Exploring The Ozarks Highland Trail

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If you are the sort of person who enjoys finding the best hiking trails the country has to offer, one of the trails you will certainly want to keep in mind for one of your adventures is the Ozarks Highland Trail, which stretches for about 165 miles through Arkansas. And on top of the incredible beauty that covers the whole trail (and the convenience of the trail being open year-round!), the best part about the Ozarks Highland Trail is the versatility it offers; because more than 50 forest roads and other trails provide access to the Ozarks Highland Trail, it is great for everything from afternoon getaways to day hikes to backpacking trips that stretch over several days!

You do not have to pay anything to enjoy the Ozarks Highland Trail, and even if you are planning to backpack and camp along the trail, it is absolutely free - which is another big advantage this trail has over many other national parks.

The trail is rated as moderately difficult for long hikes, but the great thing about this trail is that you do not need to take a long hike in order to access the beauty that the trail offers; even on short day hikes, you can access beautiful rock formations, waterfalls, mountain vistas, and swimming holes.

When you are traveling the Ozark Highland Trail - especially if you plan to camp - there are a few considerations you need to make sure you keep in mind: dogs are only allowed on one portion of the trail, and trout fishing is not permissible along the trail; also, you should know that hunting is allowed along the trail during certain seasons, and if you are hiking during deer season, you should always wear bright orange! Also (as is the case with any such trail!), you will be out in nature, surrounded by the typical dangers wildlife can bring your way, so make sure you have a first aid kit with you, and make sure you know the basic things necessary to survive and stay safe!

When you take a trip to the Ozarks keeping all these things in mind, you will be able to enjoy your trip along the Ozarks Highland Trail - and you will likely find that it is entirely worth the trip, no matter how far you have to travel to get there!

How To Make Your Own Chess Set

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If you have ever played chess with a homemade chess set, you have probably thought about the fact that it would be nice to play with pieces that you took the time and effort to make yourself, but in spite of the fact that many people think that it would be great to have a chess set they made themselves, they never go out of the way to take the time to make one, because they assume it would be far too much work; the truth, however, is that if you know the right way to go about it, you can make your own chess pieces fairly easily, and can have a fun time doing so!

If woodcarving is something you have never really done before, you should plan to use something such as basswood, butternut, or pine, as these woods are fairly easy to work with, and will be forgiving of the mistakes you make; on the other hand, if you have worked with wood before, mahogany, walnut, or cherry - despite being more difficult to work with - will all be truly beautiful woods when you are finished.

You will need 32 pieces of wood in total for the 32 chessmen, and the best way to start out is to simply decide what height you want to king to be, and to begin with 32 pieces that are only slightly taller than that size; start out by carving the tallest pieces, as starting out this way will enable you to carve down to the pawn any time you make a mistake with a bigger piece.

Of course, actually carving the pieces will be the most difficult part at this point, and it is because of this part that most people never even attempt this undertaking; but even if you are not an experienced wood carver, you should be able to get your pieces to look the way you want them to look as long as you have picked out wood that is easy to work with!

While working on this chess set, understand that there is no reason for these pieces to be perfect (and in fact, your expectations are probably too high if you expect them to be perfect!), but the beauty of this project will be in the project itself, and will be in the fact that in the end you will have a chess set that you made yourself.

Tips For Using Twitter Effectively

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It seems like everyone from your friends to your coworkers to your family members to your favorite athletes and movie stars are using Twitter these days. And while there are certainly people who simply want to use Twitter to keep up with their friends, many others want to use it to grow their base of connections. Regardless of whether you are in business, in the arts, or in just about anything else, it is always useful to be connected with as many people as possible. If you follow these tips, you will be able to increase the number of people to whom you are connected by using Twitter effectively.

Know what your purpose on Twitter is: If you spend most of your time on Twitter talking about what you ate for lunch, or what the weather is like, you are unlikely to rack up new followers. What you should plan to do is pick a few specific categories - categories that are of interest to you, and that will be of interest to those you would want to follow you - and focus on these.

Follow the right people: Not only will people look at your tweets when deciding whether to follow you, they will also look at who you follow. You will need to make sure you are following people who others also have an interest in if you want to pick up loyal Twitter followers. When you follow people in this manner, people are likely to see names and faces they recognize when they browse the people you follow, and this will cause them to follow you.

Make sure you tweet all the time: The best way of all to grow your base of Twitter followers is to make sure you tweet often. If you only get on Twitter once every few days, you are unlikely to pick up many people who will hang around for the ride! Make sure you are tweeting throughout the day, every day - even if that means you simply need to schedule your tweets in advance!

Once you follow these tips, you will be using Twitter effectively, and you can effectively grow your base of contacts!

How To Break In New Boots

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If you recently purchased a new pair of cowboy boots or work boots, you might want to "get out there" right away - wearing them all the time - but before you do this, you will first want to make sure you take the proper measures to break in the boots. Breaking in your boots might seem like a complete waste of time at first, but if you fail to do so, you could end up with some aching feet and some painful blisters, and it will make it worth your while to break in your boots so you can avoid these consequences!

