Sorry for the absence and the delays, it's been a busy week. First we had the 4th of July celebration at M's parents in Pennsylvania, it was a great time and I got to meet her dads side of the family. There was shooting and laughter and fireworks and much fun had by all involved, M demonstrated her targeting skills once more and "didn't embarrass myself" and I got put on grille duty and didn't embarrass myself, so all is good. We finally got back home Wednesday.
Thursday we cleaned out the kitchen cabinets and did some cooking out on the grill. Also Thursday the control panel went out in the stove again with smoke and sizzling, the second one in the past couple of years, and unfortunately it controls everything. And of course I didn't try to find one until today and all the appliance parts places that might have one are closed until 8 AM Monday. Good thing the microwave still works.
Friday we delivered some end tables to one of M's co-workers (hers this time so it isn't just my stuff that is being replaced) and got the call that the ring was ready. We went and picked it up and I've ordered the diamonds for the side stones, when they come in I'll take it to a jewelry shop in Wake Forest and have them put in. In the meantime the pink sapphire looks great and she loves it.
Today is a retirement party for one of the Mustang Forum members, so we'll be in Fayetteville for the afternoon. But before I go, a bit of necessary business.
No, I don't know who she is but she does look patriotic, doesn't she?
If you are automatically tagged a cross burner because you are a white guy that shows up somewhere in a beat up 62 Chevy pickup with Iowa tags, is that racism? Damn right it is. You don't have to be white to be a racist and you don't have to be black to be a victim of it.
The Southern Cross, more accurately known as the Tennessee Battle Flag (which is very similar to the Army of the Potomac's Battle Flag) is a symbol of the Confederacy because it shows up in so many paintings and movies (mostly because many of the more famous battles were fought in Virginia where the AoP operated). It was never an official flag of the Confederate States of America, although it was used as the union in the second and third Confederate flags and was also used as the second Naval Jack and Ensign.
South Carolina should either use the first Confederate flag or its own Sovereignty flag over the war memorial on its Capitol grounds to get rid of the strawman that the Southern Cross has become. Changing the flag won't change attitudes, but as long as we concentrate on the symbols I guess we can ignore the substance.
Today we took some time out with Range Partner to sling some lead downrange. It was the first time M and Range Partner had met and the first time M has gone shooting with me (and as far as I know, only the second time she has ever shot handguns).
Along for the ride was Grand-Dad's High Standard, both the Glocks and the Sig. Range Partner brought a Glock of his own at my request, a Glock 21 with a .22 caliber conversion kit. Younger Son also came along, but he and Range Partner took turns with a .357 Taurus snubbie that Range Partner brought along.
After a review of the Four Rules (the first time M had ever heard them, so we went over them pretty extensively) and some basic instruction on grip, sights, stance and operation (I was ever grateful for the instruction I received at Tigerswan because all I did was review with her what I remembered from learning there) we loaded up and started putting rounds downrange.
First up was the 9mm Glock 19, followed by the Glock 21 with the .22 conversion kit installed. I wish I could say these were my targets...but no. Two fliers, one .22 and one 9mm, in the eight ring and the rest in the black, with two of the .22 and one 9mm solidly in the X.
Next up was the .45 Sig. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to shoot it, but she at least wanted to try it out. Four rounds went into the Sig, and when the smoke cleared two of them were in the eight ring and two in the ten. Next up she wanted to try the Glock 21 in Gods Own Caliber. So, off came the .22 conversion and on went the .45 slide and magazine, five rounds in the magazine...and as you can plainly see, two in the nine, two in the ten and one in the X.
Not bad shooting...for a guuuuurl.
Yeah. Not bad shooting for anyone, and when you consider this was her second time at the gun range to shoot handguns (and since the first time was a "here, point this that way and pull the trigger" you may as well say it was her first time) you could say that was pretty excellent shooting. Hell, she out-shot me, and I couldn't be prouder.
I really wish I could send her to one of Kathy Jackson's classes to learn how to shoot properly, but I will certainly find some instruction for her somewhere. I was OK with showing her the basics, but I'm not an instructor and everyone can do with some instruction. (Speaking of which Sean...isn't it about time for another Tigerswan class?)
There just might have to be a Glock 21 in her future as well.
$275 to change the plugs, right around $200 for the transmission service (which is really the only thing I wanted to have done; everything else I can do myself and certainly will do in the future) and $50 for the oil change. And just for those three items I sat in the dealers waiting room for a little over four hours. That's with an appointment.
And that isn't everything Ford recommends at 100K, oh no, there is also the rear differential, the coolant system flush and fill and the fuel system servicing which would run another $400 or so. And that doesn't include having them look at the little issues I'm having with the car, such as the blend door actuator needing calibration or the oil life monitor staying at 100%.
When they asked me why I hadn't brought the car in to them for a while I just laughed and said "Gee, I don't know." Fortunately I have a full set of tools, basic mechanical knowledge, and a
whole slew of friends who love Mustangs and know how to do everything
associated with them, so it's not likely they will see it again for another long time.
I am now the proud owner of a three stone setting in white gold that is on its way to the jeweler to have the topazes removed and a pink sapphire installed in the center.
After the sapphire is in I will be getting an estimate to install diamonds into the outer settings.
Mother tried to raise me to be polite and kind, regardless of my failures in these areas, but it does seem as if the squeaky wheels get the grease.
After all, look at the recent social issue upheavals. They got what they wanted by being dicks, even though they are but a small percentage of the population. Hell, even the American Revolution was start, fought and won by a bare 3 percent of the population, if the stories are correct.
