New Toolbox: Unboxing, and Assembling with the Coolest Wrench!

So, my buddy Jay formed a company long ago.  He's a retired helicopter mechanic and he started making tools to make his job easier. His efforts turned into a full-time gig, and his son is running the company now.  Helicopter Work Aids. They ship world-wide and make a lot of very specialty tools for the aviation trades.

My son Barrett is doing YouTube, and he had some tools commissioned. Jay calls them push-pull wrenches, and Barrett highlights them in the video below. Skip ahead to the 9:00 mark when these wrenches come into play.

If you are in the aviation trades, and you need tools, give Helicopter Work Aids a glance.

Buying Propane

 I heat the shop with propane, and use it for the griddle and the smoker, so I have a number of bottles.  Six, to be precise.  When I get four empties, I load them in the truck and get them filled.  $23.99 for a standard 20 lb bottle, and that's about the cheapest around here.

Today, I took four bottles, and the guy who was filling the tanks told me that he had trouble with one of them.  It wouldn't accept propane.  Go figure, must be something wrong in the valve.

All the Dollar Stores around here have Blue Rhino cages out front, so the next time I go to the Dollar Store, I'll swap that bottle out.  Blue Rhino might be a bit more expensive, but they sure make bottle maintenance easy.

Swapping Scopes

 When I bought the Clackamore Mauser last week, I knew that new glass was in the plan. When I bought it, I immediately saw the most el-cheapo set of Weaver rings that I had ever seen.  Those had to go.  The scope was marked Marlin, and I'm pretty sure that Marlin never made scopes.  Probably some Philippine glass that originally came in bubble plastic. Not fitting for a proper deer rifle.

On Sunday, looking for a tang sight and globe sight for a Sharps that I've passed along to my son-in-law, I happened upon some old scope rings in my catch-all drawers.  Bingo.

This morning, I took that Philippine glass off the Mauser, I also took off those old rings and installed a much better set.  So, the Mauser has nicer rings now. After Christmas, Ill buy a scope that suites the rifle. Something with a reputable brand on it.

But, looking closer at the cheap scope, I realized that it wasn't horrible, just cheap. Suitable for a .22 that would knock around in the squirrel woods. Then, I remembered that 10/22 I bought last month. So, I dragged out the box, found the scope base that Ruger included, and mounted that scope in another set of rings I had found in that drawer.

That doesn't look too terribly bad, and if the scope will hold zero, I've scoped the Ruger for exactly no dollars.  I don't care if the scope is repeatable. I'm going to zero it at 25 yards and Loctite the turret caps on it.  As long as it holds that zero, it will stay on the rifle.

The Frugal Outdoorsman would be proud.

W.D.M. Bell

 If you love reading about the old African hunters, one that you surely know is W.D.M. "Karamojo" Bell, who hunted Africa at the turn of the 20th century. He preferred light calibers for his elephants, mainly the .303 British and the 7mm Mauser.

Yeah, the 7mm Mauser.

He also shot smaller calibers for his meat hunting.

On one occasion in West Africa in the midst of a famine he killed a herd of 23 forest buffalo using a .22 Savage Hi-Power rifle with lung shots.

The forest buffalo is a separate species, but still weighs 500-700 pounds. Bell was knocking them over with today's equivalent of a .223 Remington.

Just damn.

Confessions

 Reader and old friend, Joe, sent me a link to an article he thought I might enjoy.  It's a review of cartridges' since the Civil War, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. I'm going to link it here so that I can savor it later.  Like a good brandy, it deserves to be sipped.

A teaser:

What if I told you more white-tailed deer have been taken with an 1894 30-30 Winchester than all the other sundry deer hunting cartridges combined? What if I told you that you could hunt worldwide with a battery of only three rifles, a 22 Long Rifle from 1887, a 7 millimeter Mauser from 1892 and a 375 H&H Magnum Express from 1912?

It's an interesting read, and shows that we haven't really had any great new developments in  cartridge design in nearly a hundred years.

