Sucession

 It's a legal tern where we clean up the property of a deceased person and distribute the proceeds to the heirs.  I had offered, several years ago, to take that on, but Mom wanted someone else to handle it.  She made a good choice, as was her prerogative.  Another of my siblings is handling it and doing a fine job.

I spent most of the day filling out forms, responding to emails and getting folks the information they needed.  All this has to be done legal and proper.

This makes me think about things that I need to accomplish before my time is over.

C Rations

 C Rations were an individual field ration used in the US military during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.  The Army was still using the when I went through basic in 1973. Simultaneously beloved and loathed by the troops, it was what you had to eat in the field. Twelve meals to a box, a mixed carton of joy and loathing.

The worst meal in most troops opinion was the Ham and Limas.  It came with a dessert of fruitcake. Both were inedible, but this guy liked it. Each C Ration came with an accessory pack that contained toilet paper, a heat tab, paper matches, cigarettes, and a toothpick.

My favorite C was Poork Patties in gravy. One day on a break I was hungry, so I took out the Pork Patty can, lit a heat tab and was merrily heating the tin when the Drill Sergeant wandered by.

Him: "Private, what are you eating?"

Me:  "Pork Patties in gravy."

Him:  "When was that packed?  Look on the bottom of the can."

I lifted the can to look at the bottom. "Drill Sergeant, this says 1948."

Him: "Damn, Private, that pig has been dead longer than you have been alive.  I'm going to watch you close te rest of the day."

The Army later came out with LRRP rations, which were totally inedible, then followed those with MRE rations, which are still used today.  If I had my choice, I'd pick C Rations every time.

Cleaning My Turkey FRYING OIL with CORNSTARCH

Have y'all seen Bruce Mitchell's method of cleaning frying oil with corn starch and water? It works, I'm here to tell you it works.

I've used this method in the past.  I didn't have to use it today because it's been two days since I fried the turkey and the little crumbs had settled in the bottom.

I thought it was witchcraft the first time I tried it.  Go slow when pouring the corn starch mixture into that hot oil.  Go real slow.

Leftovers

 Yesterday we focused on leftovers.  That big ham was sliced off the bone. The bone is in the freezer for a pot of beans later this year, the ham will go sandwiches or omelets, or any other recipe where applicable.

The turkey carcass was boiled for stock and the leftover meat will go into a gumbo tomorrow.

The other odd bits will either be eaten or discarded.  One of the grandkids brought a big pot of queso dip.  I'm going to re-heat it in another hour and eat it over fried potatoes.

The weather outside is miserable.  Cold, clammy, rainy, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones.  It is altogether a good day to build a fire.  Those cheese fries are going to taste good later on.  Belle is looking at the weather report, and saying that a venison chili is in our future for Monday.

I see that folks north of us across this great country are having a rather intense winter storm.  As a young man, I lived in the snowy North for three years and snow lost all of its appeal for me.  I'll deal with the oppressive heat of summer, but I don't care if I ever see snow again.

Right now, though, I need to figure out how to save all that cooking oil in the turkey fryer.  I have four gallons to deal with.

Thanksgiving

 The turkey was moist, and the ham was savory.  The yams were sweet, and the cornbread dressing was delicious.  The green bean casserole, excellent. Yeast rolls, or course, with cranberry sauce and assorted desserts.  Let's not forget about the gravy

We fed, by my count, sixteen today.  I have much to be thankful for.  My friends, my family, and the bounty that the Lord has blessed me with. I hope that each of you had a remarkable Thanksgiving. Tomorrow begins the Christmas season.

For myself, I will be sorting thru the debris.  I have to put away the turkey fryer and clean that big pot that I use once a year.  Then Belle and I will eat leftovers. I'll put the turkey carcass in a pot and boil the bones for stock, saving the leftover meat.  This will become a traditional gumbo that I cook each Sunday after Thanksgiving.

It was a very good day and I am relaxing with a bourbon and counting my blessings.

This Factory Ammo

Surfing the intertubes and this video pops up. The guy is griping that factory ammo is not consistent. Imagine that.

This guy asked for recommendations, and I have one word for him.  Handload. For about $200 you can start making better ammo than you can buy. The thing about handloading is that the initial $200 investment turns into $1000 or more. Then you start chasing nodes, and Es and Sd and before long you wonder if you are a shooter who wants good ammo, or a handloader who has to shoot experimental ammo so that you can load it again.  You start chasing bug hole groups and find yourself down rabbit holes.

Don't get me started on making your own bullets.  That rabbit hole is so deep, you will wish you had mining equipment.

When I was running a SWAT team, my marksmen shot Federal God Medal ammo.  It was the most consistent factory ammo we could find. My agency required factory ammo, so we shot Federal Gold Medal.

The ammo companies make good ammo.  It goes bang and will generally do what it is intended to do, but the simple fact remains that theirs is a bulk manufacturing process, and they don't have the time to spend that a good handloader will spend on each round of ammunition. If you want the very ammo for your rifle, you have to build it yourself.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have to prep a turkey.

Accountability

 So this whole kerfuffle over illegal orders has ginned up some controversy.  Senator Mark Kelly and whatshername Slotkin are being called to account for their indiscretion.   As well they should.

Slotkin gave an interview where she claimed that she knew of no illegal orders that the President had given. She acts as if the whole controversy was framed as an educational exercise, to let junior officers and enlisted know that they should check with JAG officers if they the ink an order is illegal.

Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, is in the limelight.  Supposedly, SecWar Hegseth is launching an investigation to see if Kelly violated any portion of the UCMJ by his participation in that video.  Captain Mark Kelly, USN (retired) may soon learn that he has not been relieved of his obligation. He may find himself before a board of his peers to explain himself. An officer might disagree with the President privately, but to do so publicly puts him at risk both criminally and financially.  

I was taught as a young officer that discretion is the better part of valor. You may disagree with your superiors, but you had better be damned sure that you are right, and you must be willing to suffer the consequences of being right.

I recall once that I was given an order that I thought was a bit shaky.  I asked for that order in writing.  When he asked my why, I simply explained that at my Courts-Martial, I could present an affirmative defense. He backed off and modified the order so that it would not conflict with regulation.

There are ways to "buck" an order. YouTube is not the way to do that.

Two Things

 The big political argument this week is rather specious.  A bunch of well-meaning Democrats came out with a video that reminds enlisted members of our military that they are not required to obey unlawful orders.  That is true, as the oath of enlistment spells out.

“I, ____________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice”. 

Patriots were outraged.  While it is true that our military members can refuse unlawful orders, it is also true what President Trump pointed out, that sedition is punishable by death. 

That is also true.  Sedition is considered a bad thing in military service. One can be hanged, or shot, for sedition.

Both sides of this argument are telling the truth.  No military member is required to follow an unlawful order.  And sedition can get you shot.

Both sides are being silly, and I'm glad I could clear that up for you.

Equal Opportunity

 Because those porch-pirate videos keep populating my feed, I am learning things about those miscreants who think it is okay to steal from others.  There is no demographic.  Old, young, skinny fat, well-dressed or tacky.

What surprises me is the outrage they inevitably exhibit when the trap is sprung.

Or, I'm all wrong and these are staged simply for the clicks and entertainment.

The parish (county) where I reside has its problems, but locally, porch-pirate doesn't seem to be a concern.  Perhaps it is our affinity for the 2nd Amendment and our general loathing of thievery. I'm not saying that I would shoot a thief, but depending on the details of the encounter, it is certainly an option.

Frying Turkeys

 I'm seeing a bunch of Turkey frying videos on my feed and the one thing they never cover is how much oil to put in the pot.

That depends on your pot and the size of the turkey.  Once you have chosen your oil, and your turkey, it's time to prep the turkey and make sure that the bird will not overflow the pot with the hot oil.

The turkey must be fully thawed.  Please, God, do not drop a frozen turkey into hot oil. It will explode and at a minimum, a trip to the Emergency Room will be necessary. Once the bird is thawed, season it however you will.  Inject it, or rub it, or whatever.  It's your bird.

The way I was taught to do it was to test it before you lit the burner.  Simply put the bird in the pot, add oil until it covers the bird, then take the bird out.  Then light your burner and heat the oil to the desired temp.  When putting the bird into the hot oil, go slowly. Painfully slowly. Wear gloves and take your time.

