Just Wow!

The professor links to an article that reflects on the current crop of graduates.  The money quote:

 “My students are know-nothings. They are exceedingly nice, pleasant, trustworthy, mostly honest, well-intentioned, and utterly decent. But their brains are largely empty, devoid of any substantial knowledge that might be the fruits of an education in an inheritance and a gift of a previous generation. They are the culmination of western civilization, a civilization that has forgotten nearly everything about itself, and as a result, has achieved near-perfect indifference to its own culture.”

Wow!  Full article here.

Federalism

It seems that Congress is returning power to the states.  Good for them.

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, aided by Vice President Mike Pence and an ailing Georgia colleague who gingerly made his way to the Capitol with the aid of a wheelchair and a walker, voted Thursday to undo an Obama administration rule preventing states from blocking funding for family planning clinics that also provide abortions.

Our nation was founded on the concept of federalism, where states are allowed to set their own rules.  While I may disagree with the decisions a state makes, I certainly can't disagree with their right to make that decision.  I realize that there are two sides to every argument,

There are, of course, some rights that cannot be infringed, but I'm an originalist, and from my reading of the founding documents, I don't see any right in this legislation that forbids a state from making that decision.

Let Freedom Ring.

Older Women Drinking Hard

That's the title of an article at CBS News.  

More older American women than ever are drinking — and drinking hard, a new study shows.
Most troubling was the finding that the prevalence of binge drinking among older women is increasing dramatically, far faster than it is among older men, the researchers noted.

Interesting.  I've known women who could drink men under the table, although I never found that particular attribute particularly attractive.  In fairness, they didn't find me particularly attractive, either.

Bell and I normally have a toddy or two on an afternoon.  Normally an aperitif and a digestif.  It puts a mellow glow on the day, and we're past the stage of having to help kids with homework and make sure that everyone is bathed and abed at a decent hour.  It's just us, so we knock back a couple and spend some time in pleasant conversation before bedtime.

Maybe that's what they're talking about.  Older women deserve the break.

Dangerous

From a discussion over at Tam's place.

This is the single best thing about striker fired handguns. Like rifles, nobody can tell at a glance if they're cocked or not. If an exposed hammer is to the rear, it doesn't matter to the spring, but everybody from Sergeant Major Smith to Cletus the Hillbilly Hunter just HAS to lower that hammer because...apparently they think it's doing something bad to the spring?

When I finally transitioned over from the revolver to the semi-auto in 2002, I decided to carry a full-size 1911, due mainly to long familiarity with the pistol.  I carried it in a Safariland SLS holster, which was the state of the art at the time.  Of course, in that holster, the only way to carry was cocked-and-locked, but I also had long familiarity with that condition.

I was working a high school then, and ate lunch with the coaching staff.  One day, sitting at the table, the head coach happened to notice that my pistol had the hammer back, cocked in the holster.

"Your pistol is cocked," he said, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Of course, it's dangerous, Coach." I replied.  "It's a gun.  It's supposed to be dangerous."

We finished lunch, and I tried to impress upon him that he was in no danger from the gun firing accidentally.  I don't think I succeeded.  Because cocked guns are gangerous.

Circular Runways?

It's an idea, I guess, to build airports with circular runways.  The innovator says that it has several advantages over a straight runway.

I remember studying the history of flight in high school.  Early airfields were just that, large flat, grassy areas where the pilot could determine the best azimuth for takeoff or landing.  The airplanes weren't restricted to narrow, straight, concrete strips.  Circular runways would certainly mitigate the risks of crosswind landings.



I'm no aviator, and the infrastructure costs would be huge, but if you're planning to build your own airport, maybe you should consider a circular runway.

Crazy, Fat Kid

That's the way that Senator John McCain described the despot who runs North Korea.  A crazy fat kid.

Senator John McCain made the inflammatory remarks while discussing the tyrant’s recent ballistic missile tests and his repeated threats to destroy the US.

I was amazed, when l'il Kim's daddy died that the generals let him grab the reins of power.   From all accounts, he's a ruthless, power-crazed, paranoid tyrant.    If he was found one morning dangling from the end of a rope, I doubt very seriously if anyone would mourn him.

Tired, Just Tired

I'm working on about six hours sleep last night.  While that used to plenty when I was younger, today my butt is dragging.  Fortunately, I get to leave here at a reasonable hour today.

I feel a lot like that dog looks.

Jingles

I walked into McDonalds last night, after a long, long day  Ordered a Big Mac and fries, paid the gal, then moved over to the pickup window.

Three college boys came in, griping about being thrown out of Hardee's, down the road.    They got there just at closing time, and couldn't be served.  So, one guy asks what is on a Big Mac.

Bone-dog tired, I remembered the jingle..  "Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."

The girl at the counter looked up.  "Wow.  That's exactly what is on a Big Mac."

The college kids looked at me.  "Did you ever work at McDonald's?"

"No", I replied, "I worked at Buger King, but I still remember the Big Mac jingle."

And, courtesy of YouTube, here it is.  Evidently, that was a 1974 ad campaign.



Heh!  The things we remember, sometimes.

Surely, You Jest.

That's the response on of my military commanders would use when I'd come at him with some hair-brained scheme.  "Surely, you jest."  I knew then that it was time to back up and reconsider.

But, it seems that a court in Portland has decided that a person can now be "legally genderless", whatever that means.

People are free to believe anything they wish in the United States. Irrational ideas only become an issue when they impact our legal system, since that means they have the potential to enforce the stupid on the rest of us.
For example, a judge in Portland has ruled that an individual is now legally "genderless":

"Surely you jest," I thought when I read that paragraph, but then realized that hizzoner did not jest at all.  He actually believes that we're supposed to take that ruling seriously.

Well, hizzoner is wrong.  And, in Portland at least, the law is now officially an ass.

Earworm

I heard this song for the first time, over at Murphy's place.  It quickly became an earworm, maybe because it's about a submachine gunner, something with which I have a little experience.  Catchy tune.

This is a variation on the original.



Sometimes, thankless little bush wars are the only wars we've got.

You're welcome.

Monday Random Thoughts

I've been doing a little reading, between helping people today.

What is the proper role of a local police agency in the 21st century?  The role of police agencies has changed over the years, as well as the public expectations of a local police agency.  This deserves more study, and it deserves the philosophical thought that such questions require.