Termite came by this morning and swapped some 6.5x55 ammo for my homemade chimichangas and Belle's Alabama Sweet Bread recipe.  It was a good swap. 

Recount in Caddo

 It seems that Caddo Parish, LA (Shreveport) is having a bit of drama over the recent Sheriffs race.  It came down to one Democrat and one Republican, and after all the dust had settled, it seems that only one vote separates the two candidates.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State website.

One vote.  And, of course, there are allegations that some folks voted twice, and that one of the local graveyards has a polling problem. The recount is being conducted today, but this one will be settled in the courts. It seems that less than 30% of the elegible voters bothered to go to the polls.  

Every vote counts.

Questions, questions.

 A commenter on the Mauser post below, sheds some light.

Standard chambering for Argentine Mauser was 7.65x53.

I don't doubt that a bit.  When I acquired that old Mauser in the mid-80s there was no internet, and information was limited.  It was sold to me as an Argentine, but the barrel was marked 7mm Mauser, so that's what I shot in it.  Remington green box as I remember. 

It cocked on closing, which makes it a 93?  My ignorance on Mauser models is here on complete display.

The question becomes: Will the Mauser I have now shoot well enough to pass along?  I won't know that until I've gone through it, acquired some better glass, and bought some ammunition.  Luckily, good ammo is available from Lapua and Norma, so that shouldn't be an issue. Right now, it's a project rifle and I'll tinker with it as a the muse strikes me.

I haven't had a project rifle since 2011.  I'll enjoy the exploration.

Divestiture

 I've sold two rifles in my lifetime and regretted selling both of them.  One, an Argentine Mauser in 7x57 that I couldn't make shoot.  I couldn't keep that rifle on a 4x8 sheet of plywood at 50 yards.  The second, a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08 that shot like a laser beam out to 300 yards. I lost those rifles in the aftermath of a divorce and regretted losing them more than I regretted losing the woman.

When I was writing for The Frugal Outdoorsman, I bought a few rifles. I'm a sucker for an oddball or an antique.  If it goes BOOM, it intrigues me. And over the years I've passed them along.  Mainly to family.  Each of my sons have rifles that I bought, and used, and played with.  Levers, bolts, and single shots, I've passed them along.  Each of my grandsons has a rifle I played with.  Except the youngest one, who is coming of age.

In 1997, Remington introduced the 260 Remington, a standardized 6.5-08, that has seen some limited success. It uses a 1:9 twist, which stabilizes 140 grain bullets. My sister-in-law shoots one and she picks her shots. She shoots deer in the neck, she doesn't like to track deer.

In 2007, Hornady introduced the 6.5 Creedmoor, a very successful long range hunting cartridge.  It has proven itself both on the target range and on the game fields. It was introduced with a 1:8 twist to take advantage of those lovely sleek bullets.  No one can argue that the 6.5 Creedmoor has been less than a stellar success.

So, the 6.5 bullet is proving itself in these newer cartridges, but lots of people forget about the European grandfather.  In 1894, Sweden adopted the new, high speed, 6.5z55 cartridge. It is standardized with a 1:866 twist, which should allow those sleek 140 bullets. Its speed is limited by old metallurgy, but those published recipes are within 100 fps of the newer Creedmoor.  It has a long reputation as a game cartridge in Europe, even taking moose.

All that having been said, yesterday I walked into my local gun shop and saw a weird Mauser in 6.5x55.  The barrel is marked Sporting Arms, Clackamore, OR  6.5x55.

I started Googling and found a thread on The Firing Line.  Evidently, these are Turk mausers that were imported in the 60s or 70s.  But, it's a Mauser 98, which is a known item.  Various firms have been making them for 120 years.  It has the absolute cheapest rings and scope that can be put on a rifle, so those will go away.  We'll get some good glass and some good rings, and see how it shoots.

If it can put the bullets on the plate, it may become the youngest grandkid's gun.  If it can't, I have a project Mauser.  I've always wanted another one in 7x57.

