Raising Grandkids

The grankids are over here often enough that I can make sure they are properly entertained. The other day, my second son and his little one were standing in the front yard and I took little-bit and put him in the bed of the pickup. He though that was the coolest thing ever. He could crawl around, pull up on the sides, play peekaboo, and generally amuse himself while Dad and I leaned on the side of the truck and talked.

My son noticed the fun the kid was having, and reflected that maybe he should clean out the bed of his pickup. After looking in the back of his truck, I concur.

The Proper Response

So, if you haven't been following the scandal at Penn State, the one that sank Joe Paterno's career, the link is a good place to start. Let me say for the record that this isn't a child abuse scandal, this is a child rape scandal and anyone that tells you different is full of crap.

So, I talked to my coaches today and told them that this is a great learning experience, that we could all learn from Joe Pat's mistakes. "Listen up," I told them in my best old-cop voice. "If you ever come in to the locker room and find someone raping one of the kids, the only proper response is to call the police. Immediately. Pick up the phone, dial 911, and get the police here.

"If I get here the next day and find out that you didn't call 911, I'm going to personally arrest you for Accessory. Take your sorry ass to jail. Got it? Good. Class dismissed."

RMR Reloading

There's a guy over on the Firing Line forums, he calls himself LongDayJake, and he runs an outfit called Rocky Mountain Reloading. He's a small outfit and he sells bullets. Pulled bullets. As he explains at the forum:

pulled means that they were once loaded into factory ammo. For some reason, the factory rejected the batch (usually because of split casings, bad primers, or consistency issues). The rejected ammo gets sold to contractors who pull the bullets out and sell them.

Jake's one of those small contractors who buys defective ammo, pulls the bullets, and sells them.

I ordered some bullets from him. Federal Fusion, .308, 150 grain. They're coming int he door at 18 cents apiece. Not bad for good bullets. Because he's a small contractor, his stock is often fairly low and his inventory changes quickly, but he ships fast. I ordered the bullets Monday night at about 5:30. By 8:00 I got a shipping notice with a tracking number. I expect that those bullets will be here later this week.

If you're looking for a good deal on bullets, give Jake a chance. I see that he's got several common calibers in stock, but who knows how long those bullets will last? I checked today and he's sold out of those Federal Fusions. He's got some .308 Sierra Prohunters in stock and if he has them when I get paid next week, I'm going to order a bunch of those.

RMR Reloading is PawPaw approved.

Herman Cain's Troubles

I'm watching Herman Cain and his troubles with women who said that he sexually harassed them, and I'm thinking about Bill Clinton. Bill had his trouble with women, too. Not just Monica and the Oval Office, but trouble with several women over the years.

Im also thinking about our local ex-governor, Edwin Edwards, and his legendary womanizing. If Edwin was nothing else, Edwin is an alpha male.

Bill Clinton is an alpha male. Herman Cain is an alpha male. Bill Clinton pretty much got a pass, Herman Cain is having to answer for his actions. That's good. Herman Cain is a Republican and we should be the adults in the room. I'm also wondering if there is a double standard being applied.

I'm wondering if these allegations are going to hurt Cain in the primaries. Only time will tell, but it's good that we're getting them out of the way early. I'm also wondering about the women that I've known, worked with, helped, mentored and disciplined, and I wonder if any of them would come forward to accuse me of misconduct if I ever decided to run for office. I've always tried to comport myself with dignity, honesty, and be fair to everyone that had to answer to me. I don't think I've ever harassed anyone, but I bet that Cain didn't think he had ever harassed anyone either.

It's an interesting question.

Poverty? What Poverty?

This just out from the Christian Science Monitor.

When the Census Bureau started counting food stamps and tax breaks as income, the poverty rate went up, not down. Some say the new poverty rate is a nuanced picture. Critics say its a ruse.

There is no poverty in the United States. If a person in poverty has a house, a car and a television, and three squares per day, that doesn't look like poverty to me.