Let the turkey fry 3 minutes per pound.  A 12-pound bird takes 36 minutes.  After frying, let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Bon apetit.

Making Arrangements

 While we were off shooting this weekend, we got word that my mother had died. While it was unexpected, it was not totally unexpected.  You know it's cooing, but you are never really ready for the news.

She led a good life and I'm convinced that she is at peace.  She wanted to be cremated and that is going to take a few days, but there are still arrangements that have to be made.  Belle and i will go to the funeral home this morning.  She pre-planned her funeral several years ago and I'm going just to review the plans and try to insure that her final wishes are honored.

I'm okay, I really am.  We lost Dad on 2007 and we had Mom until Friday afternoon. They taught us how to live, and they showed us how to die.  Death is part of life, that is just the way it is.

Mom's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, and her Thanksgiving menus were legendary. For the past several years I have hosted Thanksgiving at my place with Mom in attendance as the family matron.  That is probably when the grief will kick in hardest for me, not having her at the table.

So now, if you will excuse me, I have to play out the final chapter of an absolutely remarkable life.

Good Shoot

 We just finished up the shoot in Mobile, AL and we are ensconced in the hotel room. The host put on a very good shoot at his home range.  Hats off to the local club, Benders Bandits  Good shooting, good food, good people, who could ask for more.?

Your scribe, known here as PawPaw, is known as Major D in the CFDA.  We all have an alias, and because I am a retired US Army Major, and because that is what my troops called me during Desert Storm, I answer to that alias reflexively.

Today, I came in 7th place by the simple expedient of hitting the target.  In this game, one cannot miss fast enough to win. You gotta hit the damned target.

Not to shabby for an old, fat man.  We will head home in the morning.

Prepping Guns

 Belle and I are leaving tomorrow morning for a shooting competition in Mobile, AL on Saturday. I spent this morning getting the guns ready. A Colt SAA has 10 screws on the exterior of the gun.   I found at least one loose screw on each of the guns we're taking.  Nothing destroys confidence like having a gun come apart on the firing line.  It really throws off your timing.

Now, the guns are clean and tight, the ammo is packed and I'm working the list. Boots, guns chairs. Luggage, update the GPS. The list is fairly long, but we've been doing this for years.

This is a very minor competition, a Jackpot Shoot at a local club.  Those are normally the most fun, because there is less competitive stress.  Just people having fun. What I enjoy about these local shoots is getting to see folks I don't normally get to see.  It's like going to a family reunion with people we actually like.

Red Beans

 With this cool weather, it's time for a pot of beans. I use Camellia brand, I've learned to trust them over the years. I've been using them for 60 years and I've never found a piece of gravel in them.

In other parts of the country, it is pinto beans, or white beans, but in Louisiana, it's red kidney beans.  I've cooked them every way you can imagine.  I've used all sorts of sausage, salt pork, bulk breakfast sausage, ham, or anything pork.

These days, my recipe is simple.  Get out the Crock pot. Rinse your beans, cut up a pound of good sausage.  Drop the beans ad sausage in the Crock pot with a little salt and ten cups of water. One pound of beans, one pound of sausage, ten cups of water.  For two pounds of beans, 16 cups of water.  Put the lid on the Crock pot,  Set it on low, and go to bed.  When you get up in the morning, give them a stir.  At lunch, make a pot of rice.

Yesterday as I was prepping the beans, I realized that I had a half-rack of ribs left over from lunch.  I dropped that in the bean pot along with the sausage. This morning, I fished it out, removed the bones and shredded the pork. It will be just fine and cleaned up a leftover that I didn't want to deal with.

If I'm using bulk sausage, I brown it first. If you want to use an onion, dice it fine and drop it in the pot. For cheap, easy fixings, a pot of beans is hard to beat. I'm going to feed six folks today for less than $10.

Red beans and rice.  It's what's for lunch.

Veterans Day

 The eleventh day of the eleventh month, marking the armistice that ended the Great War.  Today, we call it Veterans Day.

I see that the Senate yesterday voted to end the shutdown.  Eight Democrats joined Republicans to put it over the finish line.  Tomorrow the House should vote and send it over to the White House.  Presumably, the troops will get paid and the Pore N' Starvin will get their food stamps.

That is a good thing, I reckon.  Although I have seen over the past few days, a number of the perennially broke types posting reels on Facebook and YouTube, complaining about not having food on the table.  Only in America can someone post on the internet about such things while enjoying ownership of a smartphone.  It's supposed to be Supplemental Nutrition, not the primary plan. To my mind, SHAP should be limited to basic food.  Dry beans, salt pork, flour, sugar and cornmeal. A box of milk powder.  Stuff like that. I understand that the US has huge stocks of cheese in underground caverns.  Let 'em eat cheese.

Later today I'm going to put on a pound of dry beans to make Red beans and rice for tomorrow.  I'm not too  good to eat red bens.

First Frost

 Happy Birthday, Marines.

I think we got our first frost this morning.  A light frost to be sure, but a frost nonetheless.

I made the first gumbo of the season yesterday, not so much that it was cold, but because it was the second weekend in November and I was ready for gumbo.  I never know how ay people I am going to feed for Sunday lunch, and I do not advertise my menu. Many times I don't know what I am cooking until I start cooking.  Still, people show up.  I fed 13 yesterday.

Today, Belle wants something warming, so I think I'll cook a potato soup for lunch. With diced tasso and lots of cheese.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to the grocers.

It's The Bee

 The headline in the Babylon Bee from yesterday.

Mamdani Moves Mayor's Office Under Children's Hospital

That is funny right there.  The boy is a Hamas supporter. 

In other news, I was talking with my son last night, and he told me about a new product for guys like me who carry revolvers daily.  Revo-Mag.  It's a way to carry a reload in your pocket that is not as bulky as a speedloader. Supposedly faster than a speed strip. Interesting.

The weather-weenies are telling us to expect some weather in advance of this cold from, but for the life of me, I'm not seeing it. At least locally, there is not much rain in the forecast. Odd, that.

Algorithms

 So, my feed has filled up with these little shorts where porch pirates are getting their comeuppance. with dye packs. The algorithms, they are algorithm-ing.

Like this one.  Or, this one.

My question, Is this a real thing or are they AI generated?  They are amusing for sure, but how many porch pirates are out there?

Elections Matter

 The Democrats had a good night last night, electing governors in Virginia and New Jersey. That was to be expected, both being blue states.  New York elected a commie mayor, and we'll have to wait and see how that plays out.

These results really don't come as a surprise to me.  What would have been surprising were if the results were any different. What will be interesting is how these results play out in the face of the upcoming midterm elections.

I've only been in NYC once, in the early 80s as a tourist.  I saw what I wanted to see and got the hell out of there. Eight hours, bucket list done.  Those folks can have that place.  I suspect that in the wake of this election, some will be leaving.

Pot Roast

 Last night, Belle and I were discussing the lunch menu for today.  She mentioned that we haven't done a pot roast in a while, so I determined to make one today. It's an ancient recipe, on that has been in the family for decades.  My grandfather used to make it every Sunday, as part of a larger meal.  My grandfathers Sunday table was legendary, with pot roast, meatballs, baked mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, English peas, and a host of other sides.

The basic pot roast recipe is here.

Even though my last name happens to be German, my heritage is more mixed, like all Americans.  I have German, Dutch, Scots-Irish, and Cajun blood running through me.  My Scots-Irish grandmother, for example, loved crawfish, but I don't recall my Cajun grandmother ever eating a crawfish.

I recall as a young officer, I was sent to Fort Dix NJ for a two-week class.  One night, several of us went off post to have dinner at a German restaurant.  I thought it was exotic and ordered German Pot Roast as the entree. I was somewhat disappointed to find that it was precisely what my grandfather had served ever Sunday. I did learn about schnitzel and bratwurst on that trip.

The roast is in the oven.  In anther hour the kitchen will start to smell like what I think heaven will smell like.

Monday Muse

 Are we still in the government shutdown?  I haven't noticed and don't really care. As a "small L libertarian", the less government, the better.

PJMedia asks the rhetorical question, "How many illegal aliens are drawing food stamps?"  For me, the answer is that one is too many.  The migrants I know, all of them legal, are hardworking souls that pay their own way.  If you are coming to the US to mooch, then you are in the wrong place.  Go home and mooch.