Body Armor (Kevlar vests).  You'd think hat after all these years, I'd get used to wearing the damned things. You'd be wrong.  It feels just as foreign and unfamiliar to me today as it did the first day I wore one.  I hate the damned things with all my heart.  I know all the good reasons for wearing it, and I don't need you to remind me.  Still, I hate the damned thing.  Body Armor will be one of the things I do not miss about police work.

Categories

For my regular readers, this is an idea that is strictly CFDA related.  My apologies in advance if this post is technical and strictly CFDA related.

Those of us who have shot CFDA matches have probably shot a category match.  Category matches are age-related matches, and they're a lot of fun.  But, we've got a lot of categories, and as you get older, the categories get shorter.  Look at this copy from the Gunslinger's Guidelines.

Recognized Age-Based Categories are:
Billy the Kid, Annie Oakley ages 8 through 15;
Boy’s & Girl’s Junior ages 16 & 17 (and Level 4 Youth)
Men’s & Ladies Traditional age 18+;
Men’s & Ladies 49’r age 49+;
Men’s & Ladies Senior age 60+;
Men’s & Ladies Super Senior age 65+;
Old Timers & Grand Dame age 70+;
Golden Guns & Golden Girls age 75+, and
Elder Statesmen & Stateswoman age 80+.

By my count, that's nine categories.  That's a lot of individual categories to keep straight.  One problem I've seen with these standard categories is that occasionally, there won't be enough shooters in a particular category to make a valid match, and those folks are re-assigned to another category.    Everybody is good-natured about it.   But.one of the problems with the Traditional category is that it get really big.  We've got a lot of shooters from age 18-49, so we might want to split that category, and consolidate some of the others.

I've been to some shoots where the Traditional Category is huge, and the more senior categories are tiny.  That's not to say that the level of competition is less, no, our senior shooters have the twin attributes of experience and cool-headedness.  They're seasoned competitors.  But, we might want to spread out the larger categories and consolidate the smaller ones.

Here's my idea:

Youth (youngsters to include Category 3 youth).
Traditional (Category 4 youth and adults up to age 37)
Seasoned Hands (age38-48)
Forty-Niners (Age 49-59)
Senior (Age 60-69)
Golden Guns (Age 70+)

We'd split every category into Mens and Ladies, and we could change the names of the categories if we wanted to, and I'm just throwing this out for consideration.

Fish Fry Today

Well, the fish fry is over, we ate till our belly-buttons were tight, then sat around and visited for several hours.

Catfish, french fries, hush=puppies.  The ladies made broccoli salad and cole slaw.  PawPaw was the fry-master today.  I know my way around a fish cooker, I've been frying fish for nearly four decades, and I've just about learned how to do it.  There is no real secret.  Good, clean fish, good seasoning, slice the filets thin, roll it in seasoned cornmeal, and fry it in hot oil.  Use a thermometer and keep your oil between 350-400 degrees. I don't know why some people have trouble with this.

Grand-niece Rachel is a starving college student at ULM in Monroe, LA.  I was very surprised and pleased to see her get out of the car.  Rachel is a joy, and it appears that she likes fried fish.

All told, I fed fourteen people this afternoon, and still had fish left over.  Several of the guests took fish plates home.  It was a great day with greaat people.

Memory Lane

Who remembers this guy?  He showed up on a birthday card that Belle got.

That's Quick Draw McGraw.  I used to watch his show when I was a kid.

Saturday Morning

Belle's family has a lot of birthdays in March, and today is in fact Belle's birthday.  Her side of the family is gathering here on PawPaw's acre, noonish, to celebrate together.  I'll be frying catfish on the patio, with french fries, hush-puppies, and coleslaw.  BYOB.

I've been at it since daylight, prepping and getting ready.  Taking a break right now, to catch my breath before the guests start to arrive.  The weather-weeenies are predicting a chance of a shower.  Hopefully, it'll go around us so that I don't have to move everything into the garage.

On yer mark, get set.  GO!

Blinging a Gunbelt

Belle gets a new gunbelt for her birthday, and the next thing I know, a package arrives from Texhas.com.  Conchos.  What good is a gunbelt without conchos?

I told her to measure carefully, to place them where she wanted them.  Then we very carefully punched the holes.  That's cowboy bling.

Old Time Repair Shops

When I was growing up, television was relatively new, and was a substantial investment, a fair portion of a weekly paycheck.  TV repair shops littered the landscape.  Indeed, my own father fixed TVs for a while in the family storeroom.  He put up a bench and made a little side money fixing television sets.

Those old repair shops have gone the way of the dodo bird.  Foe rhe most part, consumer electronics are disposable; if something breaks, you throw it away and buy another.  The time of fixing TVs is long gone.  But, there are still a couple of old-time repair shops around that can do stuff that was once the province of any good electronic repair shop.

One such repairman is a guy I'll call Ricky.  Ricky runs a repair shop that specializes in audio=visual equipment for a local governmental agency.  When I have an issue, Ricky is the easy answer.  He doesn't always tell me what I want to hear, but he'll give me the straight scoop.  Ricky likes old guns, so we trade expertise and talk about the time when things got fixed, rather than thrown away.

You'll remember earlier this week, when I bought my portable PA system.  I showed it to RIcky, and he noticed the two plugs on the back of the unit for attaching it to a battery for 12 volt power.  He told me about a shop downtown that sold little electronic parts.  "Go there and get two banana plugs and two battery clips.  Come back here and we'll build a power cord so that you can hook it to a battery."

So, I went to this shop he told me about.  Stepping in through the door was like stepping back 40 years. Dusty, musty, lots of shelves and bins.  I found the proprietor and told him what I was looking for.  "Ricky sent me."

"Okay", he said and started looking in bins.  In just a few minutes he had found banana plugs, one red, one black, but he was having trouble finding battery clips.  Then he remembered that he was using them as clamps for a gluing project.  He disappeared into the back of the shop and returned in just a minute, with two battery clips, one red, one black.  I gave him a $10.00 bill and out the door.

At Ricky's shop the next morning, Ricky plugged in his soldering iron and let it heat while he found a piece os suitable scrap wire.  In ten mites, he had soldered the banana plugs on one end and the battery clips on the other.  In the space of an couple of hours, I had a custom made, professionally crafted power cable for my PA system.

