Crossbow

Lots of folks are spending money on "being prepared".
I'm one of 'em. Like most of us I hope it's money wasted. Sold on the idea that being able to hunt small game to put meat on the table, some years ago I spent premium money to buy a quality (high powered and silent) air gun. It's pretty much been in the gun safe since purchase.

I've asked friends about crossbows. There are quite a few quality pieces on the market to choose from. None of them are cheap. 
A friend has a cheap one, and after chatting with him about them he invited me to come and shoot his.
Yeah, it's cheap, but....
This thing would still put a "world of pain" on ya if you took a hit from it. 
The problem as I see it?
If the "SHTF", I don't want bad guys getting so close to me 
I have to use a crossbow.
Or a knife.

Your thoughts?
Is there a smart reason to have a powerful crossbow in my inventory? 

Solar Panels

My first experience with Solar Panels was at the hospital where our EMS Helicopter was based.
The Salesman told us we could outline our rooftop helipad with thin solar powered light panels to make the pad more easily identifiable by helicopters coming in from out of town. It sounded like a good idea.
So we installed them.
And they looked GREAT.
For about a year.
In three years they were battered and useless trash.

But this was early on for this technology.
Still, when I think about having panels installed on my home I think of them and then remember we have hail storms and falling limbs here.
... And cloudy days.
... And VERY windy days.
I don't want to spend a ton of money, only to have the panels turn to trash on my roof.

The mood in the world seems to be turning against Solar Energy.
Until I know they'll more than pay for themselves, I think I'll pass.

Fat Cops?

With apologies to the original writers of the tune:
"Fat Cops, Fat Cops.
Whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they run from you?"

About Secretary of War Hegseth's comments to our military leaders-
Shouldn't that also apply to our Law Enforcement personnel?

The List

I've let this one lay dormant for too long, apparently.
It's time to add a few horrible people's names:
Tom Hanks.(Twice for him now!)
Stephen King.
Help me with a few more, please. I'm tired of lining the pockets of enemies!


I'm confused-
If you are in the business of selling your talent to the masses, why would you express yourself in a way that would anger 50% (+ -) of your audience? Add to that the fact that most of us non-Hollywood types think you live in a cloister of like-minded people and have NO IDEA whatsoever how real folks make a living out here in the world.
Why not just shut your pie-hole and let 100% of your audience enjoy your work?

I present to you my list...
The list of folks that I refuse to support with my hard-earned $$$$$ because they're destroying my country.
"The List" will be updated and re-posted as new "smarter than you and me" folks make themselves known.
(Feel free to leave suggestions for additions in your comments.)

Robert Altman
Ed Asner
Alec Baldwin
Ellen Barkin
Rosanne Barr
Meredith Baxter
Joy Behar
Tony Bennett
Sandra Bernhard
James Brolin
Jimmy Buffett
Jim Carrey
Jackie Chan
Ladies and Gentlemen- Cher!
The Dixie Chicks
George Clooney
Elvis Costello
Sheryl Crow
Matt Damon
Ted Danson
Johnny Depp
Danny DeVito
Pee Puff Diddy-Daddy
Phil Donahue
Richard Dreyfuss
Roger Ebert (Assumed ambient temperature.)
Mike Farrell
Will Ferrell
Tina Fey
Sally Field
Jane Fonda
Megan Fox
Janeane Garofalo
Danny Glover
Whoopi Goldberg
Kathy Griffin
Tom Hanks
Woody Harrelson
Heart
Dustin Hoffman
Scarlett Johansson (Man I hate that she's on this list!)
Samuel L. Jackson
Ashley Judd
Val Kilmer
Kris Kristofferson
Jennifer Lawrence
Spike Lee
DAAAAAAVIIIID LETTERRRRRRRRMAN!
Jennifer Lopez
Madonna
Bill Maher
Barry Manilow
Paul McCartney
John Mellencamp
Bette Midler
Jay Mohr
Michael Moore
Liam Neeson
Chris Noth
Bill Nye
Rosie O'Donnell
Keith Olbermann
Gwyneth Paltrow
Sean Penn
Rob Reiner
Tim Robbins
Alan Rosenberg
Tim Roth
Linda Ronstadt
Susan Sarandon
Jerry Seinfeld
Martin Sheen
Sarah Silverman
Bruce Springsteen
Martha Stewart
Ben Stiller
Oliver Stone
Barbra Streisand
Wanda Sykes
Gore Vidal (Assumed ambient temperature.)
Kanye West
Oprah Winfrey
Henry (The Fonz) Winkler

Our 2019 "Taurus SHO"-

We spent Independence Day just outside Destin, Florida in Santa Rosa Beach. 
Weather was typical for the Florida Panhandle...
90+ degree days with humidity to match. Sara Jean, my sun worshiper tried to tan for a day and couldn't take it.
So we enjoyed the evenings and spent the days indoors enjoying movies and Mini-series on TV.

But during daylight one day we made a trip to Wally World. Getting into the car I remarked:
"Ya know, this car is now six years old. And even with its low mileage the battery is still on its last legs. When we get home we'll need to replace it."
(And now you're gettin' ahead of me, aren't ya?)

