New Years Eve

 It's after dark on New Years Eve, a beautiful night in central Louisiana.  Clear skies, moderate temps, and the fireworks are progressing apace.  Lots of rednecks celebrating.

I'll sit up with a terrified dog, in my recliner, watching TV and napping until the artillery falls silent.

2024 was a bit of a burden, and I can only pray that 2025 promises to be a better year, filled with health and laughter and love.

As is Belle's habit, the black-eyed peas are in the crock pot with the ham bone left over from Christmas.  Tomorrow, we'll make a cabbage dish, along with a pork tenderloin and corn bread.  We always start the New Year with peas and cabbage, pork and corn bread.  Humble food to remind us that we are here only for a little while and dependent on God's blessing and each other.

Happy New Years, everone.

Carter Dies

 Belle is telling me that Jimmy Carter has passed away.  At age 100.

I was in Carter's Army, and I don't know if the morale plunge came from our disastrous retreat from Vietnam, or the abysmal leadership of Carter.  He truly sucked at being President, surpassed only by our current dementia patient.

Carter did good work after he left office, building houses for Habitat for Humanity.  He will lie in state for a while, then they will bury him. Yada-yada.

Pitted Iron

 Several years ago, Ibougt a stack of cast iron skillets at an auction.  A stack of three.  When I noticed them on the block, I didn't have time to inspect them, and won then on a fairly low bid.  I use cast iron for cooking every day.  It's my go-to pan on the stove top.

I got those skillets home and discovered that two of them were quite nice, the other was a bit rough.  It was rusty and after giving it a thorough cleaning, while drying it on the stove top, found that it is warped.  It will not sit flat on the stove top. Not a good skillet, being heavily pitted and warped is a death-knell for cast iron.  But, I seasoned it and put it in the stack.

I believe that it is an unmarked Wagner that was once used as a hound's feeding dish.  Several years after buying it, I find it is the skillet I grab when I an going to do something sketchy,  This morning I founds some leftover boudin that I wanted to heat for breakfast, so I put that boudin in the skillet and ran it into a hot oven.  I'm not worried about damaging it, it is already pitted and warped. It 's good for things that I might not want to put in one of my better skillets.

I have good, high-dollar cast iron, and I have this one.  This one gets used a lot more than you might think.

Poor Taste

 A fellow was telling me today that way-back-when, a fellow hung himself on Christmas Day.

Out of respect for tradition, his wife didn't take him down until after New Years.

Okay, then.

Saturday Already?

 It's been a crazy week.  Good crazy.  Lots  of family and friends, and the odd medical appointment.  I always thought that docs took off during the holidays, but evidently not.  With the advent of corporate medicine (thanks, Obama) there are lots of technologists who need a paycheck and layers of managers who demand a profit. Can't take off the week between Christmas and New Years, it would mean a loss of year-end revenue.

I logged on this morning to simply let you guys know that I am still kicking.  We have another gathering here at noon, and I'm sure that Belle has a punch-list to be filled before the cotillion commences. I'll try to check in later, but who knows?

Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss - The Wexford Carol (Video)

Merry Christmas

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Deer Slayer

 Remember that commercial Mauser that I bought last year?  It made meat yesterday.

Grandson Lucas took his first deer with it yesterday, a 115 pound doe, just before sunset.

I thought that the rifle would be the key for out deer here in central Louisiana.  Chambered in 6.5X55, it's a proven caliber.  Lucas, at age 13 is o the local 4H rifle team and is a proven marksman.  According to Lucas, the deer stepped out on the shooting lane just before dark yesterday and he pegged it right behind the shoulder.   Bang-flop.  Ten minutes later, his Dad arrive to help load it onto the 4-wheeler for the rife back to camp.  The deer is dressed and hanging in the camp cooler  It will be processed tomorrow for the table.

Congrats, Lucas.

Chili Weather

 Currently 37F and sunny, Belle is in the mood for a pot of chili. So, I took out three pounds of deer meat.  This deer was harvested last year and donated by a good friend who needed freezer space. I keep a freezer on the car port for times when friends and family want to store wild game, with the proviso that I get to plunder it from time to time.