I didn't have to wait on Amazon, or go to a box store wondering if I could find what I needed, just talk to two old craftsmen who knew their business.  In many ways it was like stepping back into my grandfather's shop, or my Dad's shop.  When we lose these guys, either trhough the economy, or normal mortality, the country will have lost a treasure.

We Get Mail

I found this in my inbox after I got home from work yesterday.

  Hello Major D,
  I really liked your article about the pressure washer attachment, thank you.  I am a Yankee living in NH.  I escaped NY in '96 after spending my life in that cesspool.  After my wife had passed away I met a wonderful Lady in NH where I was working erecting a printing press.  I was a machinist for 43 years specializing in the printing industry.  A strange twist of fate let us meet.  Life sometimes is kind in that way.  We have been married 21 years this September. Your blog is an every day must.  Denny or Major D. thanks for a daily reminder of family value and camaraderie.
dthed in NH

Well, hell!  Thanks for reading my poor scribblings, and thanks for letting me know that someone in the frozen north reads my stuff.

Cleaning a Patio

Like many of you, PawPaw has a patio.  We spent a lot of time out there.  Cats, dogs, visitors, kids and grandkids, we like to hang out on the patio.  I've expanded it twice over the years, and it catches a fair amount of debris.  Every so often, it needs a good, thorough cleaning.

Also like many people, I have a small, residential pressure washer.  Mine runs 2.3 gallons per minute at 2700 psi.  When I use the pressure washer, overspray is a problem.  Water splashes everywhere, normally throwing debris on walls, support posts and ceilings.  That ain't good, because I've got to wash everything two or three times before I'm finished.

So, I cast about for a solution.  As it turns out, they make this thing called a surface cleaner. The one I bought looks like this:

  

It clips on to the end of the wand with a standard quick-disconnect. Overspray is virtually eliminated.  Underneath, the device has a rotating nozzle where water sprays out in a high-speed circular motion, lifting dirt and grime off the surface without blowing it on to your walls , ceilings, or fences.

Here's a video showing it in action.



This thing works as advertised, and has the PawPaw seal of approval.  Our patio is approximately 10 X 40 and I gave it a thorough surface cleaning yesterday.  From the time I started moving furniture until Belle gave it her approval was about 90 minutes.  Not a bad job at all.

Terror In London

The news feeds just lit up about a terror incident in London.  Some bozo drove over pedestrians, the got out of his vehicle and stabbed a cop.  Said bozo was launched into eternity for his efforts.

The Daily Mail describes the bozo as a "middle-aged Asian", which I understand is politically-correct lingo for one of the adherents of the Mohametan sect.

Other sources tell us that this event happened one year after the Brussels attacks last year.

It doesn't take much to connect the dots on this one.   However, until I learn more I will refrain from calling this the latest Islamic Terror Event.

Pawn Shop Crawling

AI am always enamored of a good pawn shop.  Regular readers know this; many of the things I look for, I start my search in a pawn shop.

I've been looking for a little, portable PA system.  Something that runs on both battery and AC power.  In Cowboy Fast Draw, we can run our ranges on 12 volt power or AC, and that's a plus.  A fully charged marine battery can run our range electronics for a weekend.  A little PA system is useful for safety briefings and shooters meetings, and while AC power is normally available, having a battery otion is nice too.

We can buy these things on Amazon, or at Sam's club in the $100-150 range, but I thought that I'd start my search at my favorite pawn shop, to see what Johnny had available.

I got Johnny out from behind his desk and told him what I was looking for.  Compact, lightweight, on wheels, with a collapsible handle.

"I may have just what you're looking for," says he, as we head toward the pawn counter.

Sure enough, he pulls out something that looks like this.

Mine is marked POLAROID, but I'm sure that it's made by the same Chinese outfit that makes lots of consumer electronics.  We tested it,  It has a USB port, Bluetooth, and a host of features that I'll probably never use, but it does have a standard microphone jack and while it doesn't have an internal battery, it does have jacks for 12v power.  It should suit my needs perfectly, and it cost considerably less than a brand-new comparable units from the local big box store.

A couple of banana plugs and alligator clips and I'll be able to hook it to a battery.  It should serve our needs just fine.

Cousins

So, my cousin calls. (Actually, consin-in-law, but we don't dither about family).  The conversation goes something like this:
Me: "Hey, Cuz, what's up?:
Cuz: "where do you buy shotgun primers?"
Me: Precision, Reloading generally.  Why?"
Cuz. "I'm out, and I need to order some."
Me: "Well, that's where I get mine, unless I find a sale."
Cuz: "Yeah, but the Haz-Mat charge eats me up."
Me: "Yeah, but if you make a big order,"
Cuz: "I don't need that many primers, just three thousand or so."
Me:  "Find someone to go halves with you, and split an order."
Cuz: "Okay.  This catalog is two years old.  Reckon the price has changed?"
Me, (thinking, Catalog?): Yeah, you might want to call them or go online."

So, Cuz may be more low-tech than I suspected.  I put the phone away, thinking "Catalog?? Who uses catalogs anymore?"  Evidently, Cuz uses them.

So, several hours later, I'm moving around and the phone rings.  It's Cuz again.
Cuz: "Hey, we've got six-thousand primers coming."
Me: "We?  Whaddya mean, We?"
Cuz.  "You  and me!  Three thousand each.  - - Oh, you owe me a hunnderd dollars."
Me: "Oh, so now I have to come up with a hundred dollars."
Cuz: "It's okay, I know where you live."

Cousins.  We've all got them.

Accuracy Matters

In our game, accuracy isn't built in.  We shoot single action revolvers with fixed sights and wax bullet ammo, not a good combination for nit-picking accuracy.  MOA isn't even in our thesaurus.  A hit is a hit, and that's all that matters.  Speed is important, because whoever hits the target first gets the winning shot.  But, that qualifier above "whoever hits the target" is the important thing.

It's a truism that as the speed increases, the hit ratio goes down.  In this game, we rate a shooter by speed.  If most of his hits are in the 3/10ths range, we call him a 3-shooter.  If most of his hits are in the half-second range, we call him a 5-shooter.  Almost every gunner, when they begin this game, quickly gets down to below a second.  That a big milestone, and normally happens after the first or second practice session.  I say "most", because some folks have trouble putting it together, but vast majority get down under a second fairly quickly.  After my introduction to the game, I was stuck in the 7s for a year or longer.  Now, during practice, I'm hitting in the 6s and flirting with the 5s.  This is my second year in this game.