I finally made it back up to Lenoir NC this past weekend for the monthly cruise-in. There weren't as many cars this time as there usually is, but we still had a good crowd. This time was different because it wasn't just me and Youngest Son; M came along as well which was nice.
And while we were out and about wandering the streets and looking at things we happened upon this quaint little shoppe...
Of course M had to go in and check out their stock of yarn and whatnots. There were a bunch of people sitting inside knitting and talking, too. Apparently every Cruise-In day they open early and stay open late just so the ladies who have no interest in cars but have husbands/significant others who do have someplace to go and have fun in their own way.
On the plus side, M says we can go back every month.
M was feeling a little depressed the other day. Seems as if she was in the mood for cookies, so she went and got some pre-made chocolate chip cookie batter and tried to bake them...and they got burned.
So while she is at work I am busy making some cookies for her, using my own recipe:
Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C butter, softened (that's two sticks)
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
2. In a large bowl cream the softened butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the dry instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop cookie batter by rounded spoonfuls onto a cool ungreased cookie sheet. Press down to flatten the cookies out, they will not flatten out as they bake (but they will spread, so leave plenty of room between them). Bake only as long as needed for the edges to turn golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Makes 2 - 2 1/2 dozen cookies (I got 30 out of this batch).
I didn't leave enough room between them for these batches...but I have the feeling they will get eaten anyway.
I also had some bananas turning brown, so I made some banana bread for Eldest Son. I substituted rum for the vanilla as per a recipe I got from Eldest Sister, so I'm curious how it turns out. It smells good anyway.
Time rolls by, another month gone and it has been more than half a month since I've touched these pages. Good thing you aren't paying for this.
So, what's been happening you ask (or not). First things first, M has started the arduous process of moving in. Yes, she agreed to it, and now we're getting it done.
The house is being cleaned one room at a time and as we re-arrange we are moving some of her things in and some of the old things out. There isn't much of it, and what we are moving out needed to go anyway. I expect that process to take a while but we hope to have the bulk of it done by August.
I didn't suck as bad when I got the sights dialed in (one click up, one click left) but the only reason I didn't finish dead last in the modified sights category is Youngest Son was shooting with the scoped Marlin 60. The scope was off as well, and he did better once we got it sighted in (8 clicks left), but he still managed to score dead last.
I'm sure that if we had taken them out a couple of days before and sighted them in we both would have done better but unfortunately I don't have a place close by to do so. Nevertheless I do really need to get out to the range more. I also need a spotting scope.
School is out in a couple of weeks and that will kick off travel season here at the Refuge. There are a couple of Pennsylvania trips scheduled and at least two Florida trips as well in August. We're also hoping to make an Iowa trip around Christmastime.
But in the meantime a new month brings a new ROTM.
May I present to you the lovely Magdelena Jasek. You can see more of her here.
And now I'm off to take Eldest Son to the dentist. The fun just never stops here at the Refuge.
Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day. It is actually Teacher Appreciation Week, but according to my favorite teacher (and the National Day Calendar) today is the day for the week to exist.
In order to commemorate the day I arranged for flowers to be delivered through an on-line service. Their website offers a 4 hour same-day delivery service, so I figured they would arrive in plenty of time before school was out.
The order went in at 9:30 AM and was processed and sent to the local florist at 10:15 AM. Plus 4 hours indicates a delivery time at or before 2:15 PM, plenty of time. I took myself off to dreamland secure in the knowledge that my teacher would be appreciated on Teacher Appreciation Day.
Sadly, no.
I got the notification at 5:07 PM that the order was out for delivery. School gets out at 3:10.
If you need flowers delivered today, I would highly recommend against using Flower Delivery Express.
UPDATE: They were delivered at 2:45 yesterday, 30 hours and 15 minutes after the order went in. So much for same day/4 hour delivery. I'm glad she liked them, even though they were late.
April is done and May has begun, April showers will bring May flowers...and hopefully a bit more warm and a bit less rain. The forecast looks good here at the Refuge for the next week, lots of sun and temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's, at least until Saturday when the rain reappears. This assumes, of course, that the weather-guessers have guessed right this week.
And since the weather is giving promises of summer, here is the Redhead of the Month for May:
Here's hoping she is dressed appropriately for the month.
You may have been wondering (or not) what I've been up to lately since I've obviously not been blogging.
This past weekend I finished cleaning up the master bedroom and got
it re-arranged. Ditto with the master bedroom closet, to include the
hanging of new shelves (take note, if you want them done right you don't
want me to do them). The new arrangement has opened the room up and I like it a lot better than it was before. M is now making curtains for it, she's been a great help.
To facilitate cleaning the master bedroom I've started an office where I've moved the computer I am
currently banging the keyboard on as well as my bookshelves and all of
my books. Damn, I have a lot of books. But I digress. The office was M's suggestion as well, it was something I was considering anyway but she had a lot of good ideas about how to get it done.
I've
had to become completely ruthless as I've gone about my cleaning, at
first I was putting everything into boxes thinking "the girls might want
this" but as I've come along I've adopted the attitude that if they
wanted it they've had five years to come and claim it. I'm tossing about
everything but pictures now. There certainly is a lot of it, and I'm sure the trash man will hate me.
Next on the agenda is the train room (bonus room off the master bedroom) and then on to the living room, dining room and family room. It really needs to get done, I've got dust bunnies the size of house cats, but the rest of the house shouldn't be as bad as the master suite. The dining room will be extra interesting because on the dining room table is this great honking dollhouse that I've been trying to complete for Grand-daughter.
