The whole "persistence equals spraying" thing is actually backwards. Contrails hanging around longer just means the air up there is humid, same reason your bathroom mirror stays foggy after a hot shower. I’ve watched thin ones vanish fast on dry days and thick ones stick around for ages over the ocean, no conspiracy needed.

Oh man, that Osage orange is no joke, I got a couple logs from a buddy in Kansas once and thought my stove was gonna melt! The spark issue is real though, I ended up mixing it 50/50 with seasoned ash just to keep the popping down, and that helped a ton. Also, if you let it season for a full two years instead of one, the sap dries out more and it throws way fewer embers, but you gotta plan ahead for that. Honestly, the burn time is so good I just deal with the screen and keep a spray bottle of water nearby for any rogue sparks that land on the tent floor.

Ha! I was all about my tablet for notes until I tried a paper pad on a whim, now I'm hooked. There's something about pen and paper that just makes the ideas flow without me overthinking every tiny word.