhea
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806525789

The Enchanted Formulary: Blending Magickal Oils for Love, Prosperity, and Healing
by Lady Maeve Rhea
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806527048

Incense: Crafting and Use of Magickal Scents
by Carl F. Neal
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738703362

Magickal Formulary Spellbook Book 1
by Herman Slater
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0939708000

Magickal Formulary Spellbook: Book II
by Herman Slater
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0939708108


SPELLCASTING AND SPELLBOOKS
Crone's Book of Charms & Spells
by Valerie Worth
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567188117

Crone's Book of Magical Words
by Valerie Worth
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567188257

Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061711233

Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living
by Dorothy Morrison
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567184693

Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spellcasting
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578633915
Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions
by Dorothy Morrison
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979453313
The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook
by Denise Alvarado
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635136

The Voodoo Doll Spellbook: A Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Spells and Rituals
by Denise Alvarado
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1578635543


THE ANCESTORS AND WORKING WITH THE DEAD
The Cauldron of Memory: Retrieving Ancestral Knowledge & Wisdom
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738715751

The Mighty Dead
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982774370

Speak with the Dead: Seven Methods for Spirit Communication
by Konstantinos
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738705225
The Witches' Book of the Dead
by Christian Day
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635063
_____
TAROT

78 Degrees of Wisdom
by Rachel Pollack
http://www.amazon.com/dp/157863408

Actually if you have a backyard it is a surprisingly easy set up. Check out The $50 dollar knife shop which can be downloaded for free various places.

well if you live in a place where you can set up something small for yourself i highly suggest the $50 knife shop so you can at least practice form.

If you start with stock removal rather than forging, it's a lot more feasible for an amateur to get into knife making. But $20-30 dollars for the tools and materials to make a knife is not really a realistic expectation. There is a reason custom knife makers charge what they do for handmade knives.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0896892956/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=27M5TD9S3RT9B&coliid=I1502KH7W916KH

You might work on making one for him. It makes it that much more special. I'm actually about to start making a garden knife for my dad as a father's day gift. Texas Knifemaker's Supply has some good steel for fairly low prices and a hacksaw and a bastard mill file along with some good sandpaper and a dremel if you have it can make quick work of the 440C or the ATS34. They are very comparable. Unfortunately they are already annealed so they can dull tools fairly quickly. But that also means the finished knife only needs to be tempered which can be achieved with putting it in an oven at 450 F for 1.5 hours 3 times. You can also buy scales and pretty much any tool or supply you would like from them.

I also recommend the $50 Knife Shop as a general guide to knife making as it has plenty of tips for both forged and stock-removal knives.

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Kuo/e/B001ILI9G2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603582142/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/The-Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V56Q93CSRKQYV2W1C0B http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V56Q93CSRKQYV2W1C0B http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472030361/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472031260/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394519922/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580085792/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is a really good book

If your serious about it, https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Growing-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800 , this is your fucking bible.

Mushroom god paul stamets has made leather out of mushrooms. His hat that he wears is mushroom leather and is over 3 yrs old.

The indoor mushroom growing guide. Great book.

I'm also looking at other non-mushroom eating ideas like using the mycilium as packing/building materiel.

Paul Stamets cover everything in this book. Avoiding syringes will require you to use agar methods and this guy does a great job of explaining it all.

I try not to rub it into anyone’s face (even if I do send out comments with the hashtag #YourJobSucks), but it is so much fun. I’ve been at this job for three and a half years, before that eight months with another daycare, and I started the dog part of my career in 2012 as the large dog kennel manager at a private shelter.

The other day I was on Private Walks, where we go into the individual rooms to spend time with each dog who can’t go out to Group Play, and I had a puppy Pitt shove his lips into mine and his nose to mine, and then SNIFF super hard with every one of my breaths. I don’t what he was thinking, but he did that for about three minutes straight.

The lessons I try to take from being around the dogs are about living in the moment & letting things go. It’s fine to fully experience whatever emotion you’re feeling, and express it if it helps you process; but also prioritizing what matters now versus next year versus a century from now. I’ve been told it’s a little bit zen to think this way, but it helps with perspective.

If you want to read about how dogs experience life, I can’t recommend enough Alexandra Horowitz’s ‘Life Inside A Dog’. Each chapter describes a different sensory experience and how it affects them physiologically and behaviorally. I read it back when I was a zookeeper, well before I switched over to dogs, and it improved my zookeeping skills tremendously.

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432

For training, my favorite:
How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete. They have another book about puppies and some DVDs too. Can't recommend them highly enough.

For an enjoyable, basic intro to dog perception/cognition:
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Virtually any dog in the universe can fit the criteria of what you described, but all breeds have their little variations.

For example, my favorite breed is the German Shepherd. And there are German Shepherds that do really well in apartment life, and others that don't. If you go to a breeder for your dog, you're going to want to find a breeder that emphasizes pet quality, safe, sane dogs. The difference between a Labrador from hunting lines and lines bred for therapy and service dog work is night and day. If you go to a shelter to adopt a dog, I would recommend taking a qualified trainer with you that's well-read on selection testing dogs, and most of all, use the resources at your disposal. Talk to the people who run the shelter and/or the rescue. They have the most experience with the dog. They will be able to help you the best.

With the two breeds you mentioned (Golden Retrievers, specifically) keep in mind the shedding issue. Labs shed too, but Golden's are just about as bad as Shepherd's (which are both, very bad.) If you have carpet, be prepared to vacuum everyday. If you intend to let your dog sleep with you on the bed, or chill on the sofa, be ready to clean your furniture daily. Your clothes will be covered in hair if you do not. Your boss will not like you showing up to work wearing your dog.

Also, please, if you haven't already, look into your apartments restrictions for pets and dog breeds, and keep in mind that if you intend on moving, you will be taking your dog with you. I love all breeds of dogs, but apartments do not. Rottweilers, German Shepherd's, Doberman's, Pitbulls (and mixes) come under notorious scrutiny when moving. For your future dogs sake, pick a breed or mixed breed that your landlords are cool with.


Some of my favorite books include:
Dog Training for Dummies which is a very basic introduction to how dogs learn, and explains the different methods available to you in an unbiased manner.

Some of my personal favorite books include:
How To Be Your Dogs Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete.
The Art of Raising A Puppy by the Monks of New Skete
The Divine Canine by the Monks of New Skete

If you haven't already guessed, I'm a huge fan of the Monks of New Skete. The put huge emphasis on calm, structured leadership and positive method obedience that works in real life situations. Plus, they're German Shepherd people. Double points.

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin.

Dr. Temple Grandin is a high-functioning autistic that teaches at Colorado State University's veterinary science department. I've taken several classes with her, and her understanding of animals is absolutely impossible to challenge. This book is more about genetic theory and science-backed training methods. It's good reading material if you want to know more about animals (she discusses dogs and livestock in detail) but is not a training guide. She also has a lot of technical articles available on her website here.

Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Harowitz. This is a cursory introduction to canine ethology. It is not a guide, but if you want to know about how dogs think (how dogs can "smell time" for example) this is where you start.

How to Speak Dog by Stanley Coren emphasizes communication with dogs, backed in animal biology and evolution.

Canine Body Language: A photographic guide by Brenda Aloff describes in vivid detail what dogs are "saying." It's not a training guide, but will help you understand your dog much better.

Katz on Dogs by Jon Katz, a great common sense training guide to working with dogs in the home, and outdoors.
Soul of a Dog also by Jon Katz, which goes into greater detail on the personal side of working with dogs, with very helpful examples.

Imagine Life With a Well Behaved Dog by Julie Bjelland. Great book on structure and positive method dog training.

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Dr. Pitcairn was one of my college textbooks and it's a great start for dog nutrition and chemical-free health care for dogs. This is not a training guide, but nutrition and health are just as important (if not more) than training, so I figured I'd share.


With the exception of the first book on the list, all of these books are fairly detailed. I would highly recommend the Monks of New Skete books before any of the others. But they're all very good.

Additionally, you can read many of the articles on the AKC.org website regarding dog training, and Leerburg has some great comprehensive advice on training the working dog, which can also be applied to training family pets. He also sells a variety of videos and ebooks on the same subject matter.

TL;DR How To Be Your Dogs Best Friend & The Art of Raising A Puppy explain everything you ever need to know about training a dog, ever.

Thanks for the recommendation. Amazon link for anyone else https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501681469&sr=8-1&keywords=Inside+of+a+Dog

There's a great book about the history of dogs and one of the points the author makes is that a "problem" with breeding dogs to show is that they are primarily bred for appearance, not behavior. So your girl may be the product of several lines that are pretty but a bit lazy. :)

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques is a great book for learning techniques. It's a three book set. The first book covers basic techniques and joinery, the second book covers more advance techniques like veneering, shaping and inlay and the third book has some step by step guides for some projects.

You can get the first two books in a combined paper back version. There is also a hardcover box set that includes all three books and DVD but it's more expensive. You only really need the first two books as the third book only covers specific projects.

If you want some more book ideas do a search for "books" here. There has been a few good threads on books here.

Tage Frid's book has very detailed instructions for machine and hand tools for all the basic techniques, from dimensioning/squaring the wood to joints etc. (There's 3 parts, some editions have all, some editions have only 1 part, all the most important information is in book 2: joinery).

I don't really have any other books to compare it with, but I found it very useful.

The complete guide to jointmaking is a pretty basic place to start. You can then move onto Tage frid's joinery book. This one is a little more in depth.

With that being said, in the case of a table and table top you will first want to construct the legs to have aprons so they are not free standing legs. This will help some with racking. You can then use a biscuit cutter or table saw and table top fasteners to attach the leg/apron assembly to the top.

http://www.amazon.com/Tage-Frid-Teaches-Woodworking-Step-By-Step/dp/1561580686/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376626146&sr=8-1&keywords=TAGE+FRID

If you buy anything with a blade, google/youtube search "<name of bladed item> safety" before you buy it.