In this game, only hits matter, and while everyone likes to go fast, it's not always the quickest who brings home the trophies.  Sometimes, the very expedient of hitting the target will take you to the winner's braket, and that was never more apparent than yesterday, at the Southern Territorials in Amarillo, TX.

I didn't get to attend, but some very good friends were there, and FaceBook lit up as they got to the finals.  I knew the manes of most of the shooters, but one name, J.B. Steele was a mystery.  I asked Belle if she had heard of J.B. Steele, and no, she had not.

Plain Jane, our current national champion, was live-streaming the finals, and I was surprised when I heard the announcer calling times.  "We've got no hit on lane five, but a .763 on lane 6"

I told Belle, "Come watch!  There's some guy in the finals shooting 7s."

I full-screened the computer, and we watched.  Against very fast shooters, there was J.B. Steele, We watched in awe as he put away some very good shooters.  He just stood there calmly, against the best in the sport, hitting the plate with monotonous regularity, and getting three winning shots before the other guys.

Our finals matches are double-elimination.  You've got to lose twive before you're out, and as the fast shooters faded away, there stood J.B. Steele, hitting the plate and sending the fast guns into the bleachers.  As the match progressed, we learned that J.B. Steele is a brand-new shooter and that this was his first sanctioned shoot.  Then it came down to the last two shooters.  J.B Steele was clean, and Parttime had one X.  Parttime is arguably the fastest gun in Texas.  He's also a staunch competitor, a heck of a nice guy, and a personal friend.  Of course, I was rooting for Parttime, but I had to gie J.B. Steele his due.  He had stood there against some very good guns, and put them away, one at a time.

And, it finally came down to the last shot.  Paartime had beaten Steele once, so they switched lanes to do it again.  Each competitor had one X, and this match would decide it.  The drama was high, and the sension was thick.  J.B.Steele was on fire, and Parttime was hitting quick.  The match came down to a 2-2 matchup, and on the final shot, both shooters hit the target.  Partime did it a little quicker, and got the blinking light.

Congratulations, Parttime on becoming the Southern Territorials Champion.  But, congrats to J.B. Steele as well.   It was a solid performance against very good shooters, and proves what Wyatt Earp said famously so long ago.  "Speed it fine, but accuracy is final."

Congratulations!

Congratulation to Marshall's Daughter, the new ladies Southern Territorial Cham[ion.  Marshall's Daughter is a shooter out of Richmond, TX, and a leader in the Lone Star Gunslingers.  She's a heck of  competitor, a great person with her whole family in Fast Draw.

She gave me an X last year at the Southern Territorials..  We were shooting in the same bracket, and when the gunsmoke cleared, she had beaten me.  I didn't take it personal, because as she always does, I got a big ol' smile and a great hug.  That's the way we do it in Cowboy Fast Draw, shooting against friends.

She has the blingy-est gunbelt in the Southern Territory, and every time I ssee her I ask if she's added any bling to it.

Congratulations, darlin'. We love you here in Louisiana, and hope to see you in Natchitoches next month.    Oh, and if we're in the same bracket next month, I owe you an X.

Officer Down

An East Baton Rouge parish sheriff's deputy was fatally shot last night, conducting an investigation.

A Louisiana sheriff's deputy was fatally shot late Saturday night while conducting an investigation, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office and Louisiana State Police confirmed.

We're still sorting out the details.

 Bryan Lee, spokesman for Louisiana State Police Troop B, told reporters Saturday night that the slain deputy was one of two deputies who were carrying out an unspecified investigation at Classic Cuts, 1962 Oneal Lane. Shots were fired shortly before midnight, Lee said.

Our prayers are with the family of the slain officer and the East Bton Rouge Sheriff's Department.

Cleaning up Details

We're cleaning up some details for Louisiana State this morning.  One of our details is a giveaway to make money for Shoot for the Stars, the CFDA Scholarship program.

My son, the leathersmith has graciously donated a Cowboy Fast Draw holster/belt combo.    We'll sell chances on it on a 100-chance cut-up board, and when the board is full, we'll cut it up and draw for the holster.

He makes great rigs, and he's graciously offered to border-stamp it and cut the belt to fit the winner's measurements.

I shoot one of his rigs, and my daughter shoots one of his rigs.  We can testify that they are very nice, makde from premium veg-tanned leather and are very well suited to the game.

Here's my long-gun rig, to give you some idea.

Some lucky winner is going to get a custom-built rig,  It's only $5.00 per chance.

Bud Lite?

So, this former federal judge has pleaded guilty to trying to bribe an FBI agent.

Former judge pleads guilty to offering FBI agent Bud Light in exchange for wife’s texts

Yeah, that's the headline.

Bud LIte?  No thank you, judge.  Now, turn around, you're under arrest for contempt of a federal officer.  Bud Lite?  Not even a case of Guinness?

That judge needs to go to jail for just plain stupidity.  Bud Lite?

Satellite Radio?

My new Sedona has a radio that will access satellite radio, and I'm thinking about buying a subscription for the spring/summer shooting season.  Belle and I will we traveling a bit, and having to change radio stations every 100 miles is a pain.
 
I'm thinking about the very basic package, just a list of radio stations so that we can travel without having to seek/search every time we drive out of a station's range.

But, anyone out there with a better idea, I'm willing to listen.

Thoughts, experiences, etc?  Let me know in comments.

AW, SNAP!

The Washington Post leads us to a heart-rending tale of undocumented illegal immigrants who are dropping out of the SNAP (food stamp) program because they're worried that they might be deported.

Immigrants are going hungry so Trump won’t deport them

You can go read the whole tear-jerker if you want to, but my question is why we are giving undocumented illegal immigrants benefits in the first place?    I always thought that it was pretty ignorant to give benefits to people who shouldn't be here int he first place.

The Trump Budget

Hey, I like this.  I hope it survives Congress.

The up-side:

.. non-defense spending at the State Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and [includes] the wholesale elimination of other federal programs.

How this translates:

 • Health and Human Services, the department responsible for implementing Obamacare and its proposed repeal, would face a $12.6 billion cut -- a 16.2% decrease
• Environmental Protection Agency: $2.6 billion, or 31.4%
• State Department: $11 billion, or 28.7%
• Labor Department: $2.5 billion, or 20.7%
• Agriculture Department: $5 billion, or 20.7%
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: $1 billion, a 16.3% cut
• Cuts National Institutes of Health spending by $5.8 billion, a nearly 20% cut. Also overhauls NIH to focus on "highest priority" efforts and eliminates the Fogarty International Center.
• Other double-digit cuts include Commerce at 15.7%; Education at 13.5%; Housing and Urban Development at 13.2%; Transportation at 12.7%; and Interior at 11.7%.

