stories6

My You Tube Adventure

About 7 weeks ago I had done a pictoral video
about my New case i was putting my computer
into and did a fine job in the video editor and
put it to some music,the heavy metal version
of This Little Light and it fit perfectly.

I uploaded it to my channel and it went public.
My subscriber count was 858 subs and the next
morning it was 3k, so i thought to myself that
there are people who love computer stuff.

Sunday i had 6k subs and i was saying Whoa!!
Something is going on here.
Monday I awoke and saw that John had a video
so i watched it first and so glad i did.

John In Alaska was congratulating me on 30,000
subs and i was like WHAT??? so i checked and it
was 33,000 subs and i was shocked as hell.

Tuesday i had 90,000 subs and the previous day
John invited me to lunch with Bill and they would
sit me down and explain what was going on.

John came by to pick me up and offered to fill my
empty propane bottles and i said i have 5 so he
agreed and we loaded them in his van.
Next we picked up Bill and on the way to the
Thai restaurant to have Mongolian Beef those
two were telling me what was happening.

Callum a Tik Tok'er had seen my channel and
enjoyed my content and that i was unrecognized
so he mad a 1 minute video of some of mine and
posted it on his Tik Tok and by Tuesday it had
5.5 million views and i was going viral.

Thats where everyone was coming from and
Instagram and facebook as well.
It was all so overwhelming and made my head
spin so i ended up melting down mentally for
a week then i was fine and started to deal with
what i thought would be 15 minutes of fame.

As it turns out i now have over 192,000 subs
and theyre here to stay plus I am Monetized
which was the goal of all who promoted me.
So now i am a content creator and got my Silver
Play button from YT for reaching 100,000 subs.

Now i am doing 2 videos minimum a week and
planning my recipes and their ingredients
for my next shopping trips.

I get comments like "Wholesome" and "Grandpa"
And now doing Saturday Noon Lives.

Personally,I never even thought this would ever
happen and i am going for it...Balls To The Wall..

Thank you Callum for giving me this opportunity
that i would consider Once In A Lifetime.

Thanks To Bill and John for help and advice

Thanks to all wh have subscribed

Thanks to my Grandma Vera for her Antique cook
books and to all for the inspiration to keep pressing
on and putting out Family Friendly Content.

Peace, BigT

The Craziest Winter Ever 24-25

It all started in October as we were all
getting the last of our work done and preparing
for another fine winter,but in recent years we
have been having some strange weather as
global warming is now a thing up here in
the last frontier.

First snow was the day before All Hallows Eve.
The plow company came by to plow me out of
the 6 inches that fell.

The next was November 1,then 14th and 22nd.
All 6 inches.
I thought to myself this is getting going a
bit early but hey its winter,whadaya expect?

Then the very unseasonably warm weather hit
and we all though it would be freezing cold soon.

As we soon found out it was here to stay and
then the rain.
It rained all January with a few tiny dustings
of snow that was just messing with our heads.

At one point I was getting flood alerts,so I
called the Hardware Store guy and he said that
the Willow creek was at flood stage and there
was an ice jam at the bridge up the creek a ways.
Those residents had to evacuate.

Because of the rain the walkway and driveway
were extremely slick that required ice cleats
or you would fall on your bum.

The next day when it got light I drove to the
Post office and saw Deception Creek and it was
at the top of its banks and I am so relieved
that it stopped raining or i would have had
to ferry everything into the loft and wait it out.

Well fortunately for me that didn't happen but
it was a real close one.

Now its February and nice and cold.
A few days back it was minus 12 f.
Ahh this is what ive waited for as the brisk cold
is fighting its way thru my log walls and the
heater has come back to visit me.

I do not know what March or April will bring
and seeing how we got all that rain and temps
hitting 45 degrees above zero we can only wonder.

Peace,BigT

Oh The Madness

It all started in December while i was making
a computer video transforming my old Phanteks
into something new and modern or so it seemed.

I had 858 subscribers and while i was uploading
i had no clue what was to happen next.
I finished the upload and headed to bed.