Used stuff is cool and all but if you get a table saw make sure you get one with modern safety features (I'm looking at you, riving knife).

Nothing you do in the shop will ever be worth losing flesh and blood.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then you just abridged Bruce Hoardley's [Identifying Wood] (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Craftsmans-Guide-Technology/dp/1561583588) I wish more people understood that thin tangential cuts like the one above best illuminate the anatomical cellular structures necessary for accurate wood identification.

Wood technology student here.

Wood consists of millions of microscopic cells bound together by natural glues like lignin and cellulose. Wood also varies in density from one part to another, for example sapwood and heartwood. If you are going to do these experiments you should know that the results may vary by a great degree depending on what species or part of the tree you end up using. Balsa for example is one of the lowest density species and feels almost like Styrofoam. Ebony on the other hand is extremely dense. There is also a big difference between hard and softwood.

You could try contacting your local wood supplier and ask for a sample kit of different species, it will cost some money but it might be worth it.

If you are interested in buying litterature on the subject, I would recommend 'Understanding Wood' by R. Bruce Hoadlay.

Good luck with your wood torture!

I learned through the book Understanding Wood by Bruce Hoadley. This author is famous for the "Yep, it's wood!" meme. There is a lot of good info for free online, but a solid, trusted, and researched book like this one deserves the inch of space it takes up on your shelf.

The more you know about the material science of wood, the better your projects will be. Good luck!

I do have a copy of Bruce Hoadley's excellent [book] (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Craftsmans-Guide-Technology/dp/1561583588/) on wood, but this online tool is quick and easy once you understand how it works. I have even used it successfully to demonstrate to customers that the reason their doors are "defective" is because they humidity in their house in Alaska in winter is less than 20% and there is nothing I can do to eliminate the wood movement.

I used to have the same problem. R. Bruce Hoadley has a great book on the topic that really helped me when I was board.

Drop some knowledge on him:

Hybrid Woodworking

Anarchists Tool Chest

Understanding Wood

Start as soon as possible! :) We started with his name. When we said his name if he looked at us, he got a treat. Then, sit was very easy to teach. Hold a piece of kibble in front of his face, then put it towards his head but above his head. If he backs up instead of sitting down, gently nudge his butt towards the ground with your other hand. We taught our pup to sit in less than a week with that method, and he was around the same age as yours. Just be diligent, and very consistent. Make him sit for everything, you will thank yourself later.

The book my husband and I read, which helped a LOT with training is called Before and After Getting Your Puppy. I HIGHLY recommend it!! Worth more than any other dog/puppy book I have ever read.

The person behind the biggest changes in Dog training and uncovering the myths behind the old school of thought is Dr. Ian Dunbar. He really changed the entire landscape of training. This is the book I get new puppy owners: http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557

Anything else by him will also rock I'm sure. I also recommend

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Clash-Jean-Donaldson/dp/1617811122/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=05B0YMSXJHAPV8HKYE03

http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557 this is a great book, covers just about everything you need to know, gives lots of good ideas.

Use an exercise pen to confine her and attach it to her crate. This way the crate is only part of "her" space. She'll feel less confined and when she wants to be in the crate, she'll go in there. Always feed her in the crate and make sure there is nice soft bedding in it.

Recommend Dr. Ian Dunbar's book, [Before and After Getting Your Puppy] (https://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557/) (but ignore the alarmist stuff that makes you think you'll ruin your dog forever if you don't do everything perfectly).

Paul Stamets - Mycelium Running

Book on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

Paul Stamets TED talk:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXHDoROh2hA

Look into local chapters of the mycological society or mushroom hunting groups/clubs in your area. This site lists a few options. Looks like the one in Albion may be near-ish to you.

I've also found many of the links in the sidebar helpful, especially mushroom observer and the mushroom hunting and identification forum on The Shroomery. The Shroomery's ID forum is where I go to confirm my suspected ID's after keying out specimens on my own.

I use Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora, as a my post collection ID book. It's both huge and dated (i think it's latest edition is from the early or mid 80's) so it's functionality as a field guide or the final word in ID is lacking. Even so, it is good to learn to work through dichotomous keys like the ones that it employs and it usually gets you headed in the right direction. Other guides like Rogers Mushrooms, All the Rain Promises and More, and The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms are good resources, too (I'm sure other folks can add to this list, I'm just dropping the names that first come to mind).

As much as I clash with some of his professional/ethical decisions, Paul Stamets has contributed a ton to the accessibility of Mycology to the masses. Check out Mycelium Running and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms as introductions to the Fifth Kingdom.

I'm also really enjoying Tradd Cotter's new book, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Fungi for the People and The Radical Mycology Collective have also been hugely influential in my personal growth as an amateur mycologist. If you ever get a chance to attend any of their events, I would recommend doing it.

Best of luck and enjoy your journey!

Something like THIS is a good start, but really YouTube is probably your best resource.

Huh cool! Is it OK that it's 25 years old? I'm new to DIY so I'm not sure how old that is.


EDIT: found a newer version from 2014!

http://www.amazon.com/Complete--Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464908260&sr=1-1&keywords=Do-It-Yourself+Manual

Looks like there's a newer one from 2014, which is what I bookmarked to buy. The other poster linked the one from 1991 and then from 2005. There's also an edition from 2009. I searched it on Amazon to make sure I had the most recent version. Thanks for the heads up, though!

Came here to to say this as well! Use the amazon smile link and donate to charity!

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1621452018/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Invest 25 bucks in a hardcover copy of The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual it's a TREASURE HOUSE of info. It's also a good barometer for "Should I hire a contractor?" If it's not in there, you should.

I think that u/jaspersnake has great suggestions on how to address your immediate issues. And here is a prior post on growling that includes good advice.

To develop a better relationship with the dog over the long term, I think that reading at a general level would help. Patricia McConnell’s For the Love of a Dog addresses how to interpret and respond to dog “emotions,” including fear in particular (I'd say BF's dog is fearful). That might be a good place to start. Jean Donaldson’s Culture Clash is another book that’s often recommended. It’s very good, but not as smooth a read. In my opinion there aren’t a whole lot of great websites on dog behavior and dog training. Patricia McConnell’s site has training resources and a blog, both of which include wonderful material but are a bit clunky to navigate. Dog Star Daily is also very sound, but again a bit clunky.

Well, I almost cringe to recommend it because it's very dry and the author consistently uses 20 pages to say what could be said in a paragraph but I'll tell you 'The Culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson is pretty comprehensive & understandable. Then again, my perception might just be because I'm fairly A.D.D. and have no patience for long-windedness.

• The Culture Clash
  
• Don't Shoot the Dog!
  
• On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals

In addition to other great recommendations:

The Genius of Dogs
https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Dogs-Smarter-Than-Think/dp/0142180467

This one is not modern but provides a clear explanation of learning theory:
Excel-erated Learning
https://www.amazon.com/Excel-Erated-Learning-Explaining-Plain-English/dp/1888047070

And The Culture Clash
https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Clash-Understanding-Relationship-Domestic/dp/1888047054

I would add The Culture Clash to that list.

Another GSD, more reactivity- I would call mine plain old dog reactivity because it is not only on leash. I have done a ton of training to get my dog to stop barking and lunging at other dogs on leash (now the worst he does is stare, which I don't love and am working on, but 1000x better). These are the resources that helped me the most:

Behavioral Adjustment Training

Control Unleashed - I have the book, did a ton of the exercises, I don't do any sports with my dog (the book is aimed at agility people), it still works.

Anything Patricia McConnell she also has a pamphlet on leash reactivity.

There is also a very nice German Shepherd message board I sometimes frequent where you can search threads on reactivity, it is an issue a LOT of GSD owners deal with. The /r/DogTraining subreddit is also a good place to search or get advice- they use modern, science based training methods and not a lot of 'old school' 'just punish the dog more and he'll be good' stuff.

If you can read about it and then find any trainer who uses the methods described I'd get in their class or consult with them as well. In my midwestern town the training method for reactive dogs is 'pull the prong collar' or 'spray dog with water'. So I was mostly on my own and just had to find safe ways to expose my dog (at a distance) to other dogs so I could train- and I did a lot of obedience classes and just ignored the trainer's bad advice and refused to just pull the prong or spray my dog with water. It took a long time (maybe a full year of 3 nights a week obedience classes and at least some training every night to go from 'dog lunges out of control and barks like crazy every time he sees a dog at any distance' to 'my dog mean mugs dogs, but doesn't even pull on the leash', but I've had excellent results with the above resources.

Side note: I use a prong, I'm cool with prongs, when you have a huge dog you need to keep your dog under control #1, but I didn't like it when the trainers told me just putting a prong on my dog and constantly punishing him every time he saw another dog would fix him. Some people think the prong 'amps up' a reactive dog, and if you suspect that is the case you can use a head collar or a front clip harness and get the same result. Benefit of a head collar is that you can turn your dog's head to look away from other dogs which is a BIG thing you train your dog to do.

I think there are probably a few dogs who can't recover, but there is a lot you can do for leash reactivity. I had a leash-reactive foster dog with me for a few months earlier in the year, and he made amazing progress in just a few weeks.

This is a good starting point. And this is a book that offers more detail.

I'll try to summarize how I thought about this with the dog I was training; a lot of it involves getting the timing right. You first have to figure out the 'flight distance' for your dog in relation to other dogs--how close can she get to them without freaking out? Once you figure that out, make sure you redirect her each time you're approaching that distance from another dog--whether it's with a treat, a command to do a behavior, turning to walk in a different direction, whatever. A lot of people do clicker training in working with leash reactivity; I didn't need to do that with this particular dog, but it's worth considering so that you 'mark' the desired behavior of breaking her attention away from the other dog.