I understand that some people want to keep the gravy train rolling, but eventually you run out of other people's money.  And every tax dollar that the government squanders is other people's money. Now, I understand that two federal court judges are talking with Trump about how to get the money flowing.  It seems that the US Dept of Agriculture has some $5 Billion set aside for natural disasters.  This is not a natural disaster.  This is Democrat stubbornness. They can end it today by voting to end it.

On a more personal and local note, Belle wants me to make my stuffed chimichangas for lunch today. She has a list and will soon be on her way to the grocers.

Belle Calls Bullshit

We come this morning with this tale of woe from the Big Easy.  Belle calls bullshit.  She was a nurse for over 40 years.

Belle calls bullshit because this lizard is claiming that he is a licensed nurse that can't find a job.  There is a nationwide nursing shortage in every employment market.  This guy might not be able to find the job he wants, but he could go to work tomorrow.  He might have to start as an ER nurse on the night shift, but the jobs are available. This guy doesn't need SNAP, he needs to go to work.

Spooky SNAP

 Today is Halloween, a celebration beloved by millions of Americans.  After a night of goblins, ghosties, and things that go bump in the night, Americans are poised to waken tomorrow to the pause, perhaps the end, of a program that began in 1939.

Originally called the Federal Foos Stamp program, it began to give Americans a temporary leg up when times were tough. It has now morphed into a bloated entitlement program. Democrats, through their hubris, are set to let it expire in the short-term beginning November 1st.

This program has been around since 1939, and although intended as a temporary measure, some folks have been on it since birth.  Now that it is poised to pause, the outrage is palpable and loud.  Videos of outrage are filling the internet, with people saying that if the Democrats pause their benefits, they will simply go to Wal Mart and steal it. My, my.

This ain't Wal Mart's fault.  But thankfully, the technology has caught up with stealing. There is an App for that.  I'm hearing that in some markets, Wal Mart will suspend in-store shopping.  If you want to order groceries on the app, they will bring it to you in the parking lot. This technology has been around for several years, and I myself have used it when convenient.

Again, these are all wild-eyed, hairy-assed rumors, but it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. The Senate Democrats could end all this by simply voting to fund the government at current levels.

Range Day

 Belle had errands to run this morning, so I loaded a couple of rifles in the van and headed out to the Woodworth range for a little recoil therapy.

I started out with the Winchester 94 carbine.  I haven't shot this rifle since Junior Doughty died, and I felt like the old gal needed a little range time.  That rifle is fitted with a Williams pep sight and I quickly realized that I could not pick up that front bead sight against the tree line.  That sight just disappeared in the clutter of the ben and shadows.  My old eyes let me down.  I need a high-resolution front sight on that rifle. I'll do some research, but my first inclination is to install a Fire-Sight.

So, putting the levergun back in the case, I took out the Ruger 10/22.  I had not fired that rifle since I swapped the factory stock for the Boyds AT-One. That rifle made me feel a little bit better, so I re-zeroed with the new stock, then fired 10 shots on a fresh target.

Not too shabby for an old blind man.  I will own those two flyers, but I still feel that the trigger on that rifle is a bit crunchy. Ruger makes a better trigger, as does Timney and Volquartsen. The cost of those triggers are more than the cost of anew Ruger 10/22 and it becomes just a matter of how much I want to spend to refit the trigger group.

Decisions, decisions.

Optimum Still Sucks

 I awoke this morning to another Optimum service outage. I called it in and got the familiar robot. Optimum knows that there is a service outage in my neighborhood and are working diligently to restore service.

I especially like the part in their spiel when they tell me that I can go online for more information.  How, exactly, and I supposed to go online when the internet is down? That is a question that no one has been able to answer.  Just a dumb-ass robot answering the phones. Telling me what I already know.  

Optimum still sucks.

Cleaning Rods

 If you are a shooter, you need a cleaning rod. Yes, there are other ways to clean a barrel, but a cleaning rod is indispensable to your bench.  Yes, I like Hoppes Bre Snakes, and yes, I use them. But, for a deep cleaning, nothing beats a good rod and a brush.

I realized last night that I had no clue where my .22 caliber rod had gotten off to. I know exactly where my rod for medium bores is hanging, but the .22 rod seems to have grown feet and wandered off. I'm a big fan of Dewey rods, so I went to my favorite retailer and ordered one.  It will get here in a few days, and in the meantime, I need to pull my bench away from the wall and screw a clip to the back of it so that the rod will have a home.

Dewey rods are a little more expensive, but they are really nice.

Glock Perfection

 So, evidently, there is some hysteria going around that Glock is coming out with a new generation that changes the disconnector to make it harder to mod the gun to help it go full auto?

So let me ask, just exactly how much toilet paper do you have left over from the Covid hysteria?

Manufacturers make changes constantly. Sometimes to help manufacturing, sometimes to defend from possible lawsuits, sometimes to protect patents. Glock is no different than Smith and Wesson in that regard. The Smith revolver I'm carrying right now is on its 16th manufacturing change.

Don't freak out.  There are literally millions of old-generation Glocks on the used gun market.  We're not going to run out anytime soon.

What A Dumb Broad

 Watching the news this morning, I stumbled across this clip from Gutfeld! talking about Sunny Hostin, the brain-dead host of a show called The View.  You can watch the clip here.

Hostin claims that she lives in an all-white neighborhood.  He son was training for the Junior Olympics and she took her son to the police station and told the cops that her son was training, and that they should leave him alone as he ran through the neighborhood.

Hostin doesn't understand how "the cops" work. Generally, in any agency that that provide 24/7 protection, there are four shifts. The cops you might contact on Monday, aren't there on Wednesday. The cops that are there during the day, aren't there at night. Generally, there is some sort of "pass-on" log, where information is passed from one shift to another, but unless they took a photo of Hostin's son, no one knows what this kid looks like. The story is preposterous on its face.

And, as comedian Jamie Lissow points out in the clip, if Hostin lives there, it's not an "all-white" neighborhood anymore.

Thursday Thoughts

 Another beautiful day in central Louisiana. It's full-fledged autumn.

I went to the cardiologist yesterday and he gave me a clean bill of health. He doesn't want to see me for another year. At my advanced stage of decrepitude, I felt like that was pretty good news.

At the local, club level, we have our last Monthly Match this weekend.  Several years ago, the club voted to not hold regular matches during November and December.  Too many holidays and deer hunting.  I actually believe that it was more about encroachment on the hunting than it is the holidays.

It's going to be a lazy Thursday around here.  I intend to accomplish it without starting a single gasoline engine.

Melissa

 It's late in the season, but it looks like Tropical Storm Melissa has formed in the Caribbean.

The spaghetti map is all over the place, but I'm sure it will firm up in the near future.  Still, it looks like some of the islands in the Caribbean are about to take a hit.

I'm not worried about it coming here.  We're having regular cool fronts roll through and that should provide enough steer in currents to keep her away from us.

Justice

 I'm seeing on Fox News that some asshole who was involved in the October 7th attack in Israel has been apprehended in Lafayette, LA.  It seems that he lied on his visa application.

It seems that he was in Gaza on the morning of the attack, got together with some other radical assholes and went into Israel to participate.  His cell phone records show that he as in one area that was particularly hard hit.

He's in the lockup in St. Martin parish.  His visa problems are the least of his worries.   If he gets turned over to Mossad, things may start to get really grim.

I wonder why he picked Lafayette to settle down?

Autumn

 Rain on Saturday night and this morning cool temps. When I awoke this morning, the temps were in the high 40s and it was cool on the back patio.  It's cool enough that I am going to make a stew for lunch.

Sunday is our day for family and friends.  We cook "big" on Sunday and feed anyone who drops in.  Yesterday, grandson Lucas was here with his parents. They had to leave early so that Lucas could attend a shooting practice with his 4-H shooting team.  He shoots rimfire position and silhouette.  His dad wanted to weigh his rifle so we took out the scale.

Luke's rifle is a Ruger 10/22 that has been heavily modified. Dad freaked out when he saw the weight on the scale. For sanctioned competition, the rifle is overweight.  It needs to shed over 1/2 pound. We talked options and he has a plan for that.

Ruminations

 Looking at the nationwide Democrat rallies this weekend, I am struck by the "No Kings" moniker. The  most recent President we have had that resembles a constitutional monarch is Joe Biden. He really didn't have any power, except what his inner circle allowed him to do.  Basically bereft of ideas, he had no clue who his country really was.