I'm not going to post the recipe, because it is a very basic chili recipe, simply substituting venison for ground beef.  Beans or not, I don't care.  I'm not going to get involved in that argument.

I did get an interesting gift, a bottle of Jimmy's Texas bourbon.  I admit I have never heard of the distillery,  Kiepersol, out of Tyler, TX.  This bottle is a four-year-old straight bourbon, bottled at 45%.  Texas has been doing some great thigs with bourbon over the past several years, and I'll crack this bottle over the holidays. It may be very interesting indeed.

I'm going to be really busy over the next week, so posting may be irregular. Y'all have a Merry CHristmas.

Where's Joe?

I'm watching the nonsense in the Congress right now, trying to avert a government shutdown.  Speaker Mike Johnson is running the negotiations, but Donald Trump and Elon Musk are weighing in, as is the right of every citizen.  The arguments and positions of Trump and Musk certainly have weight, but we must not forget how we got here.

Joe Biden is still the president. The Democrats could have done something about that at any time in the past four years, but they waited until mid-June before staging a half-assed cop that nocked Joe out of the race. They could have invoked the 25thAmendment, but they didn't.  Joe is still the President, and Joe is in chare.  He will be in charge until Trump takes over in January.

Joe Biden is in charge, along with Chuck Schumer, and ... dare I say it.... Kamala Harris.  The Democrats could still administer a political coup de grace and put Kamala in charge, but for reasons of their own, they still let Joe's had stay on the rudder.

Joe Biden is in charge, and it is no one's fault but the Democrats.

Trip Around The Sun - Martina Mcbride Jimmy Buffett

It seems to be that time of year.  I have made another trip around the sun.

If my math is correct, this makes 71. I can't hardly wait to see what happens next.

Thursday Notes

 I found a notice from Blogger that a pervious post has been deleted because I violated the Community Guidelines.  Sorry abut that.  I had no idea.  I reviewed the post, and cannot imagine what the problem was, ecept that we talked about a particular gun that may or may not have been used in a particular crime.

Coming home from an appointment this morning, I saw my very first Tesla pickup truck.  It's an odd looking beast, very distinctive.  I don't believe I'll be in the market for one. I prefer my vehicles to be more subdued.

I'm sipping hot chocolate because the weather demand it.  Cool and clammy in the mid 40s, it seems colder than the thermometer registers.  This is the cold that gets down in your bones.

Odd

 Suddenly, certainly in the past month, I have begun getting text messages from the transportation department at our local School Board.  Messages about buses running, or alternate routes.  I worked at the School Board for six years and never got a text message, but now five years after retiring, they are blowing my phone up.

I have to be on that side of town tomorrow, and I might drop by and get my number taken off the list.

Or, I might not.  I haven't made up my mind yet.  Not that I care if Ms. Vercher's bus is running tomorrow, but I know that my phone works.

In other news, I tried my hand at making Chex mix today.  It's okay, and certainly as good as the store-bought stuff, but I don't have my recipe nailed yet. I started the seasoning with one stick of melted butter, with one tablespoon each of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and garlic powder. I'm thinking red pepper flakes, but I want to proceed with caution.

Underwhelmed

Another video on the new Ruger RXM, this one from Colion Noir.  He seems underwhelmed with the pistol, which is refreshing.  Everything does not have to be the latest and greatest.   Sometimes a good thing is just a good thing, without having to make a statement.

It drives me crazy when a manufacturer changes a product just because they feel a desire to change.  If it works, it works, and there is no reason to change it.  I'm not one to tell someone else what they need, or don't need.  Freedom is fun, but there are certain items that have always baffled me in the firearms industry.  For example, the forward assist on the AR platform.  I started with that platform in 1973 when my Uncle Sam handed me one.  Never used the forward assist.  Likewise, a flared magazine well on a 1911.

As an acolyte of Jeff Cooper, I long considered the 1911 the finest fighting pistol ever devised.  Over the years my stance has softened, and I considered the Glock 19 on par with the 1911.  But, Glock keeps improving teir pistols and we're into what... Gen 5 now?

Sometimes, Good enough is simply perfect.