You want her to learn that 1) you're not going to make her get closer to another dog than she's comfortable with, and 2) when she sees another dog, her reaction should be to focus on you rather than the other dog.

Over time, as she learns to redirect her attention to you when she sees another dog, her flight distance should shorten more and more.

She is probably lunging to preemptively scare other dogs away, because they scare her and she just wants to get them to leave her alone. She tried lunging and it worked, so she keeps doing it. I would recommend this book, I have used it in the past with great results. Essentially you want her to look at you when you see another dog, instead of focusing on the dog.

I highly recommend this book

Well, "aggression" for a lot of people is just "play". And there's nothing wrong in my mind with him growling at your other dog, especially if he just wants to be left alone which is his right. If your other dog isn't a complete dunce he'll hopefully pick up on that. You shouldn't punish Beck if your stepdad's dog keeps pushing him, Beck gives him clear signals he doesn't like it, and eventually Beck is forced to take more drastic action. If you want to avoid a confrontation you could always step in before it gets to that and let your dad's dog know he's being a jerk.

http://www.amazon.com/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Interpreting/dp/1929242352/ is a great book on dog body language if you want to study up.

Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide; Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog

But, most importantly, Psychology.

Hugging a new dog isn't the best idea. Dogs generally don't understand hugs to be a friendly gesture.

Terriers will come back at you, every time. They're gorgeous, energetic dogs but they are the Weebles of the dog world - if you push them, even accidentally or nicely, they bounce right back into your face. They need a LOT of time to bond with you and to get to the stage where they trust you to do silly or unpleasant stuff without them instantly getting pissy.

That said, breaking skin is a step past the usual terrier behavior. I'd look into a trainer and get an assessment on her behavior. They will be able to observe her and see where she is or isn't behaving normally - she may be giving signals you didn't see. Because dog signals are totally unlike human signals sometimes - I mean, a tongue flick means stress and a dog who sniffs the ground when standing around with other dogs is often offering an appeasing gesture to defuse a tense situation. I don't know about you, but I'd have never guessed either of those.

This is a very interesting book about dog body language. It's basically a lot of large photos of dogs, with detailed explanations of what they're doing.

https://www.amazon.com/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Interpreting/dp/1929242352

I wrote my thesis on this. Here are a few of my sources and some new works:

The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery

Eternal Treblinka

The Sexual Politics of Meat

Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters

Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation

• Eternal Treblinka
  
  
• Bleating Hearts
  
  
• Eat Like You Care
  
  
• Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows
  

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/how-grow-marijuana/72079-breeding-beginners-create-your-very-own-strain.html -Basic Overview & http://www.amazon.com/The-Cannabis-Breeders-Bible-Definitive/dp/1931160279 -Books http://www.amazon.com/The-Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Recreational/dp/1931160589/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411213996&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Cannabis+Grow+Bible

If I may suggest some good reading on the subject, The Cannabis Grow Bible is great for a fact based start. After that I would sign up at THC farmer's forums. Some of the best growers on planet Earth over there that can help you with ANYTHING you may ever want or need. Your grow should always be kept simple and clean, that is what will give you consistent results as long as you follow the growing discipline that you agree with the most. Grows run into all of the problems when people try and mix and match disciplines.

Okay so, I have tons of dog books to recommend. Obviously it isn't an apples to apples translation for horses, but they will help you get a solid understanding of clicker theory, and a lot of the exercises could be applied to horses, with some creative tweaking. You can usually find some inexpensive used options on Amazon that may make it more practical to buy these books, since with the exception of the Karen Pryor book they only cover dogs. If you have questions or want more recommendations let me know!

When Pigs Fly!: Training Success with Impossible Dogs https://www.amazon.com/dp/1929242441/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_41JXBbXWEPN78 This is a good basics of training books that will give you a solid introduction to actually applying clicker training.

Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743297776/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_J4JXBb9X374P5 This will get you really in the weeds on the theory and development of clicker training, plus a lot of examples of how Karen has used the methods. It is very readable, not dry and overly academic. I found it light on giving you step by step application instructions for a variety of situations though.

The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual: A Practical, Force-Free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners https://www.amazon.com/dp/1478176415/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_G6KXBb7XTZPB3 this one is another really good basics book. The author has another book called Behavior Adjustment Training that uses positive methods to deal with hyper-reactive and problem behavior. It might be a good one just so you can see some of the creative ways that they use positive training to overcome things like food aggression, fear of strangers, etc.

>without warning they went for each other.

There may have been some warning that you were unaware of. Have a look into dog body language.

The book Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide may help you read your dog (and others) and then you can control or remove him from the situation before things get out of hand. I found this book extremely helpful in many aspects of helping my rescue beagle (he'd been abused and wasn't very socialised).

Depending on where you live, Amazon may not be your cheapest option once freight is included (For me, book depository was best even though the actual book was more expensive - they have free shipping)

That is a loaded question. Growing will really depend on what style you feel suits your goals and mindset. I personally opted to grow using sustainable practices and focusing all of my attention on the soil food web. Permaculture. I use some basic Korean Natural Farming ferments and I follow a "no-till" 10-day feeding schedule. I'm all about mother nature and trying to be as clean and responsible as a cultivator, and as a result I use less water and spend less money on providing my plant with nutrition.

Hydroponics is a whole other world, and while I will personally never go that route, I know many many people who have, and have been very successful doing so. It blows my mind what one can accomplish with the right nutrient schedule and water. However this route can be more costly in my experience. Bottled nutrients can become expensive to buy constantly, whereas I use topdressings, teas, and water that cost me little to nothing to produce. If you have an interest in the all natural sustainable practices like myself, BuildASoil.com is a wonderful resource and has taught me a lot since I started growing. Good luck, welcome, my advice: absorb it all. There is so much information out there, online, in books, on youtube. Take some time and think about how you want to grow and then research everything! The first book I bought.

The most common way, at least in my experience (please chime in with other ways/paths that you've taken) is exposure and mentoring.

Exposure is just work with as many dogs as you possible can. For me, I worked at a dog daycare/boarding/training/grooming place as a dog handler (officially Animal Care Technician but whatever.) I thought I knew a lot about dogs before going in. My close family had had several growing up, I'd helped raise for service puppy organizations, etc. I did not. I did not know nearly enough about dogs in general. There's nothing like being in a playroom with 30 dogs every day to rapidly teach you about dog body language, communication, habits, warning signs, the works. I worked there for a couple years and I was constantly learning. The biggest hurdle in getting to be a dog trainer is just exposure to lots and lots of different dogs, different breeds, different temperaments, different learning styles, different stimulus, different everything.

Next usually comes mentoring with an experienced trainer. I lucked out in that the trainer who started working at the daycare facility about year after I did was awesome. Totally positive and we clicked. We became really good friends fast. I officially mentored with her for just over a year. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I can't really speak on more arduous methods of finding a mentor.

Read. Find groups like this one and find their recommended literature. Training is important both in theory and practice. My first books were Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out, Ahimsa, and When Pigs Fly and they were the beginning of my positive-only approach as well as my drive to become a trainer. But there are tons and tons of books to really dive into.

Check out the sidebar for info on APDT, and look into getting your CPDT-KA. The training industry isn't really regulated, but this is kind of The Certification.

As far as career, both myself and my training mentor left that facility. We started our own training business together. She works that full time, though her SO has a nice cushy job to fall back on in times of famine, so the two of them do alright. While I might do alright working it fulltime, I am crazy stupid anxious about being totally on commission. I have another full time job (night shift manufacturing. Cog-in-a-machine type work, but it isn't mentally taxing leaving me mostly focused mentally on training. Also benefits are awesome.)

While starting your own business isn't common or uncommon, there's other routes too. You can work in a big box store (think petsmart, petco, etc) as a trainer. Though you'll see on this sub we kind of have a hesitant view on them. It's either hit or miss. You end up with an awesome trainer who is working there on the path to bigger and better things, or.... you don't. You could work at a facility like the dog daycare place I worked. From my experience pay is meh but not terrible. The biggest problem was ideology differences and goal differences (what's best for the dog vs what's best for the business.) Though I tend to have a negative bias about it so take that with a grain of salt. You could work at a training facility that brings together a bunch of trainers. You could work at a humane society. There's a lot of options, some commission, some hourly, some a mix. It all kind of depends on your experience, your connections, and honestly, your luck.

This... kind of rambles on a bit, but feel free to ask away! A lot of my career came just from being in the right place at the right time so I realize that's not much help, but I can try.

What Every Body is Saying to be able to tell when people are lying to you (based on your interest in Lie To Me and it's a useful skill to have) and The Cannabis Grow Bible so you can grow your own plants (or just learn a shitload about that plant).

Check out ”When pigs fly” it’s a book written about training bull terriers. https://www.amazon.com/When-Pigs-Fly-Training-Impossible/dp/1929242441

I highly recommend looking into training really intelligent dogs. My wife and I read When Pigs Fly which helped us really understand how our little pup worked.

1 Year old and while she's not perfect (she likes chewing on furniture when bored) she's the best dog I've ever had.

How about Eternal Treblinka?

I agree with all of this, and want to add emphasis on the fact that this dog is a terrier mix. OP, terriers are notoriously difficult to train and independent... you will likely not ever be able to expect Golden Retriever levels of biddability and attention out of this dog, even if you dedicate enormous amounts of time to training him.

There is room for improvement, of course, but if you're hoping for complete obedience and reliability I'm afraid you may have made a less than ideal choice in breed.

Reading this book is a good place to start.

How old is this dog? How long was he in the shelter? Do you know what kind of a terrier mix he is (/would you be willing to share a photo to give us a better idea of breed mix)?

Damn, drama up in here.

Don't worry, I gotchu fam https://www.amazon.com/Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Definitive-Recreational/dp/1931160589

Otherwise:
-Out? of incubation? When you have exposed roots or you think they have filled whatever they are in.

