Brothers Campfire Paint Can Forge, Pottery, And A Several Shout Outs.

Hello, Benjamin from Brother’s Campfire here!

Recently, I found myself faced with criticism for my writing and I can see what a fragile little man I can be at times as evidenced by a writing frequency that has nearly fallen off.

Words are powerful, so I will pick myself up by the bootstraps and use them again in a format others can see.

The sun has not yet risen as I struggle to find my voice, but Jesus and a few cups of coffee may be of assistance.

This is a vulnerable statement; I have little back up or back down. Without further ado…

We were honored to have our duck eggs featured by the great Rebecca Sherrow, a local cooking expert. Her site is an immersion of French cuisine with a Southwestern flair, creating a tasteful and elegant experience. https://rebeccasherrow.com/2021/08/11/duck-egg-quiche-with-garden-vegetables/

We are also excited to hear the story that started Brother’s Campfire as read by Matt Snyder’s Prolific Potpourri. His podcast voice on Short Story Saturday is about as cool as they come.

Willow Manor has been productive. Yesterday, we put the finishing touches on a paint can forge and fired her up. There is still residual moisture, so it will improve as it dries.

There was extra plaster and sand so we built a furnace for melting aluminum cans as well. It was kind of an afterthought, but we may see it again.

The tough part was Home Depot in Canon City, Colorado. I should have known better and shopped elsewhere.

First off, I was looking for plaster and asked an employee. After sending me to the wrong aisle, he looked on his phone and determined the product was unavailable. I went to my car, disappointed. Suddenly,I remembered I have a phone as well and looked it up myself. Purchase successful. I wonder what the employee was looking at.

A glutton for punishment, I returned for more of the same. When I inquired about connecting this to a propane tank and a torch,

I was immediately accused of manufacturing a flamethrower by not one, but four employees. While a neat idea, It was embarrassing to be treated so disrespectfully.

Despite my attempts to explain I was building a miny forge, the parting words to me were, “don’t blow yourself up.” Canon City is twisted like that. If you ever want to be treated like trash, drop by the metropolis of Fremont County outside of the tourist attractions.

It is all part of the adventure, and I look forward to manufacturing something soon.

In other news, I was able to fire a cup that held water for over twelve hours. A little fine tuning goes a long way and I look forward to firing much larger items down the road.

Well, that is all for now. I look forward to writing more consistently!

Author: Benjamin

Benjamin Thiel is a husband, father, correctional professional and author of The Ongoing Tale at Brothers Campfire.

30 thoughts on “Brothers Campfire Paint Can Forge, Pottery, And A Several Shout Outs.

  1. Anonymous says:

    I see nothing wrong with your writing. I’ve always enjoyed reading your posts. I hate when people treat people that way. Good luck on your forge. I can’t wait to read about the pottery you produce.

    Reply
  2. Herb says:

    It’s too bad people feel they can just criticize whatever and whenever they want. I wouldn’t go to Canon City for anything but abuse.

    Reply
  3. Cindy Georgakas says:

    Not sure you saw my Bad Apples post but I know the feeling Ben. Don’t take it personally and back up you go! You’re a great writer! 💖

    Reply
  4. The Oceanside Animals says:

    Lulu: “Our Dada says that after looking at that typewriter picture all he can hear in his head are keys clicking and a bell going ‘Ding!’ followed by a carriage return, whatever that is.”
    Charlee: “I suppose a carriage return must be when your horse and buggy come back from somewhere.”
    Lulu: “You think Dada knows what a horse and buggy sound like?”
    Chaplin: “Well, he is pretty old …”

    Reply
  5. stevescountry says:

    I have had the same problem with people criticizing my writing, rather abusively too. Even some long time readers have told me my writing has gotten bad and boring. Oh well. I think you do great Benjamin! Keep up the good work!😃😺🌞

    Reply
  6. kagould17 says:

    It is amazing how the opinions of a few can affect the psyche and writing of anyone brave enough to put their thoughts out there, Benjamin. This has happened to me a few times as well. That is when I started moderating my comment selection. Not that I deleted all the bad comments, just those from the trolls. Hope all is well with you. Allan

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      Thank you Allan. I am sorry for the late response. I needed to evaluate many things in the last months. I appreciate you.

      Reply
  7. Ryan Callahan says:

    I have always enjoyed your writing, brother, especially your stories. I really enjoy reading about your pottery making, and adventures in CO too. You just keep being yourself and writing from the heart, and it will be all good. Blessings, brother.

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      Thank you! I hope my comments are going through, WordPress is being wonky. I appreciate your encouragement!

      Reply
  8. Ryan Callahan says:

    Yeah, I can see your comment, but it didn’t show up in my notifications. Something is definitely up with WordPress. It wasn’t letting my comments go through at first. It also keeps kicking me off from following your blog, but I’ve been following it for a long time. Weird. I tried to visit your site by typing it in my web browser, but it wouldn’t connect. Keeps saying the connection isn’t secure. Praying everything works right.

    Reply

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