The dollhouse was a project that Laura and I started, I did the building/assembling and she was to do the decorating. It's a huge Victorian, complete with corner turret, three stories and thirteen rooms all together. Laura decided she wanted Grand-daughter to have it when she got sick, but the decorating never got done (although the assembling is mostly done). I think I'll have Grand-daughter up for the summer to do the decorating and then maybe we can get the project completed.
Maybe she will let M help her. It's been tough on her, accepting M's presence, since she was her grandmother's heart and soul, so maybe she won't...but maybe she will. She was absolutely crushed when Laura died and she was distant when M and I were there at the beginning of the month. I hope that she will accept M's help, and in doing so perhaps be able to do some healing of her own.
At times it's been tough, but I've got proper motivation to keep me going.
The Florida part of our trip went very well, the liquid sunshine took a break and the girls loved M, as I knew they would. Or more to the point, the girls loved how happy I am since M came into my life, which amounts to the same thing. We got in some beach walking and touristing as well, so all in all it was a good trip.
But wait, there's more. The later part of the week is being spent in Pennsylvania, where M is from, at her parent's house. Her mother is deeply appreciative of how I treat M so already I've made a good impression on her, and her dad isn't quite the curmudgeon that M says he is (either that or he's on his best behavior).
For the next couple of days we will be wandering to and fro about the Pennsylvania/West VA countryside as M and her mom enjoy each others company. My job is to fetch and carry and generally show her parents that I will be good to their daughter. I can handle that.
On the way up we passed by Pilot Mountain, which is near Mount Airy NC. Youngest Son saw it and immediately announced that it looks like a nipple.*
He's right, you know. It does. And now that I've seen it, I cannot un-see it.
At any rate, this brings us to the final but by no means least important item on the agenda, the Redhead of the Month:
April's ROTM is brought to you by Europe. It has to be good for something after all.
And with the necessities out of the way, I'm back on vacation. See you next week!
*I'm shrouding myself in the illusion that Youngest Son recognizes
the nipple from TV or the internet, and have instructed him to leave my
illusions intact.
Workdays, that is, and after they are done I'll be on vacation for the week.
The plans are to take M to Florida to meet the girls and walk the beaches for the weekend, then back to rest up for a day and repack, then off to Pennsylvania to meet her folks.
She's been buying new togs for the trip. She hasn't had the need for a "girly" wardrobe for a while so didn't have anything to take along. She has also been complaining all the while about the coin she's putting out, but it appears as if she has everything she needs now.
Sunday morning I was folding my laundry and putting everything in the bag I'm taking on the trip and she was telling me it was too early to pack (accentuating her point by taking my socks out of my bag and throwing them - like a girl - at me). After I went to work she went back to her apartment...and packed for the trip.
All told we will travel a bit over 2000 miles, half in my car and half in hers, the two of us and Boy. I figure if I don't end the week standing on the side of the road with my thumb in the air it will be a successful trip.
The past weather has not been kind to my poor convertible top. Yesterday when I put it back up I found this:
Yep, that's the rear glass un-bonded from the canvas outer top almost all the way around. The bottom still has a strip that is barely holding on, but the top and sides are completely unattached. The glass is still attached to the inner liner so there aren't any leaks, but it's only a matter of time before I have problems with water between the layers.
The convertible top people I've contacted seem to think that four years is a bit soon for this car to be having this problem, but for a nominal fee ($1800-$2000) they will be glad to install a lifetime warranty top that should fix it right up.
Or I could opt for the $200-300 re-glue job instead, which isn't guaranteed at all but just might buy me a couple more years.
I'm thinking I might explore that option to begin with and see how that works out for me. If I save my nickels and dimes I might have a couple of grand to put down on a new top in another year or so, but right now I'm just not seeing it.
Oh the joys of convertible ownership. You take the good with the bad I guess.
It would require a re-barrel since I have the 8 shot magazine and the 20" barrel, but it would be totally worth it. Of course I would have more into the gun in accessories at that point than I had in the actual purchase price, but if I start adding things up I may have already passed that point anyway.
Drum magazine fed evil black shotgun? I can hear Nanny Nancy screaming from here...
I know you've had it rough up to now, and I know that talk is cheap, so I'll just be right here wrapped around you until you can believe it on your own.
As predicted the rain and cold are back today after a very brief hiatus. It was 60 and damp when I left work this morning, 55 and misting when I got home 45 minutes later, and at 1:30PM the temperature has dropped over 20 degrees and the rain is steady.
This afternoon the rain is expected to become freezing rain just in time for rush hour and whatever is on the ground by midnight will turn to ice as the temperature plunges to 19 overnight. It will stay that way through the morning hours since the temperatures tomorrow aren't expected to climb above the mid 30's.
The temperature is up high enough today (55 Fahrenheit) to have completely melted the snow off the car. The snow is also gone from the bushes and they are starting to stand back up, a good sign that they will recover from the snowpocalypse. There is still a nice unbroken expanse of snow through the front yard which is shaded by the pine trees out front and along the back in the shadow of the house, but everywhere else it is gone except for fringes.
Dog and I were able to walk all around the house for the first time in a long time.The back yard is pretty wet, but except for some low-lying spots and the aforementioned expanse in the shadow of the trees the ground in the front of the house has dried up pretty well. Tomorrow is supposed to be quite a bit cooler (39) with rain but Wednesday the forecast is for 70 degrees or better, depending on who you listen to. Of course it will be raining.
Thursday is calling for more snow and freezing rain.
I love living in the South.
It could be worse, though. Tam has been Scooby-less due to clutch issues that have thankfully been resolved and she's had to pilot the Nazi roller skate around in way worse weather than I've had to endure for quite some time now. In my world the Baja has soldiered on without a hiccup and the Mustang hasn't moved in over two weeks (although I did fire it up the other day to dry it out and hear it run). I'm going to take it out a bit today though while the temperature allows and the sun shines.