The next morning i had 3000 subs,then 6000.
Monday,John was congratulating me on 30k subs
then when i looked it was 33k subs.

Thanks to Callum on TikTok my channel exploded
and i had 100k plus subs by Wednesday.
I put in for the Silver Play Award and got it.

Now I am in late February and I received my first
Google paycheck.
I just broke even but for a first check,not bad at all.

I keep thinking,I would like to do this and that but
i am on limited funds....Gotta get my registration
renewed in August...Yuck.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though
its just tiny now and going down the you tube path
my future could get brighter,just have to keep
plugging away,so many videos to shoot.

Being a new Content Creator has its challenges
for sure but its a path....now isn't it.??

Im at 215k subs now and it just gets better.
Ive got to sort my week out now and schedule
everything...Upload,answer and heart comments.
Then work it out to make another video....and so on.

Theres so much work to be done at the cabin as
always and only 6 months to do it then back to
winter then wait for snow to accumulate again...

I am hoping to renovate the cabin this summer
with a fragile truce with finances,theres only so
much but with YT,there could be more.

Everything is a video idea now,its all possible and
perhaps i lost sight of my situation over the years.
Its all coming back now,Log Cabin in the woods.
Check....Critters...Check.....Long drive to get
groceries...Check...Hauling water...Check.

I am just having a blast out here and am happy
to see my life turning around for the better.

Lets see how this summer turns out.

Peace, BigT

Greetings From The Cabin,

I started my journey on April 2,1985 when I was 18 years old.
My mother gave me $300 and a duffle bag and told me to pack my clothes and help myself to what i could in the kitchen because i wont know where my next meal was coming from.
I packed sandwhiches and sodas.

About 2 hours before I was to head out at 5am I saw a commercial on T.V. about Alaska and that changed my mind about hitchhiking to Chicago,Illinois.

I called Sea-Tac Airport and spoke with Alaska Airlines and was told $248 one way to Juneau,Alaska the State Capital.

I headed out at 5am like I was told and walked to the freeway on ramp and stuck out my thumb.

A Volkswagon Beetle stopped and gave me a lift and as it was he said that he would drop me at the front door of the airport.

I arrived in Juneau in the evening.
The airport was tiny and I got my bag and walked outside into the darkness,wind and rain and sat on the bench wondering what to do next.

I will say Ive had many adventures since coming to this Great State. I spent 7 years in S.E. Alaska, 2 years living in a van in South Central Alaska driving all over the state but basing out of Anchorage,I was enthralled with the Matanuska Susitna Valley.

I made a few trips around the road system and spent a month in Fairbanks which was ok,I mean its a big City and is Alaska's second largest, and I even visited Paxson once just to see it.

I took a notebook with me and visited every nook and cranny on the road system to help me make my decision on where to settle and I finally decided that Willow was where I wanted to live.

Out of the many adventures I've had in Alaska,Willow has been my home for 30 years come May 12 2024.

I can say honestly there are some really fine people here in this community and then theres the "OTHERS"

I wont even bother talking about them but with small communities we all have They, Them, Those People......

But hey its all good here and although I've had my fair share of Those people as we all do,I just get over it and keep on trucking.

Over these thirty years,Willow has grown quite a bit and we now have at my guess about 5000 citizens.

So,in closing Willow Alaska is a Great place to live.

Peace,BigT - Editor

Phanteks P400 Case Review

Back in 2018 I had Purchased the case new from
Newegg and built my AMD 8350 FX computer
complete with gen 2 NVME drive and a GTX 1070.

The case was back at that time considered Modern.
It could sport 2 intake and 3 exhaust 120/140mm
so i had outfitted it with Antec Fans that were
ringed RGB and did last 5 years so they were tossers.

The Power supply had its own cubby hole and the
cable management with Velcro straps means its
more organized and in May 2019 i decided to
custome paint as the case was black.

The tempered side glass panel mean you can
gaze at your creation,if thats even a thing
these days.

Top mounted USB 3 and HD audio make it
convenient to back up your data and jam
out on the headphones so i dont wake kitty.