There is more at the link, but Defense spending is up, everything else is down, and the National Endowment for the Arts is toast.    Again, there is more at the link.

More is coming out, this from PJ Media:

WASHINGTON -- White House budget director Mick Mulvaney defended the administration's proposal to eliminate the $3 billion Community Block Developmemet program in the Department of Housing and Urban Development that funds, among other social services, Meals on Wheels.
"The federal government has spent over $150 billion on this block grant since its inception in 1974, but the program is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results," says the budget blueprint.

If a program does not show results, it should be cut.  American taxpayers shouldn't have to fund programs that don't show results.

The #1.

Every fast-food restaurant has a #1.  It's generally their signature meal=deal.  Buger King's #1 is a Whopper, fries, and a coke.  You get the idea.

I eat a lot of #1 meals.  I can't leave the office for lunch, and I have several kind folks who, when they're running out for lunch, ask if they can bring me something.  "A #1", I reply as I hand them some cash.  It doesn't matter much what restaurant, they've always got a #1 on the menu board.

While thinking about this topic this morning, I see that fast-food giant McDonalds is in the news. It seems that for reasons totally their own, they decided to gratuitously insult the President.

Heh!  Small hands, huh?  That's pretty much uncalled for, and McD's executive suite might take a moment and look at the idiot running their Twitter account.  That account, by the way, was almost immediately hacked.  I'm sure that's a coincidence.

I don't see anyone calling for a boycott.  Too many local jobs at stake to worry about something like that, and I'd rather eat at Burger King anyway.  But, you'd think that the Twitter executive at McD's would have better things to do than just gratuitously insult elected officials for no good reason.

It's probably time to find that person a real job.  Like running the fry rack at one of the local restaurants.

Tax Reform

The Dead Pelican highlights an article today about our state's financial crisis.

That's what tax reform means in Louisiana.  More of it. Our economy is still sputtering along under twin burdens, a combination of last year's disasters and the continuing burden of regulatory government.  Our governor, of course, is a Democrat who has never had enough money in any budget.  Unlike every household in Louisiana, the state can't live on its income.

Louisiana currently pays 38.41 cents a gallon, which is on a par with Texas (38.4 cents), a little higher than Mississippi (36.78 cents), and lower than Arkansas (40.2 cents)

I believe, though, that rather than jacking up gasoline prices, our legislators time would be better spent by reducing regulation, cutting state government, and improving roads in places other than the I-10/12 split in Baton Rouge, where they've been working for the past decade. (Seriously, are they ever going to get through with that?  It's kind of like I-35 in Texas.  They're never finished.)

What Americans want, generally, is more freedom, and less government.  That's what drove the country to Donald Trump.  We'll generally be fine if the government would just get out of our way, but more taxes is not the way to do that.

Make Mine Brass

I was surfing around and came to this post, at They Make All Kinds.  It talks about a small firearms manufacturer of the mid 1800s in St. Louis, but what caught my eye was the brass grip frame.

Brass, of course, is an old metal, one of the first worked by metalsmiths anywhere.  Basically an alloy of copper and zinc, it's been used since about the third millennia BCE, Nowadays, of course, it's an alloy of varying amounts of copper, zinc, and lead, depending on the articular characteristics needed.

The simple fact, though, is if I'm looking at a table full of handguns, and one or more have a brass grip frame, that is where my eye, my hand, and likely my pocketbook are going. Two of the three guns I use in CFDA have brass grip frames, and my long gun might one day get a brass grip frame, if time and money allow.

Uberti Cattleman Brass

There is just something about the warmth of the yellow, brass grip frame that draws my eye.  Couple the brass to a case-hardened receiver and it's a thing of beauty indeed!.  After thinking about it, brass is easy to machine, and should be easy to engrave.  After this competition season is finished, I may remove one of my grip frames and take it to a local shop to see if they'd be willing to embellish it a bit.  Wouldn't that be nice?

Regardless, if you're trying to sell me a revolver, make mine with a brass grip frame.  I'm a sucker for those things.

Well, D'uh

You remember the flap a couple of weeks ago about the Trump people meeting with the Russian ambassador?  You can Google it if you need to.  It was a big deal, among the Dems.

Well, as it turns out, the Russian ambassador was also meeting with the Clinton campaign.

“Well, if you look at some people connected with Hillary Clinton during her campaign, you would probably see that he had lots of meetings of that kind,” Peskov said. “There are lots of specialists in politology, people working in think tanks advising Hillary or advising people working for Hillary.”

I would expect an ambassador of any country to try to meet with candidates.  It's called diplomacy, and that's what diplomats do.  I didn't see what the fuss was all about before, and I darned don't see what the fuss is about now, except Dem hypocrisy.  

All We Could Do Was Scream

This is why we'll never give up our guns, even if they ask politely.

Please, someone make the comment about how this response is morally better than an armed citizen shooting the asshole in the face. Then explain that to the 13-year-old girl who nearly had her arm hacked off.

That's pure duToit, right there.

Utter Bullshit

There's some writers over at Hot Air that ask the perennial question (it must be a slow news day): Marriage, drinking or military service. Who counts as an adult?

I did all three, starting at about age 19.  Actually, I started drinking at about age 18, went to Army Basic at age 18, and got married at age 19.  It was a rite of passage, and many of my high-shcool calssmates went to DaNang on their senior trip.

Asking questions like this is pointless.  I know lots of people who, at age 30, shouldn't be counted as adults.

The Gunfighter's Prayer

Just because I have to leave this somewhere.

Those Fifteen Seconds

The frist fifteen seconds after you get out of the cruiser are very important.  This local community organizer went through a force-on-force training scenario to learn what police officers know.  Kudos to the local sheriff for taking him through it.



Many times there are no good answers.

SNL Skit

A skit from Saturday Night Live that features a talking dog, who is also a fan of President Trump.



That's funny stuff, right there, especially the liberal investor threatening to shoot the dog.

Ferguson, and Brown.

PJ Media is reporting that Ferguson MO erupted in gunfire last night, over revelations brought forth in a new CNN documentary.

