Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a fairly easy recipe, and I've cooked tons of it over my lifetime.  Like any good cajun dish, it's fast, simple, and feeds a lot of bellies.  Tonight, a pictoral on how to cook cajun jambalaya.  I'll caution you, though that there are as many recipes as there are cooks.  You can add a brown gravy and make a brown jambalaya, you can add a tomato liquid and make a red jambalaya.  You can add chicken broth and make a white jambalaya.  Mine is white.

Ingredients

1 chicken, cooked and deboned.  (I used a rotisserie chicken from the local grocery)
1 medium onion, chopped.
2 nice bell peppers, chopped.
1 lb good smoked sausage
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
Water.

Chop your veggies and debone the chicken.  Cut your sausage into slices.  Take out a cast iron pot, add a little vegetable oil and sautee the onions, bell pepper, and sausage until the onion and bell pepper are tender.

Onions, bell peppers and sausage sauteeing in the large black iron pot.

When the veggies are tender, add the chicken and sautee for a few minutes.

Chicken in the pot.  That's looking good, we'll stir it every few minutes and open a cold beer.

Next, open that can of Rotel tomatoes.  Pour it in the pot, with all the juice.

Rotel tomatoes in the pot.  That's looking good, and those onions, pepper, sausage and chicken are still cooking.  The kitchen is starting to smell wonderful.  Now we'll add the rice.

Two cups of rice.  Stir that in, and we'll open the chicken broth.

We've added the can of chicken broth and just enough water so that the rice has enough liquid to get tender.
Now, we'll put that in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.  In the meantime we'll open another beer and go see how Milady's day went.  In a half-hour, or when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, we'll pull it out of the oven.

Here's what it looks like out of the oven.  Chicken and sausage jambalaya.  It's what's for supper.

Shutdown!

The news today is All Shutdown, All The Time, and everyone is in a tizzy over the possibility that the Fed.gov might be in a panic tomorrow.

I don't care what they do about ObamaCare as long as it doesn't hurt Republican chances in the next election cycle.  I can see that Harry Reid is being intransigent and has no interest in negotiating.  The House gets a deal passed, then Harry nixes it.  Whatever.  We're in political brinksmanship and while I don't trust the Democrats, the Republicans aren't covering themselves in glory either.  The president has said that he'll veto anything that damages ObamaCare, and Harry is carrying his water so that he doesn't have to veto anything.  It's almost like you can see the string

We're screwed, hopelessly screwed, and at this point, having the government shut down seems more like a feature than a bug.  Why the Democrats ever appointed Harry Reid as Majority Leader is beyond me, but I have to admit that he's sure been earning his pay lately.  The man is very good at promoting the Democratic agenda.  So, if Harry isn't willing to negotiate, let it shut down.

The Turkey Shoot

Some pictures from the Turkey Shoot we had at the church on Saturday.

Church member Dusty, helping his daughter with an H&R .410 shotgun

Grandson Quinto posting targets downrange

The scoring crew sharing a laugh.

Grandson Zachary waiting his turn to to shoot.  He won first place in the youth division.

Milady herself lining up with her Stevens .410 pump shotgun.  Her father bought that for her when she was a young'um and she's proud of that shotgun.

We had a great time, made some money for the Mission Fund, and had a wonderful fellowship.  We wish y'all had been there.  You'll notice in the pictures above, everyone is wearing hearing protection.  PawPaw buys a lot of earplugs.

Rainy Days and Good Meals.

It started raining this morning during church services and has rained sporadically all day long.  just a slow, soaking drizzle, but that's what we need.  Milady has been craving a beef stew and today seemed a perfect time to make one.  She actually started it last night, putting the stew meat into a slow cooker with brown gravy to simmer all night.  This morning, she put it in a larger pot on the stove and added carrots, potatoes, and seasonings.

After church we made a pot of rice and served our normal Sunday crowd for lunch.  The stew was a hit on a cool, damp day and I'm not burdened by leftovers.  Milady made brown-and-serve rolls to go with the stew and I believe one of the grandsons took the last roll and "sopped" the pot.  Clean up was easy.

