31 December 2014

This Is The End, My Friends

Of the year, that is.

Come this time tomorrow 2014 will have shed this mortal coil and the upstart 2015 will have usurped its place. As in years past foul play will not have been suspected, although once again the timing certainly is convenient.

And at the end of the old year, allow me to suggest a theme...some none of my lies are true.

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article4940373.html

(click on pic for Dave Barry's column)

Everyone stay safe tonight, see you next year!

27 December 2014

Be Careful What You Ask For

I don't think this will end like they think it will end.

Maybe someone could explain to me what the sense is in picking a fight with the people who own all the guns?

Mailbag

Yesterday in the mail were two items of note.

The first was a book, Altered Perceptions, that I ordered as part of an Indiegogo project to help an author out with mental issues. It has short stories and snippets (including an alternate ending to Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" which I won't be  reading until I've finished with the book) from several well-known authors including (obviously) Brandon Sanderson, Larry Correia and John C. Wright. I'm looking forward to the read, but it goes to the bottom of a substantial stack of paper books (darn this Kindle addiction).

The second package contained gun leather. I alluded to having a holster made for Grand-dad's High Standard and promised to elaborate when the new belt and holster for the Sig had arrived. Today is the day. The belt and holsters were made by Ed Hall, and when you order yours as you know you want to you can contact Ed by email at chucksteelman5@gmail.com.

First, the pics:





First impressions of the gun belt:

This is a substantial piece of leather.

This is the first actual gun belt that I have owned and I must admit that I was not quite prepared for the solidity of it. When I threaded the holster on the belt I was impressed by the tight fit of the belt to the belt openings. I actually had to unthread the belt once to reposition the holster because I had not slid the holster back far enough when putting the belt on, and let me tell you once that belt is threaded through the holster the holster WILL NOT move.

Aesthetically it is a fine looking piece of leather as well, the tooling and color is just right to match the holsters and it is just a nice piece of work. I especially liked the intricate weave pattern that the maker put on both the belt and the holsters, it is a nice touch and really ties them together.

Functionally it holds the holster solidly, once you put the holsters in place they STAY in place, just as it should be. It holds the holster much tighter to the body as well, which will certainly enhance the concealability of the rig when such things are an issue (such as when I carry in Florida).

Moving around I liked the way I wasn't constantly knocking my elbow against the gun, and no matter what I was doing I never had the impression that I was losing control of the firearm. The gun butt stayed tucked tightly in to my side, just as it should, which has certainly not been the case with the regular belt I had been using.

I tried it with the Sig's new leather, the Sig's old leather (a commercially made Bianchi Minimalist), the Galco Stow n' Go I use for the Glocks, the Dragon Leatherworks Fugly for the Glocks, and the Galco Matrix paddle holster for the Glocks and the new gun belt held every one of them solidly. I had stopped wearing the Fugly in particular because it felt like the holster was tipping over when I was sitting and I was afraid I'd drop the gun out of it. Since this is no longer an issue I expect I'll be wearing the Fugly more often now.

In short, until you have actually owned an honest-to-goodness gun belt you don't realize just how much you need one.

First impressions of the holsters:

When I got the holster made for Grand-dad's High Standard it was the first piece of leather I had ever had made for that particular item. None of the regular manufacturers, either custom or commercial, had a holster for the High Standard Model H-B, which is not surprising given the age of the gun. Since it was on the way when I was going to Florida for Thanksgiving I contacted Ed, dropped the gun off to him and picked up the gun and the holster on my way back.

As you can see it is a very nice looking piece of leather in its own right, and as can be expected from a custom fit it fits the gun like a glove. It holds the gun securely without hindering the draw, and it is exactly what it should be - an attractive and functional home for the gun when it is being carried.

The Sig's holster is likewise a handsome and functional cut of cowhide. The only caveat about the Sig is that it was made from a P226 form instead of molded to the actual firearm (P220) like the High Standard was so it is a bit tight on the fit.

Ed explained to me that it would likely be this way and included instructions on how to loosen it up a bit. If I had the P220R model with the rails, like everyone else, this probably would not have been an issue but of course I have to be difficult.

At first I had some trouble with the draw, the pistol did not want to come out of the holster. I attributed that to the tight fit, but as it turned out the issue was not a fault of the holster at all but rather with the Sig's front sight.

I had not noticed it before, but the back edge of the front sight was vertical and extremely sharp and was digging into the leather and pulling at the stitching when I attempted to draw. Rounding the back edge of the sight has done wonders in improving the fit of the holster, and the draw is now smooth.

I will of course have to carry the Sig in its new leather for a while before I can give a long-term report on it, but going on first impressions I am both fully satisfied with my purchases and enthusiastically willing to give Ed Hall the Refuge Seal of Approval (for what that is worth).

26 December 2014

It's Official

My new shirt that Youngest Daughter got me for Christmas:


The picture I got from Middle Daughter via text message on Christmas night:


I'm not saying they were working together, but the timing certainly suggests it.

It's Not That Liberals Know Nothing...It's That So Much Of What They Know Is Wrong

I am a gun owner.

I have bought several guns.

I have bought guns from private individuals and I have bought guns from retail outlets.

If you buy a gun from a retail outlet you are GOING to get a background check...yes, even at a gun show...either on the spot through NICS or through your permitting process when you get your concealed carry permit (or in NC, your pistol purchase permit).

In some states you will even have to wait a week or so to take your purchase home, even though the background check has been done and the only thing that is happening is the clock is ticking.

If you are legally buying a gun from an individual, it is likely going to be someone you know personally or someone that someone you know personally knows personally.

Either way, a legitimate gun owner transferring a firearm in a private sale is NOT going to leave him/herself open to the tender mercies of the courts by knowingly selling a gun to someone who may use it in a crime.

If you think buying a gun is so easy let's run a simple check. Go buy a gun. Legally. Used or new, it doesn't matter. Now go buy a car. Buy a knife. Buy a bow and arrow. Which is easiest?

Criminals get their guns from many places. NONE OF THEM LEGAL. One more law is not going to stop them.

Please stop trying to "educate" me on how much easier it is to buy a gun than a *insert whatever object your internet meme tells you* or gun show loopholes or if we only had universal background checks, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Whatever the Facebook meme of the day is you can be sure of one thing, and one thing only.