The front panel has two vents with dust filters
one at top and one at bottom.
And a PSU dust filter at back bottom.

The Phanteks P400 supports 120/140mm fans.
2x front intake,2x top exhaust,1x rear exhaust.
It also supports 360mm top radiator & 240mm
front radiator....

I chose the yellow and black theme and with my
painters tape and primer I did a swell job.

Why settle for just black...yuck

All in All, The Phanteks P400 served me til
December 2024 and it was a very good call.

Peace, BigT

BigT The Story,The Man,The Myth

Back in 1994 I drove my van and old Dodge Truck
out here and took possession of my newly aquired
4 acres of land.
I bought it with 2 feet of snow on it not knowing
what was under the snow.

That was 31 years ago and this has been the
craziest roller coaster ride from HELL.

Now back aways I was having lower back issues
and lots of indications my back was ready to give
out and it did.
In 2008 my back had enough and I found myself
chair bound until February 2023.

In a couple years of chair sitting i hit 500 pounds.
A year later I went on a starvation diet consisting
of 2 sandwiches per day,baloney one day then
Cotto salami the next day was grilled hot dogs
on bread with a couple slices of cheese,mayo
and mustard and some ketchup.

In a year i lost 90 pounds and swore i would
never do that again.

I called myself BigT one day and it stuck
for good and then thats what people called me.
From October 2022 to February 2023 I lost
85 pounds in 3 1/2 months due to a
manic episode where I forgot to eat so I
was actively starving.

It did the trick for me losing all that weight
and i can walk around the neighborhood
again and do my shopping without a
handicap cart.

Nowadays on You Tube I am known as
BigT,People all over Willow come up
to me and greet me and even tell me that
they are making my recipes like Cottage
cheese Pancakes and such and I have notoriety.

My channel has been taking off like a rocket
and its amazing that this experience is a
game changer for me.
People I dont know come up to me all the time
and Greet me...Fans ya know.

All in all I would say that even when i drop
another 100 pounds,people will still be calling
me BigT....Ive made my mark on this
community yet again....It will only get better.

Peace, BigT

Spring Cleanup

Way back in the day I was a young man in
S.E. Alaska living in the woods in my first
bonafied tree house.

Why a tree house? Because of the bear traffic
on the ground,thats why.

Bears are prolific scavengers and get ahold of
anything they want and can climb trees like
nobodys business.

I had spikes pounded into the trees at a
downward angle and sharpened to impale
as a security measure against any bruin
climbing my tree.

Construction took a day and it was real
basic which kept the wind and rain out.

A small barrel stove made with a steel
5 gallon fuel barrel with stovepipe provided
warmth during the night.

You dont want to burn in the day as it
will give away your location.

The deal was that during spring,the
authorities will hunt you with helicoptors
and taking measures to ensure you wont
be found included camoflauge and
subterfuge.

The JPD runs everyone they find out of
the woods so the tourists wont see it.
But that really isn't the case,the churches
and all the snobby people insist,
Its not fair we have to pay rent and you
can live in the woods for free.

My own church,Calvary would have members
shadow the bus to see where you get off at
then they would ransack your camp and
destroy your campsite all the while citing
to you bible verses.

Nowhere in the bible does it say:
Thou shalt not camp in thine Lords woods
for free,Thou shalt pay thine rent for a
one room flat with a bathroom down
the hall you shalt share with 20 other people.
Thus sayeth the lord thy god.

Damn idiots i say,its not free living in
the woods,nothing is.

I live in this little cabin and my costs keep
going up.
I am a kind of hermit with an internet
connection largely out of society best
I can.....And I enjoy it fully...I pride myself.

Peace, BigT

The End Times

Ok, I know what youre thinking but its
not like that.

With all the death,doom and destruction
going on these days its obvious to those
religious nutjobs that the end is near.

Grant Jeffreys a renown author is the big
nutjob i am talking about.
I have read all his prophecy books and the
doomsday of the Y2K bug where all time is
reset to 1900 then destruction comes on
all of humanity.

Well none of his prophesies and dire doom
ever came to pass and i was always told a
completely different date.