Recap

 Thanksgiving is done, and we're cleaning up the detritus.  We fed, by my count, 24 souls yesterday, from the ages of toddler to 80.  It was a grand group of family and friends.  Turkey, ham, dressings, casserole, dinner rolls, cakes and pies galore.  It was a feast suitable for and American family.

That's Belle, behind the serving table.  It's not full yet, but I took that picture during a lull when we were waiting for the rolls to come out of the oven.

Today, I get to clean up the turkey carcass for a gumbo on Sunday, and we'll eat leftovers for lunch.  There is a little dressing left that Belle has dibs on, and I'm thinking about a big ham and cheese omelet.

This officially opens the holiday season. We'll have three more big feeds here before Christmas.  This is exactly why I build this shop.

Thanksgiving

 The turkey is smoked, sliced and in serving pans with stock to keep it from drying out.  The ham is in the roaster. Belle issued her operations order last week, and all the daughters-in-law know which sides to bring. The reception area is prepped and there is a lull in the assembly area. In a few hours, family and friends will start arriving.

It's Thanksgiving morning, a holiday where Americans pause to give thanks for the blessings of a benevolent creator.  I am thankful for a God that loves me, a wife who loves me, and the family that surrounds me.  For friend I cherish.  I continue to believe that we live in the greatest nation ever conceived by man, in the most exciting era in the history of our species.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Chili Recipe

 Juvat asked about my chili recipe.  Ain't nothing to it.

Ingredients:  2 lbs ground beef, 2 lbs ground venison. One medium onion, chopped. Chili powder,  tomato juice (about a quart).  2 cans red kidney beans.

Prep.  In a dutch oven, combine beef and venison, and fry until brown.  Add the chopped onion and saute. Drain the meat and onion mixture.  Return it to the pot.  Add the tomato juice, slowly to desired thickness. Add beans if desired.  Add chili powder, stirring and tasting to your desired heat level.  One tablespoon of sugar will reduce the acid in the tomato juice. Simmer for a half hour to blend the flavors

Serve wtih crackers, or corn chips, or sour cream, or cheese.  Or all those things.  Bon apetit.

Operational Pause

So, I see that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a prisoner swap and an operational pause.  The last I heard, it was four days, but we'll see how that plays out.

The DIF has been keeping up a fairly energetic tempo, and I'm sure that a pause will help the warfighters, even if it causes more headache for the logistics tail. In four days, they can move a lot of ammunition and supplies into the forward areas.

Of course, Hamas can too, and that might play into the IDF plans.  More targets, closer. It will be interesting to see what comes from this.

In the meantime, Belle and I are into heavy prep for the gathering tomorrow.  There will be plenty of food, and plenty of family, and that is what Thanksgiving is all about.

Deer Chili

After the rain last night, the weather turned and Belle took out some ground venison.  With cool weather, she wants deer chili.  I never make other suggestions when she wants deer chili.

 We ain't Texican, and we put beans in our chili.  Not too many, but some.  In a few minutes, we'll brak out the saltine crackers.

Rain

 It's thunder-bumping and flat-rocking out there.  Lots of rain, lots of thunder, and several tornado watches.  It's going to be okay.  The dog is scared of the weather, but I'm watching it with interest.  We're finally getting measureable aainfall.  That is a good thing.

I smoke two small turkeys today before the weather hit.  They're in the fridge and I'll cut them up and get them ready for the Thanksgiving meal.  I'll do that tomorrow, then boil the carcasses for stock.

I heard a rumor that a local gun store has a Mauser in 6.5X55.  When I'm out running errands tomorrow, I may have to stop in and take a look.

Cease Fire

 Watching the nonsense across the US about the Hamas engagement, I am reminded that Israel has already set the conditions for a ceasefire.

If Hamas wants a ceasefire, all it need do is release the hostages, surrender, and disarm.  When Hamas stops shooting, there will be a ceasefire.