I've been a fan of one pot meals all my life.  Soups, stews, gumbos are favorites, as are other recipes that stand alone, like jambalaya, a rice dish that stands alone.  Most jambalaya recipes call for shrimp, but that's not necessary.  My favorite is cottontail rabbit and sausage, a game dish that stands up well..

Here in Louisiana we have a dish we call Dirty Rice, which can be served as a side dish, or an entree.  Heck, it's easy, so I may as well give you the recipe.  One caveat.  I never talk about salt and pepper.  If you think you need salt and pepper, add some.

Dirty Rice

1 lb hamburger meat
1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 stick of celery
1 box of chicken stock
3 cups uncooked white rice.

Prep

Preheat oven to 350F
Chop onion, bell pepper, and celery
In a large black pot, brown the hamburger and the sausage. add the vegetables and cook until the onion is tender.  Drain the meat/veggie mixture.
Return meat/veggie mixture to the black pot.
Add chicken stock and rice.
Add water until the liquid covers everything, plus a little, put a lid on the pot and put it in the pre-heated oven.
Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. About 45 minutes.

My recipe will serve eight or nine hungry folks, more people if you make a nice salad and some garlic bread.

Bon apetit.

Sunday Morning Dawg

We spent much of yesterday watching football, primarily the LSU-UGA game. (Which LSU lost in the last two minutes.) The dog lay on the floor beside us, watching TV with us.

.I don't know how he sees that all that hair in his face, but my Daddy couldn't understand how I could see with all that hair in my face.  I guess it's about time to get the dog clipped.

Cleaning the Wallet

I just spent a few minutes cleaning out my wallet.  It's amazing how much stuff winds up in the bit of cowhide a man carries in his pocket.  I bet I took a half-inch off the size of that thing.

I'm about to load the truck with all the plunder that I'll need to hold the Turkey Shoot at the church.  We begin promptly at 1:00 local.  If anyone is in the area, come by and take a chance to win a turkey.  You don't even need a shotgun, I'll have loaners there for anyone's use.  All benefits to help our Mission Fund.

Cactus Pete and Lefty

Having a Friday afternoon cocktail with Milady, she reminded me of Ray Stevens song, Cactus Pete and Lefty.



"Calm down, ain't no church mice.  Just talking about church mice."

That boy ain't got no sense.

The Drinking Age

Instapundit links to an article over at College Insurrection, where a Yale student argues that the federal 21 year-old drinking age should be lowered.

I was one of the young students who first marched, signed petitions, and generally raised hell to get the voting age, and the drinking age lowered to 18.  Members of our generation thought that if we could be drafted and sent to Vietnam, then we should be able to vote, enter into contracts, and get a beer at the local bar.  I still feel that way, and think that the current 21 year age is a grave disservice to our young men and women.

Insty says: 

I strongly recommend that the GOP get behind defederalizing the drinking age. Not only is it the right thing to do — the federal 21-year-old drinking age was a dumb idea of Liddy Dole’s and never should have been enacted into law — but it would help them with the youth vote. Seems like a natural issue for, say, Rand Paul, but any of the new Tea Party crowd in the Senate could run with this.

I recommend that all the 18-20 crowd run with this.  Call your Congress-critters, raise hell, write letters and sign petitions.  Let your voices be heard.

Exactly

Day by Day is a daily read, and today, he makes the point that chivalry is a credo that required as much from women as from men.

If you want to be treated like a lady, act like a lady.  Chivalrous men will respond in kind.  It's a point that Instapundit makes frequently, and it's one that I stress in all my relationships.

Chivalry isn't about opening doors.

Farmer's Sucks

Yeah, Farmer's Insurance.

I've been a Farmer's customer for many years, with both auto and homeowner's policies.  Never made a claim that I can recall, but nonetheless, Farmer's decided to quit doing business in the state of Louisiana, and sometime this spring told me that my policies would not be renewed.  So, I went looking for insurance and found auto insurance with another national carrier.  Got it done, then told Farmer's that we were through.  Went through their paperwork drill, and thought that was that.