-The clones? Prob a bad idea.

-There are some tutorials and videos, but it seems difficult or not very good for the plant unless you're doing some weird monster cropping thing, which is beyond me.

-Duct tape, mylar, and dark canvas/cloth, sit in the room if you can to find leaks. For outdoors you can pick up some flowering bags (kinda like big trash bags).

-Pots, everytime.

-Fancy if you have the money (my vote)

-Flowering is usually dictated by your plant, you can usually look up your strain and find out a general time frame, some are much shorter than others.

-Don't grow ditch weed man, if you don't have access to real seeds buy some feminized seeds online, seriously, it's worth the money. I got some from https://amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com/ they all popped and grew like champs. It took a while to ship, but otherwise no issues.

-Neem oil, but if you have WORMS, you probably have a bigger issue. Many solutions, this is something you will have to reasearch.

-I dunno about any new moon business. It depends on your flush methods and when your plant is done flowering.

Good luck!

You could try using a front clip harness which will tend to turn the dog around when he pulls. I've heard that Canny Collars can be effective, but I've always worried my dog could hurt her neck if she sprinted for a squirrel while wearing one.

You might also need to try two different types of walks:

• Normal walks for necessary exercise / bathroom relieve where you put up with the pulling (for now)
  
• Training walks where you focus on proper leash behavior by stopping and standing whenever your pit pulls too hard and then only walking forward when the leash goes slack. The idea is to get the dog to associate a slack leash with freedom of movement and to associate the sensation of pulling with being unable to get where it wants to go.
  
  A few books that might be helpful:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Training-Best-Dog-Ever-Reinforcement/dp/0761168850/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/When-Pigs-Fly-Training-Impossible/dp/1929242441/
  
  You could also check around and see if there is a dog trainer nearby that could do an hour training / consultation session (We did this to learn tips to help with our dogs separation anxiety and I think it helped)
  
  
  

I'm looking for this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1931160589/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1466680670&sr=8-1
But I need it in pdf so I can download it to my phone.
Could they give me shit if I just buy it on amazon

I gotchu

https://www.amazon.de/Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Definitive-Recreational/dp/1931160589

I started with this one https://www.amazon.ca/Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Definitive-Recreational/dp/1931160589

​

it had a lot of information I didn't understand at the time of reading but its a good starting point. It covers everything you can imagine some in great depth but what it doesn't cover it mentions and you can do your own research online. I've come a long way from when I first read it. I also read a bunch of similar books in the 4-5 months leading up to legalization but I'd have to check my E-reader if you wanted a full list.

This is the one that got me started, around thirty on Amazon with shipping if in the States. http://www.amazon.com/The-Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Recreational/dp/1931160589

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Recreational/dp/1931160589

I would say this is a must read for any ent looking at making his thumb greener. In short, the pistols should be 60-70 % brown and the fan leaves will start to change color. Plus the smell will become intoxicating.

It could be a mixture of things. My BC's dog tolerance dropped significantly around 6-7 months so we stopped taking him to play with other dogs. After a couple of months, I took him back to the dog park and his tolerance was significantly better. Your dog could just be going through an angsty phase or he just might not like the company of other dogs or his tolerance of poor behavior might be low.

I think you should get a behaviorist (positive reinforcement only) to assess any issues that might arise because of the attack. Better safe than sorry.

Also start doing some reading on dog body language. Dog show very subtle signs that they are grumpy/upset/scared. This book is a great resource.

For the time being, I would suggest you stop letting your dog off it's leash until you figure out/work on a solution.

Weird, your friend and I have a lot in common (I too am a dog trainer who has a few dogs and my biggest interest in the world is dog training with a love for agility). I want to be friends with your friend! Anyway some idea are

"multiuse or convertible" leash like 1 or 2

A fun tug toy like a rope w/ball on it or nice handled tug toy

A good Kong or two (original either red or black in the appropriate size for her dogs)

Good dog training books like The Dog Trainer's Resource or When Pigs Fly

A fun collar or two (am I the only one here who has 4+ collars for each dog and still wants more?)

If she likes hot drinks and you want to focus more on her funny/cute dog mugs are always good

Bumper stickers/magnets with her favorite breed or dog mom or a cute dog saying

Just because you own a dog doesn't mean you can read a dog well or even at all. Just like owning a car doesn't make you a mechanic.

This isn't an insult or something, its just fact. Do yourself a favor, watch that video and others, and check out books like this one.

Have you seen their bellies?
Also

Read this book.

https://www.amazon.com/When-Pigs-Fly-Training-Impossible/dp/1929242441

Isaac Bashevis Singer was a legend. Another part of this quote is used as the title for a book by Charles Pattinson, called Eternal Treblinka. It's a powerful read and really highlights the parallels between animal testing today and the testing and experimentation the nazi's performed on Jews during the WWII.

Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Treblinka-Treatment-Animals-Holocaust/dp/1930051999

> I think the suggestion that raped women and slaughtered pigs co-occupy any kind of group is idiotic.

I personally know raped women (more than one!) who have compared their experience to what animals experience. I also know of holocaust survivors who have compared their experience with that of farmed animals (Alex Hershaft is a contemporary example).

You can argue that other animals' suffering isn't comparable, isn't worth as much as human suffering, because "they're only animals." But look at history: "They're only Blacks." "They're only Jews." "They're only women. Come on now, let's not blow things out of proportion..."

Slavery was justified on the assumption that slaves inherently had less value, and therefore their suffering wasn't comparable to ours. And rights for children and disabled people were downright mocked until 30 years ago ("rights for retards?!"). Gay rights, like animal rights, was also seen as a joke!

The course of human progress has been about overcoming this primitive "might makes right" model, toward a viewpoint that vulnerable groups need protection from exploitation. It's encouraging to me that more people are trying to be on the right side of history in regards to animal rights.

This book was recommended by a friend when I first got started.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/086571701X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_NQDAwbGSANCPC

I have found with aquaponics that it is all about experimentation still. It's a new growing method in wide use so it's still not very widely written about. I would steer you away from a float bed and say if you are going to do that to use a board and a modified ebb and flow as foam is expensive and limits gas exchange in the water (needed for life). Just do the same as a float bed but use plywood you put on top of your tray with holes for your baskets. Use a high water bell syphon. I have found for growth media just use hydroton for everything in various sizes. I haven't gone wrong and have had success with everything from leafy greens to cucumbers and tomatoes.

If you are starting from seed I would suggest starting with rockwool (grodan). It makes life so much easier and no mess to clean off the roots before you put into your system. you just pluck up your growing seedling after the roots erupt and drop it straight into the hydroton.
Anyhow, Enjoy

Edit: Forgot also there is this... a MUST read HERE

The light is on a timer for around 14-16 hours per day which is pretty standard for growing plants efficiently. Total wattage is only 48 watts (plus 2.2 watts for the air pump) so doesn't use too much electricity per day. The real expensive thing in a system like this is the grow light, getting a fluorescent light with hood, ballast and bulbs can get really expensive but I worked out a deal with a supplier to get them relatively cheap.

To learn more about aquaponic technology I would suggest the gold standard book Aquaponic Gardening by Sylvia Bernstein. Lots of good info in there about the components of an aquaponic system and how they work.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/086571701X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1416005204&sr=8-1

This book is a good start to understanding aquaponics. The writer covers everything you will need to know in order to build your own setup. After you understand the basics behind a system it will be just a matter of finding the right equipment to meet your needs that you are describing (ie covered tank, aesthetically pleasing... etc).

Its this one. Its one of the more recommended ones for people starting on the path, but for some reason I never felt draw to his stuff. Thanks for the suggestion!

Edit: Not sure why my link isn't working. Oh well.

Edit 2: Fixed!

Spike knives are great to practice knifemaking on. They will be decorative however since, as you pointed out, they do not contain enough carbon to heat treat or keep an edge. But do work with them; it's free steel and you can practice how to go about profiling a knife on them.

As far as hammers go, I have known accomplished smiths who are happy with the hammer they picked up at a flea market. I've also known those who have made their own, or those that have bought from Centaur Forge or from other smiths.

It seems everyone has their own idea of what works for them. Quality of steel, balance, and ergonomics are obviously the main priorities, but the rest is up to you.
At this stage, just use what's economical until you start refining your smithing style.

Pick up The Backyard Blacksmith and The $50 Knife Shop. If you've got time, I would also invest in The Art of Blacksmithing, mainly for it's ideas on projects and moving metal.