It has come in, if not like a lion then at least like an icy little lamb with freezing rain and ice hanging off of the trees. It's warm enough now that it has mostly melted away, but when it gets cold tonight it's going to be a real fun time driving home.
But, ice storms notwithstanding it is a new month, and even though my own situation has changed for the better there still must be a ROTM, oh yes there must.
And so, without further ado, I give you your morning coffee.
Love those socks. Hey, I have a table almost exactly like that one...
Youngest Son was, as may be expected, very attached to Laura and took her death extremely hard.
One of the big worries is that he will resent M's presence. She's not trying to be Mom, but she is going to be around a lot so she wants to be accepted. The older kids are not just fine with it but are happy to see that Dad isn't going to be alone for the rest of his life (Dad agrees), but with Youngest it was a concern.
To that end she suggested Game Night last night, so we played Monopoly (note to Aggie Sith, it was the Star Wars edition) till late in the evening. It was a good idea, seemed to have the desired results, and is something that will likely become a regular thing. We're going out today to pick out a few more games for the variety.
As a side note, and without going into details, there are some sights that are extremely satisfying. I got to see it today for the first time in a very long time.
Other things I had forgotten about are...so much better...
I'm too tense about it though, I want everything to be as perfect for her as she is for me and it's affecting my actions. She tells me I need to relax and let it flow.
She's right, of course.
I get the feeling I'm going to be admitting that a lot.
After finally digging out from under the Icepocalypse...Snowpalooza 15!!!
I'm wondering just when I moved from North Carolina back to Iowa. It's been a rough February this year, although it's been a pretty good one for me.
The bad thing is there was no snow in the forecast for Raleigh today, but the good thing is, time and a half tonight because it is officially a weather event.
And...Teacher is home from school today because of the weather...maybe I can go over there and let her make me late for work.
I think I'm going to go do the things I need to so that I can do the things I want to.
Back to work today, she goes back to work tomorrow, so late nights are out for a few days at least. She says she needs to get back to work because she needs the rest. The next chance we will get to see each other is Wednesday since I'm off, but once again no late nights on a school night.
So now we find out what life will be like in a quasi-normal state. It's been going pretty well so far.
I can't help but think that you had a hand in the events of the past two weeks.
Perhaps it is just superstitious foolishness, perhaps we do fool ourselves in believing these things in order to make our lives easier to live; if that is so then it hurts no one, but I believe it to be true.
You knew me better than anyone else in the world has ever known me, and you loved me in spite of it. You knew all my faults and foibles, all my weaknesses and all my strengths. You knew the worst of me, and you were the best of me. Who else, then, would have found someone so perfect for me?
You told me not to be alone. I was angry at the time, I said things I wish I had never said, but you forgave me. It didn't mean as much then as it means now, but now...it means everything. Sis told me that I should let you go, that I should release you to your rest, but I selfishly hung on because you were the best of me and I did not want to lose that.
She wants me to love her the way that I loved you, but what she does not know is I will love her better because of the lessons I learned with you. Because I learned the value of time.
I wasted a lot of time with you doing other things when I should have been loving you as hard as I could every waking moment of every day. When you are young you think you have all the time in the world, but when you are older you realize that ALL you have is all the time in the world. I learned the true meaning of that during those last desperate hours with you.
It was a mistake, and I won't make it again.
She wants to take the time to savor the moment; in that she is wiser than I because I want to start forever right now. She needs this as much as I do, but she needs the time just as much. She deserves the time, and so do I.
We have all the time in the world.
And now it is time for me to let you go to your rest. Thank you for all the lessons I learned with you, you will always have a piece of my heart...and of course my soul, that goes without saying...but I will move on now the way you wanted me to. I can do that now. Come what may, I can do that now.
Something that Sis said yesterday when I told her about M, just before she ordered me to leave Boy with her for the night, has stuck with me all day.
Laura gave me her blessing; she released me to live my life. It was past time, according to Sis, for me to release her as well; to let her have her rest.
And so it is.
Last night went extremely well, or at least well enough that M has agreed to grace me with her presence at least once more.
We started with dinner out and ended with a movie at her place. She ended up having to go in to work the next day so the evening ended at ten.
I called to tell her I made it home safely and wish her a good night and we ended up talking on the phone for quite a while. I'm not much of a phone talker, but I like to think I held up my end of the conversation. We spoke until the wee hours of the morning, something that I haven't done in quite some time.
Before we hung up I invited her here, and she accepted.
The house is cleaner than it has been in a very long time. There are still 3 guys and a dog here, so the place isn't spotless, but at least the clutter isn't completely covered in dust.
The dog has been washed (quite against his will) and the lasagna is in the oven.
She will be here in an hour. Tonight I feel no trepidation.
She's a teacher at a local school, so for obvious reasons and in full accordance with standard Refuge practice identities will be kept intentionally vague to protect the innocent. It just wouldn't do for the new boyfriend to get you fired before the first date, after all. Might put a damper on any possibilities of follow-on interactions. Until further notice she will be referred to as Banana.
or not...let's just continue to call her M.
Anyhoo, we've been having a text storm for the past couple of days since she's not at work due to weather and I'm under employed due to no operators due to the same reason. As a result we're learning a lot about each other, and the more I learn the more I like.
To begin with, she is in fact from PA, in the part that James Carville referred to as Alabama in between. This means that fortuitously we agree more on politics and things of that nature than disagree, although as she says she doesn't pay as much attention to politics as she knows she should.
