I popped up the new blind last night

It is well thought out and easy to deploy and take down. No picks yet, but I may take some and post them. I'll scout for a place to put it up so we have another option. We need more blinds and this is an easy way to put one up where we want it.

Archery season for whitetail and mule deer is coming fast. I've got to get by the store and get hunting licenses for me and the kids.

Birthday Cake

A while back the kids pooled their money and bought an XBOX with controllers and all that stuff. It was really pretty inexpensive and since it came from a big name book and video store it even had a warranty. One of the games they got with it was Halo. It is a pretty fun game as far as I'm concerned and as far as video games go.

#2 decided he wanted his birthday cake to be a Covenant Grunt form the Halo game. Here is a pic in case you don't know what one looks like.

That one is a little unusual as far as the original Halo game is concerned because it is carrying a gun in each hand.

When a kid wants a cake I step up to the plate so to speak and try to make one. Now he didn't specify anything beyond that the cake should be a grunt so here is what he got:




The blue stuff around it is blood. Hey, if you don't specify a live grunt you never know what you'll get.

Here are some screen shots that I based the cake on:



He liked it. I guess that is what counts.

Hunting season is coming

I've got to pick up a few boxes of Managed Recoil ammo for #1 and #3. I'll probably let #1 try full power ammo this year so we'll see how that goes. I want to upgrade #2's rifle. I need to hurry if I'm going to do that.

My better half gave me some new arrows so I got out the old bow. I had to get it re-strung. When I did that I forgot to specify that I use fingers instead of a release so the guy set it up with a D-ring. He's going to fix it today if my better half has time to take the boy by the shop.

We've cleared a spot for a new elevated blind and I hope to get out there this weekend and get a good start on it. #1 son is probably going with us which will make things go a little faster.

My better half also bought me a new Primos pop-up ground blind. It is a fancy one nad Now to figure out where to put it. One advantage of multiple blinds is that game changes it pattern from time to time. It is best to have options available. The big advantage of the pop-up is that if you scout around and see sign in a new location you can just put your blind next to a pile of brush or tumble weeds and be good to go, at least for deer. Tumble weeds blow around and change positions, tree limbs and entire trees fall, so a slight change in scenery doesn't bother deer much. Especially mule deer. Turkeys notice changes more but even they get used to things quickly, especially in the fall.

Here is to hoping for lots of meat on the table.

In my great-grandfather's day

In your great-grandfather's day when you went to the outhouse you took your .22 along. If you saw a squirrel on the way that's what you had for dinner.

That was from my dad while discussing his grandfather. Things weren't much different when my dad was a boy. He went to the outhouse one night and followed the standard procedure of striking a match and look under the seat for scorpions or black widows.

The next morning his dad wasn't pleased to find a hole in the back yard with a ring of ashes around it. Apparently, there was some kind of error in disposing of the match.

Among other hobbies my great-grandfather made and traded knives. He made knives out of old files. It seems to me that most files would be too hard and brittle to make good knives so he probably did some sort of heat treating but I don't know what procedure he used. Sadly I don't have any of the knives he made. My dad said his grandpa gave him one when he was a kid but he lost it years ago. Wouldn't that be a neat artifact to hand down in the family?

My dad said that his grandfather was also a collector of firearms. He said that great-grandfather kept a loaded firearm behind every door in the house and one in most of the corners. He sounds like my kind of guy.

My dad has a cane that his grandfather made. It is your basic straight piece of wood with a brass cap on the end that touches the ground to keep it from splitting. For a handle it has a large brass ball on the top. My grandfather believed it was a decoration from a bridle used on a fancy horse-drawn carriage. Great-grandpa had filled the brass ball with lead. Obviously this was not just intended for decoration.

My grandpa told me a several of stories about his dad. Great-grandpa had a pecan tree on his place that was inside the fence near the road some distance from his house. Some of the limbs hung over the fence and dropped pecans out there. One time some people pulled up in a car and started picking up pecans outside the fence which was ok with him. The trouble started when they decided that there weren't enough free pecans for them outside the fence. They climbed the fence and started picking up pecans on his property. His solution was to pick up a .22 and put a bullet through the top of the pecan tree. I think they got the message.

Another time someone started dumping trash in the ditch next to his place. After several times I guess he saw a pattern and had enough of that. He waited in the brush with his shotgun. After they dumped their trash and started to drive away he unloaded both barrels into the back of their car. The message was pretty clear to me: I was here and could have shot you if I wanted to. I guess they got the message.

I would like to have known him. I would like to have known my grandparents better than I did. Be sure to save some mementos for your children and grandchildren and be sure to write down some true stories for them. Some day they will be glad you did.

I've been busy. Here are a few headlines for you

UN says wealthy nations should give money to 3rd world dictators instead of balancing their budgets.

