Lazy Saturday

Belle had a craving flung on her today and asked me to make salmon croquettes.  That sounded like an altogether great idea, so we got the stuff together and I whipped some up for her.

The recipe is easy-peasy, so I'll link it here.

This morning, I got my chore-list done early, so I have time to goof off this afternoon.We have a busy Sunday ahead of us tomorrow, so having a lazy Saturday ain't a bad deal.

New Study

Evidently, Michael Bloomberg, the virulent anti-gunner who also happens to be a billionaire, gave Johns Hopkins University a metric butt-ton of money to conduct a study for him.

Who'd a thun, but the study determined that there is no evidence that assault weapons bans have any effect on mass shootings.  Wow!  No we know, assault weapons bans don't do anything.  Except violate the rights of freedom-loving people.  That's it, guys, the science is settled.

The Winchester Model 67

Belle came home from her mother's house the other day and took a rifle out of the car.  A Winchester Model 67.  It had belonged to her step-dad, and before that, it had belonged to a family friend.  For the past decade or longer, it had languished in the family gun case.

The Winchester 67 is a bolt action, single shot rimfire rifle, chambered in .22 Short, Long, or Long Rifle.It was the "value-priced" line in the Winchester family, selling for the exorbitant price of $5.50 when first produced in 1934.  It stayed in production until 1960 when it sold for $18.95 MsRP.

The Model 67 was produced without serial numbers, which makes dating it a little sketchy, but it shows a nickeled bolt, a nickeled safety, and a finger-gtooved for-end.  From what I have learned about the little rifle, I believe that it was manufactured sometimes between April, 1934 and December 1935  After that, they discontinued the finger-grooved stock.

It needs to be cleaned and oiled, and in time it will be fed appropriately ad used to train new shooters.  Belle asked what it is worth today.

I told her, "It's probably still worth $5.50."

Plumbing and Woods Cruising

I went to Jena today at noon to help my mother-in-law with a plumbing issue.  My brother-in-law met me at her house to assist.  Surprisingly, within ten minutes we were done.  Plumbing jobs don't often go that smoothly.  So, we had time to run out to a patch of woods on the outskirts of town that brother-in-law has leased for deer hunting.  It's small, as leases go, and it's on the outskirts of town, so we have to be really careful about shooting directions.

But, this little patch of woods is full of suburban deer.  They're everywhere if the sign is any indication.  I haven't been on a deer lease since 2015 o thereabouts, so this is going to be a lot of fun.

Mission Creep

With the corona virus devastating China ad the threat of pandemic, what do you think that our CDC (Center for Disease Control) is worried about?

Interpersonal violence?  Really?  That's the biggest threat on the disease control matrix?  Bullshit.  They should really be concerned about pandemics.

The medical researchers should run the behavioral scientists smooth up the road.  The CDC really needs to get its priorities straight.

Monday Mardi Gras

It's the Monday before Mardi Gras, a school holiday in parts of Louisiana, including our local schools.  Most government offices and businesses are open today.

I'm watching grandson Lucas, while his parents work.  This is a good thing and we'll spend most of the day running errands of various sorts.  We need to go to the DMV, the grocers and a metal supply shop.  I need a stick of half-inch square tubing for a project.

It's time to pull on the socks and get started.

Cooking Conversations

Conversation last evening.
Belle:  What are you cooking for lunch tomorrow?
Me: Beef Tips and rice with baked rolls.
Belle:  What vegetable are you serving?
Me: Rice.
Belle:  Rice is not a vegetable.
Me: If my high school biology serves me, it is neither animal nor mineral, it must be a vegetable.  It grows in flooded fields.
Belle, cutting her eyes: You will serve either corn or English peas.

So, that was the menu today.

Insurance

About six months ago, I added a gandkid to my auto insurance.  What a whack that was to my checkbook, but we did what we had to do.  He left in January to begin a career in the Army, so he's off my insurance and the premiums went down to something that approaches rational.

Just an hour ago, I added the second grandson to the insurance.  He's been living with us for the past two years and it's time for him to start driving.  My insurance is whacked again.

