"Clinging"

Just in case there was any question on my political position, here's a picture from "Bob's Rod and Gun Club". The green thing on the left is a fly rod tube.

Stay safe.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free". John 8:32 (NIV)

Gracie Update

If you notice me watching my feet as I walk, I'm not depressed. It's a habit I'm developing to keep from stomping on Gracie. To say that she's improving with each passing day might be understating things.

She seems to like to chase the laces on my shoes. This is cool if I'm sitting with my feet dangling, but a bit disconcerting while I'm walking.

She is improving so rapidly, that Gizmo has take to roosting as high as possible to avoid having to "play" with the kitten. Wally, on the other hand loves to chase her. He's so good at it that Gracie might have to be renamed. "Slimer" might be a good name as she's almost always covered by puppy drool when Wally's around.

Life is good here at the casa, despite the cold rain that's falling right now.

Stay well.

Ciener Platinum Cup .22 Conversion

I know some of you might be interested in how my new Ciener Conversion performed. Those of you who aren't can skip the rest of this post. It's all gun stuff.

Basically, I took a box of everything I had around the house in .22 Long Rifle to the indoor range and blew them up. A few observations follow.

The aluminum slide and adjustable sights were a near-perfect fit on my SW1911's frame. Conversion is as simple as taking off the old slide/barrel and sliding the new one on. One note: My Wilson Bulletproof slide stop would not clear the magazines, but the stock SW stop works perfectly. Disassembly of the slide is easy, but requires a firm grip on the recoil spring guide to hold it compressed while the barrel is pulled out. Fortunately, the spring pressure is not all that high, compared to the .45 parts.

The aluminum magazines (only one came with the kit) hold 15 rounds, and seem to feed all of them without a problem. They can be easily taken apart for cleaning, and the surprisingly light spring pressure makes for easy loading. I like the fact that the back of the magazine can be removed. It makes it easy to clean the inside. Replacement mags are pricey at $35, but a spare is always a good idea.

Functioning on my SW1911 frame was nearly flawless. Full and partially loaded magazines functioned as I would expect. The kit is not designed to hold the slide back following the last shot. This is not really a problem, as there is enough room to pinch-check the pistol, despite the full length guide rod.

I fed it a box of each of the following with failures mentioned below each.

Remington Thunderbolt
1 Failure to Fire, which is typical of my experience with this ammo in my H&R Sportsman.

Remington Cyclone
None.

CCI Velocitor
1 Failure to Feed. This was the third magazine fired (47th round) in a brand new conversion kit, and was probably my fault for not seating the cartridges in the magazine properly. I dropped the mag, tapped it on my hand, and had no subsequent failures from a full box.

CCI Mini Mag
None.

Aguila Super Extra
None.

Aguila Supermaximum Hypervelocity
None.

Federal Champion HP
None. Ho-hum.

In total, I put close to 500 rounds through it (mostly the Federals) with 2 failures. Accuracy was as good as I was. At 15 yards, with a two-handed hold, 90% of the shots were in the black of a 25 yard NRA Timed/Rapid fire target, and the hits were right where the sights said they should be. The fliers were my fault, as I was more interested in how the unit functioned than in punching one ragged hole in the X-ring of the target. Some time soon, I'll shoot it from a rest, and report on accuracy.

I'm very pleased. If need be, I can now hunt squirrels with my ".45". :)

Black Friday

I don't really know why they call this "Black Friday", but to get in the spirit of things, I'll wear my black tactical pants, a black t-shirt, black boots, and a mostly black tiger stripe jacket when I go to the range to road test my black Ciener .22 conversion kit for my .45.

I plan to avoid the malls like I would the Black Death, and thoroughly blacken my hands with powder residue. When I get home, I'll add some more black while cleaning up the turkey fryer.

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Enough darkness, already.

Yesterday was a hectic/wonderful/hectic/wonderful get-together with all of my offspring, assorted wives and husbands, 4 grandchildren, visiting dogs, and 3 unexpected guests. My day started early, and ran late, but I would not trade one second of it for a year of almost anything else.