Not so fast, slick.  Farmer's is just getting started.  I got a bill, laughed and threw it away.  They told me they wouldn't renew, so I didn't owe them anything.  Then I GOT A REFUND CHECK from them, in about the same amount as the bill that I discarded.  Then, about two weeks later, I got a notice from a collection agency.  So, I called the nice lady at Farmer's.  She told me she'd check and she did and told me that I had not two, but four policies with Farmer's and that I had only cancelled the one, and that I still owed them money on the others.  So, I reminded her that I had cancelled all my auto insurance, and that I only had homeowners, which is set to expire on September 27th.  Then the nice lady told me that I could either pay the money or sue the company.

Nice way to deal with people, and the money they wanted was a piddling amount, so I sent Farmer's a check, and wrote an amusing letter to management where I used phrases like "fresh hell" and "REFUND CHECK".  I got a nice emal from the company telling me that my concerns had been forwarded to an accounts specialist and that they'd be looking into it.

Imagine my amusement when I opened the mail earlier this week and found another bill from Farmer's.  It seems that when they cancelled my auto policies, I no longer qualified for a multi-policy discount, because I now only had one policy with them.  They threatened to send me to a collection agency, and I wrote them another check for about $55.00 and mailed it with another amusing letter, using words like cold-hearted and 'penny pinching".  Hopefully, they'll get the idea.

We love Farmers, dumb, dumb dumb dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.



Talk to Farmer's and cancel them.  They're a horrible outfit.

Two Muslim Outrages

That's the title of an article by John Hinderaker, over at Power Line.  In the wake of the two recent outrages this week, the killing of Christians in both Kenya and Pakistan, I'm inclined to agree with those that say Islam is not so much a religion as a violent, backwards political movement.

Based on bitter experience, I would say that the mass murder of random innocents is the essence of the “teachings of Islam.” We have seen such mass murder over and over, more times than we can count. Does Islam have something to offer other than crazed, sadistic violence, committed to perpetuate the crudest forms of ignorance? If so, I haven’t seen it. Whether we talk about Africa (Nairobi), Asia (Peshawar) or any place else, the fruit of Islam appears to be the same.

Indeed.  Whether the Muhametan community likes it or not, their religion is associated with terror killings, brutality against women,  the murder of innocents, and savage suppression of political and intellectual thought.  That is the fruit of Islam.

Roger Simon believes that the Muslim world needs an intervention, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

Of course these mass murdering terror attacks were perpetrated by Sunnis, not Iranian Shiites, but most of the American public doesn’t know the difference.  And those of us who do are only reminded these killings are just the latest in a long and sadly predictable history of such events, Sunni and Shiite, during which, according to one website, a staggering 21269 deadly attacks have been undertaken by Islamic terrorists since  September 11, 2001.

And, as we all know, most of those 21,000 terror attacks had multiple victims.  Many of them had multiple dozens of victims.

 Of course, just by raising that question you are accused of Islamophobia, an absurd almost self-contradictory term, which always applies better to those using it. They are the ones who are phobic about Islam because they are the ones who are fearful (actually terrified) of what Islamic people will do if told the truth.

That's the truth of the matter.  Islam itself should be regarded by thinking peoples as backward, repulsive, and despicable.  The killing of innocents should not be celebrated in any civilized society.  Islam is a scourge on the land, and its adherents should be ashamed to claim it.

Sunday Morning Dawg

A week or so ago, Milady and I noticed a meowing in the back yard when we were sitting on the patio.  After a day or so, we spotted a small gray cat, a kitten, moving about the back yard.  It seems to be living under the deck, and God only knows how it got there.  The little critter is as wild as a March Hare, and won't tolerate us getting too close, but Milady put out some kitty-chow so that it wouldn't starve to death, and the dog has a water bowl in the back yard.