Shots were fired outside the Ferguson Market on Sunday after new footage was aired on CNN of Michael Brown on the day he was shot.'

You might remember that Michael Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson after an altercation in Ferguson MO in August, 2014.  The story-line at the time was that Michael Brown had robbed a convenience store and was later stopped by Officer Wilson.  The altercation led to the fatal shooting of Brown, and Ferguson erupted in riots.  Officer Wilson was cleared criminally, but his career was ruined.

We're not sure what good this new documentary will do to ease the pain in Ferguson.  But, CNN is sinking to new lows by re-hashing this tired old story with a new  Their new theory of the crime is that Michael Brown didn't rob the store at all.  No, he was dealing drugs with the clerks.

  The video, filmmaker Jason Pollock argues, suggests that Brown didn't rob the store but was instead involved in a drug deal with the clerks.

Well, okay, then.  He wasn't a strong-arm robber, he was a drug dealer.

Well, okay, although how this new theory changes anything is beyond my understanding.

Playing with Banners

I've been playing with banners.  Foolin' about.

I think that looks pretty good, don't you?

Sunday Cool Snap

We awoke to overcast, chilly, breezy conditions this morning.  The weather weenies tell me that it's 40F out there, but the breeze makes it feel cooler.  A flannel shirt is barely enough.

So, we dcided to make a big ol' taco coup for lunch.  It's a "dump recipe" and you can find it here.  Other than browning the meat, it's simply a matter of opening cans and dumping them in the pot.

With corn chiips, sour cream, and grated cheese, this ought to work out just fine.

I LoL'd

From Wirecutter, without attribution.

I think it's funny that they used a picture of an M9 bayonet.  The M9 was adopted in 1986 as the standard US Army bayonet.  I probably saw two, maybe three of them during my entire time in the service, but I was long past my infantry days.  Real soldiers carried Kabars on their LCE.  I still have my Kabar.  It stays in the vehicle at all times.

But, I lol'd when I saw the photo.

Okay, Sweetie

Just exactly how did that happen?

Heh!

Jennifer

It's the second day in a row that we've seen something truly idiotic from Jennifer.  Today, she takes the cake.  I'm really not sure if Jennifer is a person, or simply a meme.  You decide.

Yep, Jennifer, that would be a great idea.  Pepper-spray someone legally carrying a gun.  Then, when you try to take his gun, you will have committed the second felony of the day.  When the police show up, it may not go as you have planned it.

That is, if you're not shot in the scuffle.  I'm just sayin'.

The Long Day

Several years ago, it had been a long day.  Nothing drastic, but a lot of hours.  I helped close the school house at about 11:00 p.m on a Friday night, got in my pickup truck to head home.

My habit was then, and is now, to click the little button that lets my radio scan frequencies as I drive home.  I'm officially "off-the clock" on the drive home, but I couldn't live with myself if one of my brethren was in a bind and I drove past him or her on my way home, so I scan the radio traffic as I go home and turn the radio off when I'm in my driveway.

As I crossed the river, I heard the dispatcher looking for free units.  A citizen had called in a disturbamce that was about to occur at a taco joint in a strip mall on the north end of the parish.  The strip mall was well-known for having a taco shop, a late night greeting spot for high-shcool and young adults.  As the radio traffic cleared up the situation, it seemed that a bunch of high-shcool kids were going to settle some differences in the parking lot of the taco shop.

"What the hell," thought I.  "I'm hungry, and a taco sounds like a good way to end the evening."  So, I headed for the taco shop.  When I got to the parking lot, I saw two units, clearing the area.  I happened to notice one older redneck, sitting on the tailgate of his pickup truck.  A young deputy was talking to him, and it appeared that he was being obstinate.

I walked over and as I approached I heard the old redneck telling the young deputy that this was a public place and he didn't have to go anywhere. He intended to sit right there, all night.

**Sigh**

The young deputy greeted me, and asked what I was doing out so late.  I told him that I had been working a detail, and thought I'd come eat a taco.  "Let me talk to this guy." I asked.

"I ain't going nowhere!" the old redneck exclaimed.

"Well, sir, maybe you are, and maybe you aren't."  I made firm eye contact with him. "You see, it all depends on whether this parking lot is private property or a public space."  I paused for a moment to let that sink in.  "Now, I'm going to go in and get myself a taco.  While I'm there, I'm going to talk to the manager.  If he tells me that this is private property, then when I come out with my taco, if you're still here, I'm going to arrest you for trespassing."

"If it turns out, " I continued, "that this is public property, then when I come out, I'm going to arrest you for Resisting an Officer."  I took a few seconds to let that sink in.  "But, I'm hungry, and I want a taco.  So, however this turns out, when I come out of the restaurant and you're still here, you're going to jail. And, we're going to tow your truck."

As I walked toward the taco shop, I winked at the young deputy.  When I came out, munching on a taco, the old redneck and the pickup truck were no where to be seen.

It's all in how you explain it to people.

Shoot that Azimuth.

Evidently, Jennifer has never been off concrete.

I am amazed a tthe stupidity of some people who think that they have to comment on everything.

Hat Tip: Angel.

Ag Discs

An agricultural disc is a plowing tool.   It's basically a round, concave piece of mild steel and if you've lived around agriculture, you've seen them used.  For those of you who haven't seen a disc harrow being used, here's a quick video.



The poinnt being, they are agricultural tools, designed to drag through the dirt.  When we lived on the place in Natchitoches parish, there were times when I'd stumble over used disc plates.  They wear out, and being mild steel, they're used for lots of things.

They come in various sizes, and they're very useful for lots of things.  For example, if you weld a piece of pipe through the hole of a used disc harrow, it makes a great stand for a mailbox.

Last year, my elder son asked me to keep an eye out for a couple of used disc plates.

"For what?" I asked

""I'm going to build a big wok." he said. "Fill that center hole, clean it up, and put some handles on it.  I figure I can use it on a campfire and cook anything I want to cook on it."

Well, okay, tiger.  The old man found the disc plates.

There are two of them, about 24" across and weigh about 25 pounds apiece.   My son (bless his heart) comes from a combined redneck/cajun family with a penchant for projects and cooking.

Personally, I can't wait to see how this turns out.  He's really good in a welding shop, and if anyone can fill that hole and make those worn-out discs into something useful, it's him.