She likes country music, a fact which should agree with Range Partner who I think (although he has never said so) is somewhat less than fond of my musical tastes sometimes. She knits, which gives her something in common with my mother who is a famous knitter. She likes minions and considers Monty Python to be works of genius. She likes to read and is fond of sci-fi, as am I.
She has no problem with the fact that I carry, and in fact has voiced some interest in getting a CCW of her own although she has reservations. If she's not gung-ho pro at least she's not rabidly anti. I can work with that.
We're going out Friday Thursday (couldn't wait), it will be the first time since last Saturday afternoon that we have actually seen each other. It's funny when I think that all of this has occurred since then, the last time I actually put eyes on her none of this was certain. Of all the things I expected when I went out to hear the music, this was the least one of them.
Friday my TV blew up and I had to buy another one. Also Friday my
check was short because I had some vacation time, which kills all
overtime when you take it. I usually get between 4-6 hours of overtime a pay period, so that's like losing 3 hours of regular time. It makes a noticeable dent.
Good thing I used my tax money to pay down
some of my credit card bills because I've been using them to fill the gap.
Saturday we get snow for Valentines Day and I get to stay home alone. Again.
Sunday I have to go back to work.
Monday we get more snow dumped on us in a day than we usually get all week.
Tuesday is colder than a well diggers ass so the snow doesn't go away as it usually does.
Today my brother in law called begging for money that I don't have (see Friday above).
I've had the best week I can remember having in a very long time.
When Laura knew the end was in sight she didn't tell me of course, but what she did say was "don't be alone."
I did not react well. I was in denial, and I accused her of giving up.
I wish I could take back what I said. I know I was forgiven the moment the words left me, but if I could have never spoken them it would have been better. I have had years to regret it.
But enough about that. I wasn't really all that anxious to jump back in the shark tank, but for the past few months I've been leaving the house more. I joined an online group of local singles and one of the things we do is listen to live music at a local dive called the Korner Pocket.
So the 8th of February I show up at the Pocket. One of the gals from the group, T, is there, I know her from previous meetups but there's nothing special there. We get to chatting and she mentions she has some friends showing up to join us.
A little while later this girl comes in. Girl in the sense of female human person, that is, cause she's all growed up. She's cute and funny and she smiles and laughs a lot, and when she smiles the whole room lights up. As an added bonus she seems to acknowledge and appreciate the fact that I am there.
Her name is M.
So, small talk, music, a few more people show up and I try to be discreet as I observe the new girl. At the end of the evening we all get in our cars, she likes mine (I drove the Mustang), and we go our separate ways. Except her separate way seems to be in the path of my separate way and I find myself following her...in a totally non-creepy, non-stalkerish sort of way...for miles and miles.
Finally, about five miles from where I would turn off her signal comes on. I go on around her and get a high-beam "Hello" flash, which I answer with a quick round of emergency flashers. I think that it's been a good night, I'm pleased that she noticed that I was there, and I hope she comes to a few more events so I can see her again. Maybe, I think, I'll even learn to shuffle my feet so I can ask her to dance with me.
Imagine my surprise when, through the group messaging system, I get a message from her. She liked my car so much, she says, that she had to go out and get a new one of her own.
We message back and forth a few times and I look at the group events calendar and see her name on one of the events that I had no intention at all of attending. But she's going to be there, so what the hell, I sign up, too. It's for Valentines Day, even better, so maybe I can get her to dance with me, and maybe I won't step on her while we dance, and maybe I can find a quiet corner where we can talk a bit sometime in course of the evening.
Friday night and Boy drags me off to skating rink hell. I mention this in a message and she tells me she likes to skate (light bulb!) and she and T are going out to grab a bite since neither of them want to see 50 Shades of Ghey, which is what the group is doing that evening.
At this point it's beginning to sink through my Neanderthal thick skull that maybe...just maybe...she is being more than just casually polite. I've been out of the game for a while and I was never very good at it, so I am no good at all at reading signals, and really never was. But there is a light dawning in my feeble brain, so I decide to make the most of it. The rum bottle gets emptied as I contemplate this decision.
Saturday dawns bright and early and I notice that I have missed a message from her. I send her a message back, she sends me a message back...and in this message is a phone number that I haven't yet worked up the nerve to ask for. The light brightens.
I go help Range Partner move his gun safe (note, gun safes are big and heavy) but I say nothing except that I have an event that day that I'm hoping to attend. I don't want to jinx it, Range Partner has had enough of his own troubles lately without me burdening him with mine..but I console myself with the fact that I know where I can find a drink later if I need one so there is that.
There are actually two events that day, one in the late morning and early afternoon and then the one that evening that I signed up for just because I saw her name on it. I did make it to the first event just in time for everyone to split and head their separate ways, but I do get to see that smile again, and it is every bit as much as I remembered. I go back home and inform the boys that I would not be available for the night, and when Eldest Boy asks where we're going I tell him.
(A note about the event coordinator for this little soiree, he's the same guy that set up the Friday movie event that M and T skipped out on.)
So I use that new phone number that I just got and say WTF, did you know? She didn't, but we agree that we will stick together, and if nothing else we can point and laugh. (I'm thinking more along the lines of seeing if I can convince her to make an exit with me, but all in good time.) Into the shower I go, and when I emerge Boy is standing at the door watching the snow. But you've heard this story before, haven't you? Anyway, I give her the link to this blog and await my fate.
Last night winter descended on the Piedmont with a vengeance, coating any surface it could reach with a layer of snow followed by a misting of ice.