It really is that simple.

Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving.  A uniquely American holiday.  It's upon us, coming on Thursday. I could tell you all about the pilgrims and the Indians, but I'd have to get our a history book, and do the research which keeps changing. Whatever.

Still, it is a uniquely American holiday, and it begins what we call the holiday season.  Thanksgiving was my Mother's favorite holiday and she did it right. The weeks leading up to it were a marathon planning session, with lists and oven schedules, and all manner of preparation.  It was quite a logistical flex that would make any military planner proud.

Mom is still with us, and I am grateful for that, but Belle and I have taken over the Thanksgiving ritual.  Mon will share the meal with us, and I'm expecting 25-ish for the noon meal.  Belle and I aren't as hampered as Mom was, simply because we have two ovens. And a smoker that I can crank up to 400F if we need additional oven space.

The local grocer was running a sale on turkeys so I went and looked at them.  Smallish birds, weighing 11 pounds average.  So, I bought two of then.  And a ham, and we'll have all the usual sides.

After the meal, I'll break those carcasses and put them in a stock pot, boil the leftovers to make stock, the peel the meat from the bones. The leftover turkey and stock will be saved for a gumbo that rivals the initial smoked turkey.

Which reminds me.  When we go to the grocer this week, I need to pick up rice.

Diversity Hire

 I grew up with affirmative action, knowing that people were hired solely based on their skin color, without regard to their experience or competence.  We knew who they were.

Nowadays, it's all about diversity.  And, people are noticing.  Watching a YouTube video on The Five, we see that lots of folks are talking about diversity hires.  One of them is Kamala Harris.  Here's the link.  Jump ahead to the 1100-minute mark.  Someone plainly asks Kamala if she is a diversity hire, and she's too stupid to understand the question.

Of course Kamala Harris is a diversity hire.  She checks all the right boxes.  I simply find it amazing that someone asked her about it.

Taters

 We were talking at the barber shop this morning, and someone said that they hadn't ever seen a potato dish at a Mexican restaurant.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a potato dish in an Italian restaurant.  Nor an Oriental restaurant.

Tatiers won't grow in Mexico or Italy?

It's A Good Start

 Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy says that if he is elected president, he will run off half the federal bureaucracy. From the UPI.

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy says that if he is elected president of the United States, he would cut 50% of the government workforce at random on his first day in office.

It's a bold plan.  Basically, if your Social Security number ends with an odd digit, you are layed off.  That is very non-partisan.  That sounds to me like a good start.

Nothing For Us Here

 Did y'all see this?  It seems that a bunch of illegal immigrants from Venezuela are going home.  The headline says it all.

Chicago migrants return to Venezuela ahead of winter: 'There's nothing for us here'

Oh, it's a sad tale of woe.

 The Chicago Tribune reported on the account of Michael Castejon, who migrated with his wife and stepdaughter from Venezuela to find a better life. However, after several months, the family suffered from homelessness, a lack of job opportunities and no access to better education. By early November, they had requested tickets back to their home country.

 "The American Dream doesn’t exist anymore," Castejon said. "There’s nothing here for us."

Oh, boohoo.  Cry me a river.  What is happening is the dole is running out, and when the dole runs out, you have to get creative and start taking care of yourself. I know, personally, immigrants who did it right, and made it.  They came here with nothing and started over.  America is a great place for that, but if you're looking for a free ticket, it isn't coming.

And, I note that this one asshole is asking for a free ticket back to his home.  Why give him a ticket?  He walked here.  He can walk home. There is nothing I would like to see more tan a vast, ambulatory caravan of illegal migrants, headed south, walking back to Mexico, or Guatemala, or Venezuela, or wherever in the hell they came from.

One of my Dad's favorite sayings was "Your feet are flat, and the road is wide." 

Answering Questions

 Some questions from this morning's post.