It's probably bullsh!t.

24 December 2014

Merry Christmas


Santa's secret weapon: a 400+ horse open sleigh.

So jump in bed and cover up your head, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

20 December 2014

Yay

The snow is falling in the Piedmont.


Not much of it, and it isn't expected to stay around, but it is falling. We're getting a light accumulation on some of the colder surfaces. It's expected to turn into rain by noon and then go away completely.

But still...snow for Christmastime. That's nice.

Especially since it won't stick around.

19 December 2014

Lazy Today

Go read this guy a bit. He's a recent addition to the Wall o' Shame and has a lot of stories and links on gun related matters.

After that there's a lot more links on the sidebar. I should probably hit a few of them up today myself, maybe it will prompt me to write something substantial.

You can't say you don't get your moneys worth here. :D

18 December 2014

NOW it's Christmas!

Larry Correia has just put up the latest installment of Christmas Noun.



Merry Christmas everyone!

11 December 2014

Note To Prospective Advertisers

I'm not looking to make money off of my blog.

I'm not interested in making you any money off of my blog either.

That's not to say I won't review products that I buy, but I'm not interested in becoming a billboard.

Thanks for your interest, but no thanks.

05 December 2014

Party Time

Mustang Club and company parties both tomorrow, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

I have a cheesecake in the oven for the Mustang Club party right now. I've pulled a couple out of the book that I've never tried before, one peppermint and one eggnog. The peppermint has candy sprinkles on the top that didn't work as well as I had hoped, they melted and sunk down in causing holes in the top. If I ever make this one again I'll put the sprinkles on after the cake has baked. I also made this one in the springform pan and it didn't work out as well as I had hoped, I'll use a pie pan crust next time.

The second is in the oven now, I'll have to see how it worked out when it is done. It smells pretty good in the oven, though.

Peppermint Cheesecake

To the basic recipe add 1/2 cup peppermint candies that have been crushed fine, I used a food processor to do the deed and found that 16-18 candies made a half a cup. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, sprinkle another 1/4 cup (8 candies or so) crushed peppermints on top, then allow to cool.

Eggnog Cheesecake

This one is for the springform pan, but if you want to use ready made pie crusts it would work the same. If you use a springform pan the recipe says to press the crust up the sides of the pan 1 1/2 inches.

To the basic recipe (for the pie crusts) add 1 1/2 tablespoons flour when you blend the sugar and vanilla in. Only use one egg, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, 1/2 cup heavy cream and two egg yokes. Bake at 325 for an hour. For the springform pan double everything and bake at 325 for 75 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the cake to cool in the oven, this should help to prevent cracks.

If they taste as good as they smell they shouldn't last very long.

04 December 2014

21

She was a red-headed hellion, but she was MY red-headed hellion.

I am grateful for the sixteen years I had her.

01 December 2014

December


28 November 2014

Splashdown

We have returned.

The car has been unloaded and that's as close to unpacked as I'm getting tonight. Tomorrow everything reverts back to normal routine.

On the way down I dropped off Grand-dads High Standard to be fitted for a holster, and on the way back I picked it up. It is a very nice piece, but I've been asked to hold off doing a review or publishing pics until I have the matching belt. Suffice it to say that I like it well enough to order a matching one for the Sig.

Review will happen when the goods are in hand.

Note to FTC, I'm buying these with my own cash, so piss off.

26 November 2014

Apprehension

Youngest Son will be meeting his birth father for the first time today.

I'm not quite sure how that will go, and even less sure of how I feel about it.

Ultimately it isn't about me, it is about Youngest Son, and he does deserve to know.

I just pray that the cost of knowing does not exceed the value of it.

25 November 2014

Fun Time

Youngest Son and I hit the road bright and early Monday morning heading to Jacksonville FL for Thanksgiving.

Middle Daughter and Son In Law have recently purchased a pair of S&W semis, one in .40 and one in 9mm, so today we took them out to put them through their paces. Also along for the ride was the .22 revolver that Son In Law found at Pops.

Youngest Son begged off, but I took Grandson and his friend for their very first range time. After a 4 Rules drill and proper handling techniques they fired all that was available, but they liked the .22 the best.

The last firearm to make an appearance was a rental that Son In Law's brother just had to try; a .50 caliber Smith and Wesson 500 revolver. The rounds were $5.00 each, and after he had fired two I knew I had to try it as well.

Yeah, it was fun. I'm glad the barrel was ported though.

All in all it was a good time.

14 November 2014

A Message From Our Sponsors


We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

11 November 2014

Happy Veterans Day

from an old fat retired squid. Thanks for your service, be it 2 years or twenty.

09 November 2014

Gender Wars

So I was reading through a thoroughly enjoyable Attack of the Correiakin on Brad Torgersen’s Facebook page where he was destroying a troll over the whole Republican/conservative “war on women” hashtag twitter battle thing. One of the things the troll kept bringing up was the whole gender-gap pay-gap meme.

I’m not going to look for links, do your own damn homework, but that has been pretty much proven to be bunkum. It has to do with leave of absence due to child rearing, which is something that most women choose to do, combined with the fact that mothers are going to be more likely to take days off for family things and the like. The problem with that is it leaves a huge gap in your resume with the resulting decrease in pay due to less time in service and smaller paychecks due to not being compensated for all the days that are taken off.

It strikes me as funny that this should be an ongoing issue when the matter has been so thoroughly explained, but it keeps coming up time and again as proof that old white men hate women or some such thing as that. What I find so funny is that this is what the womyn have been agitating for all along...equality. If a man has a gap in his resume he also is going to experience lesser pay because of it. If he takes time off for family things he is not going to be paid for all of those days.

Congratulations ladies, you have reached parity, you have attained your goal, you are now being treated exactly as your male counterparts would be treated given the same set of circumstances. This is what you have striven for, is it not? Hear you roar! Or is that...why are you crying? Isn’t this what you wanted?

No?

Welcome to the real world. Very often what we think we want and what we actually attain are two separate and sometimes diametrically opposed things.