The Baja didn't want to start this morning to go home, it had to be kicked over three times before it finally conceded to stay running. Once it had agreed to the task, however, it handled the snowy roads with a Subaru sure-footedness typical of the breed.
This is the kind of weather I would expect in a late Iowa December, not a mid February North Carolina...or any other time in North Carolina either for that matter.
If I should ever meet Al Gore I'm going to junk-punch him until his eyes bleed. That Mann jackass is going down as well, and should that Hansen asshole from NASA open his festering suckhole in my presence I may just become homicidal.
On a more pleasant note, though, since Teacher didn't have to go to school today she stayed up most the night trading texts with me. Somewhere around 4:30 I stopped getting answers, so I'm guessing that's about the time she hit the wall.
Things seem to be working out pretty well in this regard.
(You can't tell me you didn't see that one coming. Shut it MSgt B.)
I was supposed to be spending last night out on the town with a Meetup singles group that I am in but unfortunately (or maybe fortuitously, the jury is still out on that one) we got snowed out. The event was planned later in the evening than usual, and at a place where I normally wouldn't have gone...but there's this girl, and she was going, so what the hell I was going, too.
I talked to her briefly (where we ascertained that yes, good idea or bad we were both still in) and then got into the shower, and when I got out of the shower Boy was standing at the patio door looking at the snow coming down. It had started around 9 and by the time I was getting in the car to go at 9:30 it was snowing as if I was still in Iowa, the only difference being that nothing was sticking.
I called in to check with the event coordinator (Bluetooth, living in this modern world is pretty amazing) and offer the services of the sure-footed Baja if anyone needed transportation. He was having doubts as to whether it would be a good idea to press on, and sure enough before I had made it ten miles he was calling back to cancel. So back to the house I went, where I noticed I had a text, which prompted another phone call.
I find myself thinking the sort of thoughts which I have not thought in a while. I'm still not quite sure yet how it's going to work out; she's a schoolteacher, that lot tends to run liberal and I'm at least on the conservative side of libertarian (EDIT: no longer a concern). She's from Pennsylvania, or so I surmise by the fact that her parents are there (EDIT: status verified), although she's trying to get them to move closer (good luck with that). My favorite railroad is in Pennsylvania, and when I mentioned that she said she's never been to Steamtown but thinks she'd like to go see it at least once, so that's a point in her favor.
She had a chance to go out with the group to see 50 Shades of Ghey (the only evidence needed to know there is something seriously amiss in Hollywierd; poorly written Twilight fanfic gets a movie and Larry Correia does not???) the other night when I was in skating rink hell and passed up the opportunity, which is another point in her favor. She mentioned the fact that she used to like to skate, so I might see if she wants to go with us next time. Hell, I might even get my uncoordinated ass out on the floor if that happens.
She's also a Browncoat, or at least a sympathizer, which is yet another point in her favor and might negate the assumption that she was an Obama voter (EDIT: incorrect assumption) (we haven't discussed religion or politics yet) (EDIT: we have discussed it briefly). She also said she liked the show Top Shot (another point in the plus column), and although I haven't yet mentioned the fact that I'm a CCW permit holder this at least suggests she would tolerate it (EDIT: she has, in fact, opened up the possibility of getting her own).
(Time out to offer my condolences to Range Partner. Sorry it didn't work out.)
She may not be Ms America (but no Mr Universe am I; she is far from unattractive by any means, I hasten to add, even if she's not a redhead), but she has this smile that lights up the world, and when a fellow sees it he finds himself doing things that make her do it so he can see it again. The right sort of chap would spend the rest of his life making her smile, and at the end of it find that he had not wasted a single moment.
Time will tell, I suppose, if I am that sort of chap.
UPDATE: I gave her the link to the blog and have been informed that up until last year she was a redhead. Capt Obvious says "woot" and since she knew enough to mention it that means she read this entry at least and didn't go running off into the distance. That's good, right?
something pretty amazing happened a couple of days ago. We will have to see how much of that gets rescinded, overturned or flat ignored, but at least a blow was struck.
Something else is coming up the pike, let's see what happens with it as well. My guess is it doesn't get out of the Senate, and if it does it gets vetoed without enough votes to override.
At any rate, looks like the gun control pendulum is swinging back this way.
The Viore rear-projection TV that I had the bulb replaced in about four and a half years ago needs a bulb again.
Last time it cost me right at four bills. Accounting for inflation it may be cheaper to go get a new TV. One that won't cost me four bills every four or five years.
Not what I wanted to do with my Friday, but what the hell, it's too cold for convertibles anyway.
One of the new toys that came with the Mustang was SiriusXM and a 6 month paid subscription. I liked it so much I got a Sirius portable unit for the Subaru as well.
The one thing I didn't like about the Subaru's unit was it was a stand-alone, which means it had a mount affixed to the dash with double-side sticky tape. Along with its power adapter that had to be plugged into the cigarette lighter it was in the way, and the adaptor took up the only outlet I had so had to get a triple to plug into the stock outlet, and every time I'd shift into 5th I ran the chance of hitting that power adapter and shutting the radio off momentarily.
So a couple of weeks ago I went out and got the unit that plugs into the back of the aftermarket radio I put in the Subaru, so now the Sirius is integrated into the rest of the radio controls and there isn't a brick stuck on the dash in the way, not to mention no power adapter sticking out. It's a much cleaner look and I like it a lot better.
When I got the acknowledgement that I had shut one off and activated another in the email there was also an offer for SiriusXM on the cell phone, for a nominal fee (four bucks a month), so I got it on the phone as well. Now I can plug it into the computer and play it through the computer speaker system (I have a stand-alone speaker set for the computer) or I can plug it into the home stereo system (which we hadn't used much since leaving Florida actually, but now I've dug it out of the corner I'm using it more).