That cat is driving the dog crazy.  The dog wants to play and the cat is having none of it.  Still, the dog is persistent and is going nuts trying to get that cat to play.

He knows that cat is under the deck, and can't fathom why it won't come out and play.  I'm not a cat person, and that deck is accessible to the side yard if you're kitten sized.  The ground slopes right there, and the other side of that fence is fully 10 inches off the ground.  The kitten could go about his business, but it prefers to hang out under the deck.

He can see the cat, but he can't get to it.  It's fairly amusing, watching him watch the cat.

The kitten finally came out so that we could get a picture.

He slipped out while the dog was under the other end of the deck.  The cat likes drinking from the dog's frisbee.

Rainy Saturday

We finally got a good rainfall last night, and the weather weenies tell us that we have a chance of rain today.  Milady is off on a family trip, and it's the dog and I here today, all alone with no adult supervision.  Because it's rainy, wet, outside, I've got rifle brass tumbling in the garage, and a quick review of the dog's coat reveals that he needs a bath.  Badly.  Guess what's in store for the dog shortly?

If the past experience is any indicator of future performance, I'll need a shower after I've given the dog a bath.  Then, I'll take the brass out of the media and load some .25-06 with hunting ammo.  We've got four of those rifles in the family and I'll bet that someone will need it before the month is out.

LSU plays Auburn tonite at 7:45 on ESPN.  That's where I'll be this evening.

UPDATE:  Quick video shot after the dog's bath.  He always freaks out after a bath.



He'll get over it soon enough.  Now, I have to clean that bathroom.  Gawd, he was nasty.

Friday Nite

Came in from work today, and SuddenLink was down.  No TV, no intertubes.  So, I called and reported an outage.  They told me "technicians" were working on it.

I know what the problem was without them telling me.  We had that big front come through today, it brought wind and much needed rain.  Of course, Suddenlink cheaps out on paying trimming crews, so anytime the wind blows, Suddenlink has outages.  I mean, c'mon.  This is Louisiana.  It rains in Louisiana.  The wind blows.  This isn't anything new.

I'm right in the middle of that map and it looks like we're in for more weather.  But, the TV is on now, and the intertubes seem to be working.

Suddenlink sucks, plain and simple.  On a rainy Friday afternoon, having a service outage is totally unacceptable.  Trim the limbs when the sun is shining and they won't fall on your lines when the wind is blowing.  It's pretty simple, but these bozos can't figure it out.

Plumbing

The things we do for our kids.  However, during the installation, we shot water out of the bathroom into the bedroom.  They've got good pressure in that house.  It's all fixed now, but she's got some mopping to do.

I don't feel sorry for her.  After the clean-up, she can take a hot shower.  After this drink, I'm going to take a hot shower.

Hump Day!

I'm glad it's over.  Nothing big or scary, but the whole day was busy.  From get-up till gone, I was fully engaged.



After a fun-filled day of law-enforcement and helping a daughter-in-law with a flat tire, Milady and I went to get chicken fajitas and now I'm home relaxing with a stiff drink.

Tomorrow after work, I get to help a family member with plumbing.  I'm almost certain I'll need a drink after that.

Hoist the Pirate Flag

Busy today, in an hour between work, and work.

So, go read Sarah Hoyt, When Men Hoist the Pirate Flag.

Chivalry and the code thereof was the laying down of those good reproductive (and civilizational) rules that make for a functioning society that passes on its values to its young: men who put their strength at the service of the weaker; women who praised them and admired them for it; and children who were raised to do the same.

Chivalry was a code of conduct between men and women, and required as much from women as it did from men.  It wasn't about holding doors open.

Navy Yard

There's been a shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington DC, and all the news is covering it.  At the time I post this, thirteen are dead.

I will note, for the record, that it is illegal to own a standard capacity magazine in Washington DC, so the guy must have been shooting a low capacity firearm, and I believe that it is illegal to own a standard AR15 in Washington, so the guy must have been using a lever rifle.  Or something.  Because all that other stuff is illegal.  There should be a lesson there, but I doubt anyone will learn it.  That stuff is already illegal, but I'll bet that someone tries to make it illegal-er.