Sociologists say the new numbers give greater nuance to the portrait of poverty in the US, highlighting the degree to which government programs are keeping struggling Americans afloat. Critics counter the numbers are engineered precisely to make government assistance appear indispensable and to pave the way for a broader redistribution of American wealth toward the poor.

There shouldn't be any nuance in accounting. Either it is, or it isn't.

I've been told that regardless of your income level in the United States, when you get off a plane in Africa, you're wealthy.

There is no poverty in the United States. Most of those programs are designed to keep people on the dole, to make them dependent on government largesse. To provide a perpetually aggrieved socioeconomic class who depends on government redistribution. There is no real poverty in the US.

Not just for weirdos

Instapundit linked to this article on Yahoo, where they talk about online dating. It's not just for weirdos anymore. Thanks, guys. Weirdos, huh? I met Milady online, through the Yahoo! personals. I enjoyed the online dating experience.

When I was single, I had been married for 25 years and found myself single. I lived in a small town and I wanted to experience folks I hadn't yet met, so I filled out an online personal, had a friend take a current photograph and posted it on the profile. Then waited.

I didn't have to wait long. I got some interesting responses and I had some really good dates with some interesting women. If you're considering such a thing, there are a few tips. First, be brutally honest with yourself and your prospective date. If you're looking for a relationship, let them know. If you're looking for a pleasant Saturday night, be honest about that too.

Meet for the first time in a public place. A bar or restaurant. A coffee shop might be a good idea. Print out a picture of your potential date so you can recognize him or her when she shows up. Be prompt. Observe all the societal pleasantries. Don't be afraid to walk away. If the picture and the profile don't match the person, then they're willing to lie to you. I don't tolerate that in any form. Be pleasant, tell them you wished that they had been honest, and walk out the door. I followed those rules for the better part of the year and had a good experience with online dating. It was fun and I met some really interesting folks. I also walked out on a couple of gals who couldn't post a reasonably current picture, or lied outright on the profile.

One day I net this lady online and we started chatting, then decided to meet at a bar for a Super Bowl party. We had a few laughs, watched the game and talked to other patrons. Began seeing each other on the weekends, and eventually fell in love. We met during Super Bowl 2001 and married in 2003. I feel like I married my best friend.

If you're single and reading this blog online, you've got everything you need to begin online dating. It's not just for weirdos anymore.

Weight Watchers

In July I consulted with my physician and he told me that I was getting older and fatter and I'd have more problems with weight if I didn't lose some of it. So, I talked with Milady, who is a Registered Nurse and the Font of all Wisdom in health related matters. She agreed with my Doc, and we cast about for the best regimen for an old fat man to follow.

We settled on Weight Watchers, and I've been following it online religiously, watching what I eat and trying to step up my physical activity. When I began this program I weighed 100 lbs more than my recommended weight, which I take with a grain of salt. (Yeah, right. 156 lbs.. in Yemen, maybe).

But, the plan seems to be working. I've lost 10% of my body mass and the inches are coming off, slowly but surely. About 1.5-2.0 lbs per week. Some weeks I screw up and gain a pound, but that only makes me redouble my efforts. I just now set a new goal, the first one having been met. I'll be svelte and sleek in another year, if I don't get run over by a garbage truck before then.

This is the first time I've blogged about the program, and it will probably be the last. Once you get in the habit of logging what you eat, it starts to make sense why you're gaining weight, and if you lie about it to the computer, you're only lying to yourself. Some of the actual food values are hard to find, especially the regional dishes, (try finding some of the stuff that a Cajun eats on a generic food chart). Still, it's doable.

If you're looking for a relatively painless weight loss plan, take a look at Weight Watchers. I'm a convert.

Fall Back

I awoke this morning at 6:00 a.m. as is my wont on Sunday, only to realize that it was actually 5:00. Oh, joy. We've fallen back.

Yeah, I knew in my frontal brain that the time change was early this morning, but my subconscious clock just doesn't care. It still gets daylight and it will get dark and the way we keep track of time is a distraction. Still, the requirement is there to regulate civilized life, to keep society humming along. We still keep appointments on a schedule that is determined by a mechanical device I strap to my wrist. So, I just now changed it to read 6:33 to reflect the current societal reality and strapped the damned thing to my wrist.