Others have noticed that during the Covid disaster, the people were ruled over by a small cabal who  destroyed business, closed schools, denied disagreement and limited civil liberties. Now that we are in a government shutdown, the very agencies who ruled us with a heavy hand are the same ones that are being gutted.

Karma is a bitch, and payback is a motherf****r,

Weights

 I was digging through the gun safe yesterday and started wondering about gun weights, so I got out the digital scale to put some numbers to my favorites.

My favorite competition gun is a Cimarron Model P.  According to the scale, it comes in at just a hair under 2 lbs, 4 oz.

Next up was my old Saage 110 in .30-06.  It's 8 lbs, 4 oz.  Not bad for a full-sized rifle with scope. This one is my go-to deer rifle.  It has accounted for several pounds of venison.

So, then I took out the Ruger 10/22 with the Boyds stock. Nearly 7 lbs, 7 oz.  That Boyds stock added a few ounces to the little rifle, but I feel like the upgrade was worth it.

Then, I saw an old safe queen that hadn't seen daylight in a while.  My old Winchester 94.  It's light and handy and sure needs to be taken to the range.  One ounce over 6 pounds.

Yeah, I need to get that old gal out to the range. Maybe we will do that next week.

Who Cares?

 It may be the oldest argument in the hunting world.  The subject of countless campfire discussions. The old .270 vs .30-06 argument.  Folks have been arguing this since 1925, which reminds me.  This cartridge is 100 years old.

The basic truth is that I have autopsied lots of whitetail deer. They can't tell the difference.

There are small differences in the performance of each cartridge, but both are absolutely up to the task. If you deliver a well-constructed bullet into the vitals of any medium game, the fun is over and the work begins.

So, Happy Birthday to the .270 Winchester.  It's been 100 years and still going strong. It's one of the greatest cartridges ever developed. Is it any better than its parent .30-06?  The deer, or for that matter the elk, certainly can't tell the difference.

We're Back

We are back.  Just rolled in a hour ago.  Spent a week visiting with our CFDA family and our Missouri family.  We had a ball, hugged a lot of necks.

This week, Kent Rollins is talking about two old recipes, Mac and cheese and SOS.  I've got to try that Mac and Cheese recipe. I  didn't know that it was invented prior to the Civil War.

Shooting with Billy

 Today, the Randolph County Rangers, a CFDA club, hosted a 10-year anniversary shoot.  Their head honcho, Diamondback Billy, is much beloved in the sport and hosted a good time at his club house.

We spent time with shooters from Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky, refreshing old friendships and catching up on the latest rumors.

I did get to watch Jackass Jiles, one of the fastest shooters in our sport, hit a 0.915 (which is excruciatingly slow).  Oh, we laughed.  On his next shot, he redeemed himself, hitting a 0.295 (which is exceedingly fast).  In our game, we start with the revolver holstered.  When the light comes on, we draw, cock that single-action revolver, and fire.  If the bullet strikes the target, you get a time. To manipulate a single-action revolver to unholster and strike a target in under 1/3 of a second is phenomenal.

In the ladies division, Belle took a minor trophy and got a cash award. Once again, my lady has proven that she is a Professional Gunfighter.  She had been paid cash for her skills.  I, on the other hand, finished comfortably in the middle of the pack.

Tomorrow after breakfast, we head north to Missouri to visit with family for a few days before we head home.

Pocahontas, AR

 We are in Pocahantas, Arkansas for an invitational shoot tomorrow We were invited. I did not realize how much crop agriculture there is in northwest Arkansas.  

It's after harvest time and the farmers are burning off the stubble.

That's a smoke funnel, rising from a field several miles from the highway.

We are in the hotel, ensconced for the evening.  We start shooting tomorrow at 9:30

Leftovers

 Yesterday, Belle was hungry for chicken, so I found some boneless chicken breasts, pounded them flat, cut them into strips, the rolled then in seasoned flour, an egg wash and panko crumbs. Fried then golden brown with mashed potatoes and cream gravy.

Only problem, I cooked way too much. This morning, I was hungry for a jambalaya for lunch, so I took those leftover chicken strips, cut them into morsels, then added sausage and made my basic chicken and sausage jambalaya.  Except I didn't have any Rotel tomatoes.

Oh, damn.  That fried chicken jambalaya was the best I've made in a while.

I don't know what we're having for lunch tomorrow.  Like Scarlett O'Hara, we will worry about that tomorrow.

No Way

 I've been peripherally watching the YouTube riflemen talk about the latest and greatest rifle cartridges. 

The topic that seems to be bantered around is heavy bullets in common bore sizes. When we increase the weight of a given bullet, it gets longer in the bore.  That requires a faster twist to stabilize the bullet. Of course, with a long skinny bullet we get better ballistic coefficient.  That translates into greater energy downrange.

I ran into this problem when I was working up loads for the .243 Winchester.  The standard 1:10 barrel would stabilize bullets up to 100 grains, but when I started playing with those lovely long, skinny 107s, I started having stabilization problems.  No problem, just back down to the 100 grain bullets and place your shot.

 Other folks have talked about the demise of the .270 Winchester. Like this clip from Ron Spomer. It seems that the Western hunters wanted a faster twist in the .270.  And, it appears that Browning is offering a 1:7.5 twist.  That's fine, that's all well and good.  The .270 Winchester is far from dead. There is no telling how many thousands of them are in closets, safes and gun racks across the country. The .270 Winchester ain't going anywhere.

Wild and Wooly

 Haven't been posting much.  Things are wild and wooly in a good way. A family event over the weekend, and this week spending time with a grandson who is in town for a week 

We're leaving on Friday for a week out of town, and when the day gets done, I realize that I haven't posted.  We're good, we're real good..  

Right now I'm trying to figure out the safety interlock on a Cimarron single action revolver.  The old Colt SAA had a well-known feature of allowing the firing pin to rest on a live primer. That is why the old-timers generally carried five in the cylinder and let the firing pin rest on the empty chamber. Nowadays the manufacturer of Colt clones are tying to idiot-proof the gun and are putting an interlock that only lets the firing pin protrude when the trigger is firmly to the rear.

I have one that is causing me grief, and a new shooter came by with the same gun and the same problem.

I have to figure this out.

Optimum Sucks

 Optimum is my TV and internet provider. They suck.

Internet went out about 7:00 pm last night.  I was watching an old movie online.

It is currently 0840 local and the internet is still out.  I'm connected on a mobile hotspot.

I called it in, and the answering machine told me that there is an outage in my area. I already knew that. No word on when it might be fixed, no indication of any sense of urgency. This is becoming a regular thing.  For no apparent reason, the internet connection goes tits-up.

Optimum sucks.

Doing PT

 SecWar Pete is taking flak from the usual suspects over insisting that every service member (including fat admirals) do hard Physical training every duty day.  Let me say this about that.

In 1973 I took basic training at Fort Knox. It was not uncommon to the the Commanding General pounding the pavement with us.  We had a horizontal ladder outside the mess hall that we had to go through, after PT, while in the breakfast line. Twice during my basic training cycle, the CG came over, talked with the trainees and had breakfast with us.

In 1990, in the runup to Desert Storm, we were training with the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Polk.  Every morning for PT, we could see the Commanding General out there sweating with the rest of us. Not uncommon at all.

Let's be fair.  Every day I was in the Army, I detested PT.  I hated running.  But, I knew the standard and met it. I was not astonished when people who would not meet the standards fell by the wayside.

Officers lead from the front.  The idea that the SecWar had to remind the flag officers of that fact is anathema to the culture of the military.  That should go unsaid. If an officer is not leading from the front, then he should trot down to the personnel office and fill out the retirement papers.

SecWar Pete should stay the course.  As my uncle, a WWII pilot told me, when you're taking flak, you are over the target.  It seems to me that Pete is directly over the target.

Shut Down

 I awaken this morning to see that the federal govt is shut down. Whatever that means.  I checked my account and see that my DFAS deposit hit the bank.  That's good, I can pay the light bill this month.

I understand that the federal parks are closed, but I didn't plan on visiting one anyway. Other than that, I'm not really sure how a federal shutdown affects much of anything.

With Pete changing the name to the War Department, I wonder if the Defense Finance and Accounting Service is going to change its name?