Marilyn, Sandy, Gretchen, Missy, and Laura all prepared some of the best food I've ever tasted. Even Slade and Jonathan (grape salad and deviled eggs, respectively) got into the food preparation mode. For my part, Bob and I spent about 45 minutes waiting for the turkey fryer to burn down the back yard while we did a 12 pound bird. I'm happy to report that the turkey was good, and everything near the house is still standing, although I never really thought of a dry-chemical fire extinquisher as being necessary food prep equipment.

The food was great, the family was better, and a surprise visit from my nephew, his wife, and daughter was the icing on the cake. I have not seen Paul for 2 years, and it was really good to have them drop by. He's been in the Navy for 18 years, as a hospital corpsman, and has been "green" for most of them. Currently he's with the Marines at Camp Lejeune, NC.

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Addendum to yesterday's post: I'm also extremely thankful for the sacrifices of those who chose to serve in our Military and the efforts they make to ensure we are, and remain the best nation on earth. There would not be a United States of America without their service.

Semper Fi.

Oh Give Thanks...

...Unto the Lord, for he is good, and his Mercy endures forever.

This Thanksgiving, I think I'll just list a few things for which I've good reason to be thankful.

My Mom. She gave me this wonderful Life, and I can never, ever thank her enough.

Marilyn. She's put up with me for nearly 40 years, and I still get just as excited as Wally when she comes home.

Bobby, Laura, and Sara. Three of the wittiest people I know, and a joy to be around, singly or in groups.

Sandy, Slade, Tyler, and Sam. My oldest (sorry, Sandy) daughter and her family are wonderful, giving people who make me glad every time I see them.

Gretchen. Always a joy after she came back from her very dark place, and proof of the existence of redemption.

Jon, Missy, and Violet. They have endless energy and an attitude that could make Pollyanna jealous. Vi is a constant source of wonder as she has grown every time I see her.

The Herd. Wally, Gizmo, and Gracie remind me of how much God has Blessed me.

My sister Amy and her husband Geoff, for taking such good care of Mom.

My brother and other sisters for being my brother and other sisters. I've learned a lot from all of them.

My friends. They keep me honest.

America. For all her troubles, still the best, most free and desired place on earth to thrive and raise a family. May she remain that way for a long time to come.

Dr. McBee. She lets me cheat on my diet on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday.

And finally, I'm thankful for the time the family is going to spend together today, eating, fellowshiping, and being family.

Thank you, Lord. Life is good.

Gracie the Crippled Kitten

Two weeks ago on Friday, I mentioned that one of the things on my "To Do" list was to play with Gracie the Crippled Kitten. A brief description and update on her condition follows.

About a month ago, Marilyn came home with a handful of blue-eyed purring fur. Gracie was full of energy and as playful as most kittens, but she had trouble getting traction with her hind feet on our hardwood floors. When she tried to turn, she would spin out like an old Porsche Turbo on a sheet of ice, hence the name Gracie.

After a couple of days, it became obvious that she was not merely clumsy, but there was a medical problem. A trip to the vet later, she was back home with about 2 weeks worth of antibiotics, and a grim prognosis.

Today, she went back for her follow up check. I'm happy to report (I think) that she will be with us for a while. She has gained over a pound, seems to be in good health, and can stand and walk almost like a normal kitten. Each day brings some improvement, and she's become fond of antagonizing Wally the Weather Dog.

Now if she would only learn to retract her claws...

Stay well.

Happy Anniversary, Sandy and Slade

Two years ago this afternoon, I was standing in a little church near Jersey, Georgia, dressed in my best "Come to Jesus" suit, giving my daughter to Slade.

I think it's been a great thing for both of them. I've watched them grow together and Sandy seems happier than she had been for years prior to this Wedding. Seeing Sandy smile is one of my favorite things, and I hope I get to see it for a lot of years to come.

God Bless you both.

Just One Quick Question

Wally the Weather Dog just came back into the house soaking wet. In the 6 weeks I've been on a 4 day work week, it's rained on four of my Fridays off.

Why?

OK, 2 quick questions.