My prayers of course, for the victims, especially for the police officers who were injured.

Luke Scooting

Like most grandparents, we've got lots of toys for the grandkids to play on.  Lucas gravitated to a little scooter, and it looks like he's figured it out.



That's what it's all about.  And why I named this blog PawPaw's House.

Sunday Morning Dawg

We've got grandkids this weekend, so when I was shopping on Friday, I picked up some breakfast stuff so that the young'uns wouldn't starve to death while they were here.  I was in Sam's Club and I spotted something that looked mighty tasty.  Mrs. Freshley's Jumbo Honey Buns.  I picked up a box and brought them home.

Young Zach decided that they looked pretty tasty as well, so he decided to sample one.  The dog thought that something might hit the ground, so he attended the eating.  Unfortunately, Zach ate the whole thing.

Too bad, pup.  There's still kibble in your bowl.  Zach didn't think that the dog needed any honeybun.

Saturday Chores

It's Saturday around PawPaw's House and there's not a lot going on. No real plans for the weekend, or more accurately, nothing that requires me to do much of anything.  Tonight is our bi-weekly family gathering, and I figure that about 26 people are going to show up here at dinner time.  Maybe 30, so we'll plan for thirty.

Many folks would cringe at having 30 people show up for supper, but every one of those folks is family, either in-laws or out-laws or sometimes both.  We have this get-together on a bi-weekly basis, and we rotate the venue.  Sometimes it's here, sometimes it's there.  Before everyone leaves tonight, someone will volunteer to do the next one, so it only comes around every couple of months to my house.

Everyone brings something, and we coordinate that, but the host is always on the hook for the main meat dish.  For tonite, Milady chose Pulled Pork, which is easy, simple, and feeds a crowd.  Some of the other family is on the hook for 'tater salad, beans, and dessert.  When I arose this morning, I put two big pork butts in the roasters and the kitchen is redolent with the aroma of roasting pig.  I've got to run to town in a few minutes to replenish the beer locker, and I need to pick up a little barbeque sauce.

Who knows?  I may get a nap this afternoon before the festivities.

On Education

I was reading my buddy, Eaton Rapids Joe, and he has a fairly good post on education.  I don't know if he's an educator, and I'm damned sure not, but while discussing education, he made an observation about teacher evaluations as relates to the practice of tying student performance to teacher retention.

There would also be the temptation to disown those kids.  Those kids are a threat to your livelihood, so there would be a temptation to run those kids down the discipline gang-plank and out of the school.

Again, I'm no educator, but I've worked in a high school for ten years, and I can tell you that there are several subsets of students we're talking about here.  First, and most interesting is that subset of kids who are so smart, so driven, and so dynamic that school bores them.  Think Thomas Edison, or Bill Gates in sneakers.  Those kids are going to excel regardless of what might happen, and by the time they're a junior in high school, they're bored.  The smart ones simply go through the routine and graduate because they know that a high school diploma is a good thing to have.  Fortunately, those kids are very rare.  In ten years, I've met four of them.  They're all doing well, they're all educated and credentialed, and they'll be a success no matter where they go.

There is another subset of kids, on the other end of the spectrum, who resist education at all costs.  They come to school in the morning to eat breakfast and hang out with their friends.  They don't care at all about education, or school.  They don't do homework, they don't complete projects, they don't do anything.  In fact, they actively resist education.  It is altogether fitting and proper that we send these kids packing.  In most cases, those kids have parents who also resisted education.  And note, I'm not talking any particular race, they run the spectrum of skin color.  Think Al Capone, or Tony Spilotro.  They think they're smart, they have some native intelligence, and they're perfectly capable of either doing the work, they simply would rather disrupt the school.  Often they're involved in petty crime, stealing from other students, skipping class, or simply showing up and sitting in the back of the class not doing anything.