As for your forge questions, I'm not sure what the best answer is as I primarily work with coal and only occasionally work with gas. The gas forges I use are pretty big, so I don't have experience in your model. Maybe try to stick a RR spike in there, close the doors, and see how it does? You can make small knives for now until you figure out the direction you want to take. Hope this all helped, good luck!

there is a book called 50$ knife shop that would be a good start. ABANA also has a level one beginning blacksmithing project guide. I would recomend trying that. its helpful.

as for the cheapest and dirtiest way to forge a knife, take a leaf spring or coil spring heat it up to orange color smash it flat on a flat hard surface (an anvil), forge a point on one end and a tang (handle) on the other. you can attempt to forge bevels too, but that part is hard to do correctly. it is absolutly necesary to beale to forge flat and straight. this is also hard to do. you can grind/ file a bevel from a flat, but you cant grind/ file something from crooked to straight.

once you have a straight flat forged to shape blade you take it to the grinder to remove scale. this can be done with a hand grinder or a belt grinder, but scale will eat belts fast!!! so a hand grinder is more cost efective. with the scale removed you are ready to grind/ file your primary bevel. No grinder? then clamp your blade to a 2x4 and get at it with some files. first establish a bevel then draw file it flat. (remember when draw filing right hand pushes and left hand pulls) once you have the blade filed its time to sand all those ugly marks out. i sand to 220 or so then heat treat...

heat treat... use simple steel like OTS (old truck spring/ 5160) heat to nonmagnetic then quench in warm canola oil. take it out and check with a file. it should slide across it like glass. if the file dosent bite you have a hard blade. now go temper it at around 400 deg for 2 hours twice. (4 hr total)

now you have a heat treated and tempered blade. you can sharpen it and test it now. file or grind your final bevel then sharpen on a stone. go chop some 2x4s and then try to cut some paper. if you got a good edge you should be able to chop multiple 2x4s and still have a sharp blade. if the edge chips or rolls something went wrong. go rebevel the edge and re sharpen. test again. Chips mean the edge is too thin or HT didnt go right. fix your problems hear not later. make a good preforming blade before you make it pretty.

now make it pretty, back to hand sanding. start at 120 and work your way to 400 or so. make sure to completely remove the marks form the previous grit sand paper. before moving to a finer grit. careful not to cut yourself when hand sanding. your blade should be razor sharp by now.

in all honesty id start with stock removal and if you still want to forge knives build up to it. for me forging is easy and fun. its the stock removal part thats the hard work. if you dont mind the stock removal part you will be a lot less frustrated...

http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956

Ditto. Linke to book. Here's another one I liked

http://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Growing-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800

The Mushroom Cultivator is a fantastic book. Can't do without it. Sterile culture, expansion, fruiting, everything. Must have. Same goes for all of Paul Stamets' books, really.

Cloning is actually pretty easy if you have the right environment and a few bits of kit. Good luck! I look forward to photos of your grow.

https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Growing-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800

No worries man! I’m about to start my fourth grow when my spores come in so I totally get where you’re coming from. It’s such a fun process and I’m constantly learning more and more. You should check out this book called The Mushroom Cultivator. It’s such an invaluable reference tool that I’m constantly flipping through when I’ve got questions.

Edit: It’s a little dated, and PF-Tek was published about 10 years later, but everything in the book is still valuable and informative.

This book and this book are the bibles of growing mushrooms. They cover growing both psychoactive and non-psychoactive including Coprinus.

> Dogs are enormously good at reading human facial expressions and body language (which is crazy, since they're a different species).

They're actually better at this than chimpanzees and human babies. This book is fucking awesome and goes on about this and other shit.

Again, correlation without causation. She is self-soothing to alliveate boredome or stress. There is something happening that you are not aware of. Thunder, SA, furnace turning over, UPS delivery. Or any of those things happening when you are not there. Your dog is incredibly sensitive, but she lives in a human world but can only understand and relate in dog ways.

Check out this amazing book: http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432

Dogs do feel though. Great book for dog owners.
https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432

Check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432

It talks a lot about the differences/similarities of wolves and dogs and goes even more into depth about dogs' sight, smell, behavior, etc. It's a great read, especially if you're a dog lover!

I think one of the most important things for someone who has never had a dog before is to learn about how dogs communicate. Body language, canine cognition...these sorts of things give you a really good foundation for working with your dog, and they help you avoid some beginner mistakes.

I highly recommend reading:

• "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz
  
  
• "On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals" by Turid Rugaas
  
  
• "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell
  
  There are also a ton of other book recommendations on the /r/dogtraining wiki here.

"Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know" by Alexandra Horowitz. As a dog lover, I went into this thinking I already knew quite a lot about canine intelligence, but this book really taught me a lot. And, it has the bonus of being extremely readable.

"Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans" by John M. Marzluff. This book totally blew me away. I knew that crows are highly intelligent, but had no idea just how intelligent. Also highly readable, not too scientific or technical.

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know is great, not so much a how-to, but everybody with a dog should read this.

This book is a classic. It's my favorite. For all the up to date techniques as well as traditional methods of work, books put out by the Taunton Press are the best. They also publish Fine Woodworking, the best periodical on woodworking. If I could choose a gift certificate for me, it would be for Woodcraft or Rockler.

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking (Joinery / Shaping, Veneering, Finishing) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1561580686
(Books 1 and 2 in a single volume)

This is a classic. For most techniques he shows both hand tool and power tool versions.

Nothing wrong with books! I see someone has already said, "Forget it just go to YouTube", but I think there's something to be said for reading a book too.

Peter Korn's book, Woodworking Basics, is a pretty good, project oriented overview including both hand tool and machine basics- it was kind of the semi-required text my first semester at community college.

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking is the classic that comes to mind.

Are you wanting to learn craftsman type woodworking, or mostly wanting to do around the house carpentry / home improvement type projects? If the former, I'd recommend the set of books by Tage Frid called Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking (http://www.amazon.com/Tage-Frid-Teaches-Woodworking-Step-By-Step/dp/1561580686) to learn the basics and a subscription to Fine Woodworking magazine if just to see some of the interesting stuff that people are doing.

For those power tools, as has been mentioned below but I shall say again, learn about safety. The skin graft on my thumb concurs.

You don't mention hand tools in your list, so I'd recommend getting some decent chisels and planes (made in England or the US, old is better if they aren't too mangled) and learn how to sharpen them well. Using hand tools helps teach you how wood works, the better for you to work wood.

Have fun, be safe, and make stuff.

Hey, I’ll try to offer up some knowledge.

For tools, I agree with another poster about figuring out what your next project is, then figure out if you need a new tool. I actually don’t have a table saw so I have to get creative with execution. My router and miter saws are my best friends. I also have a No. 4 LN smoothing plane that I use constantly. It’s extremely versatile and it’s very meditative (is that the right word here) and relaxing to use! I find myself reaching for it almost every project, but it may not be as useful on large outdoor projects. Some decent chisels are useful. Lastly, a good, solid work bench or work surface with a vise that doesn’t wobble is very helpful in woodworking.

For cutting tips, first make sure everything is square and aligned on your saws. Next, develop a consistent cutting and marking system so it becomes second nature and you become confident in your marks. My method for marking is that I use a pencil to mark my cut line. I mark in a way so I draw the line on the waste side and cut on the pencil mark. What I mean is that I know in my head to keep cutting slivers off until there is no pencil visible on the piece I’m cutting then I know I’m done.

For joinery techniques, this book below is really good. It discusses the cuts for almost every joint and very easy to follow and understand with plenty of diagrams. It’s definitely dated, especially when it talks about tools and glue, as it’s an older book, but the fundamentals of joinery haven’t changed.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1561580686/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ATDVGMTHCWW9DYHKH0YW&dpPl=1&dpID=51aWxssSgnL
I don’t know why it can be so expensive sometimes but find a cheap used copy online. This is definitely beginner friendly in my opinion.

I don’t have a lot of knowledge on outside wood, but I know cedar is good and have heard teak is as well.

Jokes and memes aside, it's actually a great book. It's literally about the microscopic structure of wood. The author also has another classic, Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology, which has a few chapters on it. Great gift for woodworkers.

I would start by reading something like [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Craftsmans-Guide-Technology/dp/1561583588)

Then buy some small quantity of different varieties of wood available where you live, a few different finishing products and experiment.
This way you would have samples to show your prospective clients and a personal database of wood/finish combinations.

I've been enjoying this book a lot and many people recommend it. If you want a taste of it a lot of his info is on this website for free


Edit: a word

Please, please read a book [1] [2] [3]. And watch a video.

I am sure there are some great pointers on here, but you'll need a lot more information than that.

Frank and Beans!

I'd love to read this book, since I hear so many people talking about it and it looks up my alley.

Used books are fine, I just prefer they be in good shape since I am one of those people who babies their books :)

I can’t speak for every woman on the planet but I had a somewhat similar situation when I broke my back a few months before I was supposed to start my MBA. Major financial worries about delaying, GMAT, etc.

Initially I think you just need to be there to listen. Gently remind her it took you two attempts to pass the bar. My biggest comfort is the daily act of spooning with my husband every night where he rubs my back. Not like a massage but gently running his hands over my back with no expectation of sex.

If money is a concern, then look where you can be generous. Some of the best gifts are the ones we think are too expensive or we think are unnecessary for ourselves.

Somethings she would probably really appreciate: a day at a spa, like a Korean day spa where you can soak all day, get some treatments, journal etc. In the Seattle area there is one called The Olympus Day Spa that is amazing, in case you happen to randomly live there. Most major cities have places like that.

Lacking that, a long massage, at least 90 minutes where she can really relax. Bonus if she can get a facial. Reflexology and foot rubs are always winners for most women I know. Either pick her up and drop her off or pay for an Uber/Lyft so she doesn’t have to drive. Then, movies and chill.

If you can afford it, take a long weekend and go somewhere really chill. The opposite of Vegas. Her nervous system needs a reset. Think hot springs if you live any near those. Snow. Cabin. No wifi or cell service. Hot springs. That would be idea.

Other things: one of the things that sounds so ridiculous but really bites about financial issues is not being able to afford the makeup and things that make you feel beautiful. If your confidence is shot from something like failing the boards, then not having the money to replace your makeup stocks or get your hair done feels rotten. I hardly wear makeup, but what I do wear is not cheap. If she gets her makeup from Sephora or Nordstrom, a gift card there would be nice.


Also, it would be natural to jump into studying again, but see if you can encourage her to take a break. Let her brain rest. Let her nervous system reset.


I struggled with cognitive function and have experimented a bit with smart drugs. I really, really like nicotine. Not tobacco. I don’t smoke, but I use the lozenges sparingly when I really need to focus. More about it here. I got the lowest dose possible on Amazon.

Also, I’ve had great luck with GABA for anxiety.

I also really like Brain Power line from Bulletproof.

I know lots of people who love Qualia. Gave me awful headaches but I have friends that love it.

Experiment with these long before it’s test taking time. But they can really help with focus and calming.


It’s late and speaking of running out of brain power....I am. But one last thought. A good book with nothing to do with anything related to nursing wouldn’t go amiss if she likes to read.