The goalpost keeps getting moved ahead
every time.
My mother who believes all this crap keeps
moving her goal post.

Now in 2025,I dont see any of that happening
and i have known for quite some time its all
end times BS.

This world will keep moving on for another
billion years before the sun burns out losing
its energy and goes dim then turning in on
itself to become a black hole or something
to that effect.

In another hundred years we will in affect
perfect and build warp drives and reach
out to distant galaxies and star systems.

Its all out there and the further our space
telescopes reach out the more we keep finding.

Each galaxy has its own gods and goddesses.

In the 10 commandments it clearly says:
I am a jealous god,you shall have no other
gods except me.

There are many gods but this one wants to be
the only one......It causes serious thought in
the heartiest of minds that are open to all
possibilities.

I have witnessed so many Xians cashing in
on all the End times hype with books and
movies,comics and videos....Its a big
money maker yet those faithful seem to
overlook the verse saying,Money is the root
of all evil.....Yep thats right those Xians
are in fact the evil ones.

So much evil has been done in the name
of JESUS....Bible stands for
Breeders Informational Book of Living
Examples....Nar Nar Nar.
Or Goat herders Guide To The Universe.

Whatever the case its all bunko,crap,junk
and none of it adds up scientifically.
Whether you are new to these idiotic beliefs
or you are a seasoned blind sheep that follows
without questioning or thinking for yourself
you are an idiot.

Embrace The Mother Goddess and set yourself
free and live your life as you wish.
Be a good person,help the poor and needy,
feed the homeless and give to a charity.

The Gods do not have a need for your money
nope that is yours to give to a good cause and
buy that extra food to feed yourself.

Become one with nature and now that it is
spring,stand in awe of the Magick All Around
You and your home.

Peace, BigT

Becoming A Pagan...My Journey

In the beginning,I was a young kid forced into religion.
I personally hated going to church and it was shoved
down my throat basically.

There was daily bible reading picture books and
Vacation Bible Schools and all the such.

Once as a kid i was put into a church choir in which
i didn't care for so i started singing obscenities to get
kicked out which i got my wish.

I really took a liking to heavy metal music but was
forbidden to listen to so i had a secret stash of records
to listen to while my mother was at work.
Alice Cooper.Black Sabbath,Ozzy and such.

I got my first guitar at age 9 and got lessons from my
4th grade teacher Mr.Bosieger.
I started writing songs but because of my religious
upbringing I was only allowed to write songs about
well you guessed it...religion.

My mother drilled into my head that all rock stars
go to HELL,so you can only write about Jesus.
Thereby pidgeonholing me into an unlucrative
market...Christian music wasn't where money was.

In total i wrote 63 songs and spent two years finalizing
a lot of my music and recording some pretty raw music
using a freeware program,Audacity.

I then put it on a website for my sister and mother to
listen to which they did but i never made any money
on any of it but its for the Lord so i was told.

In 2012 i was talking to a pagan friend about some
serious stuff and ended up talking to a Wiccan High
Priest,this made sense since i was challenging myself
to think outside the box that had been built around me.

These talks gave me insight into the reality of it all.
There are 4200 religions on Earth and everyone believes
their way is the right way,i got into some serious thought.

I began researching the history of Christianity and was
appalled at what i had found.So many bad and horrible things
have been don in the Name Of Jesus.

Along with my personal dealings with churches,pastors and
the like ive been rubbed the wrong way so many times to such
an extent i was fed up with the whole thing.

Through my searchings and self reflection I began to realize
Christianity was a false controlling religion.

I was griped at constantly about the clothes i wore to church
the amount of money to give then came the personal attacks
which i will leave out here.

When i finally was ready to leave the church for good,a pagan
friend gave me instruction for a New Beginnings Ritual.
This Day was February 17 2014
Casting off the old which was Right wing conservative
republican Christianity and embracing the NEW,
The Mother Goddess and Becoming a child of the Horned God.

I did the ritual to my best and told Jesus i didn't want his
salvation,grace,mercy,love or forgiveness.
Upon which time as told to me by other believers i would
be struck dead with a bolt of lightning which never happened.