Louisiana reportedly has the 2nd-highest insurance rates in the US.  Yet, having a teenager on your policy sure does put a dent in the checkbook.  He'll be 18 in August and off to college, so we'll get him his own policy and transfer his ride over to him.  Hopefully, my premiums will revert to something approaching reasonable.

But, Louisiana still has the 2nd-highest insurance rates in the US.  Out legislature needs to enact tort reform and give us all a break.

Watching Politics

Biden is making sh*t up.

The socialist is being helped by the commies.

This election is getting positively weird.

Crawfish Friday

It's crawfish season here in Louisiana, ad we eat mudbugs every Friday evening.  Of course, he dawg is handy and demands his ration.  Belle peels them for him, and I can't tell if he likes them or is just being polite.



I think he likes them.  T omorow is ou clubs monthly match ad I'll be involved in that from coffee-time until it's over. 

The .25-06 Remington

Sitting here in a rainy Thursday between errands, I stumbled across a video about one of my favorite cartridges, the .25-06 Remington.  It's an old wildcat, designed by Charles Newton back in 1912, and standardized by Remington in 1969.  What it suffered from in those days was a proper powder.  It needs a slow burning powder.  What it suffers from today is that it is an old cartridge, overshadowed by the newer whiz-bang cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmore.  This guy is a fa, and seems to enjoy shooting the old standby.



He uses 7828, which I suppose is a fine powder.  My pet load for that cartridge is 50.0 grains of Reloder 22 with a 117 grain bullet.  My chronograph registers 2971 wit that combo out of a Ruger 77.  Not quite the magical 3000 fps, but I doubt that any coyote or whitetail deer could tel the difference.  It throws them all into 0.8" at 100 yards with boring regularity.

I guess I'd better get the keys to the truck and run into town.  I need butane, and I'm thinking about cooking a big pot of spaghetti.  Zach told me on his way out the door that it's been a while since we had spaghetti, and it seems like a good day to make some.

Ludicrous

SO, I use a CPAP mask.  Love the damned thing.  I sleep better and my wife sleeps better, and like any piece of mechanical equipment, it sometimes beaks.  Belle was commending that I need to upgrade, so I went to CPAP.com and ordered a mask.  They asked for my doctor's information, because a prescription is required, so I gave them my doc's information.

I got an email back that the doc wouldn't sign the script.  Evidently, I needed an appointment.  SO, I called my doc, raised hell.  Why do I need a prescription to buy a plastic mask?  They mumbled something about insurance, and I told them I was using cash money.  My insurance need not be involved.  They told me that if I didn't need insurance, they';; sell me a new mask, no questions asked.

So, I looked at my bank statement online and saw that CPAP.com had already done a pre-authorization on my account, so I called them to cancel.  Talked to the nice lady there.  She told me that if I ordered the new mask disassemble (a kit), it didn't need a prescription.  It comes in two parts, the mask and the headgear.  And, it's cheaper.

So, if I order the mask online, I need a prescription.  But, if I buy the mask from my doc, I don't need a prescription, and if I order the mask as a kit, I don't need a script, but it's cheaper.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the unthinking idiocy of the whole scenario.

Monty Walsh

I'm just going to leave this right here, in case anyone wants to watch it.



I have errands to run.  See y'all later.

USA! USA!

While I wasn't paying attention yesterday, President Trump opened the Daytona 500 and took a lap in the Beast.



The race will finish today, after being called for a rain delay.  But, Tump showing up is pure showmanship, and pure American.

EU Complaining?

It seems that the European Union is upset with us.  They think that we pay to little for their defense.  The French president is feeling miffed:

“There’s an American policy that started several years ago and not just under this administration that includes a certain kind of withdrawal, of a rethink of its relationship with Europe,” Macron said.
“We cannot be the United States’ junior partner,” he added. “I’m impatient for European solutions.”

Really?  We pulled the collective French ass out of the fire in both WWI and WWII.  France has always looked on us for their defense, and was so arrogant as to throw us out of France in 1966.

The Germans are likewise feeling butt-hurt.