I'll do an update when the project is completed.  I bet that thing will make a hell of a fried rice.

Gold Brick Eggs

The Elmer's Candy Company, out of New Orleans, makes seasonal candies, and one of them is the Gold Brick Egg.  This little morsel is made of premium chocolate with nuts.  Nothing else tastes like it, and it's only available during the Lent/Easter season

Belle loves them, and they're seasonal.  So, when I see them in the store, I'm liable to pick up a few of them.  Today, I scored a whole, unopened box of 24.

Sweet, creamy, with nuts, these candy bars have enough sugar to put a diabetic into a coma.  These things are lethal, but oh, they are so very good.  I don't know if they're available nationally, but here in Louisiana, we can get them only around the Easter season.

Thoughts on Wednesday

I got to work this morning, realized I had left my cell phone on the desk at home.  The day progressed normally, without distraction.    I have to remind myself sometimes that my cellphone is MY cellphone, and it's not a leash.

I see that the Wimmen are marching again today.  Without agenda, from all indications, they're just generally pissed off.  Then, I saw this over at the Puppy Blender.

Sometimes reality intrudes.  But, the Movement of Pissed-Off Wimmen isn't often bothered by reality.  This may be the last public gasp of feminism.  We can sure hope so.

The Question Is: Who Did They Miss?

I've quit commenting on the daily news feeds, because many of the stories in the 23-hour news cycle just don't have any legs.  If they report on it for two or three days, maybe it has some substance, maybe not.  However, this one story is evolving quickly.  Remember last week or so when President Trump said that his phone lines were tapped during the campaign?

Well, he was probably right, but not in the way that you think.  As it turns out, it's probably much worse than that.  The better question might be; whose phone was NOT tapped?

The question about whether President Trump was tapped has been reduced to a joke.  The real questions are how often and from how many places.  The answer would probably shock us, if we were ever to learn the truth.  (And did President Obama know what they were doing?  Either that or the CIA, FBI or NSA wasn't telling him. You decide.)

Your smart TV, your cell phone, your laptop computer, or your favortite tablet can all be used as surveillance devices, and almost certainly have.  1984 came during the Obana era, and the question is what did Obama know, and what did he do to put a stop to it.  The Wikileaks dump on Truesday was huge, and it will take a while to learn what we can learn from it, but one thing seems apparent.  The alphabet agencies in the US government are spying on us all.

And here's the problem with weaponizing government.  Eventually, the other party gets to use it.  That's why us small-governent folks want to keep the bureaucrats skinny and stupid.

Dude!

A new study suggests that legal cannabis might affect the beer industry.

Study suggests that legal cannabis sales could take away 7.1% of revenues from the beer industry.

Yeah, but what would it do for the potato-chip industry?

New Battery Tech??

Is there some new battery technology on the way?  From Hot Air, via the NYT.

“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted,” Goodenough said in a statement issued through the university. “We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries.”

 The new cells — which use, of all things, glass — also promise safer, faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries for handheld devices, like smartphones and gaming systems, the research team wrote.

Faster, please.

Conundrim

I really don't understand how the Left can view identity theft as a minor offense for an sundocumented illegal immigrant and a major offense for a citizen?

How does a father bring his whole family over here and set up housekeeping without documentation?  Simple.  He gets fake ID.  Fake Social Security, fake driver's license, fake debit cards.  It's identity theft all the way down.

And, what kind of father would put his family through the risk that is associated with living in the gray zone of being an undocumented illegal alien.  What kind of man puts his family through that?

The vast majority of undocumented illegal immigrants may be good people, but don't tell me that they're law-abiding.  Identity theft is a huge problem in this country.

Old and New

A great USAF file photo.  From Strategy Page.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II and a F-35 Lightning II fly in formation with a P-47 Thunderbolt and a P-38 Lightning during the 2017 Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Feb. 11, 2017. The annual aerial demonstration training event has been held at D-M since 2001. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ashley N. Steffen)

That's a cool photo.  You can click it to see a larger version.

Remember The Alamo

About the time of this post, 5:00 a.m., Santa Anna was preparing to step off against about 200 Texian patriots in a little fortification outside of San Antonio.

By 6:30, a.m., the battle was over and the defenders of the Alamo were thrust into eternity.

This, of course, led to a series of events that culminated in the capture of Santa Anna by Texas forces at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.  Texas independence followed soon after.

The Same, but Different

IT's funny how your eye plays tricks on you.  We were talking about that at the club yesterday.  Subtle differences in shading, or the apparent lines or lack thereof, change the way that our mind processes distance.

All CFDA ranges are exactly alike in terms of the shooting lanes.  The target is 21 feet from the shooters line.  The target is a 24" disc with the center of the target measured 50 inches above the shooting line.  We take great pride in complying with these measurements.  The idea is that the playing field is the same, everywhere.  A shooter can go from his hme range, drive all the way across the country, and compete on a range that's the same as his range at home.

Our home range at Thorn Valley is indoors.  It's in an old barn.  Overhead are wooden rafters that support the loft run the length of the range, drawing your eye toward the target.   Below is a pic of the Thorn Valley range.  Big Mark in lane 1, and Sinister Sal in lane 2

The Thorn Valley Range, Melder, LA

Yep, it's 21 feet to the target, the light is 50 inches off the floor.

Below, is the hone range of the Big Thicket Bushwackers, out of Silsbee, TX.

The Big THicket Bushwackers, Silsbee, TX.

They look different, don't they?  Yet, from a technical standpoint, they're exactly alike.  Differences in lighting, background, concrete vs natural soil.  It makes a difference, but technically, those two ranges have the exact same measurements.

Thorn Valley and the Bushwackers are closely-knit clubs.  We shoot on each others ranges fairly often, yet we've had Bushwackers come to our club and ask "Are those targets at 21 feet?"  The answer is always the same.  "Yep, you can measure it if you want to."  And, when I go to the Bushwackers range, it always looks to me like their targets are a lot farther than 21 feet.

They're all the same, but they are all different.

Beef Tips

We've talked about beef tips before, but we're going to talk about them again.

Belle just loaded a slow-cooker with beef and we're going to let it cook all night.

There is almost nine pounds of beef in that slow-cooker, and we're going to let it go on low all night.  The recipe is the same. Good beef, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Cover it in brown gravy mix and let it go on low all night.