So, why do we change our clocks twice per year? I recall as a child that they were concerned about energy usage, but Wikipedia cites studies that say the amount of energy savings are minimal, if any.

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) concluded in 1975 that DST might reduce the country's electricity usage by 1% during March and April,[7] but the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) reviewed the DOT study in 1976 and found no significant savings.

However, we continue to move our clocks about, a twice per year waltz that seems locked in our collective experience. I'm not sure it makes any difference, but we continue to do it.

Sunday Morning Dawg

It's been a beautiful weekend, and we spent most of it outside.

It's been a good weekend to be a dawg. Sunny skies, moderate temps, and I brought home a couple of sausage biscuits that the kids didn't eat. The dog loves sausage biscuits.

Saturday SEC

After watching grandkids last night, Milady and I settled in with the two youngest and one step-granchild. I woke the step-grand at four a.m. and we went to the deer stand, where we ate sausage biscuits and drank cocoa on the deer stand, but no joy on the deer. A fog rolled in at daylight and I couldn't see a thing. The deer could have been doing the hoogy-boogy on my pipeline and I wouldn't have known it. Such is the thrill of hunting in the Louisiana swamps. At about 9:00 we climbed down and I taught him to drive the Mule.

Got home and helped Milady with the young'uns until their parents picked them up about noon. Then we felt the quiet of the house and fell into bed for a well-deserved nap. Met some friends for supper and now we're home to watch the biggest game of the SEC regular season. LSU vs Alabama. As I'm posting from Louisiana, you know where my loyalty lies. Milady is an LSU grad, but her family hails from Tuscaloosa.

Watching Grandkids

While our kids go to a party, we're watching grandkids tonight.

This kid is pulling up on everything. In another month or so, he'll be walking.

The Lady Hunter

Savage introduced a new rifle today based on their successful bolt action line. The Lady Hunter. As always, you can click on the picture for a better view.

The Savage Facebook page says that it will be offered in long action and short action, initially in eight chamberings. MSRP is listed at $819, and it features a shorter length of pull, higher comb, shorter reach from pistol grip to trigger, slimmer fore-end and lighter front-end weight.

Some might not like that roll-over comb, but if you've ever shot one, you know how much it helps with recoil. That forward slope pulls the rifle away from your face in recoil and helps with perceived muzzle rise. It doesn't bust you in the chops like some rifles.

I also note that Savage has done away with the god-awful, butt-ugly cocking indicator/bolt release on the right side of the receiver. Newer models I've seen have a button near the trigger guard to release the bolt. Much more elegant.

I bet that rifle is a shooter. It might be just the ticket for small statured people. They don't have all the specifics yet on their website, but I can wait.

Simple Supper

There's a new place between work and home, Guillory's Specialty Meats. It's an old fashioned butcher shop and we've traded with them several times since they opened last month. This afternoon I stopped at the grocery for baking potatoes, then went over to Guillory's Meats for a select ribeye.

Brought them home and marinated the steaks in a little Lawrey's Garlic Marinade, then scrubbed the potatoes and popped them into the microwave. After Milady got home we dropped the steaks on the grill until they were a nice medium rare.

That's an easy supper and a good butcher shop that stocks good steaks is an asset to the whole community. Every time I go into that place, it's busy. He sells everything from fine steaks to pork chops to chickens and bacon. While I was talking with the checkout gal today, she told me that the owner is putting in his own smokehouse and they hope to expand the product line. I can't hardly wait.

Savage Arms

Savage Arms is previewing its new product lines on Facebook. They started at noon today and so far they're rolled out three new items. The first is an upgrade to their Hunter line of rifles. These come as a package with Nikon scopes, which is a serious upgrade. The second product line is a pump shotgun set up for security work. It's got a ghost-ring sight and they claim that it has a rotary bolt. For those of us old enough to remember the Winchester 1200/1300 line of pump shotguns, the rotary bolt on those was very smooth and very fast. They claim that street prices on the shotgun will be about $260.00, which isn't bad for a pump shotgun with good sights.