Two suggestions. For something smart and witty but not dark or deep, every person I have ever recommend the Parasol Protectorate to has loved it.

And Outlander. The main female character is nurse and there are a lot of great medical story lines in there. It’s a huge series and easy to get lost in.

It’s lovely of you to think of how you can support her. Good work.

There are a lot of amazing suggestions over at /r/fantasy. And more often than not the authors pop in to say hi.

As for my own suggestions:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is probably my favorite book/series. It's light and romancy, but has time travel and historical fiction mixed in.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind is another great book. It is part of a series (which can get pretty heavy in the later books). But as a standalone book, its quite entertaining.

The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks is a really fun read. Warlocks, druids, elves, magical trees... I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy, as well as the author's other books. This one would probably be where I'd start if you're looking at getting in to true fantasy.

Hope you enjoy! Good luck :)

For recommendations I'm not sure I can help you, oddly enough the fics that get me off are usually (but not always) written terribly. the erotic equivalent of a Tijuana bible done by a mouth breathing 16 yr old virgin with a loose idea of what a tit looks like. I usually find them on literotica, fanfic.net or deviantART and then click away from them away in disgust afterwards. but I'm sure there are decently written ones for people who get off on grammar, punctuation and spelling on there too.

my grammar natzi friend who reads romance novels has recommended the Outlander series and although they didn't do much for me they were pretty well written, I did quite like the emphasis on brawny historical Scotsmen. DarthAmmonite is pretty good ( and writes in a manner suspiciously similarly to Ursulav's stories ) as is her far more prolific friend incandescens also I do enjoy r/ladyboners and occasionally the new tab on r/gonewild

I find it helps me to just be really, really, open about these things. constant "I'll be in my bunk" jokes and talking about sex all the damn time with my friends helps me not worry if anybody can hear me. besides that, considering how well I can hear the downstairs neighbors going at it, anybody who can hear me can just deal with it.

Off the top of my head:

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon: Outlander

Sarum, by Edward Rutherford: Sarum

Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, by Allen Gurganus: Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All

​

Blessings to you!

​

I've got a few suggestions actually! Some are exactly like you describe, non-fiction but presented as a novel. Others incorporate accurate history, but the main characters are fictional.

First,Follow the River. This one is a true story presented as a novel. Great read, it's one of the first books that inspired my interest in what's actually edible in the wild.

Centennial is another great read. Pretty much any Michner is. You do have to get past the first few chapters though. He likes to start his books with a history of the area, which he goes all the way back to the crust of the earth cooling. Once you get past that though, he takes you through the history through the eyes of multiple people through generations. The people are fictional, but the history he covers is the real deal. For instance, did you know that camelids originated in what we call Alaska now?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I think they've made a T.V. show from this one. It has science fiction/fantasy tones to it as it involves time travel, but the coverage of the history is accurate and fascinating. And told from the perspective of someone who was born and raised in WWII era.

And finally, let's go WAY back. Clan of the Cave Bear. The first three books in this series are fantastic. I wouldn't bother going further though. The author traveled to all sorts of digs and painted caves and the picture she brings to life of pre-history is wonderful. Bit of a Mary Sue as a main character, but I happen to like Mary Sues. =) AVOID THE MOVIE! I like a lot of book to movies, understand that they need leeway. They ruined this book on screen.

I can probably come up with a few more if you're interested at all. Reading is a bit of my hobby.

OH MY GOD YOU DIDN'T? Add this to your wishlist in any format you prefer. I am buying this for you right the hell now.

For (currently) free Kindle books, David Weber's On Basilisk Station is the first book in the space-opera Honor Harrington series. The second book The Honor of the Queen, is one of my favorites in the entire series. Eric Flint's 1632 turned into a massive and awesome alternate-history series. If you'd like to delve into Alaskan-based murder mysteries, give Dana Stabenow's A Cold Day For Murder a try as the first in the some eighteen book Kate Shugak series.

For paid Kindle books, there's Hugh Howey's Wool Omnibus is the beginning of the dystopian Silo series; the followup Shift Omnibus is actually a prequel trilogy that I haven't gotten yet but is very readable. Naomi Novik's first novel in the alt-history Temeraire series, His Majesty's Dragon, is currently $.99.

In print, Elizabeth Moon's military fantasy The Deed of Paksenarrion is available used for a very affordable price and is an epic series. The Cage was my introduction to a fantasy universe written by SM Stirling, Shirley Meier, and Karen Wehrstein. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander is a sort of alternate history/light romance series set in Scotland that I've thoroughly enjoyed. Brent Weeks' assassin-based (excuse me, wetboy) fantasy Night Angel Trilogy was recently released as an omnibus edition. Empire from the Ashes collects Weber's Dahak sci-fi trilogy into an omnibus edition. Weber and John Ringo co-wrote March Upcountry and the other three novels in the sci-fi Prince Roger quadrilogy. If you haven't tried Harry Turtledove's alt-history sci-fi WW2 'Worldwar' series, In the Balance starts off a little slow plot-wise but picks up good speed. EE Knight's sci-fi/futuristic fantasy Vampire Earth starts off with Way of the Wolf. Mercedes Lackey wrote the modern-fantasy Born to Run with Larry Dixon, and the rest of the SERRAted Edge books with various other authors. Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk and slightly dystopian Snow Crash is hilarious and awesome. Maggie Furey's Aurian is the first of a fantasy quadrilogy that I enjoyed many years ago.

If you're at all familiar with the Warhammer 40k universe, the Eisenhorn Omnibus is Dan Abnett's wonderful look into the life of an Imperial Inquisitor. He's also written a popular series about the Tanith First-and-Only Imperial Guard regiment starting with The Founding Omnibus. He also wrote the first book in the Horus Heresy series, Horus Rising (I highly recommend reading the first three novels together as a trilogy and then cherry-picking the rest).

... and if you've read all that already, I'll be impressed.

Edit: Why yes, I do read a lot. Why do you ask?

Does he realize he makes you incredibly anxious? Maybe its something you should just come out and say to him. :)

Some Books:

• The other end of the leash by Patricia McConnel - This is a staple in any dog trainer's library
  
  
• Zak George's Dog Training Revolution by Zak George - I like this one because it links back to his youtube channel and videos that go along with what the book is talking about. So its a multifaceted learning channel.
  
  
• The Secret Language of Dogs - By Victoria Stilwell - I just started reading this book. Wonderful so far.
  
  
• The Power of Positive Training by Pat Miller - Great introductory on understanding and reacting appropriately to dog body language and other positive training techniques.
  
  
• And The Official List of Books from /r/Dogtraining - GREAT recommendations here.

Somebody asked the same thing a few days ago.

I can't stress how awesome The Power of Positive Dog Training is by Pat Miller. $14- Get it.

I read Sophia Yin's Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, and it wasn't good.

I also am currently reading The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual, and it has some unique stuff, but it's mostly a shortened version of The Power of Positive Dog Training.

> The techniques I have learned and shared were taught to me in the MSF Beginner course. I think your advanced techniques and concepts might certainly be confusing and "over the head" to many beginners .. such as the OP.

I encourage others to think, and -- as I keep stating -- I fight misinformation. If you have a problem with one or the other, I really don't give a shit.

The MSF course teaches you the fundamental mechanics of riding and very little more. In retrospect, I'm horrified that they put people on the street with so little training. If you want to swaddle people in a nest of MSF generalities, go ahead. I may well be there, too, to point them in the right direction.

> Oh, and disagreeing with others does not have to equal calling them idiots.

I call it like I see it. Not an idiot? Demonstrate it by reading and writing carefully. Your post was poorly constructed, contained tangential information, and was simply wrong. Further, you were defending someone who has been going around spreading some dangerous misinformation.

Seek out information and learn.

Total Control

Proficient Motorcycling

More Proficient Motorcyclig

Twist of the Wrist

Twist of the Wrist Vol 2

Capt. Crash Idaho has some good tips and techniques with his free videos.

Here are some basic parking lot exercises. A tip for laying out parking lot cones--get a bunch of bright yellow tennis balls and cut them in half. You'll get two "cones" for the price of one tennis ball.

There's a lot of good articles on Bike Safer.

There are some good books and DVDs if he's willing to spend a few bucks, get the Total Control or Ride Like a Pro DVDs. RLAP is mostly focused on slow-speed tight turning techniques (like the police bike "rodeos" do). More Proficient Motorcycling book is great for street survival tips. If he's willing and able to spend more money, then he could take a course, such as Total Control, MSF Experienced Rider course, etc. Speaking of MSF, you can get their book here.

When I took the MSF Beginning Rider Course, several of the other students already had experience riding and owned their own bikes. They, like me, were there to refresh the basic skills and maybe learn something new because we were all self-taught. BRC isn't cheap, but I think it's worthwhile, and being on a bike in a structured environment like that might be just the confidence-builder that he needs.

Edit: I found a link to PDF files from the MSF, including their textbook for the BRC.

Twist of the wrist was one I read- it didn't do much for me. It was very much about fine-tuning each turn on a track, which isn't where I'm riding. I got a LOT more out of Total Controle.

It's definitely because you haven't figured out how to handle it yet. I'm an instructor with Doc Wong Northwest. It's a free riding clinic & covers the finer details of sport riding. We teach the concepts covered by Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist 2. I personally help run the clinics in Albany, but they originally started in PDX. You should check them out. They meet the first Saturday of every month at BMW Motorcycles of Western Oregon in Tigard. Not only is it a great way to learn more advanced riding, but it's a good reason to get out and ride & a great way to meet other riders in the area.

I'd also like to recommend a few books to get you started:

• Twist of the Wrist 2
  
• Sport Riding Techniques
  
• Total Control
  
  Seriously, when you know you'll be in Eugene with your Bandit...PM me. There are a lot of great roads around here.