Ruger RXM

 Evidently, Ruger just ginned up a shit-storm with their new Ruger RXM pistol.  From all accounts, it is made in collaboration with Magpul and is virtually a direct clone of the Glock 19.  Patents expire, and Gaston is rolling in his grave.

Street prices are under $400.00.  From what I understand, Magpul is making stuff for this pistol and it should be very weel supported.  I admit that I am tempted.  I've been thinking about a new carry pistol and this one might make the cut.

My younger son, who is a cop in New Mexico, bumped me about this pistol today.  I admit that I am both amused and intrigued.  I've never been a Glock fan-boy, but I do own several Ruggers.  Generally, I like Ruger firearms.  I'm a fan of the Ruger Model 77, and of course, the Blackhawks and Super Blackhawk, and the Vaquero series.  My daughter takes deer with a Ruger American that she adores.  And, my younger son has a Ruger #1 that he hunts with.

My very first centerfire handgun was a Ruger Security Six that I carried until I got my Model 66.  The one Ruger handgun that I don't like much is a little Ruger LCP that has been problematic at best.  But I don't maintain it, and I don't shoot it much.

I may have to look more closely at this new Ruger offering.

Drones Over New Jersey - National Security Threat?

I've learned to trust this guy to give us the straight answers when he has the answers, and here he talks about the drone problem.

Airspace

 We talked earlier this week about the drone problem in New Jersey, and I was listening to the Moon Griffon show this morning, where he talked about the same problem.  And the question came up, can we shoot these things?

U don't think that the "deadly force" question applies to an unmanned drone.  I can't kill something that is not alive.  But, I might be held liable for property damage. So, the question evolves to property rights.  I know that I own the surface rights to 1.3 acres in Louisiana.  I know I own the mineral rights to that same property.  But, what of the airspace rights?

I live two miles from an airport, and I am routinely over-flown by private and military aircraft.  I don't have a problem with that, as it has never been a problem, but how much of the airspace avoce the property is mine?  I own a bird house that is 13 feet tall.  My shop is 15 feet tall.  I know I own that.  Bow far up do my property rights extend? 100 feet?  1000 feet?  At what point does an unmanned drone become a trespassing concern?

My shotgun, properly loaded, will take down geese at 120 feet.  Do I own that much airspace?

Fuel Prices

 Fuel is getting a little Trumpier around here.  This morning, running errands, I stopped at my local dealer and filled the tank.  $2.339. That's the cheapest I've seen in a while.

Looking back through the archives, I see that I have paid as much as $4.30 per gallon under Biden, but when Trump left office in Jan 2021, local prices were under %2.00.  We'll see if it gets that low next month.

Drones Over New Hersey

 I've been watching this for a couple of weeks, and I'm not really sure what to say.

Reports of drones as big as SUVs?  The government is mute or unresponsive.

Conspiracy theories abound in the absence of transparency.

WTF?

Chatting

 Termite, a frequent commenter and long-time friend came by the shop yesterday.  As we do, we talked about the United Healthcare assassination, the Daniel Penny verdict the M3A1 submachine gun, and a host of other topics.  All while we mounted an optic on  a rifle for his daughter.

One topic that came up was the Ruger 10/22 and why Ruger doesn't offer a blank magazine well inletted into the toe of the stock as a place to carry a spare magazine.  I've always thought that would be a good idea, and I'm certainly not the only person who has thought about that.

Termite had picked up a really nice little Ruger for his daughter.  What they call the 10/22 carbine.  Synthetic stock, no sights, with a scope base installed.  Really light little rifle, noticeably lighter than the standard 10/22 that lives in my gun case.

I first met Termite's daughter in January 2012, where we introduced her to handguns. She has other challenges now, specifically concerning a fox and a hen house.  I think that 10/22 will go a long way toward solving that problem.

Ghost Gun

 I see that the old canard of the "ghost gun" has risen in the wake of the United Healthcare CEO shooting..  A suspect was arrested in Altoona PA, and the NYPDd says that the murder weapon may have been printed on a 3D printer.  No kidding.

The suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have used a so-called "ghost gun" he made from a 3D printer, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Wow!  Ghost guns and 3D printers in the same sentence.  That is double-scary.   While the NYPD is patting itself on its back for catching this guy, I would remind then that the true detective in this tragedy of errors is an anonymous McDonalds employee who recognized the killer and called the police.

Ghost guns, 3D printers and McDonalds.  Someone call Sherlock Holmes.

Question

 So, we lean today in the aftermath of the Penney decision, that Jordan Neely's father, Andre Zachery, is saddened about the verdict.  But, we have to ask, if Andre Zachery loved his son, why he didn't pass along the family name?  If he so loved his son, why didn't he do a better job of parenting?  If he so loved his son, why didn't he get him the help he so desperately needed?

The tragedy that was the life of Jordan Neely cannot be laid at the feet of Daniel Penny.  Neely's life was a failure of he culture, of the mental health system, and a failure of parenting.  It's a tragedy that he died, but I don't want to hear anything from his father.

Not Guilty

 Fox News is reporting that Daniel Penny has been found Not Guilty in a unanimous verdict in the tragic death of that crazy guy on the New York subway.

This is the proper verdict.  If a nut case goes around threatening people and a stalwart individual stops him, then death is a possible outcome.  It is not preferred, but it is certainly on the menu. Penny stepped up and stopped the threat.  No criminality can flow from that decision.  The jury called it correctly.

Assad Un-Asses

 It appears that Syrian dictator Assad has left Syria in the face of rebel advances. All reports are that the rebels have taken over, and that curfews have been imposed.

Last I heard, we had forces in Syria, and I hope that they are hunkered down and can stay safe.

We don't, or shouldn't have a dog ii this hunt. We should let the Syrians figure this out, maintain a low profile, and keep our forces safe.

Day Four

 We learn this morning that the FBI is stepping in to help with the manhunt for the killer of the United Healthcare CEO.  That makes sense if the gunman has fled.  The first thing they will do is get an interstate flight warrant.

I got a couple of interstate flight warrants during my career and the FBI was extremely helpful in running these guys down.  They found one of my warrants in the US Virgin Islands. You can run, but you can't hide. That guy, when we got him back, was very helpful during his interrogation.  Sang like a canary, he did, and helped us solve a number of cases, to include the prosecution of a sitting Sheriff.

Day Three

 Today is day three in the hunt for the healthcare CEO who was gunned down in New York.  Lots os speculation about the firearm used.  It seems that the shooter had trouble with the gun and that has led some to believe that it was a particular type f firearm.

I haven't yet found the raw video of the malf, but more likely, the gunman was simply unfamiliar or unpracticed with the gun/suppressor combo.  I have virtually no experience with suppressors, but I can understand that being unfamiliar might cause a malfunction.

NYPD thinks that they are closing in on this guy.  Hopefully we will learn more over the weekend

UPDATE;  A Welrod?  That would be archaic.  I doubt it.  More likely a modern pistol with feeding probems.

Whacked

By now, I'm sure that you have all heard of the murder of the United Healthcare CEO yesterday in New York. Someone wanted him dead, and planned the assassination very well.

The police are, rightfully so, going though the process of gathering evidence.  I heard this morning that they found a Starbucks cup the guy used, so they may get DNA evidence.  The shooter had the getaway planned, going through Central Park on an e-bike. We are not yet 48 hours into the investigation, and the police are combing the area for evidence.  We'll see what they come up with.

I worked only a handful of murders during my career, and don't pretend to know all the tradecraft at this point.  Still, it will be interesting to follow the investigation.  The cops know three of the big five, they know the What, When, and Where.  They are searching for the Who and Why.  I'd think that one of the first thigs they would want to do is to set up a geo-fence and they to learn how many electric devices were in a given area, then try to find those devices. The gunman may have been smart enough to leave his cell phone outside the crime scene, or he may not have.

Family

The power of family has always been my super power.  My grandfather and father, along with uncles, taught me that a family that works together can accomplish anything.

Couple of months ago, I had to change home owners insurance, because my company decided to leave Louisiana.  The new insurer told me that the old rotten deck in the back yard was a hazard and that I could either repair or demolish it.  A quick survey told me that demolish was my cheapest choice, and I had family that I could call.  We scheduled a Saturday, and my boys showed up.