SecWar Pete Gives a Speech

It's a good speech, too. I like what he is trying to do

AT-One

 The Boyds AT-One stock came in today for the Ruger 10/22.  Wow!  What an upgrade.

It came in exactly as ordered. Installation was a true drop-in.  It took me longer to get out the tools than it did to install the stock.  Easy-Peasy.  I opted for the carbine barrel channel and after installation, the barrel was floated nicely. A dollar bill slid easily from the muzzle to the receiver,  Just exactly as it should.

This thing needs a little range time.

Condemnation

 Running errands this morning, I heard that a Texas man had been arrested for threatening to shoot up a Pride vent in retaliation for the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Joshua Cole of Anson, Texas, allegedly commented on a Facebook post containing details of an upcoming gay pride event in nearby Abilene, "fk their parade" and said he wanted to "pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk," according to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Sept. 19 — nine days after the conservative activist was shot and killed in Utah.

I condemn political violence in the strongest possible terms.  Full Stop.  End Of Message.

Those people in the event did not deserve to be threatened, much less shot.

But, I wanted to post this, not so much that I condemn political violence (which I do), but to demonstrate to my friends on the left how easy it is to condemn political violence. 

Comey Indicted

 Running errands this morning, I heard that Jim Comey has been indicted by a Virginia federal grand jury. I don't know what he did, and don't really care.

Comey is the sonofabitch who told the world that Hillary couldn't be prosecuted, after laying out all the elements of the crime.  She was too important. Comey is the asshole who popularized the notion of a two-tier justice system.  Hillary could not be prosecuted for mishandling classified data, but the rest of us could go to jail for the very same crime.

Comey is an arrogant, elitist prick.  That is not a crime, but if the indictments are well grounded, be could become the poster child for the retune to a single-tier justice system.

I'm just saying.

Arborist

 In Louisiana, an arborist is a person who trims trees. They are tested and have a license.  This week I hired one to trim a big oak in my front yard. That oak tree likes it there and is very healthy.  I was concerned that it was getting overburdened.  The arborist agreed, and he made a quote.

I toook this pic just after he got started. You can probably see the first load that he pulled out of the tree.

This pic was taken an hour ago.  He estimated that he took something north of two tons of small limbs out of the tree. I know that he hauled off three trailer loads that I know about.  There was one squirrel in that tree this morning that was mightily concerned, but I think he'll be okay.

Kamikaze

 Fox is reporting that shots were fired into a sally port at an ICE facility in Dallas this morning. The shooter fired shots into the sally port while ICE personnel were unloading detainees.  When the shooter was approached by ICE officers, he committed suicide.

We will never know what tit shooters motive might have been. He offed himself before he could be questioned. According to reports, three people were injured in the sally port.

For those unfamiliar, a sally port is the place in a detention facility where vehicles are unloaded. You drive the vehicle into the sally port, a gate is closed, and the vehicle can be unloaded in a secure setting.

Restocking

 When I took my Ruger 1022 to the range for the first time last week, I immediately noticed that I needed a better stock.  My Ruger is a bone-stock carbine model, I paid roughly $250 foe it at Academy Sporters. On the bench, it wasn't quite right. The comb of the stock was fine for iron sights, but too low for a good cheek weld with a scope.  I kept searching for the reticle, which is no good. I was fidgeting behind the rifle, which told me that length-of-pull wasn't right.   I knew that I was going to restock the rifle.

Way back in 2008, I dropped my Savage from a deer stand and broke the stock.  While casting about for a new stock, I came upon Boyds Stocks and bought one, a plain-Jane walnut stock.  When it came in, I was pleasantly surprised.  Very little fitting to install the Savage 110 action, and I glass-bedded the recoil lug, along with free-floating the barrel channel. That rifle is still my favorite, responsible for lots of venison and range time.

Back to the Ruger 1022.  I looked at the Magpul and the Victor stocks for that action, but they didn't have the features I was looking for.  Then, I remembered grandson Lucas.  He shoots competition rimfire and runs a 1022 with a Boyds thumbhole stock. His has adjustable length-of-pull, along with an adjustable comb. And, he has the whole red, white, and blue color motif going on.

Lucas' stock is cool, but I wanted something a bit more subdued.  So, I went to the Boyd's website to see what they offered.  I settled on the AT-One stock in a brown-on-brown laminate. They took my money, and it will come in the door at just a bit below $300 after taxes and shipping. It has the features I wanted, with both adjustable length-of-pull and adjustable comb.  I opted for the carbine barrel channel.

From what I've seen and heard, this should be an easy drop-in.  I still believe that the rifle could benefit from a better trigger, but we'll have to wait until my checkbook recovers. Right now, with base rifle, scope, rings and this stock, I'm ~$800 into this project.

Monday Musing

 I watched clips of Charlie Kirk's memorial service yesterday. Very touching, heartfelt messaging.  especially when Charlie's wife proclaimed that she forgave the assassin.  She is an incredibly strong woman.

As we learn more about the assassin, we learn that he was concerned what his family might feel when they learned that the rifle was his grandfather's rifle.

I heard one wag recently say that when the right describes proper firearm use, they stress recreation, sporting, competition, or defense.  When the left describes firearm use, it is about killing people.  I suppose that there is a lesson there.

Belle and I were discussing lunch for today and we decided on Bruce Mitchell's Potato Stuff.  If you haven't tried this recipe, you should.  It's become a standard in our lunch rotation.

Not Terrible

 I've had time to digest y range time yesterday, and I must admit that I have gotten rusty on my rifle work. I was shooting from the bench and getting used to a new rifle, but the target isn't half bad.

Those two flyers at 8:00 and 10:00 were two shots from an unknown lot of ammo that I had in a magazine.  The other ten shots are Federal AutoMatch. Federal AutoMatch comes in bulk boxes, and many people consider it to be "bulk ammo".  One wag at the range even made a comment to that effect.  In truth, Federal AutoMatch is pretty good ammo. My grandson, who shoots competitively, tested AutoMatch against SK Red Label and found them to be very close in accuracy in his rifle.

As for my rifle, I need a better fitted stock and a better trigger.  Those will come in time.

For the record, the target is an 11" Shoot-N-C, fired at 25 yards. The 10-ringis 2.5 inches

Range Time

 Near Woodsworth, LA on Robinson Bridge Road, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries owns and operates a public shooting range.  Archery, pistol and rifle ranges, along with a shotgun range.  Use of the range is perfectly free, except they charge a modest amount at the shotgun range to defray the cost of clay targets. The ranges are open Thursday-Sunday from 8-5.

I went out this morning and took the Ruger 10/22 that I bought last year. I had never shot it and decided to get a little trigger time The Ruger 10/22 is the Barbie-doll of rimfire rifles. It is easily customized, with aftermarket support everywhere. 

I was concerned because I have been diagnosed with macular degeneration and have lost the center focus in both eyes.  I have not fired a scoped rifle in over five years, and I didn't know how rusty I might be.  Turns out, fairly rusty.  The Burris scope I have mounted has 1/4 minute clicks and that translates into a lot of clicks to move the reticule an inch at 25 yards.  Sixteen to be exact., so I snuck up on the bull, clicking and shooting, clicking and shooting. I finally got it zeroed at 25 yards, after about 30 shots, firing 5 shot groups.  It grouped fairly well, about 1/2 inch at 25 which is probably more an indictment of my eyesight than an indictment of the barrel.

Two immediate thoughts come to mind.  First, I need a cheek riser.  I had trouble getting aligned with the scope.  Second, that rifle needs a better trigger.  Luckily, stocks and triggers are readily available for that rifle. Right now, it is minute-of-possum.  If I get a varmint in the back yard, it is in trouble.

Kimmel Kancelled

 I heard last night that Jimmy Kimmel's sow on ABC has been indefinitely suspended.  This is long overdue. Kimmel hasn't been funny in years, and comedy is the king of late-night.

Lately, his brand of humor has gone from cliche to absolutely reprehensible.  His rating were in the toilet and ABC was catching flak from station owners. With ratings down, revenue is down and he was probably costing ABC more than he was bringing in.

I can enjoy good left-wing humor. I enjoy laughing and I can laugh at myself as easily as I laugh about other things. Good humor is more than an ice cream bar. Commercial television is a business and they cannot afford to lose money.  I don't feel sorry for Jimmy.  He can start a podcast and be irrelevant on his own money.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to the range.