In this particular case you are faced with a choice, as we all are. Either your kids are worth the sacrifice so you chose a decrease in pay later on in return for the rewards of watching them grow, or you accept what has traditionally been the male parents burden of missing out on everything while you try to make a living, only to wake up one day and realize this is the day you are to walk your daughter down the aisle; that she has grown up quite without your consent and you have missed the whole thing.

I completely agree with the notion that one parent should be a stay-at-home parent, studies have proven that kids who have a parent at home are going to do better in school which translates to doing better at life in general. Traditionally this role has been filled by the female parent, but more and more the roles are being reversed. Either way, one parent is going to watch the child grow and the other is going to miss quite a bit of it as they earn the family's daily bread. The bottom line is, nothing is free, all things have a price.

Take what you have paid for.

05 November 2014

Historical

So it was a pretty good election day for the Republicans, not so much for the Democrats.

The Republicans picked up eight seats in the Senate, sixteen additional House seats (18 new ones minus two losses), and added four new governors as well. When the new Congress is seated in January it will be firmly in Republican control once again. Time will tell if they have the sense to hold it this time.

Everyone is talking about that, but there are a few things that it seems no one is talking about. Historical things, things that are happening for the first time ever.

One of those things is the election of a black man from the South, Senator Elect Tim Scott. He is not the first black Senator from the South, there have been others that were appointed in the years following the Civil War, but he is the first one elected to his position.

In the Congress Utah now has a solid Republican bench, re-electing three and adding one, Mia Love, who becomes the first black Republican woman ever.

Elsewhere, in New York Elise Stefanik becomes the youngest woman Congressperson ever and Senator Elect Joni Ernst is the first woman veteran elected to the Senate, and with that my birth state of Iowa now has two Republican senators for the first time in as long as I can remember.

Not bad for a bunch of sexist racist mouth-breathing gun-toting sister-swapping rednecks (and those are some of the more polite names I have been called).



And on another note so long/good riddance to the junior Senator from North Carolina, Kay Hagen, who was unable to win over Republican Thom Tillis even though the Democrats poured more money into her re-election campaign than has ever been spent in any election anywhere in the US.

What makes this particularly special is...I don't even particularly like Thom Tillis, and neither do a great number of North Carolina gun owners who remember his duplicity in stalling gun related bills in the NC state house, but as long as he remembers to stay bought he should be OK.

And last but certainly not least, since it is November it is the month of Thanksgiving. In that spirit, I leave you with something to be thankful for, this month's ROTM.


26 October 2014

Reading Room

Old NFO has a new book out.

Get it for your kindle here, or if you prefer the hard copy, here.

25 October 2014

A Chill Is In The Air

As Autumn rolls in with its cool days and chilly nights it's getting about that time. Yes, you know what I mean...SOUP SEASON!

So without further ado, here is my recipe for stupid easy chicken corn chowder:

4-6 slices bacon
1 clove garlic, minced (I use the kind out of the jar. Stupid easy, remember?)
2 cans 12.5 oz chicken breast, drained
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 can 29 oz mixed vegetables, I use Allens Veg-All large cut homestyle veggies
1 can 15 oz whole kernel corn
2 cups heavy cream
Dash of nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Fry the bacon crisp in a 10" cast iron skillet. Remove from pan, leaving the grease. Saute the garlic in the bacon grease for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook it until it is hot and falls apart. Add the 1/2 cup flour and stir until the flour is completely mixed in and the liquid is absorbed.

Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and stir until smooth. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a soup pot. Add in the rest of the chicken broth, mixed vegetables and corn. Stir until smooth. On high heat bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent burning, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally.

Add the heavy cream and dash of nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix ingredients, then continue to simmer on low heat for 10-15, stirring occasionally, until heated clear through. Serve hot with biscuits.

19 October 2014

It's Official

This was waiting for me when I got home. I have been transferred from USN-FLTRES (Fleet Reserve) to the retired list, so when I sign my name USN-Ret. it's completely correct now.


I must admit that I am somewhat curious as to why it took so long to mail the certificate and letter to my house, but what the heck, it's done.

15 October 2014

Lets See How This Works Out

Youngest Son's biological father wants to contact him.

With his permission, I have passed on the phone number.

Youngest Son is upset that it has been 15 years. I told him that maybe it took that long for him to pull his head out of his ass and to be polite, respectful and give the man a chance to explain himself.

We will see what happens.

Last Port Of Call

Tomorrow we pick Pop up and take him to Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell FL, where he will rejoin his wife and his only child.

14 October 2014

Brief Interlude

We're having a bit of liquid sunshine here in the Sunshine State.

Grandson's football game is tonight. I sure hope the lightning goes away soon.

08 October 2014

A Ray of Sunshine

We have finally gotten everything clear to get Pop to the crematorium, we are waiting for the coroners signature and then we can finally lay him to rest. This has been more of a nightmare than this simple paragraph suggests, for a variety of reasons, but it is done now.

One of the things we had to deal with was a next of kin. Since Pop did not have a living will that we know of designating a next of kin we had to contact his sister out of state to make some phone calls and sign some papers. We have been searching for various papers at Pop's house as well, with varying results. We suspect that some of the papers were in a safe that is believed to have been stolen along with his household electronics.

But there is at least a little relief. It seems that one of Aunt D's many children was Pop's estate planner, and he called Eldest Daughter as soon as his mom told him the news. He has everything we need except the will, and he has verified that one was done after Mother In Law and Laura passed, so the executor of the estate is going to be either me or Eldest Daughter.

We have a safety deposit box key, and our hope is once we locate that box we will have located the will as well. That is my project for tomorrow.

I swear that I will not put my children through this. First thing when I get home I'm calling an estate planner and getting all my ducks in one row.

UPDATE: The safety deposit box is in the same branch of the bank he used there in town and Eldest Daughter is on the list to access it. I like easy.

04 October 2014

Passing

The inevitable has happened. Middle Daughter called early this morning with the news, Pop has passed without ever regaining consciousness following his stroke.

He was a heartbroken and weary man, when Mother In Law died it took his heart and when Laura died it took his soul. He is with them now, the two people in his life that really mattered to him; his heart is at rest and his soul is at peace.

Farewell John Donald Primavere, thank you for letting be a part of your life, if only for a little while.


02 October 2014

Fisher House

Reports of Pop's demise are somewhat exaggerated.