The third piece they previewed is a micro action bolt gun they call the Rascal. It comes with the Accutrigger and peep sights, and looks for all the world like a .22LR.

Now, if they'd come out with a left-hand Axis or a left-hand Stevens 200, I'd buy a couple for grandkids.

Sheriff Speaks His Peace

The Sheriff of Spartanburg County thinks that women should get a concealed weapons permit. It seems that some low-life has had a long history of attacking women and the criminal justice system can't keep him locked up. The scumbag attacked another woman this weekend, she was simply walking her dog in the park. The Sheriff's answer:

Wright said, "It's too bad someone with a concealed weapons permit didn't walk by. That would fix it." He said people are tired of doing the right thing and criminals getting away with their actions.

He said several times, "I want you to get a concealed weapons permit."

At one point, Wright held up a fanny pack and said, "They make this right here where you can conceal a small pistol in them. They got one called The Judge that shoots a .45 or a .410 shell. You ain't got to be accurate; you just have to get close."

I tend to agree with the Sheriff.

Random Ramblings

We're in that lull betwixt football and basketball at the school house, so I'm able to take a short break in the afternoons. It's like the calm before the storm, but I'll take it.

I've settled on my hunting loads for this year, but a thread over at one of the forums got me to wondering... We all know what a great cartridge the .30-30 is, and how much game it has accounted for over the years. I feel like a big part of that success is that the cartridge throws a big slow bullet at a reasonable velocity and the ammo companies have had many, many years to perfect that old bullet. Think Remington Core-Lokt, or Winchester Power-Point. For that matter, the likewise offerings from Speer, Sierra or Hornady. Those are great bullets. I wonder what would happen if I'd load some in the .308? Kept to moderate velocities, they should work just fine, and those bullets have a long bearing surface. I'm thinking 2200-2400 fps, those bullets, sighted 2" high at 100 yards, they'd be close to dead on at 150 and down just 4" at 200. That might make a dandy little deer load for youngsters.

Another think I've been thinking about is putting a Scout mount on one of my Winchester 94s and trying a forward-mounted scope. I know that it would take some gunsmithing, primarily some drilling and tapping, and I have the perfect candidate rifle for the experiment.

Halloween

We celebrated Halloween last night, first at a family party for the kids.

That's our newest family member, Lucas. All the kids took part, we did all the traditional Halloween stuff, to include bobbing for apples.

Afterwards, Milady and I went to a gala event, the annual, much ballyhooed party hosted by the esteemed physicians at the Rayburn clinic. Doc Rayburn is Milady's boss. A true gentleman, a gracious host and a renowned surgeon. Milady dressed as the legendary Witch, Marie Laveau.

This morning we went to church, came home and cooked lunch for everyone in the assembled clan. We're having Mulligan Stew.

Sunday Morning Dawg

The dog and I go outside regularly, about half the time we go through the door, we go into the front yard. The dog, being an inquisitive fellow, is intrigued by the smells and sounds of the front yard.

He loves sniffing tires. When he's sniffing tires, he doesn't have time to look at the camera.

live FromThe Stand

Live from my deer stand! Who'd a thunk it? Damned feeder didn't go off this mornin and I'll check that later, but it is a beautiful morning to be in the woods.

Long Day

I'm going to put my boots on in another half-hour and head to the school where I'm looking at a fifteen hour day. A day of fun and frolic, with a Homecoming parade and the big football game filled with pageantry and gala. It's going to be quite an event and my earnest hope is that it goes well and that everyone gets home safely tonight.

It's going to be fun for the kids, but it's going to be one long drudge for the adults. Y'all have fun today.

The only thing that will maintain my sanity today is knowing that deer season starts tomorrow. I've got all my gear in one pile and as soon as I get home tonight I'll swap the duty gear pile for the deer-hunting pile and fall into bed.