That subset of kids is the one that causes the problems in a school, and every high school would be better off if they expelled those kids early and often.  They represent about 5% of the population of any high school and should be identified early.  If you give them enough latitude, they'll identify themselves.  If a school administrator is smart, those kids will be gone quickly.  There's no sense spending resources on bad projects.  I expect an administrator to be able to identify bad prospects and not waste my tax money on them.  The career path they've chosen is to be a field hand in a state prison, and it's only a matter of time before they achieve their dream.

Voter Suppression

Voters in Colorado recently went to the polls, and ousted two Democratic lawmakers who wouldn't listen to their constituents.  That's the way it works.  You didn't listen and you got recalled.  Too bad, so sad.

So, what are the Democrats blaming the defeat on?  Voter suppression.  The voters didn't know where to vote, they couldn't vote by mail, the districts had been redrawn, it was just one confusing mess.  Hot Air covers it all



It's all voter suppression, all the time.  I have just one question for Ms. Giron that talks exactly to voter suppression.  Since 2010, the Democrats have been the dominant party in Colorado.  If the voters were suppressed, if mail-in votes weren't accepted, if folks didn't know where to go vote, who's fault  is that?  It seems to me that the Democrats were running the state, and the voters were confused.  It looks to me like the mass confusion was the Democrats fault.

Look, Ms. Giron.  You lost, plainly, simply, and fairly.  And, you were beaten by amateurs.  Get over it and realize that you're just the first Democrat fired during this election cycle.

9/11 We Remember

September 11, 2001 was a watershed day in the history of the United States.  No one who was old enough to understand what was happening that day will ever forget it.  A surprise attack against the United States by jihadic Muslims.  I know exactly what was going on that day.

And today, 12 years later, the Million Muslim March was supposed to descend on Washington.  It turns out that it was the Dozen Muslim March, outnumbered by protestors.

A few dozen demonstrators attending a rally on the Mall once billed as the Million Muslim March were vastly outnumbered Wednesday by a Christian group objecting to their event and a counterprotest consisting of motorcycle riders honoring Sept. 11 victims.

Oh, yeah, let's not forget the bikes, who were denied a permit, but went anyway.  It's still not against the law to tour around Washington DC on a motorcycle and that's what lots of them did.

I doubt it was a million bikers, but I also bet that it was close to half a million, maybe more.
The Muslims picked a poor day to have a protest.  Of course, any day in the United States that Muslims want to protest is a bad day.  We don't like it much when Islamic jihadists try to kill our citizens.

A Well Regulated Militia

It looks like some citizens of Mexico are standing up to the depredations of the drug cartels.

An audacious band of citizen militias battling a brutal drug cartel in the hills of central Mexico is becoming increasingly well-armed and coordinated in an attempt to end years of violence, extortion and humiliation.
What began as a few scattered self-defense groups has spread in recent months to dozens of towns across Michoacan, a volatile state gripped by the cultlike Knights Templar, a drug gang known for taxing locals on everything from cows to tortillas and executing those who do not comply.
The army deployed to the area in May, but the soldiers are mostly manning checkpoints. Instead, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is facing the awkward fact that a group of scrappy locals appears to be chasing the gangsters away, something that federal security forces have not managed in a decade.
They include a 63-year-old pot-bellied farmer mindful that he can run only 30 yards; a skinny 23-year-old raised in Oregon who said he had never used a gun before; and a man who wears a metal bowl stuffed with newspaper as a helmet. A 47-year-old bureaucrat, who is sure that she will be killed if the gang retakes her town, said of her decision to join the cause: “I may live one year or 15, but I will live free.”

The locals are using hunting rifles and slingshots to battle the cartels, but more proper weaponry might soon be available.  As they take items from the cartels, those items are issued to the fighters, and they're increasingly coordinating among themselves to share intelligence, supplies, and training.  I understand that chromed AK47s are prized battle trophies.

This is what a well regulated militia is supposed to be, and to the free citizens of Michoacan, I say, Well Done!