He is not well, he has suffered a stroke, but he has pulled back from death's door. Where it goes from here is anyone's guess.

So while he is in the hospital we are staying at the Fisher House right across the parking lot.






 This is a really nice place.

The story behind Fisher House is in 1990 Pauline Trost, wife of then CNO Admiral Carlisle Trost, approached Zachary Fisher with an idea to establish places for the families of veterans to stay while their vet was being treated on an inpatient basis at VA hospitals.

Zachary Fisher was a construction magnate who had a strong affinity for the military, even though he was medically disqualified from service himself. Most notably Zachary Fisher was instrumental in establishing the Intrepid Museum Foundation which resulted in the saving of that ship from the scrappers to be turned into a museum.

Being the patriot that he was, he and his wife Elizabeth wasted no time in founding the Fisher House Program, opening the first two Fisher Houses at Naval Medical Facility Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. At present there are 64 Fisher Houses at various locations, the newest one in Gainsville FL.


I will certainly be remembering their generosity.

Dying Of The Light

I got the call a little over an hour ago, Eldest Daughter is on her way to Gainsville. Pop (Laura's Dad) is in the hospital and not expected to last the night.

Pray not for recovery, but for an easy passage. Pop is a heartbroken and weary man, he has buried his wife and his only child and he deserves peace. He will not rage against the dying of the light. He will ask it why took so long.

Goodbye Pop. Say hello to my favorite mother-in-law.

And tell Laura I love her.

01 October 2014

La Belleza Pelirroja

Happy Autumn!

25 September 2014


19 September 2014

The Saga Continues

So in our last installment I mentioned the transmission whine. A look on the forums suggested that, given the symptoms, the problem was most likely the center drive bearings.

Center drive is AWD speak for transfer case. The center drive is basically a limited slip differential with a viscous coupler that is driven on one side by the transmission and on the other side it drives the rear wheels. Under normal operations everything turns at the same speed, but in corners it allows the wheels to turn different speeds.

Like when you are pulling into a parking spot, for instance.

Fortunately you can dig into the center drive without pulling the transmission, it's about a two to three hour process to do so but it's not difficult. So I broke out the took set and pulled the tailshaft cover off of the transmission to check the bearings and sure enough I found two of them to be bad.

But wait, there's more.

Not only were two of the bearings bad, the center differential has come apart as well...which means it has gone bad, too, which is why I was getting the clunk in the front end during the tight turns. With the center diff locked up as it was the car is basically a 4WD instead of AWD, which is why on dry pavement the front tires would slip and cause the clunking noise.

Not struts.
Not driveshafts.
Not wheel bearings.
Oh no, that would be too easy and cheap.

Yeah...that's a $500+ part...but fortunately I found it for $411 shipped.

Looks like it will go back together next week then.

I did dodge one bullet, though, in that I didn't drive the truck too long after the clunking had stopped (the clunking stopped when the center differential viscous clutch came apart. At that point the center differential was no longer locked up and the rear wheels were no longer being driven at full power). It seems that generally when the snap ring comes off the center diff (which is what happened) it usually gets sucked into the gears. Because I didn't drive the truck very far in that condition, the gears were spared.

If they hadn't been, this might be a shorter story.

14 September 2014

One Damn Thing After Another

Eldest Son has been driving the Baja for a little over a month now, he took it to Florida and then he's been driving it back and forth to work since he moved back in. This weekend he got himself a little Honda to drive so I get my scoobytruck back. This is good because winter is coming and the Mustang is more of a fair weather friend.

Last weekend he changed out the front struts in the latest attempt to eliminate the front end clunk that first we thought were drive axles and then we thought were wheel bearings.  I took it down to get the alignment done and noticed that it has developed a gear whine in the final drive. I put that in the "deal with it later" category and took it on in to the alignment shop.

When it came down from the rack the machine showed everything (except the right rear where there is no adjustment) is straight, but it pulled to the right. I checked the tire pressure and the right tire was low. So, I fired up the air compressor and topped off the tire pressures all the way around and took it down the road to check it out.

Nope, still pulls to the right darn it, so at the end of the road I crank the wheels hard left to turn around...and all of a sudden now it pulls to the left.

?

When I got to the next intersection I cranked the wheels hard right and brought it about, and then it pulled to the right again but not as hard. Back to the turnaround, hard to the left, and the pull is completely gone now.

Back to the house, up on the jackstands, and check every bolt. Everything is nice and tight, the clunk is gone and the truck tracks straight and true with no pull. All's well that ends well, I guess everything just needed to be settled into place or something.

And now for that gear whine. Eldest Son didn't notice it at all, which suggests that it came about slowly as he drove it for the past month...slowly enough that he didn't identify it as something new. Since I hadn't driven it in over a month I noticed it right away.

The forums (not only is there a forum for the Baja, but there is a book of faces for it, too. Scary right?) suggest the whine may be coming from either the center drive (where the front axles connect) or transfer case bearings. There are detailed instructions on how to change out these four bearings. It looks like a PITA and I really don't want to do it, but it needs to be done.

Fortunately the forums also say it's not something that has to be done immediately, so I can hold off a while doing it until I can build up the car fixing fund again. It will have to be built up quite a bit because the Mustang is going to need another set of $1200 tires soon. I've gotten about 35K out of this set and I hope to get another couple of months out of them at least. Either way the Continentals have outlasted both sets of Pirellis so I'm happy with them and will certainly replace them with another set.

Several sayings about things with wheels come to mind...none of which are polite enough to share.

13 September 2014

Additions

Not a Brick in the Wall, added to the Morons of the HQ Kind Blogroll.

For better or for worse...

12 September 2014

A Day In Review

Pig for breakfast, pig for lunch and pig for dinner.

New rotors on the Mustang to get rid of the shake n' brake, and new pads because new rotors. Next payday I'll get the back rotors and the proper caliper compressor and do the back brakes.

Eldest Son got a car today, a 2000 Honda Accord, nice little car. The first place he took it, literally straight from the license plate office, was to work. Gotta make those payments, you know.

That means he will stop driving the Subaru, so I'll be getting it lined back up (we changed the front struts last weekend) and then I'll start driving it to work again. You know, to keep the miles off of the Mustang. Because that's worked so well for me so far.