A couple of weeks later, son-in-law had a retaining wall collapse under water load from a huge rainfall, and he called family.  Call family first.

Elder son thought it would be a good idea to set up the cameras, and recorded the events.  IN the case of the deck removal, from the time we took out a section of fence until we replaced the sectioon of fence, it was about three hours.

Here is the power of family with the proper equipment.  The mini-excavator belongs to second son, the Kubota tractor is technically mine, but the boys move it around from property to property.

Nothing beats the power of family.

Catching Hell

 I see that Pete Hegseth is catching hell over his nomination for SecDef.  It seems that when he was going through a divorce, he slipped the chains a bit.  The holier-than-thou club in the Senate is being reticent.

Fox News and others are reporting that Trump is considering alternatives, but as of todays midday news, Hegseth is still the pick.

I remember when I was going through a divorce and single. I readily admit, I played the field.  None of them complained that I am aware of, and the police never showed up at the door. Each of those ladies were grown-ass adults and understood the game we were playing.

I hope Pete makes it through, I really do.  Getting laid should not be a disqualifier.

Well, Damn

 I see that Chris Donahue has been promoted to full general, 4-star earlier this week.

This asshole oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and was the last soldier on the ground in that country.  Of course, Biden and Milley promoted him to 3 star and made him the commander of an Airborne Corps.  Now, he's been promoted to 4 star.

In my humble opinion, he should have been cashiered after the Afghan disaster, but no one has been held responsible or accountable for that debacle.  If Pete Hegseth wants to clean house at the Pentagon, he could start by making an example of Donahue.

Chris Donahue was the commander of the biggest disaster since Pearl Harbor.  There is no way he should have been promoted.

Wondering

 Watching the drama unfold over the Biden pardon, I'm wondering what an intelligent prosecutor might do  with that fact. Hunter is untouchable for the time period, which means he cannot incriminate himself  His 5th Amendment protections just went away.  He is still subject to subpoena, contempt, and perjury..

In the borader scope of the Biden Crime Family, Hunter was only the front-man.  This leaves the Godfather and the consiglieri wide open. Hunter knows it all and can be forced to testify.  With Pam Bondi as AG, and Cash Patel running the FBI, there is no telling what they might choose to investigate.

I'm sure that Biden's advisors are at least as smart as on old retired cop in Louisiana.  Surely they have gamed the possible scenarios.  The possibilities are endless, and intriguing.

I was watching a clip of Cash Patel yesterday, where he said that he wants to send the 7000 FBI agents in Washington out to the field offices to become cops.  You know, solve crime, work warrants, do investigations.  That sounds like a capitol idea.

Interesting

 Termite asks in comments:

Don't pardons generally come AFTER a conviction? Hunter has been convicted of anything, just charged/indicted.

Yes, generally.  When I was a Parole Officer I would occasionally do a clemency investigation for the Pardon Board.  These offenders were serving time, or had completed their sentence and were looking for some time of legal relief.

However, there is precedent for summarily pardoning an offender.  Those of us old enough to have been at Woodstock recall when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon following Nixon's resignation.  No charges, no conviction, no sentence.  Just a "Get Out Of Jail" card.   It happens.

I was excited this morning to hear that Biden is headed to Angola.  Then I remembered that there are two Angolas.  One, a country in Africa.  The other, the main prison for the Louisiana prison system.

I was last at Angola during the late '80s for training.  At the time, the horse guards on the farm were still using Winchester lever guns in the fields.  Back in those days, if you wanted to rank the worst prisons in the US, among the top ten would be Angola in Louisiana, Parchmanin Mississippi, and The Walls in Texas.

Hunter Pardoned

 It seems that our lamest-of-duck president has pardoned his wayward son, Hunter.  This comes as no real surprise.  Joe is never running for anything, ever again.  His political capital is shot, He is a pitiful husk of a man with no future.  What does he have to lose?

Joe's entire political career was smoke and mirrors, the perfect machine politician, and lying to the public was his stock in trade.  He's lied to us about everything.  What does he have to lose?  The big story is that this is a story at all.