So what's really cool is I'm listening to The Shadow radio show on Radio Classics (channel 82) while I sit here on my modern newfangled computing device pounding on the keyboards to write this missive.
I picked up an AZL Mikado in a package sale (along with a GP7 diesel and a bay window caboose, which may or may not be right for the Nickel Plate Road) with the intent of turning it into an EBT Nn3 Mike, but it doesn't have the right driver diameter. So I'm expanding into Z scale a bit.
Besides, this little Mike is just too darling to take apart, wouldn't you say? Look at the astounding level of detail in this miniature loco, keeping in mind this is scaled down 220 to 1. I have N scale (1:160) locomotives without this much detail.
I've picked up some MicroTrains Micro-Track Z scale track with roadbed, I've had to fiddle with some of the turnouts (what us model railroaders call switches so as not to confuse them with the devices that route electrical power) but it's all running pretty well now.
And so with Z in mind I've been on a car buying spree lately. It looks like I should have gotten the locos in Pennsylvania Railroad livery (what us model railroaders call the paint job) since so much of the rolling stock is PRR. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a lot available for the Nickel Plate in Z, and besides there wasn't a choice of road names in the package deal (not that I would have cared at the time since I was going to strip them down). At least they are both northeastern roads.
Yes I'm well aware that I am mixing eras, the steam locos were long gone by the time the boxcar on the siding came into service (and most of the GP7 fleet had been rebuilt or replaced with newer series) and you would never have seen it on the same road at the same time as the yellow wooden reefer in the middle of the consist (what us model railroaders call a line of cars hooked together). What the hell, I'm sticking with Rule Number One; it's my railroad and I'll run what I want.
And speaking of the GP7, it's a handsome locomotive as well, with detail every bit as exquisite as its N scale counterparts. It even has directional headlights (what us model railroaders call it when the light at whatever end is leading is lit up but the one at the trailing end is not), something that my N scale SD7 is lacking.
Z scale sure is darned expensive when compared to N though, so there won't be much more of it.
that I don't have any .45ACP target ammo to shoot up?
Well, I will be damned. I have absolutely no excuse for the sorry state I find myself in. It's a good thing I can find it on the shelf these days otherwise I'd have to break into my reserves.
Looks like I'll be spending some quality time with the reloading bench. I wonder if the toy store has any pistol powder? Since I'll be in the neighborhood I'll drop by and check.
Yes boys and girls, it's RANGE DAY!!! I can certainly use it.
When I did my first cruise on USS Washington (CVN-73) Laura and I had not yet been married a year. She wasn't much of a domestic goddess so she didn't cook much. Imagine my surprise when I returned from that first cruise to find out she had prepared dinner for me.
Let me interrupt this tale to relay the fact that on Washington we had some kind of chicken and some kind of rice for every single meal, including breakfast. The chicken may have been eggs for breakfast, but there was always rice. Steamed rice, rice pilaf, Mexican rice, and yes, you guessed it, chicken and rice.
Needless to say I was somewhat less than enthusiastic about the evening meal.
It was the last time she cooked chicken and rice. In fact, it was the last time she prepared a post-cruise meal for me at all. It was not, however, the last time I heard about it. If there are any active duty military reading this post take some advice; if the wife cooks you something when you get back home, shut up and eat it. With a smile. Without comments, except to tell her how great it is and how much you appreciate her going through all the trouble. Trust me on this.
At any rate, today I had a hankering for some good old fashioned chicken and rice.*
Chicken and Rice
Ingredients:
1 medium chicken, 4-6 lbs
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs fresh thyme (1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme)
Ground black pepper
Kosher salt
3 cups rice
Directions:
Combine the chicken, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and a tablespoon each of salt and pepper in a large pot, add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Add water as necessary to keep the chicken covered, and continue to gently simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (the juices from the thigh will run clear), about 40 minutes to an hour.
Remove the chicken from the broth and allow it to cool for approx 15 minutes or until it is cool enough to debone. Strain the vegetables from the broth and put them into a large bowl. Pour the strained broth into another container so that you can use the stock pot.
Debone the chicken and place it in the bowl with the vegetables. Add about a half cup of broth to moisten the chicken back up and stir well. Put the chicken and vegetables back into the stock pot. Add 6 cups of broth and the rice, stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until rice is done.
You will have about 2 quarts of broth left over. Freeze it and use it in other recipes, it's good stuff.
*Please note, this is not her recipe. In fact, I don't think she had a recipe other than cook rice, throw some canned chicken into it. As I said, she wasn't much of a cook.
Yesterday the temps were in the mid 60's and the sun was shining, so I took the car down and washed it. It needed the wash job pretty badly, I'm not as good about washing it as I should be (because every time I wash it I seem to find another ding in the paint).
Astute observers might recall that a mere seven days ago we were experiencing freezing rain. Oh what difference a week makes.
You have to take these days where you can, the freezing rain should be back Monday morning.
UPDATE: Now it's just rain for Monday, but we're supposed to have wintery mix a week from Saturday. When these guys can predict the weather accurately a week in advance I might be a little more convinced about Glow-Bull Warmening. Until then...yeah, not so much.
I only got into the kilt thing because of the annual Kilted to Kick Cancer campaign but it is an interesting garment with an equally interesting history (TL;DR, if it weren't for the hated British Army kilts may have no longer been with us, they were banned from 1746 to 1782 except for the Highland Regiments of the British Army).