And that was it.

You can live your life in fear or you can live your life in defiance. Make your choice.

11 September 2014

10 September 2014

Hey, Range Partner!

This Jones fellow, he sounds like a sensible sort of person.

This Womack guy sounds like he might have a clue or two as well.

How do I get them to move up here closer to the Refuge?

If we had folks like that here in Franklin County maybe that new range would have opened up here instead of over in Nash County.

And if flies carried .45's...

08 September 2014

Brought To You

by the War on Certain Drugs and exacerbated by the anti-Patriot Act: wholesale violation of your fourth amendment rights!

Libertarians have long gotten to be the butt of jokes because they argue against the drug war, and I have often said they are approaching it from the wrong angle. The problem isn't so much that you have the right to put various toxic substances into your body - you do -  the problem is the extremes to which authoritarian totalitarians are willing to go to in order to prevent you from doing so.

And once you get the nod for extremism against one thing that makes you feel ooky the door is wide open to do the same thing to other things you find ooky...like that pesky second amendment thing, or the belief that you actually have the right to keep some of your own money.

Note to Deputy Ron Hain of Kane County IL, your advocacy of “turning our police forces into present-day Robin Hoods” is fallacious at it's core.

Robin Hood, so the story goes, fought illegal seizure of the populace's money and goods by a government out of control. Today's police forces are being turned into a very stark example of that out of control government.

In other words, they are turning into the Sheriff of Nottingham.

But hey, if you aren't doing anything wrong...

04 September 2014

September

and my first day off of the month, my joy knows no bounds.

So first, some admin stuff, which starts out with a story. Today walking out of the building when I got off work I spied a co-worker who I had not seen for a while. I mentioned this and he said he had been out just a few days shy of six months.

With prostate cancer.

I mentioned that September is prostate cancer awareness month, and if I wasn't at work that I would be wearing a kilt to commemorate it. He laughed at that and said he had no need to wear a kilt now.

This story fortunately has a happy ending, they caught it in time and he is going to be fine, but there were some ominous shadows in the story...starting with the one where he had to go to two different urologists and insist on having his prostate checked the old fashioned way before they finally caught it.

The first urologist didn't  have the slightest clue what the problem was and the second diagnosed an enlarged prostate and wanted to just cut it up a bit, which very likely would have ended up in the cancer spreading instead of being caught. If you didn't get slightly bug-eyed at that you aren't paying attention.

Statistically speaking prostate cancer is as easy to treat, and as survivable, as breast cancer. The problem is catching it in time, and since most men are a little leery of the finger they may not be so eager to get checked. Not to worry though, it's not all bad. The recommended check used to be annually and digitally (and no, this doesn't mean by using a camera or a computer), now it is every two years by blood test. If you are over 50, or if you are in an increased risk group, it's worth the effort.




One in seven. Get checked. The kilt is on and the hot button is on the sidebar.

Me and Sis, breast cancer survivor


In commemoration of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and in view of the Kilted to Kick Cancer campaign, this month's redhead shares the stage with three other kilted lassies. Sorry for the poor picture, it's the best one I had to pick from. I really should have gotten a better one of her, but they all had to go back to work.


And last but not least, twenty eight years ago tomorrow I got a telegram. I was on the ship and a long way from home, and even though the news was expected it still came as a shock to this 20 year old sailor boy. It was that day that I realized that I would have to kill every male child on the planet.

Happy Birthday Youngest Daughter!

And with that, it's off to bed.

21 August 2014

11 August 2014

Stones or Stupid

The definition of which I leave up to you, the reader. It's either one or the other.

03 August 2014

Yep

By way of Guffaw I found this article which I was reading to Eldest Son.

When I got to the end of the fourth paragraph, where it says "When they got here and found work, in the main, they taught their kids to be thankful for America and they raised their kids to be good citizens. That’s not what we are dealing with today" Eldest Son, who is not noted for his tact or political correctness, said "No, they're coming here now to suck the welfare donkey's d**k."

The statement was simultaneously crudely vulgar and yet completely correct.

If there weren't already lots of good reasons for me going to Hell, laughing at that would probably do it.

02 August 2014

Quick!

Before gfa gets here!


*whew* that was close...

48

Yay me.

So I got myself this. You should get one, too.

ADD: Oh, and look...Feral Irishman got me something, too! (deliciously NSFW)

20 July 2014

So Long Jim

James Garner has passed at the age of 86.

I remember him from The Rockford Files, but I think my favorite of his movies was Space Cowboys.

19 July 2014

Vampire Books

The Tome of Bill.

Man, that's some funny stuff.

18 July 2014

Hey! There's A Bandwagon!

I have a range session next weekend, so I'm going out to shoot at least two of the 5 most dangerous guns in America, maybe more if things work out well.

First up, since it will be the inaugural run of the Sig, I'm going to shoot the first most dangerous gun in America, the pistol. I will go so far as to bring my Glocks to play, so two of the three of the pistols I shoot will be Glocks. This will pretty well coincide with the articles statement that "65 percent of the market share of handguns for United States law enforcement agencies" is filled by Glock, even though neither one of mine to the best of my knowledge was ever used by any law enforcement agency...but the Sig was.

If Range Partner brings his Alaskan I might even shoot the second most dangerous gun in America, the revolver. I'm only going to shoot it once, though, because a .454 Casull in that short frame really hurts to shoot. That's why he says he carries it, he only wants to have to shoot it once. After all, if I'm going to shoot a dangerous gun it might as well be a really dangerous gun.

I'll probably bring at least one of the long guns out of the safe, so I'm certain that I'll put a few rounds through the third most dangerous gun in America, the rifle. The only question is, which one? I haven't brought the Nazi killer out to play lately, so maybe there's a fireball in my future. That should amp the danger meter up some.

Next, perhaps I'll drag the EBS out for some fun and games so that I can shoot the fourth most dangerous gun in America, the shotgun. It's been a while since I've put anything through it, so maybe it's due. Also I need some more/better pictures of it in its current configuration, so it has to come out of the safe anyway. Since it was built with the specific purpose of scaring the gun grabbers it definitely belongs on the dangerous list.

Unfortunately neither one of us has a derringer, so I won't be shooting the fifth most dangerous gun in America.