In fact there was dead silence,i mean nothing from the
other end and I was finally free.....free to live my life on my
own terms and Do As Thou Wilt.

I studied Wicca for 2 years but then put the books down,do I
really need religion at all,I mean the Goddess and God are always
with me and watching over me.....They have always been there
waiting for me to come into their knowledge.

I did there for a while practice Magik and on occaision still do.
But you have to realize that Magik is all around us,its everywhere.
The magik of spring,the changing seasons,the rain.....the foaling
of animals,birth death,rebirth,the new....

Wicca as we call it now,coined by Gerald Gardner in the 1950's
Predates Christianity by 3000 years and the Runes and Runic Magik
goes even further back than that. I was gifted Rune Mysteries
with Rune cards by my pagan friend which i took to like a duck
out of water and still have them and will cherish them always.

Ive been off doing my own thing this whole time and i found that
I can follow whatever path i choose.

Buddah said it eloquently,There are many paths to the mountaintop
But only a fool stands on his path and claims his way is the only way.

Ever since the dawn of humanity,people the world over have their
own beliefs and ways of thinking.Who are we to say that any of
them is wrong and others are right.

Since being told as a youth that i can only listen to Christian music
i have an extremely large stash of Xian Music,everthing from mild to
wild and spent years digitizing cassette tapes,records and cd's.

Im really glad I did or it wouldn't have survived at all.
Theres no shame in listening to it as i have some awesome jams
but i just dont buy into the message anymore.

I started buying Xian Metal when i left home and amassed around
half my collection then i purchased all other genres which nobody
believes even exists but it does.

Genres Include: Contemporary,Rock Hard Rock,Metal,Speed Metal
Thrash Metal,Death Metal,Punk,Rap,RnB,Blues,70's Xian Rock,
Dance,Techno,Grunge....etc

I have obscure and very rare stuff....Theres no shame giving it a listen
but it doesn't rule my life or control me.

Its just gets me that i spent my entire life minus the last 10 years
believing in complete B A T S H I T T E R Y

Now ive got a sweet collection of music i was forbidden as a
youth to have and listen to and a really good collection of
Pagan Music,its all pretty mellow of course but it speaks to
me in ways i cant really describe...Goddess Music,

So in closing,If you are trapped in religion and find yourself
giving your last moneies to the church to do Gods work so your
Pastor and his staff can BBQ prime rib on the grill all the while
you eat Mac n Cheese without hot dogs cuz you gave that money
to the Lord or perhaps you can barely feed yourself while tithing
your 10% or more cuz remember the more you give the more
God will bless you which by the way doesn't work if youre
homeless,in a mental institution or in Prison,
Then you have been suckered into the trappings of religion.

Peace, BigT

The 2x4 Chair

Ive had office chairs in the past and my
first one lasted me from 1998 to 2012.

I had purchased it from Office depot in
Anchorage and it was the floor model so
I paid $250 for it and man did I love it.

About 10 years into it the hydraulic lift
finally gave out but no biggie so i just
kept using it.

After a while a caster which are the
wheels broke so i propped it up with
some wood block i had in my woodshop.

Then i recall adding duct tape to fix
the arms..no big deal though.
I leaned that chair all the way back
while listening to music after rolling
some M.T.F.

This chair took a beating over all those
years but now comes the horror of it all.

I retired the chair in style as it was
useless after the bracket under the seat
finally broke making it junk.
I got a couple gallons of heating oil and
placed it in the burn pit and adorned
the underside with some firewood and
lit her up.

It was a Viking Funeral complete with
Patrone Tequila....The Premo stuff.

After moving back into the Log Cabin
I was faced with getting a new office
chair and drove to Office Depot again
and paid a whopping $550 for another.

That chair went all to hell on me in a
year and i just put it out in a junk pile.

Then another chair costing the same
did it again so i raced to Walmart and
bought a couple metal chairs which
under my weight made it 6 months each.

They just dont make them like they used
to and my first chair taught me i should
have bought 2.