Termite wanted to know if we were cooking red beans.  Nope, oddly enough.  Red Beans and Rice is a traditional laundry-day meal.  But Belle wanted to cook a bisque.  I will never interrupt her when she wants to cook something as good as bisque.  This will be a simple chicken bisque.  We're saving the shrimp for later.

Another commenter wanted to know what kind of rifle I passed on to my grandson.  It's a Model 10FCM Scout rifle, built by Savage Arms. It's a second-generation Scout that Savage discontinued about a month after I bought mine.  They came out with the 3rd generation.  Mine carries a Burris Scout scope and it's chambered in .308 Win.

It has the Accu-stock, which is a metal bedding block in the stock.  If he decides he prefers a more traditional scope over the receiver, it is a simple matter to remove the scout mount and install a traditional glass.

We'll put on a couple of pounds of red beans to soak tonight.  They will be lunch tomorrow.

Laundry Day

 Itt's Monday, and laundry is the current chore.  Between loads, I'm reading the news, and there is not much to crow about.

I see that the head commie is coming to California, and they're building Potemkin villages.  They're cleaning the place up, so that Zi won't see homeless encampments or soil his shoes with human shit.

I see that Tim Scott dropped out of the presidential race.  I like him on a number of issues, but as an up-and-coming presidential hopeful, he has been overshadowed by the elephant in the room.  As have the rest of the up-and-coming hopefuls.  Scott has time to build his resume, and one day he might be the elephant in the room, but not today.

We got word yesterday that younger son made it home safely, with all the deer meat still frozen.  That's good, he has venison in the freezer.  And, I sent home a rifle for grandson.  He has recently taken an interest in shooting, and it was time for a centerfire rifle.

I guess I'd better check on the dryer.

Cutting a Barrel

 In 2007 I bought a Savage Model 10 FLP as a gift to my youngest son.  That rifle is the law enforcement version, .308 cal, heavy 22-inch barrel, synthetic stock.  Back in the day it was quite cutting edge. He has shot it and hunted with it ever since, and lately he's been thinking it's time to lose some of that barrel and make the rifle a bit more handier, and a bit lighter.

Second son happens to own a lathe.  Today they decided to unscrew the barrel and bring it down from 22 to 16.5 inches.  They planned this little soiree, and had assembled the tools, to include the headspace gauges.  This afternoon, we met at the shop and the boys did the deed.

The thing about the Savage is that it is really easy to take the barrel out, and if you have a modicum of knowledge around a fairly well-equipped garage, swapping a barrel is not a problem.

I was impressed with the way the boys used the lathe to crown the muzzle.  A nice 11 degree crown was an easy job. I hung around until they headspaced it.  I'm convinced it's safe.

A Few Thougts

Belle and I voted yesterday, and we were busy running errands, and I really didn't focus on those states that had big elections on Tuesday. Here's my take-away.

For decades Roe was settled law, and recently, the Supremes decided Dobbs, and threw the idea of abortion back to the states.  The states are deciding, and whenever an abortion initiative is on the ballot Democrats win.

While I would love to see a fair, legal, honest election where 100% of all legal registered voters trun out and make their voices heard, we know that is not a thing.  Election strategy matters, and voter turn0out is a great indicator of who might win a particular election.  If there is an abortion initiative on the ballot, voter turnout surges and Democrats win.  I'm just making an observation.

While I personally think that abortion is a heinous offense against the unborn and God, I also know that not everyone feels the way I do.  If abortion is on the ballot, Democrats win.

I see that the Republican also-rans had a debate last night.  The elephant in the room was that the elephant was not in the room. Donald Trump was not there, and barring some unforeseen circumstance, he will be the Republican nominee.  

This And That

 BobF asks in comments what we're paying for shrimp up here.  Honestly, I don't know.  THe shrimp we cooked yesterday were given to me. A buddy was cleaning out his freezer and brought over four gallon bags of frozen head-on shrimp. I thawed one bag, pooled and de-veined them, and it turned into about two pounds of usable tails. I have no idea what shrimp are going for locally.