And now I'm going to get something to try to wash away the memory of reading that article. The things I do for cheap hits...

Windoze

I did get that motherboard installed in the dearly departed Acer, but the electron gods spit in my eye (at least I hope it was just spit) and when I tried to fire it up nothing at all worked. So I boxed it all up, bought a new laptop and forgot about it. The only thing I really missed about the old Acer was the built-in camera that could be turned to face away and the non-Windoze 8 OS.

Eldest Boy was looking for a laptop so I handed him the box full of Acer parts and told him have at it, he was going to take it to a computer guru he knows to see if life could be breathed into the old girl. As it works the computer guru was indeed able to resurrect the Acer and now it soldiers on...with Windoze 8, even though my brand new copy of Windoze 7 was in the box.

So I told Eldest Boy if Computer Guru wasn't going to put 7 on the Acer I wanted the disk back, after all I paid good money for it. He brought it back and now it sits on my desk as I contemplate. I'd have to pull the hard drive out and plug it into my adapter on the desktop to wipe it, but I'm seriously considering putting 7 on the laptop. If it annoys me any more I just might do it.

16 July 2014

Justice

I do not think this word means what you think it means.

Family court is like one of those daytime hatefest shows (Springer, Povich, etc). If you are male you don't want to be anywhere near it.

I'm seriously glad I'm out of the kid raising business. If I were in my 20's right now and faced with the possibility of raising teenage girls I'd castrate myself and join the monastery.

I can't count the number of times one of our sailors would find out he was getting divorced (not always due to his own actions, but to be fair not always not either) and then get hit with a child endangerment charge as well just as an added "f**k you" to keep him away from his kids. Most of them had the "wink wink nudge nudge" implication that if he didn't contest the divorce/custody hearing that charge would quietly go away.

One of them told me once upon a time that when he heard all the things he was supposed to have done he cursed himself for a perverted sonofabitch, so he knew he didn't have a chance but to let her have everything she wanted - and he had all boy children. Talk about rape-rape, he really got his ass handed to him in divorce court.

And it happened all the time.

Makes me wonder how we are even able to propagate the species.

As an aside, I'll spare you the rant on "blaming the victim" here.

12 July 2014

On The Reading List

So I bought this for myself on the 4th of July to have and to hold on the Kindle list.

At the same time I got this one.

The first thing I'm going to do is be blasphemous and say I overpaid for both of them. Principles of Personal Defense is exceedingly good in its explanation of the mindset one should adopt regardless of weapon choice but at 80 pages isn't worth the ten bucks it sells for. To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth is chock full of good bits but tends to ramble a bit towards the end of each section as the subject gives way to short personal stories.

With that said, they are good books and should be read by all who have a passing regard for firearms and 2A matters.

I also come away with the impression that the good LCOL was exceedingly fond of the M1911 and God's Own Caliber and h8ses the 9mm like mayonnaise on hamburgers.

11 July 2014

Her Friends

must really be smokin'.

Seriously, they must be so blazing hot they melt camera lenses, which would explain why we have never seen pictures of them.

I guess we'll just have to make do with second best then.


05 July 2014

Why Why Why

As is my wont, now that I actually own a Sig P220 I'm doing a bit of research on it. So why would I do my research afterwards instead of before? That's one of life's little mysteries, isn't it. At any rate, I've lost track of the number of "ur gun sux get m&p with apex trigger" comments.

My question has to do with the latter part of that comment...the part about "with apex trigger".

I don't own an M&P, and in fact I haven't ever shot one, but from everything I've heard they are good guns. I just don't see the point of buying one that I have to modify right out of the box to make it acceptable. What's so great about a gun you have to immediately modify in order to make it worth a damn?

The same question applies to Ruger 10/22 fans, by the way.

03 July 2014

Happy Day

Payday, and now that the bills are all settled and the dust has cleared I'm broke again.

For various definitions of broke, I guess...I'm doing pretty well, all things considered; the cars all have gas, my pantry is well stocked, my utilities are still on and the bank isn't throwing me out of my house. I just don't have as much free cash as I'd like to have.

It's all my own damn fault, though.


The book came in Tuesday and I haven't had a chance to read any of it since I've been working. I plan on rectifying that situation this weekend. The Sig was acquired a couple of hours ago on the side of the road in a deal which I'm sure would have appeared very suspicious if the seller had not been in a blue and white Charger. I only say this to make the anti-gunners cringe.

I admit I really didn't need the Sig, but it was literally an offer that I could not refuse. It was a duty weapon for a local PD; when they traded weapons out one of the neighboring city policemen bought it, about the same time his baby girl was born, and then realized he could only afford one. He sold it to me, with the three magazines, at his cost, which was a very attractive price to say the least. Let's just say I paid more for each of the Glocks than I did for the Sig and leave it at that.

It's a P220 chambered in God's Own Caliber, no rails as you can see, so it's a base model not the P220R. It does, however, have the night sights installed so that's nice. The outside of the barrel shows some signs of wear but the rifling is nice and crisp, and the best thing about it is, since it's DA/SA, I can put a snap cap in it and dry-fire to my heart's content without having to stop and reset the trigger. I've slacked off on my dry-firing just because the Glock has to have its trigger reset between pulls and it broke my concentration to have to do that. Now that excuse is gone.


It's a bit bigger than the Glocks, but not really as much as I had feared. It's longer of course, but the biggest difference in the way it feels is in the shape of the grip. The Glocks seem to have a more pronounced bulge further up the grip at the back than the Sig does, the 36 has a bigger bulge than the 19. The grip really isn't that much longer than the G-19, and the G-36 is actually a bit longer with the extended magazine installed.

I can actually wrap my hands around the Sig better than I can either of the Glocks, and the Sig has an 8 round magazine instead of the 6+1 of the G-36, so now I can carry 25 rounds (3x8 plus one in the pipe) instead of 22 (3x7+1). I don't know if those extra 3 rounds will ever make a difference...I hope to never have to find out...but I guess it's better to have them than not.


One thing the Sig is not, is combat Tupperware. The frame is aluminum instead of polymer, I don't know how much difference that is going to make in recoil but I do know that the magazines are easier to eject from the Sig than they are for the G-36 (but about the same for the G-19). I still have to hold the muzzle with my left hand so I can turn my right hand enough to hit the magazine release, but I don't have to pull the heel of my hand away from the magazine to let it fall.