Lycoris

One of my favorite plants is a plant called Lycoris, more commonly in these latitudes, spider lilly, or pop-up lilly.  It propogates from a bulb and the care of the plants is simple.  You stick them in the ground, and when they get ready, they bloom.  The most common variety is the red lycoris, and we have them planted everywhere the soil will support them.  The red variety is called Higanbana in certain parts of the world.

Several years ago, my daugter-in-law told me that she knew where there were a white variety, and we had permission to dig a few bulbs.  Spider lily bulbs propogate at a terrific rate and people often share bulbs to thin the herd.  We went and dug a few, and I planted them along my fence, and promptly forgot about them, because they need no special treatment.  They bloom when they will, normally in September, and if you leave them alone, they'll do fine.  They really like mowed grass, and after they've bloomed you can mow right over them.

Today I came home and was piddling around the yard, and I was surprised to see white spider lilies popping up along the fence row.

I won't mow there until they are finished blooming.  I planted half-a-dozen bulbs along that fence line, and I'll be interested to see how many come up.  Aren't they lovely?  I"ve never seen white spider lilies.

Navigating the Alliant Website

I use a lot of Alliant powders, but I've been frustrated with their online data because it is presented so poorly.  It seems that they only want you to use the exact powders they're pushing today, when many of us know that other options exist.  For example, if you go online to their data center and try to find a Reloder 15 load for the .308 Winchester, you find that no data is easily available.  You get a page like this:

No RL-15 data, and we know that's bullshit, because RL-15 is a wonderful powder for the .308 Winchester.  In fact, the Army requires RL-15 in their M118 long range round.  But, there's a workaround.  Go back to the product page and get the page that highlights the powder, like this:

At the end of the red arrow is a link that says "View all Reloder 15 recipes".  Click on that link and you get the data for every cartridge that they have data on.  It's a work-around, and it works for all the powders Alliant makes.  I love using their powders, but I thoroughly detest the way they present data.  However, I've found a way to work around their online Reloaders Guide, and maybe this information will help other folks who are frustrated with the way Alliant presents data.

You're welcome.

Glowball Warmening

The planet just refuses to cooperate with the Anthropomorphic Global Warming crowd.  Matter of fact, some wags were predicting that the Arctic ice would be the lowest in years and that the Northwest Passage would be open to sailing vessels.

Not so fast, Slick.

Only six years ago, the BBC reported that the Arctic would be ice-free in summer by 2013, citing a scientist in the US who claimed this was a ‘conservative’ forecast. Perhaps it was their confidence that led more than 20 yachts to try to sail the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific this summer. As of last week, all these vessels were stuck in the ice, some at the eastern end of the passage in Prince Regent Inlet, others further west at Cape Bathurst.

I'm no mariner, but I imagine that if your boat is stuck in Arctic ice in September, then in November things will be really going to shit.  Our planet, all out of proportion to the prognosticators, seems to be colder, at least in the Frozen North than it should be.  To the tune of a million square miles of ice.

Here in Louisiana, we're still stuck in the usual weather pattern, with daytime highs in the upper 90s and only occasional afternoon thunderstorms.  Meteorologists are pretty good at forecasting weather three days out, but they have no clue beyond that.  The simple fact of the matter is that we're fairly insignificant when it comes to Mother Nature and she treats us with complete indifference.  Any meteorologist who tells me precisely what the weather is going to do on a given day next month is either a damn fool, or a liar.  Probably both.

Sunday Morning Dawg

Waiting for Momma to get ready for church.

Y'all have a wonderful Sunday.

New Reloader

Just got a text from my second son.

Just shot my first ten 9mm reloads.  They shot fine.

Hooray!  Another hand loader is born.  It's a long and winding road, and a very pleasurable journey, but like any journey, it has its potholes, its switchbacks, and its dead-ends.  Not every road pans out, not every handload works well.  Keep good notes, learn from your experiences.