In his opening remarks, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the United States would put its own interests first at the expense of allies.

Does Germany not put its own interests first? Of course it does, and for the past 70 years has piggy-backed its social programs over the on the convenience of having America defend its borders.

Europe doth protest too much.

Article 2, Section 2

Article 2, Section 2 spells out the duties o the President, and in part, includes:

he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

There has been some comment about the President tweeting about a case involving his friend.  This is all politics.  We know that Obama protected his friends and allies from scrutiny,intervening when necessary, and the Democrats never said a word.

Just for the record, here is a little graphic to remind you how Obama put his thumb on the scales of justice.  And that's okay, because Article 2, Section 2 gave him that power.

It's the double standard that bothers me more than anything.

First Crawfish

First crawfish of he season, and Belle got hers on Valentine's Day.  She loves crawfish better than anyone I know, and our local boiler does a great job.

She loves them, she does.  Now, crawfish will be a constant on Friday nights.  Until the season is over.  And we'll wait patiently for the seasons to roll around again.

First Ride

We all remember our first ride.  Mine was a 1960 Ford Falcon that I got about 1969.  Today, grandson Zch got his first ride.  My mother had been driving a Toyota sedan for about 15 years and decided to upgrade to a newer model.  She passed down the car to me, for grandson Zach.

Zach lives with us, for lots of reasons, and he's a senior in high school.  He doesn't ask for much, and we do what we can for him.  He doesn't have a driver's license yet, but is in driver's ed  He'll get his license next month after he completes the course.

The car in question is a 2004 Toyota Camry.  It's fairly bare-bones, but was top-of-the-line in 2004.  It has A/C, the heater works, it has a radio and a cassette tape deck.  I wish that it had a standard 4-speed, but the transmission is automatic.  He seems to like it.

It's fairly low-mileage for a 16 yea old car, and I believe that it has another 100K on the drive train if he takes care of it.  I know that it has been cared for.

Sometime around the 1st of the month, my insurance is going up.

Selective OUtrage

It seems that the liberal media is now outraged that ... I dunno, something about President Trump tweeting, and AG Bar making a recommendation, and one career prosecutor resigning.  It seem seems that the Roger Stone case is the basis of all this faux outrage.  Evidently, Roger Stone is a fried of President Trump and was caught up in the RUSSIA investigation, and is facing sentencing over lying to Congress and obstruction.

Yeah, you can watch this report from See BS.



Those talking heads don't seem to recall when Obama's AG, Eric Holder famously bragged that he was Obama's wingman.  Or, when the DOJ declined to look into the IRS targeting conservative groups and Lois Lerner very publicly took the 5th in front of Congress, or when then-AG Lynch declined to prosecute Hillary Clinton for mis-handling classified documents. 

Under Obama, the DOJ, FBI, and IRS was weaponized against conservatives.    It was outrageous then, but i didn't hear many of the lib media complaining about it.  Now, it's outrageous that they find it outrageous.

Dead Soldier

Belle was making cocktails and mentioned that the one bottle was a "dead soldier".  I got her another bottle and my memry went back to the summer of 1976.

I was a shavetail lieutenant, a fantastic example of military manhood, and a platoon leader in the 4th Battalion, 37th Armor at Fort Knox.  My platoon Sergeant, "Big Al" Senese, was an E-7 recently out of Germany, but had entered the service from The Bronx, New York.  His military bearing was exemplary, and his grasp of profanity was graduate-level.  At this particular time, he was "going off" on the hapless crew of my 25 tank.  I heard the term "dead soldier", and my interest was piqued.  I was sure that if there was a corpse in the tank, my company commander would probably want a name.  Sergeant Senese fixed me with a baleful glare, a snappy salute, and informed me that this particular dead soldier was in the form of an empty pint gin bottle, that he had found in the driver's compartment of the tank.  This offended his military decorum and he truly wished that I would go away so that he could take remedial action.

I spun on my heel and left Big Al to his remedial action.  I had work to do in the company, and he seemed to have this well in hand.  Sergeant Senese was the first of a long line of stellar NCOs who taught me more about the military than all the books ad Army regulations could ever teach a young officer.