I had a tough time finding a holster locally for the Sig, it looks like I'll have to order online to get another one for it. For now I'm using a Bianchi Minimalist, I'd like to have more coverage on the trigger but that's about the only thing I could find right away to fit it. I'll probably opt for a custom holster for it, I hear tell of a few places where I might could have one made.

I do like the way this Sig fits my hand, and I can't wait to see how it shoots.

UPDATE: Bonus! The Sig fits the Galco Tuck n' Go that I have, but not the Stow n' Go. Kind of odd since both of them were purchased for the same gun (the Glock 36, although the G-19 fits both of them as well). It's a little tight but it works pretty well. That means now I have a holster I can remove when I need to, it covers the trigger better, and it rides a little lower as well which means it's more comfortable to carry. I haven't been using the Tuck n' Go lately so it looks like it belongs to the Sig now.

July ROTM

I have been working all week so I didn't get a chance to put this up earlier. It amused me this month while perusing the web for suitable images that so many of them looked familiar...because they were links to this site, particularly the ROTM posts. Ah, what price fame...

At any rate, and without further ado, I give you the Redhead of the Month for July, the lovely Kimber Lee:


Happy 4th of July everyone!

25 June 2014

Reading From the Same Playbook

 Now the EPA has also lost emails due to hard drive crashes?



Someone please tell me what brand of hard drive the .gov is using...so I can put all the evidence on one.

20 June 2014

Range Day AAR

I got the G-19 sighted in, barely. Of course I left the handy dandy Glock tool at home so I had to use a knife blade to adjust it. It will now shoot bullseye from a bench rest.

I, however, still suck at shooting it.

First things first, Youngest Son and I tried the Battleship targets at 50 yards with the Marlins first, but my old eyes wouldn't let me line up properly (I was using the 795 with iron sights, Youngest Boy was using the Model 60 with the scope) so we pulled them back to 25 yards. After going through a full box of .22LR (325 rounds) neither of us had won but I was closer.

Next I put a few rounds through the Arisaka and the Mossberg at 100 yards while Youngest Son peppered a zombie clown target with the Saiga. The Arisaka is still a handful, it groups in a 5" circle at 100 yards but I'm pretty certain that most of the problem is me since I'm not using a bipod with it.

The Mossberg shoots 1.5 MOA at 100 from the bipod and it likes 51 grains of IMR 4064 with its 165 grain Hornady SST's. I've heard that a Boyds wooden stock will bring the groups down to sub-MOA but 1.5 is still minute of Bambi so I'm satisfied with it.

After that Range Partner and I tried out the Battleship targets. RP won, finally, after we had gone through all the 9mm I brought (should have brought more since I was sighting the 9mm in, along with the tool...but I digress) and then switched to the G-36...and then went through all but 4 rounds of all the .45ACP that I brought.

It was pretty glaringly obvious that we both needed the practice, and I'm somewhat concerned that the G19 needed so much adjustment with its sights. Maybe a new barrel would set it right, irritating with a new gun but it puts holes where its pointed now so it's all good. Best of all was the stress reduction achieved through recoil therapy, I think that was probably needed more than the practice.

Mexican for lunch, inspection and tag renewal for the Pony and lawn mowing followed, and now I'm in skating ring hell as Boy shmoozes the chicks.

Eh. Life could be worse.

19 June 2014

Sights, PT 2

Installing Glock sights on a Glock is simplicity itself. Drive the old ones off, drive the new ones on, no muss no fuss.

In fact, the hardest part to installing the sights was finding a brass punch. I never did find one, but the local craft store had brass shapes that were suitable for cutting up to use as punches.

The guns are cased and ready to be put in the car tomorrow, I'll be sighting in the G-19 and trying my reloads out in the Mossy 30-06. I'm also taking along some of the toys I haven't played with in a while.

A day at the range is always a good day.

14 June 2014

Sights

I just ordered a set of adjustable rear sights for the Glock 19, I'm hoping that I can get the POA and POI to intersect. They should be here next week, I should be able to get them installed pretty quickly and then it's off to the range on Friday to dial them in.

AAR will occur...after.

13 June 2014

This Just In

This sauce makes a pretty good marinade for deer meat.

11 June 2014

Good Lord

Can somebody please explain to me what it was that Miss Nevada/Miss USA said that was so damn controversial? Sounds to me like she's got her gray matter in place and fully engaged.

08 June 2014

Party Time!

The company I work for had a summer picnic on Friday, and the best part was I got paid to be there (I was on the medical response team, fortunately we had no customers).

Here's a little taste of what we saw:

 Acrobats

 and sand castles

 and FOOOD!!!

 and bouncy houses


 and pretty girls on stilts

 and water baloons

and henna tattoos

 and rock wall climbing


and lights.

All in all, it was a pretty good time.

07 June 2014

Breakfast

Sausage gravy and biscuits, mmm...and so easy to make, too.

1 lb sausage
Flour
Milk
Salt and pepper

Notice there are no quantities listed for flour and milk. This is one of those things that you have to play by ear, so to speak. I use a 10" cast iron skillet to make this.

First, fry the sausage up, crumbling it as you cook it. When it is done clear through, stir in flour one heaping spoonful at a time (I use a serving spoon, just like my mother used to use) until the grease is all absorbed. Be careful not to put too much flour in, you want the mixture to be moist.

Stirring constantly, add milk until you get to the desired consistency. You will probably have to add more milk as the mixture cooks down because it will thicken as it heats. Cook until it is warmed clear through. Salt and pepper to taste (I also add a couple of turns of the Italian herb spice weasel).

Serve over freshly baked biscuits. (I cheat and use wompum biscuits...those are the kind where you peel the label and wompum on the counter...)

06 June 2014

Today In History

1942: The US Navy's Battle of Midway winds down as surface fleet combatants move to disengage, the Japanese lost four carriers to the American's one. Yorktown was under tow on the 6th, expected to once again be salvaged, when she was discovered and attacked by a Japanese submarine; she was lost early the 7th.