Let's all go bankrupt together so everyone can be equally miserable. Sort of "socialism by other means".

Here is a true gem of wisdom in this article:

Rising incomes in emerging economic powers like China is the main reason for progress in tackling poverty there . . .

Really!? Did the UN just figure this out or did someone have to tell them? I wonder if our President realizes this?

Seems to me that a nation must first look out for itself first. Going bankrupt to hand out more charity is sort of like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

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The Fed considering pumping another $1.7 trillion into the economy.

This remind me of the definition of insanity i.e. doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Who knows, maybe this time they will get hyperinflation. That would be a different result.

The article seemed like a cheering section for the federal government. It went on about "the recovery" and how we've avoided a second great depression. As far as I can tell the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

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Here is every government's wet dream: UK proposes that all paychecks be sent by employers to the state who will then transfer any leftover money to the people who earned it.

Are they serious!? Even FDR didn't dream that big, or if he did he didn't tell anyone about it. Here is a hint people: There have been a few countries that tried this and so far it hasn't worked out well. I know, I know, this time we have President Hussein and Nancy Pelosi and they will make it work out right this time. LOL and waiting for someone to propose this in the United States of America.

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Here's to hoping it cools off enough soon that I can go cut some more firewood and work on another elevated blind without having a heat stroke.

“Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process”

Even the title of this is unConstitutional.

Here is your link.

From the description of the meeting:

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled "Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process" for Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.

The only reform needed in the "Federal Regulatory Process" as far as firearms goes is to do away with the BATF and repeal all federal firearms laws. A side issue would be to shrink the "commerce clause" back to it's original intent.

Here is a link to the senate judiciary committee so you can see the members and the chairman.

I would not count on anything good coming out of this committee. It may well be one last hurrah for the lefty loonies before they are hopefully voted out of office.

Took the kids to the range again this weekend

The older boys did about as well as expected. A few reminders about trigger, sights, and breathing (mostly about the trigger) and they were pretty well doing what they should. This was little girlie's 2nd time out with real firearms as opposed to her air rifle. At 7 yards she was keeping 5 rounds in less than 3 inches on paper. After doing that four times in a row she was starting to get bored so I put a soda can out and let her chase it around the backstop for a while. I was glad when she got tired of it because we were about to lose the shade up close to the backstop. Did I mention that little girlie will turn 5 in January?

I think the boys will be tuned up for hunting season without any trouble. Little girlie will probably have to wait for next year, though, because I don't think she would sit long enough in the cold to have much chance. We'll see. She might surprise me.

Are you ready for a "lifetime income option" on your 401k?

Here is your link.

The left has been talking for years about stealing your 401k money. I remember during the Clinton years some underling floated the idea of a "one time tax" on 401k funds. The uproar was immediate and Clinton came out and said that of course that was nonsense.

That is the usual method used by government officials to test the waters of public reaction to a crazy idea. Let the press quote some underling talking about the possibility of the government forcing the crazy idea on the people of this nation. If there is no reaction then the President, or congressman, or whoever, will take up the idea and start pushing it. If the reaction is strongly opposed then the President or congressman will throw the underling under the bus with a statement like "that is the underling's personal opinion and does not reflect my policy" blah, blah, blah.

Back to the press release from the government. I don't know what a "lifetime income option" is but it doesn't sound good. Probably it means "we'll take your money, then give you back as much as we think you need, and when you die your children will never see a dime of your money". Hey, they might even throw in a "good life" card to make it easier to control what you do with the little bit of money they think you deserve.

I know, a lot of people are whining that their 401k is in the dumpster. It probably is. However, do you think you will be better off giving that money to Nancy and Hussein and then living on whatever they decide you should have?

As far as government retirement bennies go, look at how well social security has turned out. That has been one of the biggest negative investments you could ever get caught up in.

I've got a better plan. How about this for a new and revolutionary idea:

The federal government should not be involved in retirement at all.

No tax deferred plans, no wealth transfer plans, nothing, except maybe the suggestion that everyone should put something aside because it's not the government's job to force other people to pay for your retirement.

I don't think the 401k and similar plans are inherently bad things as long as the government doesn't start deciding what you can invest in. If the government does start limiting your investment options then it gains huge leverage to control people and companies. Plus, most people seem to need some incentive to save ( I guess not being a parasite is not incentive enough) although that really is not the governments business.

Advice for using Loctite on a castle nut

DON'T USE ANY!!!

I am specifically referring to the castle nut that holds a carbine buffer tube on an AR. I've taken off a few that were installed with Loctite. The freezing method has worked for me a couple of times. A couple of other times it didn't work and I used heat. Last weekend I got into one and ended up cutting it off with a dremel tool. Not recommended if you can avoid it.