Oh, and if you have any questions, ask your old man.  I've probably made the same mistakes myself.

Saturday Piddling

This is the Louisiana 2nd Amendment Tax holiday, where sportsmen everywhere get a tax break on purchases of guns, ammunition, and hunting supplies.  I know that the 2nd Amendment isn't about hunting, but the legislature included all sorts of items in this sales-tax holiday, including many of the supplies we use when we're out hunting.

Lots of guys and gals look forward to this weekend.  If you're buying a rifle or shotgun, the savings of the sales tax is like getting a 9% discount on the out-the-door price.  Lots of rifles, shotguns, and ammunition are bought during this weekend.

I'm hosting an old-fashioned Turkey Shoot at the church on September 28th, so I'll take inventory of my shotgun shells after this pot of coffee, and head to the local gun shop to replenish my supplies.  This is the second year I've hosted the event, and I donate the ammunition we use.  Of course, the remaining ammo gets put into my stock to be used with grandkids, for small game hunting, and the family skeet shoot on Thanksgiving afternoon.  It's time to stock up on the weekend that doesn't require a sales tax.

My church is a country church, with woods on three sides.  We looked carefully at the safety aspects and determined that we could shoot shotguns on the church grounds with complete safety, so we decided to have a Turkey Shoot with the proceeds going to the Mission Fund.  I take over the firing area, and last year the ladies sold sandwiches.  You got a fine pulled pork sandwich, a bag of chips, and a soft drink for $5.00.  It's a heck of a deal, and they made as much money for the fund as I made with the Turkey Shoot.  God, guns, fellowship and shooting on the church grounds.  Head on over to the cook tent and get a sandwich.  It's a great way to spend a Saturday.

Bethel United Methodist Church is located at 125 Bethel Road, Deville, LA 71328.  If you're in the area on September 28th, come on out for fellowship and shooting.  I'll have loaner shotguns available, and everyone is welcome.  The firing line goes hot at 1:00 p.m.

Walkout Planned

It seems that a bunch of idiots are planning a walkout at Wal-Mart tomorrow.

"Walmart workers and their supporters today announced the largest mobilization since Black Friday, set for Thursday, September 5. The announcement comes as Walmart has failed to meet a Labor Day deadline to reinstate illegally fired and disciplined workers, publicly commit to improve jobs and end the company’s aggressive violations of workers’ rights," OUR Walmart said.

Looks to me like a bunch of people are going to be fired tomorrow.  If I were a business owner and my employees decided to walk, they wouldn't be allowed back in the store, not even with their unemployment checks.  I'd have them arrested for trespass if they ever showed up at the store again.

Language

On raising kids.

Hat tip to Madeline, a facebook friend.

On the River

Some pictures today from the earlier trip to Natchez.  If you've never watched riverine traffic on the Big Muddy, you've missed the best part of a river trip.  The big barges tend to swing in the current, and the tugboats have a hell of a time keeping them pointed upstream or downstream..  But, that's river commerce and has been since Mark Twain's time.  The river doesn't change, just the sailors using it.

This is from the Natchez side, looking toward Vidalia, LA.  These two tugs are trying to get this string of barges to cooperate, and it seemed as if they were losing the battle.

Two more barge strings headed up-river, about to get straightened out after making a turn.  From looking at the river, it looks pretty straight from this perspective, but it's laden with sandbars, and the channel makes wide sweeping turns even in straight sections of the river.

Of course, you can click on the pictures to view larger.

Sunday Morning Dawg

Milady and I are out of town today, traveling to Baton Rouge for a family gathering.  After the festivities in Baton Rouge, we'll decamp to Natchez, MS, where we'll sample the local cuisine and lodge at a local hotel.  The dog is staying at Momma's and I'm sure that he'll be pampered.  Yesterday we were clowing around and I dropped a shirt on the dog.  It didn't seem to bother him much.

Milady was standing at the kitchen counter, working with food, and the dog was clearly preoccupied with the idea that she might drop something, like a tasty bit of cheese.  No luck pup.