As the Navy's battle wound down the Marine's battle was just beginning; Marine air elements began to engage the remnants of the Japanese fleet on the 6th. These battles were the first large-scale Allied victories against the Japanese juggernaut and although hard fighting was yet ahead they signaled the beginning of the end of Japanese dominance in the Pacific.

1944: D Day invasion of France at Normandy; the allies landed on Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches beginning at 6:30 AM, establishing beach-heads for continued operations and sustaining 4,414 casualties by the days end. This is the largest amphibious operation in history to date, and if God is merciful it will be the largest one ever.

Every day we lose more and more of these men, and the world is left poorer by their passing.

And finally, I would be remiss at this time if I did not acknowledge the last of the Navajo code-talkers, Chester Nez, who passed on the 4th at the age of 93. Well done Marine, Semper Fi.

04 June 2014

Four

Yesterday. Doesn't seem like it was that long ago.

01 June 2014

June

First month of summer, and a new ROTM.

For your consideration:

Analeigh Tipton.

Happy First Month of Summer!

29 May 2014

Time



Twenty years ago today my first redhead was taken from this world by cervical cancer.*

I didn't deserve her for the short time I had her, and like a fool I walked away from her. This was long before her death, more than 10 years in fact. We were still in high school when I decided I didn't want to be "tied down" and I have since had plenty of time to regret that decision.

Today I remember her. Perhaps I will get the chance in the next life to admit to her what I never could in this one.

RIP Leonaye A. Bulger, 10 May 1966 - 31 May 1994

*I hate this disease. Damn I'm hard on my redheads, if the good Lord ever grants me another I will endeavor to take better care of her.

26 May 2014

25 May 2014

Aaaand...we're back

Home again, home again, after our little trip. Almost 3700 miles, average 24MPG with the top down on the highway in most cases, two graduations, a funeral (Brother In Law's father passed while we were there) and a wedding (Eldest Sister, much to my mother's consternation as she doesn't care much for her new son-in-law).

We got back home last night a little after 11 PM. Eldest Son took good care of the dog in my absence, but he was glad to see me anyway. It was really good to climb into my own bed last night as well.

Late this morning I rode my lawn mower around the Field of Dandelions (otherwise known as my yard) which I'm sure made my neighbors happy as it was rather...overgrown. This exercise revealed my need for a new lawn mower battery and sharpened blades as I had to use the battery charger to start the mower and the grass wasn't so much cut as it was beaten into submission.

Back to work tonight.

23 May 2014

Apparently

some people consider this to be humorous.



I think they're just mocking me. Because they're jealous.

In the Oven

Strawberry cream pie for Niece and a plain cheesecake for another niece's boyfriend (it's his birthday).

For the strawberry cream pie, use the glazed apple pie recipe for the cream and then substitute the following for the apple filling:

2 lbs strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup sugar
2 T flour

First cut the strawberries up and combine with the sugar and flour, mix well. Now make your cream filling as directed and put it in the bottom of your prepared pie crust. Mix the strawberries up again very well, by now the flour and sugar have mixed with the strawberry juice to make a syrup and you want all of the strawberries to be well coated with it. Pour this in your crust over the cream, put your top crust on and bake as directed. Let it cool for an hour and a half, mix up the glaze, pour it on the top and then refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting into pieces.

Niece has to go to work tonight and has threatened death and destruction on anyone who touches her pie before she gets home. I believe her, too.

20 May 2014

Once Again

I like open carry. I'm an open carry advocate, although I'm not rabid about it. I belong to a group here in the greater Raleigh area that goes to different places for lunch while open carrying. Our goal is to show the normal folks that we are more like them than the nuts they see on the TV.

Chipolte restaurants recently became the latest battleground on the War on Guns, and as is typical once the jackasses got wind of it they thought it would be a good idea to bring their Evil Black Rifles in to, I don't know, "make a statement" or some such bullshit as that. (I have been informed that there was no organized response, it was a photo taken while having an after-event meal that the antis jumped on and another completely unrelated photo that they astroturfed on to increase the visibility.)

Chipolte has now "made a statement" and that statement is, don't take your guns to town.

It would serve our cause much better when the antis pick the next battleground (as they have picked Starbucks and now Chipoltes) and the business in question says they will follow state law, to just say "thank you," perhaps with a nice letter to Corporate, and let it go at that. Leave the EBRs at home, don't bother the individual storefronts with our "show of support" (the exception would be to have a quiet word of support for the manager of any store that is besieged with antis), and most of all...DO NOT ENGAGE ON A BATTLEFIELD OF THEIR CHOOSING (please do take the time to notice very carefully where that last link points. It was deliberately picked. Know your enemy).

 We may be winning the legislative war so far, but the activists will always win the PR battle if we choose to engage them on their own ground. Let the public see them acting like nuts, not us, is what I say. I'll carry the Glock in a holster on my hip in plain view, but I haven't ever run into a situation where I've said "Man, it sure would have been handy to have that Saiga with me." (Yes, yes, I know, a pistol is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle you shouldn't have left behind in the first place, but seriously folks, the biggest point of risk assessment is determining likelihood and in my mind the risk of alienating the public on an otherwise unremarkable day is far far greater than the risk that I will have to engage zombies at range on the same unremarkable day.)

Starbucks and Chipoltes, all they wanted to do was run restaurants, but we...yes WE...allowed ourselves to get carried away and now both of those places have decided they don't want our business. Boycott if you like but given the numbers I don't think there is much danger of them folding, and keep in mind our goal is not to alienate John and Jane Public, it's to show them we're not rabid foaming at the mouth lunatics. What do you think they think of us now?

Nice job jackasses. I guess it stops when every business in America posts signs to leave the guns outside.

19 May 2014

Rest Day

Two graduations and two graduation receptions, followed by a night out with Brother.

I think I'm going to do nothing today. I expect it to take all day, so I'd better get started on it.

Note to my children: don't let your uncle get your cell phone if you have the Book of Faces app on it.

17 May 2014

On The Side

My mother makes this and it's great, so I really have to try making this for myself.

1 can cream style corn
1 cup dry macaroni
1 stick margarine/butter
1 can whole kernel corn
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and pour into greased baking dish. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring several times. Remove lid for the last 15 minutes to let brown.

This can also be cooked in a crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.