Lee Parks' Total Control book has good drills.

You can do that with the Ninja 250. It's all practice. Like V_Glaz_Dam mentioned you should watch the Twist of Wrist 2 series.

Here's something I wrote for one of my friends.

For books, I personally like this one the most. I feel like Nick took a lot information from the Twist of the Wrist books and made it more modern.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1893618072/ref=oh_o02_s01_i00_details



But I also learned a lot from Lee Park's book. Lee Park hosts a rider school where he runs over all the drills in his book and helps with rider technique. You have to google the class schedules but he comes around California at least once or twice a year.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760314039/ref=oh_o04_s00_i00_details



The there is the Twist of the Wrist series
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Motorcycle-Roadracers-Handbook/dp/0965045013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330372612&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Basics-High-Performance-Motorcycle/dp/0965045021/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330372612&sr=8-2

I haven't read those books but the Twist of Wrist II videos are on youtube so you can check them out.



The last book I would recommend is Proficient Motorcycling. I highly recommended reading that one because it focuses a lot on general riding. Techniques that everyone should learn just to stay alive riding on the road. The book can be found at some libraries so you can save some money by just loaning it.
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330372534&sr=1-1-spell

The rest is all practice.
Also youtube "ninja 250 track" and you'll see a bunch of videos of guys racing their 250s on the track.

I wouldn't get on a track until you are at least familiar with your motorcycle. Get some miles under your belt before you decide to do it. After you are comfortable on your bike I would try to hook up with some local riders who are better than you. That way you can talk to them and learn from their experience. But remember to take most advice with a grain of salt. I personally use meetup.com to meet a lot of other guys to ride with.

My friend that got me into riding races an R6 with more low end torque than an R1 (only tops out at 120 because of that though :/ ). Another is a bmw s1000rr. I myself ride a old 90 FZR600 supersport and a honda shadow.

It doesn't matter what type of bike it is, steering physics work the same. Cruisers just steer slow and with less lean. It doesn't mean your input on the turn should be any different.

This is also backed up by some well known pro's. Example:

Twist of the Wrist: Keith code

http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Basics-High-Performance-Motorcycle/dp/0965045021/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344012435&sr=8-2&keywords=twist+of+the+wrist

Total Control: Lee Parks

http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760314039/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344012569&sr=1-3&keywords=total+control

Lee Parks spend a good amount of the book explaining the techniques for both sportbike and cruisers, which end up being the same thing.

Here is what it looks like at least.

I read these based on Amazon reviews and they were both very helpful in addition to Twist of the Wrist.

Total Control

Sport Riding Techniques

You can pick out an Adventure (like this one and have one of your friends read through it and run the adventure for the rest of you. Adventures like that take much of the creation work off of the DM and typically provide a sort of stepping stone into play.

If you're open to trying other games:
Fiasco is a pretty good role-playing game you and your friends can play. It's much easier to learn and gives you a shot to try out role-playing with. Fiasco also lends itself very well to playing one session of it, then moving on. Most RPGs, D&D, Dungeon World and Fate included, tend to reward multi-session play.
I'm more interested in playing/running Fate Core or Fate Accelerated myself. As a game, it's more focused on narrative and player-characters doing cool stuff than D&D.
Dungeon World plays and feels similar to D&D, only it's far simpler to pick up and play. There are also a number of other games very similar to Dungeon World customized to different settings/genres, like Apocalypse World (post-apocalypse), Sprawl (Cyberpunk), Blades in the Dark (If you've ever played the video-game Dishonored, you'll see parallels in Duskwall), and probably more that I don't feel like looking up at the moment.

I'd be happy to introduce you to Fiasco or Fate, schedules willing. I've played and run both.
I have, but have never played or run Sprawl, Blades in the Dark and Dungeon World; if any of those sound like more fun and you don't mind me learning along with you, they're also an option.
While I've played and run D&D before, I don't find it fun anymore and would rather play/run other role-playing games.

There is a new adventure coming up soon called Hoard of the Dragon Queen which is designed as the starting point for player made characters and not specifically the Pre-generated ones in the Starter Set. Although there is nothing stopping you from using those as well. Since this adventure is coming out when the PHB does, expect to see some things in there that are not available in the Starter Set or free DnD Basic Rules.

It takes a lot of time to design a campaign. The one I'm running now, I started penning two years before I even met these players. And it's just a heroic tier setting, for levels one through ten.

If I were you, I'd pick up Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I think this was the first full-sized adventure for 5e, apart from the starter kit. It should have plenty of material for you guys to enjoy.

Are you aware of the official adventure featuring exactly that? Would be a good resource for you.

https://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Tiamat-Adventure-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965657

Hoard of the Dragon Queen is not a free module. You can buy it on Amazon or at your FLGS.

http://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425978484&sr=1-2&keywords=rise+of+tiamat

Not pdf form but it's cheap enough on amazon that you can try it and see how you enjoy it. There's also a second book to this specific campaign and between the two takes the characters from level 1(? not sure) to around 15. Also keep in mind most of these are made for 4 person parties

A bit of advice among other things for new DMs here, for your specifics, though I always recommend Curse of Strahd. I'm actually running it now and it's a beautifully written adventure but it does lead to the longer side at maybe 60-100 hours depending on your party but damn, what an antagonist. You could run death House first to get a feel for how your party like that atmosphere.


I hear Deep Carbon Observatory is about that length but I've not played it myself. Maybe not so high on the RP level but you can re-work it as needed. Hoard of the Dragon Queen would be a bit over that, maybe 30 hours I think.

Idiot stoners at Worms Way said to use it as a foliar spray and "you'll wake up and everything will be bright green." I woke up and everything was black and stayed that way. You should get the API Master Kit. I found it at the local pet store. Throw some worms in there. Red wigglers are available at most gas stations in proximity to a lake or river. They seem to make nutrients more available. Do you have the Aquaponic Gardening book? She says pH should be between 6.8 and 7.

Bernstein's book was my first one.

Some of the information/rules of thumb are a bit iffy, from what I'm told, but it's a good start, and you'll have edible plants.

Mycelium Running: How mushrooms can help save the world is a good read. Furthermore, Paul Stamets is the man; a myco-champion on a mission.

Resources to educate yourself

https://books.google.com/books/about/Psilocybin_Mushrooms_of_the_World.html?id=36oG8Wh8mI4C&source=kp_book_description


Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1580085792/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xZO6Cb0KY73AK



https://books.google.com/books/about/Decomposing_The_Shadow.html?id=Q53PBgAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description



https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Psilocybin_Mushroom_Bible.html?id=ZLksjwEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description

I really enjoyed Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Not exactly what you seem to be looking for but it certainly would be of value if you have not read it.

Mycology Running has a great science focused breakdown of proven medical benefits of certain species.

This one?

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

thanks for the recommendation, going to read it!

A good overview of mushrooms is Mycelium Running. If you are interested in cultivation other Stamet's books are also useful.

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792

Check out Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. He also has a great Ted Talk.

I'm a huge myco-nerd.

I am interested to read anything related to it, which novel was it?

It is a pretty prevalent concept.

The foresight came to me after careful reflection of the smurfs and their intricate little dwellings..

Also, data, garbage disposal and soil health, electricity could one day be transported by GMO [mycelea](
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1580085792?vs=1)

Sweet, haven't seen that. He is a seller of his own books on AZ... found it!

He's named after a real mycologist who has made the cheeky prediction that there will be an Interplanetary Journal of Astromycology when fungi are discovered in outer space. I just started reading the excerpt from Mycelium Running inside the Amazon Description, and it sounds really fascinating. He's even talking about mycelial mats as neurological networks!

I would say the Do it Yourself Manual

1. Definitely invest in a good basic home DIY book (you never know when the power/internet will go out and then where will Youtube be as you grapple around in the dark trying to fix your hot water heater?). This is the one my dad has: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
   
   
2. Keep all manuals for appliances and read them (especially things like washers/dryers, ovens, etc.). Proper care will extend the life of all appliances and can prevent dangerous incidents like fires or floods due to misuse or wear & tear.
   
   
3. Prevention is always better than cure! For example, a toilet plunger and a sink plunger are two things you want to have on hand before you need them. Invest in some basic tools - a multihead screwdriver, hammer, wrenches and a power drill will definitely come in handy.
   
   
4. On a similar note, learn where everything is (I know this sounds basic, but you'd be amazed at what people don't know about their own homes) e.g. shutoff valves for each toilet/sink, the shutoff for the water to the whole house, breaker box, etc.
   
   
5. When you're buying the house, ask as many questions as possible before the sale: What kind of wiring does it have? Has the roof been redone recently? How about the brick pointing if applicable? How old is the furnace? Are their warranties on any of the structural elements like the roof? Is it transferable to a new owner? Make sure you know all this stuff and write it down in a "house bible" if you will - that way if something goes wrong and you need to hire a professional, you can answer their questions quickly and efficiently.
   
   
6. Finally, when it comes to fixing things know your limits. It's great to learn DIY and try projects yourself, but remember that there are professionals out there for a reason! If you're not sure, put down the hammer and ask - ask an expert, ask at Home Depot, ask your friends/family, ask the internet, but have all the facts before you start.

It's not all encompassing, but this book is about as close as it gets to in all in one reference. I like it a lot, nice color illustrations and a wide array of topics.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6MRJKRA7GB72XKHXGX00)de: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6MRJKRA7GB72XKHXGX00

YouTube is good. Google is good. This book is good. Friends and family are good.

A lot of home improvement projects are actually surprisingly simple. Whatever it is, start small, take your time, triple check everything before you do something irreversible, and remember that it's your house, so you want to make sure you do it right.