Wearing your boots is actually the first part of breaking in your boots - and this even means that you can wear them "out" if you want to - but you should only wear them for short stretches early on. As you wear the boots - spending time going through your normal activities while wearing them - they will form more fully to your feet, and your feet will get used the contours of the inside of the boot, both of which will move you further from "pain" and closer to "comfort."

After you have given your boots seven or eight short stretches of wear, you can start doing some "serious walking" in them; take four or five different times to walk around your neighborhood (or around a nearby hiking trail) in your new boots, as this will get your boots used to walking. Try to make your way over uneven terrain as you walk - even stepping up and down from curbs, or going out of your way to step on rocks - as this will go a long way in breaking in your boots.

After you have accomplished these steps, you will be able to start wearing your boots around whenever you like, wherever you go - knowing that the boots are broken in, which means that they will feel great on your feet instead of feeling like torture!

Staying Safe When A Tornado Hits

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If you have spent a significant portion of your life in "tornado country," you have probably gotten used to the idea of tornados - to a point where you do not even think much about it when you hear tornado sirens, or when there is a "severe weather warning." At the same time, however, you should recognize the fact that it is always possible for tornados to strike - and when they do, you should know exactly what "staying safe" throughout the duration of the storm will entail.

First off, if you hear tornado sirens - or if there is a severe weather warning - make sure you take this as a cue to pay close attention to the weather; even if you have been through plenty of these sirens and warnings before, you should never take them as something that is simply "routine."

You should hide out from the tornado in your basement if you have one; if you do not have a basement, however, you should go into a closet - preferably one that is underneath a staircase - as this will keep you safest from the high winds and from any flying debris.

During tornado season, you should keep pillows and blankets in the basement or the designated closet, as these will also keep you protected, and you should keep food (something that will last a long time and will be easy to eat, such as granola or trail mix or cereal) and water in there as well, in case the worst were to happen and you were to become trapped in there after a storm.

Make sure that everyone in your family knows the procedures for a tornado, as this will cause things to go much more smoothly when the time comes. And even though you will hopefully never face an actual tornado, these tips will ensure your safety in case you should happen to face one, helping you come out of it with no damage to yourself at all!

Finding People You Enjoy Spending Time With

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Even if you already have a large group of friends that you enjoy spending time around, adding new people to your circle of interaction (that is, new people you enjoy spending time around) is always great - and if you either will be moving to a new place soon or have recently moved to a new place, the importance of knowing how to find new people who you will enjoy spending time with is magnified greatly. There are plenty of different approaches when it comes to ways by which you can go about finding new people and narrowing these people down to those you truly enjoy being around, but here are a few general tips to get you started.

The best way to find new people who you might enjoy spending time with, especially when you have just moved to a new place, is to find people who share your interests; by using such websites as facebook and Meetup, you can search for people with interests similar to yours, and this will enable you to start meeting people with whom you are likely to have plenty of things in common.

As you get to know these new people with whom you share interests (a process that will typically take place in large groups, with lots of people congregated together), another thing you will be able to start doing is opening your social circle in the way you were hoping for by narrowing these people down to those you truly enjoy being around on a personal level.

And when you are looking to find new people with whom you will enjoy spending time, one of the main things is that you make sure you are always willing to expand your circle. A lot of people have a tendency to get locked into an idea of "the types of people they enjoy being around," but rather than limiting yourself in this way, always be willing to meet new people, and always be willing to give these new people a chance!

Taking Care of Your Kitchen Knives

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Are your familiar with the best way to take care of your kitchen knives? Most people are not aware that you should not just toss your knives into the dishwasher. These tips can help you to keep a better edge on your knives.

Hand wash your knives with soap and never put them into a dishwasher. There are two different ways this can hurt your knives. The blades can be dulled or damaged from being bumped into other silverware in the dishwasher. If you knives have wooden handles the high temperatures are very rough on your handles. Continual washing will most likely cause the wood handles to split.

Wooden handles should be frequently oiled. This will help your wood remain conditioned and help them not crack through years of use. You can apply a mineral oil or a nut oil to your wooden handle, after you have washed and throughly dryed the knives.

You can also use a good cutting surface such as bamboo, wood, or polyethylene. These materials work best because they don't damage the knive blades and help to keep your blade sharper for longer. Never cut on glass, or marble cutting boards. These are great boards for presenting food on but these boards will cause major problems with your blades.

You should store your knives so they are not able to nock into other knives or utensils. Knife blocks are great for holding each blade safely to minimize damage to them. You can also purchase cases for holding your knives safely.

If you are going to be purchasing high quality knives you had best know how to take care of them. If you are paying the high price tag for a higher quality knife set, you want to make sure to take care of them and keep their blades pristine.