Getting Fired

It's been interesting to watch the horror show of LTC Vindman being relieved of his duties at the NSC.  The libs act like it's some act of retribution, and that Trump is some sort of grouchy old meanie to fire that heroic veteran who has shed blood for his country.

Yeah, not so much.  Vindman had orders to the US Army War College.  He's going to Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania to further his military education.  This is a rather prestigious posting for senior field-grade officers.  Not everyone gets to go.  He will be out of his high-stress White House job, furthering his education.

On the other hand, he was relieved from his duty at the White House, I suspect primarily because he testified against the Commander in Chief.  I'd love to see his Efficiency Report.  I bet it is spectacular with verbiage about lack of judgement.  Vendman, in the lingo of such things, "stepped on his own dick, in spectacular and public fashion.  The Army doesn't keep officers who do that.  I suspect that as soon as the news cycle loses interest, Vindeman wil be told that his retirement date is approaching rapidly.

And that's okay.  Every officer knows that day will come, and it's nothing personal.  Step aside for the good of the service.  He'll draw a nice retirement, and probably launch another career, just like many retired officers (myself included) have done.

Socialism Doesn't Work

Socialism doesn't work.  That is no secret, it's the message writ large across the history of the 20th Century.  Even Chris Matthews agrees.



He also likes Amy Klobuchar.

Flight Fights

If you're not following Chad and Sarah over at It's Bourbon Night, you're missing a sure bet.  They live in Kentucky and follow the bourbon scene.  They've recently finished a series where they evaluated the best bourbons under $30, and it was a great finale. 



I haven't tried their winner, Knob Creek Small Batch, but I am a fan of their second place, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.  That's my go-to house bourbon, and I'm drinking it right now, mixed with Coke for a Friday night cocktail.  Locally, I can get a 1500 ml handled of Evan Williams BIB for under $30.00, which makes it one heck of a deal.

Buyback

The Mayor of Alexandria, LA, Mayor Jeff Hall is announcing a gun buy-back to be conducted in February.

This idea is horrible on so many levels, and has failed everywhere else it has been tried, so it doesn't surprise me that the City of Alexandria wants to try it.  Of course, Mayor Hall is a democrat, so we really can't expect things like fully staffing the police department, or making life tough for criminals.  Just buy their guns, no questions asked. 

Trophies

At Louisiana State, we're going to give away some 60-odd trophies.  It's always a hassle, and I've had some aw-shit moments during the events I've put on in the past.  This is my fourth state shoot, and I've gotten a little bit smarter.  This time I went and talked to a guy who makes a lot of trophies.  We scheduled the wok for a slack period in his shop, and got them done early.  I went today to pick them up.

That's a sample of five boxes of trophies I picked up today  That's done, and I can mark that off my list.  Louisiana State is 58 days out, and I think that this one is going to be the best one yet.

Shot, Ove

Courtesy of Strategy Page, we get this photo of soldiers firing a mortar in Afghanistan.

Soldiers from the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team fire their mortar system in support of operations in Laghman Province, Afghanistan March 5th, 2019

Commanders call mortars "hip-pocket artillery".  Most military formations have a mortar section assigned to the unit, a little bit of indirect fire that they can put into the fight quickly while they coordinate bigger guns.  Hooray for the mortar crews.

Petulant Pelosi

I didn't watch the SOTU last night, but listened to it on the radio.  I missed this little visual of petulant Nancy Peolosi ripping up her copy of the speech.



Nancy, Nancy, we know you're having a bad week.  The impeachment you never wanted collapsed ignominiously.  The Iowa caucus is a continuing dumpster fire.  Trump gave a magnificent speech, and later today the Senate will acquit him.  It's a bad week for the Democrats, and most of it is your own making.

You really should try to present a more calculated response.  Grace, charm, and style might be better suited than petulance, childishness, and bitterness.

Mini-Mike Speaks

Thank God this guy didn't win in Iowa last night.