A traditional kilt (the one that everyone thinks of when you say "kilt") is a tailored garment, but a Great Kilt is essentially nothing more than a blanket, 54 to 60 inches wide by 7-9 yards long, held on with a belt. Kilts may be pleated to the sett, which repeats the pattern around the pleated part, or to the stripe, which centers a selected stripe of the tartan on each exposed portion of the pleat. Most "military" kilts are pleated to the stripe because it was easier and therefore faster to do.
The traditional kilt only needs half the length of material to make than the Great Kilt because modern looms weave 54-60 inch widths; it is essentially cut in half and sewn together to make the length. The Great Kilt requires the 54-60 inch width so it can't be cut in half and must have the entire length.
(Here's an interesting note, the Great Kilt was originally made from cloth woven on 30" looms; they needed two 7-9 yard lengths sewn together to make a 60" width. Since modern looms weave a 54-60" width rather than 30" you only need one 7-9 yard length to make a Great Kilt now.)
American patterned kilts have an apron length 1/3 of the waist, but the traditional Scottish pattern has an apron length 1/2 of the waist. Since the Scottish pattern has less pleated length it actually uses less material.
At any rate, once you check into kilts you find they are damnably expensive, partially because of the work involved in the pleating process and partially because of the cost of the cloth itself. The cost includes the weight and the dyes; true tartans are not printed, they are woven from individually colored threads and so it takes a lot of work on the part of the weaver to create specific tartans.
Additionally, the tartans are registered and sometimes can only legally be made by one manufacturer. The U.S. Navy Edzell and Seabee tartans, for example, are registered to and can only be legally made by Strathmore Woollen Company and will run you 31 pounds sterling (currently a bit over 47 USD) per meter for the lighter weight fabric and 35.17 pounds ($53.51 USD) for the heavier fabric.
The amount of cloth needed to make a kilt depends on the style of kilt you are making, the waist measurement of the intended wearer, the sett (distance until the pattern repeats) of the tartan, and the desired pleat width (which can itself be a function of the sett). The formula for determining how much material you need, for the American pattern, is:
{[(waist/3 x 2) x (sett + pleat width)]+(waist/3 x 2)} x 1.2
72
For the Scottish pattern (waist/3 x 2) is substituted with waist/2 in the formula, so the second term simply becomes the waist measurement, simplifying the equation:
{[waist/2 x (sett + pleat width)] + waist/2} x 1.2
72
American kilts are 1 1/3 waist length and Scottish kilts are 1 1/2 waist length, but the pleated parts are 2/3 waist length and 1/3 waist length respectively, and since the pleated portion gets multiplied by sett+pleat width the American pattern takes more cloth. For the American pattern, using the Edzell tartan at 5 5/8" sett with a 1 1/8" pleat width and a 40" waist, you would need roughly 3.5 yards; for the Scottish pattern using the same measurements you would only need a bit over 2.5 yards (I would need 4.1333 yards and 3.1 yards respectively and I'll thank you to leave that math alone).
If you haven't guessed yet, I'm considering making my own kilt for this year. My mother's family name, Roberts, is associated with Clan Donnachaidh so I could conceivably claim any of their tartans (although I'd certainly want to get the DNA testing done first), or I can use the Roberts of Wales tartan, or there is the US Navy Edzell tartan, and if I really want to stretch it I might be able to lay some claim to the US Navy Seabee tartan from my paternal grandfather (although in that case I'd want to pleat to the sett rather than to the stripe).
However, since some historical records indicate that the clan adoption of individual tartans didn't occur until after the ban was lifted (before the ban they depended more on the individual weavers and thus were more regionally associated) it really isn't critical that I use any specific tartan. Given the costs involved I'll probably just find something suitable and use that, at least for my first attempt.
And so, armed with a couple of websites, I make my plans. Maybe something will come of it and maybe not.
(The astute observer will note that, despite the title of the post, no quilts were mentioned...until now.)
They spent an hour demonstrating how the brand-new Kirby can pick up more dirt in an hour than the old Kirby can pick up in 5 minutes, and then offered me a great deal on the new one. I think they were a bit put out when I pointed out the two machines were identical besides the color of the bag and declined their generous offer.
The old one would probably work better if I put it to work more often.
Freezing rain today in the Triangle. I got to drive home in it.
Note to my fellow North Carolinians: 4WD is not magic and it will not automatically enable you to continue to drive like an idiot on the ice. Also, slow down and stop following me so close, I'm not going to speed up. Not today. Watch out for that tree there bub...like the way you did the complete 180 and hit it tailgate first, though. That should buff right out. Sure, no problem, I'll wait for the state trooper, I obviously have nothing better to do.
Fortunately I have nowhere to be today, and all day to get there.
One of the things you may or may not know about the ol' Scoundrel is I am an ordained minister through Universal Life Church (and you can be, too!) although I've never done any official clergy type stuff. I only got it so I could counter some jackass using his ordination as moral superiority in an online chat room. (remember those?) Not a very good reason, I agree, but it is a reason.
Now my bluff has been called, so to speak. I've been asked to officiate a wedding ceremony, and according to everything I have read so far I am qualified under the laws and guidelines of the State of North Carolina to do so.
I find this oddly satisfying, and since the person requesting is a close personal friend I am honored to do so. Said blessed event is over a year off, but I'll be ordering the required materials immediately so that the planning can be started.
I'm looking forward to this (which is another thing I find oddly satisfying).
Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea.
FTC Disclaimer
Any and all items reviewed on this blog, unless otherwise noted, have been purchased by me for my own use. I have not been compensated in any way for any reviews that may appear here.
Seriously, don't you have a little old lady to molest at the airport or something?