So in the beginning of March 2025 I
drove my van to the local hardware
and bought 6 2x4x8 framing lumber.

I had already made a rough drawing
of the new chair so I was sure of my
purchase.

I made the right cuts the first time and
used 3 in screws and put it together
well. I am figuring it will serve me 20
good years or more.

Next i bought a quart of stain but need
a random orbital sander with various
grit discs to give it a good sanding
before i put on the stain then I will
source out some cushions for the back
and seat.

The seat is 24'x24' and i can lean
back in it too.....Right now i am using
an old pillow to sit on.
Total cost $55.00

Ya cant beat rustic ingenuity thats
for sure and i am proud of solving
my chair dilemma and saves me
and good five hundred and fifty bucks
a year for crappy expensive office chairs.

Peace, BigT

Overwhelmed By You Tube

Back in December of last year i was buzzing along
minding my own business then WHAM!!!
All of a sudden there was a sudden surge of
activity on my channel.

First there was the subscriber count then in
the comments section,I did not see any of it
coming by a longshot and i was achieving
famedom and the ensuing riches.

Well actually the riches are not there yet but
i am getting a monthly Google check.
Yep I am making a little money that gets
me some extra recipe ingredients.

In the beginning I was completely overwhelmed
and had a lot of things to consider.
A friend up the pass has found himself in
similar circumstances and has taken an
undertermined sabbatical and as he has
stated,He wants to go back to 3k subs.

The fame and popularity of a channel can
have the operator at a disadvantage if
He/She is not prepared for it.

First your sub count isn't what gets you the
views....Having 100k plus subs is great but
then there are the demands of a New
Content Creator and the rigors of continuing
to make such content.

Some people dont respond well to all the
requests or demands viewers will make
and keeping your cool when people press
your patience.

You can do Live Streams but some people
like to spam a chat or request channel
shoutouts...Personally I check the channel
then shout out the next Livestream.

Then there are ones who use the "hints"
you unreluctantly leave in videos to
tag your exact location and post it...
Theres ones you dont know that will just
show up at your door,keep that shotgun
handy for those encounters.

There are so many different ways to earn
on YT but i prefer to come at it as casual.
What i am doing with it now is all i want.

You dont have to monetize your channel
but at some point the thoughts will dig in.

All in all i will say it is an interesting ride.

Peace BigT

The Food Pantry & Friends

I do feel really blessed when it comes to the local
food pantry here in my small community.
Many people such as I are in need of extra food
beyond what we can afford by our own means.

More and more people move here and the need
just keeps growing monthly and the pantry is
having a really hard time keeping up with
the demand.

Many years ago i had no need of pantry food
until about 2009....I was hit hard with cancer
twice in the same year then in 2008 physical
disability reared its ugly head.

I did get stuck in a chair for 15 years and nobody
took my disability seriously,friends and family
all blew it off as being just downright lazy...
I could only stand a few minutes and walking
my 350 ft driveway was impossible.

I have finally overcome the chair with a lot of
weight loss and determination
so i dont need a handicap cart anymore....
but over the winter i have gained a
few pounds and now that the ice is gone i can
go for walks down the street.

I do have a few good friends here and most of
them are older than me. and none of them
are as youthful as they once were either.
I am certainly not my 21 year old self anymore
and now i find myself doing more and planning
more this summer.

This is going to be the year where thoughtful
changes are made to my life and housing.

In May i will be planting fruit and vegetable
seeds around my property and just let it
grow wild...

Bell peppers,carrots,potatoes
strawberries and the like will be a September
score so i hope i can donate to the Pantry.

I still go to the food pantry and now that i can
stand quite a while it is like going shopping..
Usually i get a pretty good score.

So you say its free,well it cost someone
somewhere and with all the governmental
slash and burn i can see the pantry will
be affected.

The nice thing about the pantry is they dont
judge based on local rumor nor do they give
you the stink eye but as all things i think
this year of 2025 will be a pivotal moment
for myself as things change for the better.

One day,someday i would like to be a donor
and support the cause....Give back to the
community so others can have extra as they
need it.

Thank You W.C.F.P.

Peace BigT