Have y'all tried the Sam's Club fully cooked ribs?  I know how to smoke ribs, and I'm willing to do it, but these are just fine. Just take them out of the package, run them in the oven on a cookie sheet and heat them for about 45 minutes.  They're wonderful.

Belle and I stopped by Arby's after running our errands and had a brisket sandwich for lunch.  I wasn't expecting much, but for fast food, it's a pretty good sandwich.  

I filled the van with gas yesterday, and it is down.  I paid $2.57 locally.  The last time I filled up duringthe Trump years, gas was $1.87, so Joe still has some work to do.

Hunting

 It's deer season in Louisiana, and my boys are hunting. Son-in-law (SIL) has a family deer camp, and the boys are hunting there this week.  We've known SIL since he was five years old, they grew up together. It was a good thing when he married into the family.  Younger son lives in New Mexico and he came in to take advantage of the thriving whitetail population and take some meat back to his freezer in the desert.

Left to right - Son in law, Second son, youngest son.  Two does, which should provide good freezer venison.

They are hunting the piney woods thickets of north-central Louisiana, and the brush is thick.  That dog in lower right is Roux.  He earns his keep as a tracking dog. When you hit a deer in these thickets, if it is not a bang-flop, you have to find the deer, and they'll burrow into those thickets and be hard to find.  That's where Roux shines.  He finds wounded deer.  And, he's excellent at his job.  A good tracking dog is worth his kibble, and Roux has proved his worth many times over.

They are scheduled to come out of the woods tomorrow and be here for lunch.  

The Far Side

 No, not the old cartoon strip. The far side of the political debate.

Evidently, there is a liberal philosopher, Sam Harris (Never heard of him) who is a thought leader for the left. He was recently highlighted on Gutfeld's show, talking about Trumpism and the knee-jerk reactions from his side of the political aisle. It's in the A block and you can watch it here.  It starts about the 1:30 mark.  Harris says basically, that Trump was right and that the southern border is a complete catastrophe.

Out of farness to Harris, I went looking for the original podcast, and found it here.  It seems that Gutfeld's clip was accurate and fairly reflected Harris' views.

Taking a break from peeling shrimp (yeah, we're doing that.  Belle wants to make a shrimp scampi for lunch) I listened to the remainder of the podcast and found it interesting.  There was some discussion about the way the pandemic caused a lack of trust of the public on the "experts".  I found it instructive that the left believes that public trust was shattered but has no real idea on how to restore public trust in our benevolent government.

Sometimes it is fun to go down the leftist rabbit hole.

America’s New Abrams-X Tank - WTF?

So, the Army wants a new tank.  The current champion is the M1 Abrams, a tank adopted in the 1980s and used to great effect all over the world. The M1 is a great tank.  Let me establish my bona-fides.

I am a graduate of the US Army Armor Officer Basic Course, a graduate of the US Army Armor Officer Advance Course, and a graduate of the US Army Cavalry Officer Advance Course. Below is a video that details the newest and fanciest tank that the Army is acquiring.  

From a tank officers perspective this thing has a few drawbacks.

Crew size - In WWII and Korea, the Army's standard tank had a crew of five (bow gunner, loader, driver, gunner, and commander). In the Vietnam/Cold War era, that was reduced to four (driver, loader, gunner, and commander). I always considered four as the minimum crew for a tank. When you have maintenance issues, or when you have thrown a track in a mired location, you need every bit of manpower to get the tank us and running. Three people may simply not be a big enough crew.

That autoloader - Replacing a crew member with an autoloader injects complexity in a place where simplicity is key. As a tank commander, I could tell the loader which round to grab, and we could change types of rounds during an engagement. Unless the Army is going to one main gun round, the loading process may become overly complex for a mechanical machine. I hope the technology has improved, but the autoloader was a bad idea in the 80s.  I doubt it's any better now.

