2A-

  "When the government fears the voters there is Liberty.
When voters fear their government, there is tyranny."

Are you comfortable now publicizing the type and number of firearms you own?

"It's 3 O'Clock in the Morning"

Getting up to go to the Latrine three or four times a night is now my normal routine. The O300 trip is a problem. Back in the sack, my brain begins to grind-
"It's fourteen days since I don't now when", with accompanied music starts running through my head.
Who sang that?
What were the rest of the lyrics?
Why is this particular tune beginning to torture me?
(Answers- Lee Michaels, "Do ya know what I mean"?)

I return to bed and lie there, comfy with my mind racing at 98 miles per hour. Sometimes it is obvious I'm so awake I might as well rise and watch some news on FOX. 
Most times then I can return to bed at 0600 or so to catch another hour or so of winks.

I've discussed this sitcheeashun with my (Muslim) VA Doc at length.
She's not sympathetic to me... accuses me of being an old fart.
I have no argument to that.

Think hitting the hay at 2000 hours might have something to do with it? :>)

Hi-yo Silver... Away!

The price of Gold has kept it outside the limits of my budget, so I've been buying silver instead.
For a LONG time silver's price stayed under a $50/ounce ceiling.
Today, as I put fingers to keyboard, the price is over $90 per ounce.

I think people are finally paying attention to inflation.

Prepping

The book has been on my "to read" shelf for a LONG time.
Years?
It's written by a guy named Selco Begovic.
(He's written several books and they are available at Amazon.com. )
He survived the war in the Balkans and shares some of the tactics he used to live through that trouble.
I've now read the first 1/3 of the book and realize all the planning and procuring I have done to this point is probably for naught...
-He points out my wooden home likely won't survive when "the enemy" comes looking to take the things I have put away for my family.
-If/when the "SHTF" begins in earnest, the food and self defense items I have collected will likely be used up pretty quickly and my family and I, like he, may end up eating grass and other stuff that is readily at hand.
-Starving people will do things we cannot imagine.
I'm glad we don't live in a major metropolitan area. But as time passes we'll still be vulnerable.

It's fun(?) to plan for the SHTF situation.
The actual scenario he describes opens my eyes to the fact we may not survive no matter how well we plan.

I recommend the book, particularly for younger folks.

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.