Yesterday we went to our local Wally World to replenish our supplies. 
It was HOT, so I put the groceries in the back seat.
Brake depressed. Push the "Start" button.
"Click! Click! Click!"
And our video screen dash went crazy for a few seconds.
Disbelief.

Wait a few seconds.
Try again.
Same result.

I hitch a ride with a friend and ride the three miles home to fetch the Ram Diesel truck and our jumper cables, then return to WalMart and connect the two vehicles.
"Click, click, click".
So my words from a month ago come back to haunt me.

We have frozen goods in the back seat, so time is a factor.
Back into the store. Buy the highest Cold Cranking Amp battery I can find.
Get my emergency tool kit outta the trunk, remove the old battery and replace with the new 850 CCR battery. Depress brake pedal and push "Start"...
363 twin-turbocharged horses instantly come to life!
Smile.

And remind myself to listen to my own expert advice in the future.

Wonderful Wildlife-

 Up before dawn, I find myself on my patio watching the sunrise. 
I'm also present as our deer make their way to their daytime sleeping quarters and the family of geese on our pond make their way from the center of the water to the bank to eat their breakfast.
And then there's our squirrels-
We have four hickory trees on our property and the squirrels absolutely LOVE them. In the early morning hours I have counted as many as ten of the little grey "tree rats" chasing one another around our property.
They're fun to watch. But...
They're also destructive as all get-out.
They chew on our home.

We live in a home made of logs. I think squirrels are one of those rodents that must chew in order to wear their teeth down. When they chew on the logs of the exterior of our home the sound is amplified throughout our home. It's disheartening and a little helpless feeling to hear the sound of your home being eaten away by these pests-
Why aren't they just taking advantage of the hickory trees?

And then it happened-
They started gnawing on the screens of our upstairs windows. 
Sara Jean was confronted in our upstairs bathroom by a squirrel that had eaten a hole in that screen, and it was the straw "that broke the camel's back". 
I got the "havaheart" trap out of storage.

Using sunflower seeds as bait, over two days now, I have trapped NINE of the little grey devils. 
They're still a pain in my backside because I want to treat them humanely-
Each time we catch one I load the trap into our car and transport, then release them in a stand of trees about a mile away from our home.

So we're giving them  a new lease on life. A neighbor suggested we paint the tails of our captured rodents red so we know if they're finding their way back to chew on our home.
We haven't done that.That may be a mistake. 
Our hickory trees are mighty tempting.

Faces

 I am, and always have been a sucker for a beautiful face.
Fox News knows this.

Another Reason To Come To Tennessee-

Our son is now living in Clarksville Tennessee near Ft. Campbell. We make the three hour drive to visit him every couple weeks.
 Yesterday, while running errands here, refueling the Dodge/Cummins I paid $2.889/gallon at the "Speedway" gas station. Across the street at the Shell station the sign out front advertised their diesel fuel at $3.599 per. The price of gasoline between the two outlets showed a similar difference so I also filled a couple portable five-gallon containers to use in the Taurus when we return home.
In spite of that disparity in price the Shell station still had customers lining up to refuel.

 Do people simply not pay attention to the signs?

Fat Tuesday-

After I made reservations for our cruise departing 2March a couple months ago I panicked, realizing our departure from New Orleans might coincide with Mardi Gras. My initial research indicated the festival would begin on March 4th. Suspicions began at the Car Rental return when the lady guiding us to our parking space was festooned with what appeared to be a Circus Clown outfit in VIVID Purple, Gold, and Green.
My comment while observing the crowd on our way to the French Quarter was, "Boy I'm glad we got here a couple days early!" Purple, Gold, and Green was the "Uniform of the day" being displayed by THOUSANDS. We had to disembark our Uber ride early because the walkers were moving faster than we.

Surrounded by music, dancing, drumlines, and  huge numbers of people looking to have a great time, it's impossible not to have a smile on your face... until the numbers of folks become so numerous you fear losing contact with family members... which I did twice.
I'm glad we are here.
Never again.

Our NCL ship departs for a week tomorrow afternoon. First stop- Cozumel.
We have the package including WIFI.
Updates will follow.

Lewy Body, Update 1-

Sara Jean never comes here to "Pitchpull", so I intend to use the blog to update you on what is going on in our dementia experience.
(She reads ALL my FaceBook posts and has already forced me to delete some of my comments there.)

Yesterday she was chatting with someone on FB and turned to me to ask, "How do you spell 'us'"?.
Seeing my reaction she realized the depth of her question and started to cry.
This is no longer my wife. The disease has taken over.

Today her temper is on a hair trigger. I cannot point out changes in her behavior without getting an angry response. I MUST learn to be more careful with my answers to her questions.

I married this beautiful woman "For better or worse; in sickness and in health."

The road we are traveling will be more and more difficult as we continue.
I don't seek sympathy here. I know how this story unfolds.
I just need a place to vent.
If you see "Lewy Body" in the subject line, you may want to skip what follows.