Technology - Technology is a grand thing.  Right up until the second when it's not.  The old M60 series tanks had the ability to do what we called "degraded gunnery".  That is, the ability to operate the gun manually even when all systems had failed.  We actually had manual cranks, a telescope, and a hand-crank igniter to fire the cartridge. If the turret was still on the tank, we could lay the gun and fire it. That ability was very handy.

I do think that the new power pack is a good idea.  I was never really a fan of the turbine engine.  I think that moving the crew our of the turret into the automotive bed is bad idea. I think that reducing the crew size is a bad idea, and the increased reliance on technology is wrong-headed. When systems start going down, it's a good idea to be able to fight the tank without those systems.

I do think that the M10 Booker is a great idea, and should provide the punch that light infantry lacks.  I would love to get the chance to crawl around on one of those.

Missed It

 I totally missed the "fall-back" last night.  Didn't think about it at all.  Until this morning when I sat down at the computer with my coffee. The only impact that the time change has on me anymore is that the sun goes down an hour earlier. Whoopee.  I'll spend a portion of today changing clocks when I notice them. I'll put a couple of AA batteries in my pocket, because when the clock is down, it's a good time to change the battery.

Today's lunch will be pork chops and rice, with purple hull peas and cornbread.  Some sort of banana pie for dessert. The kids will start showing up in a couple of hours, depending on wheter or not they noticed the time change.  It's going to be a good Sunday.

Moral Equicalence

 A quick graphic to highlight the basic difference between Hamas and Israel.

Just in case you were wondering.  Hamas doesn't deserve a cease-fire, nor even an operational pause.

Propane

 It's that time of year again, we're filling propane tanks.  Down the road a bit, we have a feed-and-seed that has a reputation for the lowest price around here, so that's where I get my tanks filled.  There was a time, forty years ago, when I heated my house on propane and had a 200 gallon tank sitting beside the house.  That time is long-gone.

I still use propane to heat the shop, and do some occasional cooking.  MY fish cookers use propane and the griddle uses propane.  Both of my stoves are electric, and I still do my barbequing on wood or charcoal.

Propane prices are up this year, according to the lady at the cash register.  She claims, about 50 cents a gallon.  That surprises me because when I get a standard 20 lb bottle filled, it's done by weight, not volume. That being said, three 20 lb bottles cost me $71.19 this morning.

If I'm running propane I'm not running the air conditioners.

First Frost

 We got a frost this morning, the first of the season, with temps in the high 20s.  I sprayed herbicide this morning, the last of the season. Trying to knock back some weeds that we don't need.

I had to run up to the Dollar Store, and when I started the van, got the usual low pressure warning on the tires.  My van lives outdoors, but I'll bet that Belle's car has the same problem.  It's that time of year.  Later today, I'll pull them in the shop and inflate whatever needs to be inflated.  It's that time of year.

Some comments from yesterday, talking about John Kennedy's sense of humor.  Louisiana has bad problems in the past with voter integrity, and I think that we have solved most of them. With our strict voted ID law, I really don't think that a corpse can vote in Louisiana.  But there was a time.  John was poking fun at our history.  There were places where vote buying was rampant, and the voter rolls were suspect at best.  I recall one municipal election in the last century where, when the initial tallies were made, the Clerk discovered that more votes had been cast than registered voters on the rolls. That's voter engagement at its best.

The weather weenies tells us that we're going to warm over the next several days.  We're still in a drought, and rather than paying A/C bills we're going to be paying heating bills. The season, it is a-changing.

Border Security

 While running errands this morning, I happened to hear that Egypt is going to open the border with Gaza and let up to 500 folks with foreign passports out of Gaza.  They were also going to let up to 90 critically ill people out to seek medical treatment at Egyptian hospitals.

Border security.  Perhaps the US could take a lesson from Egypt.

Also, during that time, I heard a political ad by our esteemed senator John Kennedy.  We have a runoff election pending in the state, and runoff elections generally have a lower turnout.  John was imploring people to vote.  "Dead people do it.  You can too."