Why doesn't it rain while I'm working from dark to dark, and let me play outside on my days off?

Life is unfair. But, I guess nobody ever told me it was supposed to be fair.

At least I get to go to the (indoor) range tonight for a little loud, quality time with my son, my SW1911, Uberti Cattleman, and Mom's old H&R Sportsman. Let it rain.

Stay well.

Sunday

We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon. Marilyn had invited the kids over for a late lunch, and everybody showed up. The roster included: Marilyn and myself; Bobby, fresh from the LOD gathering in the mountains, along with Laura and Sara; Slade, Sandy, Tyler and Sam from the Jersey branch of the family; Jon, Missy and Violet from the Athens chapter, and Gretchen. Wally, Gizmo and Gracie all put in an appearance at one time or another, too.

I cranked up the grill and seared some mammal flesh, Marilyn had some home-made broccoli salad, killer mac and cheese, salsa and chips, a fruit plate, and miscellaneous trimmings for the burgers. We all ate way the heck too much and generally had a terrific time.

I thank God for all of them, especially my wonderful wife who keeps thinking up these get-togethers. It's great to be able to get a house full of people who get along so well together (except maybe Tyler and Sam...but they're brothers, and you can't expect perfection :)). Even the dog and cats got along.

As I've said before, I'm truly blessed.

Saturday

Today was a good one. I did nothing after about 0700 this morning except goof off. Around 0800, I pointed the Jeep North toward the Legion of Doom's fall convocation. After a leisurely 2 hour drive, I arrived at LOD Headquarters, North. In attendance were Bob, Pete, Kevin, and Jerry.

They had a bit of a skimpy campsite because someone who has a trailer full of camping stuff decided at the last minute to make it a one day camping experience. You all have my sincerest apologies. But in the Marine spirit of Improvise, Adapt, Overcome, they struck out for Wal-Mart in Clayton, and bought whatever they needed that I didn't bring in my trailer. I promise I'll attend the entire spring fling, with my trailer in tow.

I hung around with them for about 5 hours, until the Drunkshoes tournament started, then took my leave. I arrived home around 5 after getting off to a slow start. There was a funeral procession from Clayton to Talulah Falls, that had traffic backed up for about 12 miles. Once the deceased turned left, the clot broke loose, and I set a record pace getting home.

It was a little windy today, and the fall colors in the Georgia Mountains were at their peak when I arrived in Clayton, and severely diminished when I left. It's amazing how a succession of 25 MPH wind gusts can nearly clear a grove of trees of their Fall foliage. No matter the season, the mountains put me closer to God's creation than anything I can think of, with the possible exception of my grandchildren (and long suffering wife and children, too).

I have truly been blessed.

Make it a great weekend, and stay safe.

...And miles to go before I sleep...

Today I get to reap the benefits of a 4 day work week. I've got a Friday with nothing to do!

Except...

Listen to geese flying by

Get tires for Jeep

Wash Jeep (I know, a clean Jeep is a sign of a sick mind, but it's really getting grubby...and who cares that it's supposed to rain this afternoon?)

Deliver Miter Saw to Sandy and Slade's house (They're spending their free time this weekend doing crown molding.)

Drive to Athens to pick up Aunt Sophie (the nagging Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS) for Gretchen's trip to Savannah

Visit with Missy and Vi

Stop by The Firing Lane and blow up a couple of hundred rounds of .45.

Be back at house before 3:00 to visit with Sara after school.

Check on my improvements to a database backup (so I'm working on my day off...what of it?)

Turn on TV

Collapse into recliner

Pass out

Wake up

Work from home for a while

Greet Marilyn as she returns from Work

Dinner

Play with Gracie the crippled kitten

Pack Jeep for trip to mountains tomorrow

Check on database backup (again)


What can I say? God's been good to me, and I'm not bored.

Update:

I've accomplished most of the things on the list. As of 2130, I've not delivered the miter saw, (Sandy was going to swing by after visiting Home Depot and pick it up) and unfortunately, the visit with Missy and Vi got canceled due to new intelligence on Gretchen's departure. She's not leaving until next Friday, so I don't have to pick up the Garmin.