This nut had to be removed because when it was installed the tube wasn't screwed in all the way. It just barely hit the edge of the buffer retaining plunger and needed to be screwed in one more turn.

When you install a carbine buffer tube don't use Loctite or other glue. Stake it. That is what the little notches on the front of the nut where it meets the plate are for. Look at the nut and notice that there are notches on one end that go all the way through and notches on the other end that don't go all the way through the nut. The notches that go all the way through (and give it the name "castle nut") go towards the back and those notches are for your wrench. The shallow notches go towards the end plate and you use your punch to drive material from the plate into the notch so the nut won't loosen up with use.

An auto center punch will do it. A hammer and punch will do it. A hammer and an old screwdriver would probably do it, although I haven't tried that and it seems like it could get messy. When you want to remove the tube later you can just punch the material back out of the notch and the nut comes off.

Save yourself and your buddies a headache and stake the thing instead of gluing it on. If you NEVER intend to remove the tube then this isn't such a big deal. However, NEVER is a long time.

Texan convicted of NOT racially profiling Mexicans

Here is a link, which doesn't seem like a tinfoil hat website. Here is another. To be honest the story is also on infowars and prisonplanet, so it could be a fantasy, but with this administration nothing is impossible.

The short form is that Paul Copeland was selling firearms at a fun show in Austin, TX. He sold a firearm to a man who spoke Spanish and had what looked like a TX DL. Then he was busted for selling a firearm to an illegal.

Apparently, having a DL isn't good enough. If you are going to sell a firearm to someone you need to be an expert at determining their immigration status.

Of course the easiest way to avoid selling to illegals is to not sell a firearm to anyone who speaks Spanish and has brown skin. You still face some risk but that covers the vast majority of illegals.

If you refuse to sell to someone who MIGHT be an illegal then the feds will probably come and bust you for discrimination or a hate crime. If you sell to someone who has a DL showing they are a resident of the same state as you then the feds may come and bust you for selling to an illegal.

The common thread here is that the almighty federal government doesn't want you selling your private property without their permission.

The article doesn't really say if Mr. Copeland was an FFL or just disposing of his own property. If he was an FFL I wonder if the NICS check would have showed that the buyer was an illegal?

Be careful out there. The nonsense is getting thicker and more unpredictable every day. Even though the federal government is broke it apparently still has resources for stunts like this.

Venezuela introduces "The Good Life" food rationing card

Here is your link.

It's a part of the never ending push for their government to control the people. "The Good Life" card will give the government an easy way to control what food you buy and how much of it.

Remember that when the government controls the food supply they control the people.

You can bet that people who are out of favor with the government will have "malfunctions" with their cards while people in favor with the government will be able to get whatever they want.

Our President and congress are probably looking at this with envy and hoping for a chance to implement the same thing in the USA. If only the left wingers can fool enough people into believing that they are actually in favor of reducing the power of the federal government and convince people to vote for them in November then they can start working on forcing this on us in January.

The more of your food that you can produce long term (as opposed to storing food which is really for the short term) the better off you will always be. Of course producing your own food isn't the perfect solution either because the government can always destroy your means of making food "for your own good", but so far the FDA is only kicking in the doors of people producing food to sell to other people.

Any time the government wants to control the supply of anything vital you can be sure that it's a bad idea.

Reduced LEO patrols aren't just for the big city

You've probably seen in the news where a number of big cities are laying off LEOs or have changed policy and come up with lists of crimes that they won't send LEOs to.

I guess it should not surprise me that this trend has come to the county I live in. The Sheriff has announced that deputies will no longer patrol the county. Instead they will wait for a call to come in and then respond.

According to the article I read in what passes for a county newspaper (a combination of Thrifty Nickel, Country Living, and some gossip that is printed once a week) the reason is the aging fleet of vehicles and a reduced fuel budget. The county has not budgeted enough for new vehicles and is rapidly burning through their maintenance funds.

I have to admit that in the last 14 years I've seen a Sherrif's patrol on the road I live on twice so it's not like there has been a deputy around every bend in the road. However, I suspect that the response time for most of the county will go up significantly because the deputies will probably be at the station instead of spread out around the county.

Times are tough all over.

Reusable Canning Lid Giveaway at Adventures in Self Reliance

Here is your link.

These lids are Tattler brand and made in the USA, which is one of the few things made here these days.

I sent my better half a link about them when I first heard about them but she hasn't bought any that I know of. Hint, hint. (She has been known to waste her valuable time checking out my rantings.)

Wish me luck on this.

Nothing in the trap, yet

I'm betting I'll get something tonight. We haven't lost any more chickens. Whatever it is will probably be getting hungry by now and start looking for an easy meal.