Chicken n' Rice

 It's an ancient recipe and one that Belle's father loved to cook. So, Belle cooked it today.

In a medium Dutch oven, she put in a few chicken thighs, added salt, pepper, two chicken bouillon cubes with a goodly amount of water and started it to boil.   She reduced the heat to a simmer and let it go for an hour or so, to reduce the liquid and make the broth rich.  Then poured in four cups of rice and left it on the stove until the rice absorbed the liquid and was tender.

Chicken n' rice.  About as simple as it gets and a nice, filling lunch.  There is enough left over that I can nuke some later if I want to eat something before bedtime.  It's a one-pot meal too, which makes cleanup easy.

Joe Is Broke?

 I was watching Gutfeld! on Fox and they did a segment that Pore Ol' Joe Biden is not happy with his post-presidential income stream.  He's broke.

So, I did a quick Google and found this article.

I guess, after 50 years of government employment, his Lifeguard Certificate expired and he never renewed it.  He's too old to do roofing, or plumbing. Jeff Foxworthy once said that we are all three bad decisions from having to hang drywall for a living, and Joe can't even do that.

No, he wants speaking engagements.  He can't string three words together, and no one cares what he thinks. I guess Jill could go back to the classroom.  Or, she could hang drywall.

Joe gets a presidential pension of $250K per year.  If he can't live on that, he deserves to starve to death.

Charging Decisions

 The prosecutors in the murder of Charlie Kirk have some decisions to make, and we'll learn more about that this week.  The state charges should be pretty straightforward.  Capital murder under the Utah statute, for sure.

The federal charges will be a bit more complicated.  If I were a federal prosecutor, I'd be looking toward charges stemming from civil rights violations.  Charlie certainly had a right to be where he was, doing what he was doing.  If my memory serves, civil rights charges carry pretty stiff penalties, and they avoid the problem with double jeopardy.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see the decisions made at both the state and federal levels.  This investigation is just getting started.  They have to be careful that it doesn't take on the aspects of a witch-hunt as they delve into the online activity.  Separating the signal from the noise will be crucial.

It will be interesting to see who starts ducking for cover.

Ballast Bypass

 When our hose was built at the turn of the century, it came with a number of florescent lights.  In the kitchen, washroom and garage.

I don't know if that light in the washroom has ever been turned off.  Saturday, it started flickering and I decided to do a ballast bypass and install LED lights.  I found the breaker, turned it off, then climbed up on a ladder.  After watching this video.  If you are not afraid of basic wiring, it is easy.  A set of diagonals, a good wire stripper and a couple of wire nuts.  You are done.

One trick I learned when doing the wiring is to mark the end with the blue and red wires with a Sharpie marker.  A simple L on that end of the fixture.  Your LED tubes will be marked with an L on one end and an N on the other.  I'm told it makes a difference, so I plug the L end of the tube into the socket marked L.

Easy-Peasy, about an hour, including the trip to the electrical store.  It's a nice upgrade and I didn't have to change the fixture.

Questions

 At our club practice this morning, a member asked me a simple question, "Do you consider the .30-06 to be a high-powered rifle cartridge"?

Short answer, yes, I do.  I consider the .30-06 to be on the low end of "high-powered".  The .30-06 can do a lot of things, and if I had to list all rifle cartridges into three categories, low, medium and high, I would put the .30-06 in the high category. It can be loaded from mild to wild and your mileage might vary, but I consider the .30-06 to be a high-power cartridge.

The conspiracy theories have already started.  Example here.  I don't subscribe to those theories, but I do acknowledge them.

In Custody

 i see that they have arrested the little prick suspected of shooting Charlie Kirk.  I bet he is having a lousy day.  Lots of interrogation, and I'm sure that we'll learn more about him as the days go on.

I die hear this morning that the rifle used was an "imported bolt-action in .30 caliber".  Hell, that could bbe anything.  I know that Winchester, Browning and Wetherby all import their rifles.

I am reminded that in the aftermath of January 6th, the Democrats did everything they could to demonize all Republicans.  Fairly or unfairly, they painted everyone as in insurrectionist. Now, after two attempts on President Trump and the successful assassination of Charlie Kirk, it is time to paint all Democrats a as assassins.

The kid who shot Charlie Kirk was not a nutjob with a rifle, he was a Democrat.  The Democrats ar ethe party of assassins.  That seems like a logical conclusion.

UODATE** I just learned that the rifle in question is a Mauser 98 in .30-06. ATF is trying to run a trace.  Good luck with that. That rifle was probably imported long before traces began.

Reflecting

 I've been watching the wall-to-wall coverage of the Kirk assassination, and I'm struck by a few thoughts.

First, the shooter planned this.  He had ab objective and an escape route.  As I type this, about 1:00 CDT, I don't believe that he has been caught.  The shot doesn't appear to be particularly challenging.

If the shooter thought that he would accomplish something, he was absolutely right. The airwaves are awash with his eulogy and if anything, he is more well known than he was yesterday.

In the days to come, we will learn more about the shooter, and his motivations. It will be interesting to see how he was financed, his political leanings and who his friends are.

Chairman Mao famously said that all power flows through the barrel of a gun, and while that sentiment served Mao well, it may not apply in the way that he meant it.  That one gunshot in Utah yesterday may have unleashed a whirlwind of political activism that will resonate for many years to come.

Charlie KirkKilled

Everyone is reporting that Charlie Kirk, a staunch conservative voice was killed today at a campus event in Utah.

When I was listening to the reporting on the radio, the details were mixed and confused.   Evidently, he was shot in the neck.  The 72 hour rule is now in effect.

My thoughts and prayers to his survivors.  Charlie will be missed.

Coming Together

 Normally, scheduling a state championship is a major hassle.  Today, though I managed to schedule the venue and the dates with the sanctioning body all in the space of two hours.  The Louisiana State Chapionship of Cowboy Fast Draw  will be held at Country Inn and Suites in Pineville, LA on May 22, 23, 24, 2026.

That is a load off my mind.  Now that the date and the venue are set, it's a simple matter to start promoting and getting ready.  And, I only have 8 months to get it done

Failure

 The most basic responsibility of government is to keep the citizens safe, and the mental health professionals, along with the criminal justice system utterly failed in the recent murder of Iryna Zarutska. 

Irmya was a refugee from Ukraine who came to the US to make a better life.  She was senselessly murdered on a train by a man who was well known to both the criminal justice system and the mental health system. This all happened in Charlotte, NC recently.  The murder was captured on train surveillance video.  The video is both brutal and shocking.  Inya stood no chance of surviving the attack.

I am outraged.  This was a senseless crime.  The killer should not have been on the street.  We used to have gallows for people like this, but we are too soft and coddled to remember that we need harsh measures to protect vulnerable people who are just trying to go about their daily lives.

Google it yourself.  I will not name the murderer.  After his trial, he deserves to be forgotten like the trash that he is.

Travel EDC

 We travel to shooting competitions as competitive shoots. We don't carry ammo to these shoots because it is provided by the host club. Bit, I also carry a firearm for my protection. I do everything I can to comply with the laws of the various political subdivisions that I traverse.

That is important.  What is egal in one state may be different from another state, and we need to think about that. Another thing to think about is the firearm we carry to protect ourselves. If everything goes sideways and we have to use the firearm, the police are apt to take it as evidence. 

So, the question we need to consider is what firearm the police may take as evidence. When I left for Kentucky las week, I considered that question.  So, I did not take my preferred revolver. Instead, I took a reasonably inexpensive polymer framed semi.  If the police are going to take something as evidence, they are not going to take my nice revolver. I shoot the semi well enough at halitosis distances.

So, think about it when you travel.  Which firearm are you not adverse to having stored in an evidence locker?

When traveling, be safe, be carful, and comply with local laws.  And, don't take a gun that you cannot easily replace.

Home Safe

 Belle and I rolled into the driveway at 6:30 last evening after 11 hours on the road.  It was a nice trip, but I'm glad to sleep in my own bed.

When I was a young soldier all those years ago, I made the connection that Kentucky makes good bourbon but bad coffee.  My perception still seems to be valid.  The coffee this weekend was horrible.  Weak with no flavor, no body, and nothing to commend it.. I should have brought my own coffee.

Today, we unload the van and relax. I may not be totally worthless, but I intend to approach it.