The work parts are still on, as the backup doesn't run until 2330.

Stay well.

Doh! A Deer!...and a Rice Rocket

This morning I had the mixed experience of witnessing a collision between a low-flying sport bike and a small deer. I say mixed, because after the horrifyingly spectacular collision and disintegration of the bike, and watching the rider slide and roll about 75 yards down Jersey road, I had the good fortune to find the young man only slightly injured.

I was headed south away from the house around 6:30 this morning, when I saw one very bright headlight come up behind me. When the double yellow line turned to dashed, the bike pulled out to pass. About the time he was to the end of what I could see in my headlights, I saw the deer crossing the road from the right. He saw it too, but was a lot closer and moving a lot faster than I. He center-punched the deer without having time to hit his brakes. There was an explosion of fur, faring, and flashes of sparks from the bike skidding down the road. The bike traveled about 100 yards into the woods on the right side of the road and knocked down a couple of dead trees before it came to rest.

The rider rolled, slid and flipped about 1/3 of that distance and came to a stop just off the right shoulder of the road. The deer was gutted and went to the left shoulder. There were quite a few bike and deer bits left in the middle of the road.

I stopped, jumped out of the Jeep and approached rider, expecting to find him dead or severely injured. He was curled up in a ball, and moving, so I asked him how badly he was hurt as I was dialing 911. He said he didn't know, and I told him not to try to move. By the time the Sheriff's deputy showed up, he had decided that he was not dead, had nothing broken, and did not want an ambulance. His injuries, other than to his pride, were a slight case of road rash on his right knee and knuckles, a leather jacket trying to imitate suede, and a split, skinned, and otherwise trashed helmet. He griped that it was a $400 brain bucket, and I pointed out that what he had in it during the wreck was probably worth every penny of it.

All in all, he was a very lucky young man.

Like they used to say on Hill Street Blues, Be careful out there.

You never know when God will throw a deer at you. :)

No more OOPS!

Last evening, Bob dropped by with the new axle for his truck. By 8:00 PM, the gray lump in my driveway had been replaced by the red and white one. The truck is working fine, and Bob says it's about 800% quieter.

That was the good news from last night.

Be good, and remember that political events are like what the old country doctor told the hysterical mother of a baby who had swallowed a nickle. "This, too, shall pass."

Keep the faith.

OOPS!

Any time you're looking at something like this, you know that your afternoon is basically shot. (For those of you who never had grease ground into a fresh cut while working on something automotive, this is the inside of the rear differential on a 4 wheel drive F-150 pickup truck.)

Yesterday, I got a call from Bob asking if he could come over and use some of my tools (I think I have at least one of everything) to work on his truck. It was bleeding axle lube from the right rear wheel.

With the Fall Convocation of The Legion of Doom coming up next weekend, he kind of wanted his 4 wheel drive pickup to be functional.

He got here around 10 this morning, and we quickly got the truck up on jack stands and the wheels and brake drums off. The right side looked like a Saudi Sheik's dream. There was enough oil there to sink a well. We pulled the differential cover off, removed the cross pin, and pulled the c-clips that held in the axles. The left side was OK, The right axle had a nice groove that corresponded to the rollers in the wheel bearing. Bummer.

A quick trip to the local auto parts store, a $500 hit on my credit card for a new axle and a battery for my pickup, and a promise of a new axle shaft on Tuesday followed in rapid succession. We then cleaned up the bearing pockets in the ends of the axle tubes, stuck the new bearings in the freezer for about 30 min, and then tapped them into place. New seals were next, followed by the left axle, break drum, and wheel.

The net result of this is a 3-legged gray F-150 on jack stands in my driveway, and my pickup on loan to Bob. Hopefully, he can drop by on Tuesday after he votes for McCain and Palin, and we can finish the project.

I'm not real sure what the point of all this is, but it ate up most of my day, and was actually a lot of fun. I'm convinced that any time spent with your children or grandchildren is not held against your allotted time on earth. It's also good to see that your kids can turn into human beings again after they finish being teens. :)

Stay safe.