Tomorrow morning, we'll put some yeast rolls on to rise, then thaw out some creamed corn.  Closer to lunch, we'll put on a pot of rice, then when the kids get here, it will be beef tips over rice, creamed corn, and yeast rolls.

Sunday lunch is already cooking.  In another couple of hours, the kitchen will smell like heaven.

Why Do Women Own Guns?

Reading Joe Hufman this morning, I find this video, from the NRA.  It's a great video, focusing on women and guns.  I'll leave it right here if you want to watch it.



The easiest answer is that even asking the question is sexist.  Women own guns for a aridity of reasons, but most importantly, because they are citizens.  Women own guns as collectors, for recreation, competition, target shooting, hunting,.. you name it.  Women own guns for the same reasons that men own guns.

Don't be sexist.

Edit to add.  If you're a guy, and your gal wants to shoot, or carry, or take a course, don't pick her gun out for her.  Let her try as many different kinds as possible, but let her choose her own carry gun.  That choice is as personal as choosing underwear, and she deserves the respect to be able to choose her own gun.

What if GPS Dies?

There is no doubt that GPS (Global Positioning System) has changed the way we navigate.  Our phones, or our little GPS receivers in the car, or boat, or plane, sure help us keep ourselves on track.  But, what happens if the system glitches, or dies?  This article at Strategy Page explores the options.

Since introduced in the early 1990s GPS (satellite based navigation) has revolutionized movement in unfamiliar areas and nowhere was this more apparent than in the military, where so many personnel on the ground, flying aircraft and steering ships operate in unfamiliar surroundings. Yet after a decade old forms of navigation (using compass, sextant and maps) began to fade away in the military. But after a few years a growing number of commanders, and their subordinates, realized that that satellites could fail or be jammed and the only alternative would be to fall back on the old ways. Training was revised.

Training was revised?  Really?  GPS is a tool, but it's not the end-all in land navigation.  And, lete me tell you a little secret; when you're riding in 50 tons of steel, a compass isn't any help either. Navigation from a steel container is by terrain association, keeping track of the sun in the sky, or the way a creek is flowing, or where that big terrain feature might be. A compass is certainly useful,   A GPS is certainly useful, but it's not a crutch.

Which reminds me.  I need to buy a new Rand McNally atlas and put one in the new vehicle.

Charter Arms Off-Duty

You never know what you're going to find, pawn shop crawling, and when I went into my favorite pawn shop today, I found a little jewel under the glass.

It's a Charter Arms Off-Duty, the original version with the exposed hammer spur, of course in .38 Special.  It's a five-shot, snubnose revolver, suitable for concealed  carry.  It seems to be an aluminum framed gun, and I admit that I'm not that familiar with the history of this particular model, but I suspect that this one should be used with standard pressure ammo only..

However, a quick checkout indicated that the gun locks up tight, indexes properly, and has transfer-bar ignition.  The double-action pull is heavier than the single-action pull, which has a little creep, but breaks cleanly.  The little gun shows very little wear, and I suspect that it was carried a lot more than it was shot.

The small fame feels good in my hand, and it seems to have the original grips.  This is a small frame revolver of the type normally seen during the early 1970s and 80s, and I suspect that it is from that era.  The "old"Charter Arms went bankrupt in the 1990s and I believe that this little pistol is from that era.

The "new" Charter Arms is another company that bought the rights to the name of the company and the model names.  The company today is s still manufacturing firearms.

I admit that I'm always on the lookout or a Charter Arms Bulldog, their revolver chambered in .44 Special.  This little revolver will go away soon, as I told my daughter that I'd keep an eye out for a nice, clean, solid little small-frame .38 Special revolver.  This one seems to fit the bill.

Political Violence

If they're anti-Trump, I simply assume that they vote Democrat.

An Ohio man is recovering in the hospital with a broken eye socket and liver damage after falling victim to what appears to be yet another vicious anti-Trump attack. PJ Media has documented close to twenty other violent attacks on Trump supporters since the election.

Why are Democrats so violent?

New World's Record - CFDA Rules

jon spencer asked in comments:

Does the record have to be backed up with a time like they do in drag racing and in the same vein will there eventually be a way to tell if the gun moves before the light comes on?

Good question, Jon, The answer can be found in the Gunslinger's Guidelines, which is found here.  But, in the interest of brevity, I've excerpted the pertinent rule here.

ANTICIPATION: The Competitor cannot move the gun in the holster after the shooting command “set” and before the start light comes on. Furthermore, any shot fired that is faster than the current World Record, must be backed up within 3 hundredths of a second before the round is over. If a competitor has not fired a shot within 3 hundredths of a second in the current round, an additional three attempts will be awarded. If the shot in question is not backed-up, then the shot will be considered “anticipated” and will result in a Procedural Penalty (PV), which is a Loss of Shot.
Note: If a competitor successfully backs up a time faster than the Current World Record in a Class A or B CFDA Titled Championship, then they shall be declared the New World Record Holder, which shall be kept up to date on the CFDA Website. There shall be separate World Records for Men’s and Ladies Division. Hosts must notify CFDA immediately.

So, yeah, the short answer is that you have to back up a World's Record shot, and you have to do it within the round of competition, or in three additional shots.   The back-up time is 3/100ths of a second.  If you can't back it up, it's ruled an anticipation, and the competitor is penalized.

Additionally, in every competition, every shooter is assigned a Hand Judge who's job, among other things is to watch the shooter, assist him as allowed, and make sure that safety rules are followed.  One of the main tasks of the hand judge is to make sure that the gun does not move in the holster between the SET command and the start light.

At Kentucky State last year, I had the most magnificent anticipation ever seen.  Something made me jump the light, and I had the gun out and on target before the light came on.  I lauged, holstered the gun, and took the PV.  Everybody anticipates occasionally.

Life is Complicated

I'm not complaining, you understand, just that life is complicated.  I notice this morning, drinking coffee, that I didn't post at all yesterday.  PawPaw was on the hook to watch grandkids, which isn't a chore as much as it used to be.  They're pretty well able to watch themselves.  And, they know where I hide the ice cream. (It's in the freezer in the garage.)

We didn't do Mardi Gras yesterday.  Normally Belle and I trek to Mamou to enjoy the festivities, but other commitments got in the way.

But, we had a bit of excitement yesterday, and I'll just leave this right here so that I can find it later.



This afternoon looks to be a pleasant exercise in garage door maintenance.