The weather is nice this morning, with temps in the high 50s when I stepped out onto the patio.  That is unseasonably cool for these latitudes this time of year, but I'll take it.  This was our last big shoot for the year, the net one will be in February in Florida.

Kentucky State

 I went out after seven (7) rounds today, against some of the very best shooters in the nation.  Kentucky State is a who's who for the Eastern side of the nation.  I heard that we had shooters from 20 states represented today.

What amazes me about the CFDA is the camaraderie.  Shooters from all over the US having fun and enjoying each other.  No egos, no outsized personas, just folks having fun.

Motels are another story.  Initially, we had reservations at a Rodeway Inn in Owensboro, KY.  We've had good luck with Rodeway Inn in the past, but this one turned into a hell hole.  We packed up and moved to a motel just south of the shoot.  If anyone is ever in Central City, KY, I recommend the Days Inn whole heartedly.  The breakfast ain't noting to write home about, but there is a Huddle House just across the street.  And a liquor store in the parking lot.

Belle went out in the 6th round, and I went out in the 7th.  There is no reason to hang around southern Kentucky, so we're going to head home in the morning.  I'm sure that the dawg will be thrilled to see us home tomorrow night.

Thursday Morning

 The room is serviceable and clean, the TV and internet works.  The bed is comfortable, but this hotel is not one that we would consider luxurious.  When we got here last night, we noticed a distinct affinity for the Spanish language on the walkway outside the room.  This is an older motel where you drive the car up to the door, and the Mexicans were outside, drinking beer.  

The parking spaces were filled with work trucks.  These guys are worker bees, and all they wanted to do was drink a little beer before bed.  I never felt threatened, neither did Belle.  These folks are just trying to make a living.  But, when I asked about the ice machine, they had to get an interpreter.

Shortly after dawn, we awoke and looked outside.  The work trucks were gone, except for the roofing crews.  It's raining, and roofers don't work in the rain.

We will head out to the range in a bit.  We won't shoot today, the main event begins tomorrow, but Belle and I wanted a day to acclimate.  We'll go out and make sure that all the pre-registration is done.  Visit with or hosts and enjoy the morning.

This is an outdoor event and rain is predicted all weekend.  This shoot exactly illustrates why I personally don't plan outdoor events anymore.  We schedule these things sometimes a year in advance and it is impossible to predict the weather that far out.  Alas, the Kentucky state championship is always the first weekend in September, and it is always outdoors.  The specialized electrons we use cost several thousand dollars for a shoot this size, and it does not work well with rain.

We love these people and we keep coming.  And I keep recommending that the event move indoors.

Kentucky

 We are in Kentucky, for the CFDA State championships.

12 hours on the road today, and I am beat.

Going to Wal Mart

 I should have known better.  That store is virtually un-shoppable

I was looking for drawers.  You know, Men's Boxer-briefs.  Yeah, those.  I thought I knew where they should be, and I was wrong.  I wandered a bit, then found them.  Locked in a case, so I went looking for help.  I couldn't find any help, but walked back tot he locked case.  Found a button.  Pushed same.

A woman showed up with keys, so I asked her, "How long have they been locking up the drawers?"

"Since they started stealing them."

I grabbed a 6-pack of Hanes (I buy underwear like I buy beer) and headed over to the blue jean rack.  I found a pair I liked, and the first pair I picked up (regular ol' Wranglers) were my size.  "That", I thought, "Was too damned easy".

I was right.  It was too damned easy.  I spent the next 30 minutes looking for another pair.  No luck.

So, I headed to the register for the final insult.  Wal Mart had three registers open, which I thought was odd.  But I got behind a woman who could not figure out how to work a debit card.  

I hate Wal Mart.  I'm starting to understand why so many people like Amazon.

Spam Callers

 My buddy, a CFDA club member has a home range in his shop.  He practices fast draw out there so that he can place consistently in club matches. Last week, he reported that he was shooting in his home range when He got a spam call. The conversation went like this.

Phone rings, he answers it.  "Hello"

He listens for a few seconds, determines it it a spam call, then speaks in a frantic tone. " Who are you?  What are you doing in here?  I'll shoot you.  

He then fires two shots into a target.  Pow!  Pow! "Oh, damn.  Look at all that blood"

He says at that point, the call dropped.  Imagine that.

Doing PawPaw Chores

 Several weeks ago, grandson Zach told me that his car wasn't starting properly.  We got it into the shop, and I had a son come over and we could not diagnose the problem. When I, with an ace mechanic stood over the car, it started fine.  The mechanic told me that the starter was the original in the car, and when it finally died, replace the starter.

I remember going to my grandad when I was a stripling youth with mechanical troubles.  He would sigh deeply, put on his shoes and come out to the shop where we would fix whatever was broken on the car.  I remember those days fondly.

Zach drives a 2004 Toyota Corolla that was bought brand-new by my Dad.  He died in 2007 and Mom drove it until they took the keys away.  Now it's Zach's car and he loves it  It's his first car, and we all remember our first car. (Mine was a 1960 Ford Falcon).

Zach came to me today.  His car would not start.  I sighed deeply and went outside to the driveway, where we made room in the garage and pushed his car into it.  Got out some tools, watched a YouTube video and started tearing into it.   In about an hour, we had the starter out, went to the auto store and got a replacement.  While the starter was out, we checked the battery.  Meh.

By the time it was cocktail hour, we had a new starter and battery in the car.  I was pleased to see that his air filter is clean, so he's doing basic maintenance.  He took a shower and now he's off doing whatever it is young men do on a Friday evening.  As for me, I'm having a cocktail and nursing a sore back from pushing a Corolla into the garage.  I think I'll have one more, then go get a shower myself.

That's why this place is named PawPaw's House.  It's all about the grandkids.

In Comments

 As we're remembering Katrina, oddly enough it's raining outside.  A good, old fashoned stump floating rain, I'm looking at comments.

Steve says:

Everyone talks about NO but Katrina didn't actually hit NO. They never had hurricane force winds. Nearly all the damage in NO was due to a defective (due to corruption) levee breaking. The storm actually came ashore in Mississippi and travelled up the middle of the state, destroying almost the southern third of Mississippi.

Yep, you are correct.  Katrina hit New Orleans only as a glancing blow.  They got mild Ct 2 winds.  What killed New Orleans was the lack of planning and a series of levee breaches.  Katrina was a flooding event for New Orleans.  Mississippi got hammered, but the officials there were quick to respond and to begin the rebuilding process.

Bon recalls:

3 things I remember most: 1. Months of finger pointing. 2. Cops looting. 3. The disarming of an old lady in her own home as she was trying to defend herself from the out of control lawlessness.

That is also correct.  Katrina changed Louisiana law in many good ways.  One of the biggest changes was a constitutional amendment making it illegal for cops to confiscate any firearms during a public emergency. The agency can be held liable ad the cops can be held individually liable.

Both the mayor and the police chief were indicted after the disaster, and the NOPD was virtually disbanded. Individual cops were sued and some were jailed.

Remembering Katrina

 Monday morning, August 25, 2005.  A big storm was in the Gulf and they weren't sure where it was going.  The schools were closed and I was sitting home watching the Weather Channel. During the few hours before landfall, it wobbled and looed like it was going to hit Bay St. Louis, MS.  Of course, it was a big storm and the western side of it hit New Orleans.

I was watching the disaster unfold, with pictures of hundreds of school buses, flooded in a large parking lot. The TV went to our governor, Kathleen Blanco, who was crying on national TV and the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, who was deflecting blame.

I remember telling Belle, "Well, there goes New Orleans."

One of the most iconic images to come out of that tragedy was the fellow stealing beer, who we all called Looter Man.

He's got it going-on.  Waist deep in flood water with a plastic tote of stolen beer.  He's going to a party.

It's been 20 years and I don't know if New Orleans has fully recovered. The governor died of cancer a few years ago, ad Ray Nagin is out of prison.  I understand that he is in New Orleans, still trying to deflect blame

Sixteen Years

 We're learning more about the Minneapolis shooter and what we're learning is disturbing.

He was part of the LBGTQAI community.  He was a full-grown adult and he purchased his firearms legally.

In 2002 our local sheriff spotted a trend and decided to do something about it.  He passed a tax initiative, a one-cent sales tax to fund it.  He promised the voters that he would put a fully qualified in each school in the parish. The tax passed in the spring of the year and the sheriff started identifying deputies to work the schools.  I was one of those deputies selected.