He is so clueless on guns that his ideas are dangerous.  Somehow, he conflates hunting with the 2nd Amendment.    I'll say it again.  The Second Amendment is not about hunting.  THe Second Amendment is about shooting tyrants.

Kerry Speaks

It seems that John Kerry, the ailed presidential candidate, a veteran who is universally loathed by his shipmates, but parlayed his opposition to Vietnam, his marrying into money, and a lackluster stint under Obama into name recognition, has been campaigning for Joe Biden.  And, he has it wrong once again.

I’m a hunter. I’m a gun owner. Been that all my life. But I got news from you. I’m the furthest…there’s not a veteran here who would take an AR-16 with a long clip to go out and shoot a deer or shoot anything. There has no business.

If there is one failing of the 2A proponents is that we have let the Anti-2A guys push the fallacy that the 2A is about hunting.  Sure, lots of us hunt, but that is just one facet.  Originally, it was about shooting tyrants.

Like John Kerry.  If John Kerry is on Joe Biden's team, then that is simply another reason not to vote for Quid Pro Joe.

The Winner In Iowa

As of this writing, 0550 on 02-04-020 it's unclear.  I awoke this morning, got m y coffee, ad sat down at the computer.  Who won in Iowa?

No one knows.  It appears that the system crashed and there are no official numbers available to guide us in our question.

It's not like they didn't have four years to get ready.  And, I note with some small mirth that the Dems have had quite a week.  First, their impeachment effort augurs-in, then their first caucus crashes and burns.  Complete and total disaster seems to be their continuing modus.  Some are claiming that their app was hacked, others are claiming that their whole party has been hacked.

Joe Stalin once said that it didn't matte who voted, what mattered was who was counting the votes.

I have never understood the caucus system, but shrugged off my lack of understanding.  Let Iowa do what Iowa will do.  Now, I've come to believe that Iowas doesn't understand it either.

The big winner?  Donald Trump and the GOP.  The Democrats have now tainted this entire process and voters are sure to take note.

Get Involved

There is a huge threat to the 2nd Amendment looming on the horizon, currently being played out in Virginia, but soon to be played out across the nation.  Mini-Mike Bloomberg is gearing up for a big push.

Everytown for Gun Safety, the Bloomberg-created gun control group, announced Monday that it plans on spending $60-million in the 2020 elections in a bid to do to the United States as a whole what the group did to Virginia in 2019: give Democrats complete control of the executive and legislative branches of government.

It can't happen in you state?  Think again.  If you don't vote, you can be assured that the other side votes. It happens regularly.  A complacent citizen is busy with life, raising kids, keeping the house propped up, doing all the things that life requires.  Then, one day, that citizen finds out that the legislature has done something that affects him personally.  It happened in California, and New York, and New Jersey, and now is happening in Virginia. 

You have to vote.  You have to be involved.  You have to pay attention.  Go to town hall meetings, keep tack of what is going on in your city council.  Talk to your neighbors, your family.  It's inconvenient, but not nearly as inconvenient as finding out you are a felon for owning a box with a spring in it.  Or, for owning a rifle that you legally  bought last year.

Pay attention.  They want to control you.

Apple Pie

Belle was making chicken pot pie for lunch.  Good, fresh chicken and veggies, stewed down and put in a pie crust.  I decided that dessert would bi in order, and I decided to make pie too.  Apple Pie.

Two good Pillsbury pie crusts, two cans of Lucky Leaf pie filling, a tablespoon of vanilla extract, some ground cinnamon, and a #8 cast iron skillet to give it a place to bake.

Was it good?  Darned right it was good.  Now, we're kicked back on a Sunday afternoon.  I hear that there is a football game at 5:30, but I'm not even interested enough to watch. 

Groundhog Day

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. With Puxatawney Phil in the morning, and the Super Bowl tomorrow afternoon, it should be an auspicious day.

I got a big kick out of watching the Democrats melt down on the impeachment stage.  I understand that they are in deep mourning now, and in the nature of reconciliation, I'd like to offer this little graphic to entice a chuckle and make them think about other things.

Heh!