First of all, I sympathize with you on the housebreaking issue. My cairn terrier is 14 years old and lived in a puppy mill all his life until he was about 7. As a result, I never had much success potty training him as he would just go in his crate (a result of living in a cage all his life). What did give me the best success was to tether him to me while I was in the house. If he went to lift his leg (he's a terrible marker), I'd make the no-no noise, then rush him outside to have him do his business. In this way, I was catching him in the act and reinforcing the correct place to relieve himself. I have successfully potty trained my lab and a few foster dogs this way as well. Secondly, you may want to look into belly bands. It won't stop the dog from peeing, but it will stop him from peeing ON things (i.e., your carpet). For my 16 lb cairn, I cut size 3 diapers in half, fold the wings back, and place in his belly band to absorb the pee.

It sounds like the poor guy has a good deal of separation anxiety along with general anxiety. For the separation, you may want to look into systematic desensitization. Jean Donaldson has a great book with a section on this. The whole book would be beneficial for any dog owner, actually! If you can hook up with a good trainer, I think you'll be able to provide more structure for your dog and in turn, help him feel more comfortable and less anxious.

Best of luck!!

Are you talking about this book?

I have a similar problem as OP, except I'm not the one with the dog, it is my MIL. She got a two year old chihuahua/doxie in November who isn't housebroken and is very dog reactive on walks.

DH and I are temporarily living with MIL while we prepare to move out of state in a few months, and I'm concerned with what I see. Commute and work time have her away from home for 11-12 hours on weekdays. When she gets home around 7 in the evening, the dog begs to spend time with her and all she wants to do is sit on her ass and veg. On Saturdays, she takes the dog to the dog park for 2-3 hours, but she's not playing with the dog, she's chatting with the other owners, and when she comes home, the rest of the weekend is spent sitting on her ass. She gets upset with me when I tell her she needs to play with her dog. When she gets home from work and grabs food to eat and the dog is begging for her attention (she does not beg for food, she doesn't seem to like people food) MIL says, "she can learn to be ignored for a bit." This pissed me off because...she is ignored all day due to everyone working. DH and I get home earlier than she does, but the dog prefers her, and it is her dog, so she needs to pay attention to her.

As far as housebreaking, she'll go outside when on a walk (20-30 min walk) and then come back inside and pee on a potty pad. She usually goes in one of three spots, but sometimes, she'll just go wherever. MIL bought some special carpet cleaner that's supposed to remove the pheromones so they won't want to go in that spot anymore, and a fake grass thing, but neither have worked. What's more is that IN FEB the vet said she might have a UTI. Vet gave antibiotics but still said to collect a sample and bring it in. MIL never did that, and I'm sure the dog does have a UTI.

At this point, it's clear to me that MIL has neither the time nor desire to properly care for the dog and she shouldn't have gotten her. If the dog were a human, the conditions would be considered neglect. But I've said all this to her and it hasn't seemed to have any effect. She tends to put more worth into things she's read, so I'm hoping giving her a book will help her understand some things. Is Culture Clash a good book for her? I'm hoping she'll come to an understanding at some point because I feel so bad for the dog, and if life circumstances were different, I'd try to take the dog and care for her, but we just can't.

Sadly, the Monks of New Skete had various misconceptions about how dogs interact, not least their advice concerning the so-called "Alpha Roll."

http://blissfullydomestic.com/family-bliss/parenting-family-bliss/canine-myths-5-the-alpha-roll/37955/

Again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I encourage you to read books by more modern trainers who base their techniques on science, not assumptions and pop psychology. You cannot go wrong by starting with Jean Donaldson's "The Culture Clash."

Some dogs are easier to train than others but it is never a one size fits all type deal. I would recommend any type of positive reinforcement training. Any Animal Behaviorist will tell you that Pavlovian and Classical conditioning. More specifically clicker training is a great way to train your dog for anything. For more resources check out The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson and any book by Dr. Ian Dunbar. Also the folks over at /r/Dogtraining know their stuff pretty well.

Honestly my favorite memories are those of successful adoptions. It's really something special to see a both a dog and new owner so happy.

The worst memory would be that of losing a dog from a shelter I was working at when he was hit by a car. While one never becomes comfortable with euthanasia, a person learns to cope with it (barely), however a startling violent end is indeed much harder to deal with.

We do EVERYTHING to wear the dogs out. Often I end up more exhausted than them. Everything from fetch, tug of war, and even just running around with them in circles.

YES totally get a furminator. If your dog is shedding it will help so much. Be careful not to over-brush your dog as this can result in brush burn which is basically when the skin gets red and irritated from too much brushing. Another option would be to go to a grooming shop and ask for a de-shedding. Basically they will use a special shampoo, made by furminator no less, and it will remove most of the the undercoat.

Hope this helps.

This is another fantastic book that I always recommend to people.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Culture-Clash-Revolutionary-Understanding/dp/1888047054

I actually haven't read that one! When I was "expecting" my first pup, my trainer leant me a copy of this book. Our local library has it as well.

Ok, then you need to do counter conditioning, not just training. See if you can find a "Reactive Rover" Class, which is specifically for addressing this issue. They base their classes on this book.http://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463417697&sr=1-1&keywords=feisty+fido

You can just read the book, but the class gives you an opportunity to practice and do drills in a controlled setting. I took it with my dog and it did help. I will say, that if I go for a long time without walking with him and practicing what they train he will regress, so it is an ongoing process, but I did make a lot of progress with him...

For the dog aggression, we're seeing improvement with this method: https://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070

Patricia McConnell does good short books about dog training. Feisty Fido addresses your issue (she's great)

My dog has been getting steadily worse with on-leash aggression. She's perfectly fine at doggie daycare or with the neighbor's dog. I don't have any suggestions yet, but I did pick up Feisty Fido:Help for Leash Reactive Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell. Looks promising so far and it's a cheap, quick read.

Ok, how is it you dog owners are still not aware of their calming signals? I never even had a dog and I still read this book...feels like you can talk to dogs afterward. The woman who wrote it was a dog trainer specializing in aggressive dogs for many years..and look at the 76 reviews. I picked this up in my local library a couple years back.

Hey, I'm assuming he's just starting so, do not get him a combo set. That's foolish, he doesn't need an impact driver at all. Search for .home repair' and you'll find a ton. Some stuff to get you started:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-94-248-65-Piece-Homeowners-Tool/dp/B000UHMITE/ref=sr_1_4?m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&s=warehouse-deals&ie=UTF8&qid=1480266147&sr=1-4

 

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-LDX120PK-20-Volt-Lithium-Ion/dp/B00C625KVE/ref=sr_1_15?m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&s=warehouse-deals&ie=UTF8&qid=1480266147&sr=1-15

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621452018/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1118099400/ref=tmm_pap_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=&sr=

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EUH4TG/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_multiimp_4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=SN6M6HFB4M7DNW76GTG1&pf_rd_r=SN6M6HFB4M7DNW76GTG1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=de121dcf-3645-4f43-a816-cf12556f7ae3&pf_rd_p=de121dcf-3645-4f43-a816-cf12556f7ae3&pf_rd_i=15469024011

 

sorry i don't have time to format but, good luck!

I read Aquaponic Gardening by Sylvia Bernstein (https://www.amazon.com/Aquaponic-Gardening-Step-Step-Vegetables/dp/086571701X) before starting a small hobby system. It's not geared towards the science or business side but I thought it was good. It does have info on sizing, building, choosing fish, cycling and maintaining a system. You can find all that and more in the links people shared but the book is a good coherent baseline to start a small system.

https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Growing-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0961079800

Hi,
I have a leash reactive dog, some would recommend neutering and it can work, as long as you don't let the behaviour go on long enough that it becomes part of his personality. Personally, I'm not sure the evidence for behavioural alteration is rock solid, but if you're going to neuter anyway, it's worth a shot. Considering it started a few months ago, I'd say if you're going to get him snipped, do it soon.

Secondly, engage with a veterinary behaviourist. One that uses force free methods and is accredited. If you can't afford one, start with the book "BAT 2.0" or "When pigs fly!". In fact, while he's still entire start with those.

EDIT: added links and corrections.

You may be referring to the book Eternal Treblinka, a phrase coined by Isaac Bashevis Singer. And you seem to be ridiculing the concept of speciesism; however, the topic is more complex than described in your story.

https://www.amazon.com/Cannabis-Grow-Bible-Definitive-Recreational/dp/1931160589

So we are taught to laugh at anything called a cure for cancer, but ...

Well here it is since the early 1900's more than 100 natural cures for cancer have been found.

One of the simplest:

ESSIAC, you can buy it for around $20 a pound .. that is enough to make a couple months of the 'tea'. Depending upon the severity and type it may take up to a year to be sure it is completely gone. Some have found that over a period of a half a year or so skin tags shrink and vanish. Others have found that if you take the tea for a few months the tumors will shrink, but if you stop before all traces are gone then it usually comes back very very fast and kills .. a lot like not finishing ones antibiotics, but worse.

Another, Red Reishi, is recognized by the Japanese government as a treatment for cancer. Many mushrooms have strong anti-cancer and anti viral properties. (see Paul Stamets' book "Mycelium Running").

I have a very skeptical co-worker, and I drop small hints every now and again because otherwise he gets grumpy and thinks I'm a nut job. He is becoming more curious on his own now and he's learning what I have come to realize over the years .. we are systematically lied to about everything.

I haven't even brought up the cancer stuff yet.


Edit: For the downvoters, you can read the whole story here. Basically Rene Caisse ran a clinic as a charity, supervised and backed by 8 reputable doctors, for many years before the Canadian government got tired of due process and legality and just shut her down. Rene was only allowed to treat patients that the medical industry could not cure. She was harassed by the medical industry and the police the entire time. She made no money from this and in fact spent her own money curing people with Essiac tea. Anyone who thinks there is a ritual involved is full of shit.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: (see Paul Stamets' book "Mycelium Running").


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




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