The School Board initially resisted.  To no avail.  The concept had been voted on by the citizens of the parish. We, my fellow School Resource Officers, did not work fort the schools.  We worked for the Sheriff.  We were free to conduct law enforcement to the best of our abilities and training.

In my sixteen years as a school-house cop, no one was seriously injured on my watch.  I  attended a lot of sporting events, wandered the halls of the school, and made a few arrests. Sometimes the principal was happy, sometimes the principal was not.  I didn't work for them.

Would a Resource Officer have made a difference in Minnesota?  We'll never know, will we?  However, having a trained law enforcement officer on scene when the day goes sideways is never a bad thing.

Troubling

 News sources everywhere are telling us of a shooting earlier today in Minneapolis.

School children were attending a Mass at their local parish to celebrate the beginning of the school year.  Some coward started shooting into the church.

ABC News is reporting that the shooter, who committed suicide at the scene,  had changed his/her name several years ago.

A name change application for a minor born on the same date was approved by a district court in Minnesota in 2020, changing the name of a Robert Westman to Robin Westman, explaining the minor child "identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."

 I'm not sure what to make of that, but it doesn't sound like the shooter was a right-wing nutjob.  Actually, very few mass shooters identify from the conservative side of the political spectrum.

We will learn more as the investigation gains momentum.  There are still victims in the hospital and we will pray for their quick recovery.

Land Acknowledgement

 I see that the DNC started their summer camp with a land acknowledgement.  Those seem to be in fashion these days among some quarters, so I thought that I would do a little research to see who we stole this land from.

As it turns out, nobody.  This land was never stolen.

Sometime around 1785 a Pennsylvania trader named Fulton came to this area and set up a trading post.  Over the years, he bought land from the Choctaw tribe.  The Choctaw thought it was a good deal because the land was unfit for farming and would grow nothing but trees. The Choctaw moved into what is now LaSalle parish.  They still have a tribal home there and a casino just down the road.  The Choctaw people are not hurting.

Fulton, of course, sold bits of it to others and they subsequently sold it to yet other people, and today I own a bit of it.  The damnYankees burned out Courthouse during the war, which really screwed up the land records, but we sorted it out.  Then, sometime around 1898 the Courthouse burned again and we had to start over.

Lots of sketchy history in this area.  David Bowie of Alamo fame was a land speculator in the area, but got into trouble when he killed the sheriff at the Sandbar Fight.  He then decamped to Texas where he got involved in another fight that turned out poorly for him.  The Sheriff's picture hangs in the new, rebuilt Courthouse, but np pictures of Bowie can be found.

But, we didn't steal land from the Choctaw.

Big News

 It seems that the big news this morning is that some football player is engaged to marry some pop star.  Woo Hoo!  We're all supposed to be excited about that.  Sorry, I just can't gin up the enthusiasm.

I'm taking Belle to lunch today.  We're searching for a venue for next years state shoot and we're excited about that. We think that we have a spot identified and we're meeting with the venue owner to hammer out the details. Our shoot isn't until Memorial Day next year, but the sooner I have a contract, the sooner I can start promotion.

Tangipahoa Parish

 Four days ago, Smitty's Supply in Roseland, LA blew up.  Smitty's is an oil and lubricants supplier on the Tangipahoa river in Louisiana. Everybody is pissed.  Rightfully so.  Oil fires leave a huge environmental footprint, and it is on the river and only four days have elapsed, so the answers aren't forthcoming right now.

PawPaw is in central Louisiana, so we're fine  We're just watching the drama and keeping track of our own little day-to-day.

Luckily, no one was hurt in the explosion of fire, so that is a blessing.  Tangipahoa parish will recover and the clean-up should begin shortly.  Then, the lawyers get involved and complicate what should be a very simple, straightforward process.  

Chicken Fried

 Let's talk about this.  Fried chicken is a Southern staple, especially on Sundays.  Fried chicken has the bone in it. Go to KFC or Popeyes and get some fried chicken.  There will be a bone.

Chicken Fried is a process.  You can have chicken fried steak, or chicken fried pork tenderloin,  or even chicken fried chicken.  But that is different from fried chicken.  Today, I took some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut them into strips, then pounded them uniformly flat.  Seasoned them in Toony's seasoning, rolled them in flour, then an egg was, then into panko crumbs. I make my own panko crumbs by the simple expedient of crushing saltine crackers into crumbs.  Then, I heated the oil to 350F and dropped them in to a golden brown.

We served those with baby lima beans, mashed potatoes and cream gravy.  I served eights people with seven chicken breasts, and we have leftovers.

Rebrand, Refresh

 I see that Cracker Barrel is going through a rebrand.  The internet is going crazy, which is to say that it is just another day on the internet.

I've always liked Cracker Barrel.  It was a roadside standard, like McDonalds or Popeye's.  You knew what you were getting. Lunch served on a plate rather than a cardboard box.  Belle liked walking through the gift shop.  Looking at the shirts.  All I cared about was the meatloaf and the mashed potatoes.

But, it is fun watching the internet go crazy.  On both sides.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have Saturday to get to.  About 20 shooters will show up in an hour, and I have to get the range ready.

Drop Safe

 Dropping a handgun is bad juju. We all remember the old Colt SAA, where if you loaded all six chambers, the gun was demonstrably unsafe because the firing pin was resting on a live primer.  There were ways to get around that, the most common being to load only five chambers and letting the hammer rest on an empty chamber. Very safe.

The original 1911 had an inertial firing pin but if dropped directly on the muzzle on a live cargridge, the gun could fire when dropped.  Having an empty chamber kinda-sorta negated the idea of a semiauto, so in the 70s, Colt introduced the Series 70 which had a firing pin block to lock th firing pin until the trigger was pulled. The engineering on how to do that is well known and the patents have expired.

Other manufacturers have other ways to skin that cat.  The Glock dingus on the trigger, the Savage Accutrigger,  are other ways to deep us safe.  This is not rocket science.

I spend a lot of time shooting Cowboy Fast Draw, using Ruger single actions and Colt reproductions to play a shooting game. Occasionally a shooter will drop his or her revolver and we have a procedure for that eventuality. The shooter cannot retrieve his own dropped handgun. The gun must be retrieved and made safe by a match official.  It's a process, but invariably, when the gun comes to rest, it is cocked and pointed toward the fringe line. Again, there is a process for making the gun safe, but the one thing that you never see is that the gun fired during the drop or impact with the ground. I've never seen one fire when it hits the ground.

Odd, isn't it?  It must have something to do with the trigger geometry.

Even though we use safety ammunition, we still consider a dropped gun to be a safety violation. If you drop the gun once, you lose that round.  If you drop it twice, you are disqualified.  But I've never seen one fire when it hits the ground.

Can SIG Recover?

 Back in the early 90s, the Louisiana State Police bought a bunch of SIG handguns, and used them for a year before finish problems became an issue. The finish on the Sigs to that date siply couuld not stand up to the humidity of the Louisiana roads. LSP went to Glock and never looked back.

Couple of years ago, my grandson was in the Army and attended 93F (Small Arms Repairer) training at Fort Lee, VA.  He worked with the then new M17 and M18 pistols.  He liked then well enough but was not at all a fan of the modular fire control group in those pistols.

More recently, the P320 has gained a reputation for un-commanded firing of the pistol.  They just go off, occasionally.  I dropped down that rabbit hole today and it seems to be quite the problem, including one death of an Air Force member. I went to the Sig website and can't seem to find where Sig is addressing what is becoming a huge problem.  Whether the problem is poor design, out-of-spec parts, poor quality control, a statistical anomaly, or simply an internet perception, the idea that Sig is not addressing it is the main problem.

A problem with perception is still a problem.  As Ian McCollum pointed out, there are people who still refuse to shoot Springfield 1903s because of a perceived heat-treat problem from 100 years ago.

Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.  I, for one, have my pistols.  I won't be buying any Sigs, simply because I don't need one.

Here is Brian Herrera's take on it.

Fried Bologna

 Fried bologna is probably one of the most Southern recipes I know.  Simply put a slice of bologna in a lightly oiled skillet and fry it until it is brown.  Many of us cut slices in the edges of the bologna so that it won't curl up as it fries.

I had mine today on toast with mayo and provolone cheese.  It's what's for lunch.