I have new aches and test stuff to wear so blogs really light from me...

Think on this: Link to blog post      Oh, I am sure if you read any of my blog, you have an idea of what I think about mostly. But am back from the YMCA, where I worked out nicely, and my wife found her wallet missing, and she reported it. Then wanted me to worry over it, I said let us look at home first, then I will worry. Getting home I find my heart event monitor on the porch, and she finds her wallet in the bathroom.

God bless all our best, and forgive all the rest. Time is running out.

We don't evolve as much as we talk about it...

One of my cousins emailed a picture to me, a bit out of focus, and from long ago, 1986.

 Film, a bit dark, out of focus, but it is my father, I could tell by how he was sitting, where the hat is on his head, glasses and socks and shoes. I didn't recognize the girls and asked my cousin.  He said they were his daughters, in Jackson, Mississippi that summer.

So I stuck it into Photoshop Elements and fixed it a bit, not enough to take it back into a photograph with detail, just enough to be a painting by some French fellow. It is still my father, sitting like I still do, with his cap cocked back like I still wear mine when not shooting or sleeping under it.

A very fine Sunday...

Since we had Men's Bible Study at Dennis's home last evening we were wound up and ready to worship the Lord and study His word today. The discussions at Sunday school took from everyone and gave everyone many things to consider in the coming week.

After class I said farewell to the normal sit around and talk some more guys, wishing them well and I headed for the range. To get some more time with my new rifle, particularly check the zero with ten rounds, shoot thirteen in a Red Coat target and another forty within the time and position constraints of a regular AQT. While looking at what others are shooting, how well they are shooting and talking about anything Appleseed since I had a trifold or two and some spare Red Coats to share.

Now, if I settle down, I will one day be a fine shooter, for sure I must quit thinking about the next target I can only affect the one I am shooting NOW, not the next one. I blame all rounds that don't hit center on the need for speed, which is only in my mind. I had time on each stage without worry, even with a couple of stove pipes, I am getting better at clearing the brass and getting on with the shooting.

So I didn't clean the Red Coat, make all hits count, but I was close. I only got 190 points on the AQT, mostly because of three non-counting flyers, and then poor time use and NPOA verification on stage four, should have checked it twice. I am so good at giving advice that I don't follow, for no good reason. Sigh.

Still it was a beautiful day, which finished with me watching Name of the Rose on video. Sad movie and story, very well done.

Why is Justin Beaver on my news feed, on my favorite talk programs?

Must be as an example of what famous wasted life is worth, not much. Yes, I know I have spelt his name wrong, but then I don't worship nor adore him. I may have heard some of his music, but I couldn't tell you that in truth. I am still stuck on 'cut my bangs with rusty kitchen scissors'.

My visit with the heart doctor was great, not that I am sure how anything might get paid for, but I liked talking to him about me (always one of my favorite subjects) finding out about his grandfather fighting in WWII against the Japanese and what my new tests are going to be - and I won't have to return to see him until March 7.  All good.

On the not so noticed news, is the Japanese response to the Chinese expansion in the Pacific. Funny how Main Stream Media thinks Justin is hot enough to cover, like bad boys being boorish is news. The Korean, Japanese and Chinese are working on another confrontation to the hilt. My money is still on the Japanese, they can make all the nuclear weapons they want faster than Iran can.... but they don't want any. Until the current President Obama, America provided their nuclear deterrent. Now, I expect they would sink all the Chinese vessels at sea from afar, precisely. Yep, that and robotic assault weapons. And they still haven't unleashed Godzilla.

Finding what is lost...

I went to Battle Ground, Washington to find what I was missing  - much of which I didn't realize that I had lost along the way. I was a bit early so went into a Mall at the Sears entrance. They didn't seem to have any 22LR ammunition so I wandered out to the general areas and found a Calendar, Game and Toy store. I hadn't been able to find, on the internet, a Revolutionary War calendar - I knew there had to be one, but the search engines were looking for what 'everyone' is searching for or the sponsored 'finds'.  But in this shoppe, there was ONE with torn packaging looking exactly like what I wanted, so I grabbed it, and was willing to pay the sixteen dollars for it - but only paid four - since most of January was no longer to be counted. It was the New Nation Calendar by M. Kunstler, Lang Publishing. Happy me.

On to dinner at the Mongolian Golden Tent, met the others and the Instructor (ItsanSKS) for the weekend. Got coffee and built some stuff to toss together on the grill. I was shocked by some of the questions, things I hadn't thought about but in general most of the conversation was about past Appleseeds and friends along the trail and the future of the RWVA in the Great NorthWest. We moved to a quieter room for better conversation, desert and more coffee. More stirring of our minds, and focus, and reminders of what being new feels like. Kind of invigorating, being young again. We closed the place down and I drove off to the school house where I would park and sleep in the Caravan or inside if it got opened. George opened it, turned on the water and water heater and I rolled my sleeping bag out and didn't notice the cold outside of it.

Waking Saturday morning I got out of my bag and noticed it really was cold, so I looked at the great wood burning stove, looked for matches, found none, put some kindling on the range and turned up a burner and started a fire to move a flame to the pile of kindling in the stove. Worked! The the flue and the flame and constant adjustment for clearing smoke out - until they stopped opening the top to look. Breakfast is cooked and shared, there would be more food than feasters all weekend. Can you say Elk Burgers? Can you taste them?

After breakfast, set up for instructions, introductions and we were off on a full weekend of training, talking and performance. Pictures here. Excellent outline, constant participation by all, questions answered and diversions re-routed back to course of instruction -- just like we would have to do at an Appleseed.

Six Steps in making a Rifle safe, step six is 'No one touching'. Six steps in making the shot, the first two steps are natural lead ins from the Steady Hold factors, without explaining Natural Point of Aim, one more verification on NPOA and then trust it and fire in Rifleman's cadence. The sling has three medal parts we own the names now - J-hook, H buckle, and Camlock, cinch the loop down to snug, take your firing hand and pull on the J-hook and loosen the sling by pulling it across your chest.  Cross ankle sitting position is with the edge of the feet flat on the ground. COF, target, position, # of rounds, holes in paper, time limit, Magazine prep and Extras.

Stage Craft, how do you present. Suggested video recording of your presentation of instruction, of your History presentation. Looking at oneself critically for ways to improve. Just in rotating the butt of the rifle away from the body and smartly into the shoulder pocket, short firm and complete. Teach hasty sling and loop sling before prone steady hold factors, save Hasty, hasty for the Standing position.

Teach talking targets after prone, yellow sheet as reference.  IMC and FO/RS  Always TPI, Total Participant Instruction - List Discuss List Chorus back.  Always good examples, always saving questions for proper time, no diversions from topics.

Dinner of Elk Burgers, I think I had six of them, and a couple more on Sunday. Slept in the school house another night, with a fire in the stove and the chief instructor in his sleeping bag, too. Overall, great motivating and informative training in perfecting the subjects of Appleseed. Today I signed up for two more Appleseeds at Port Townsend, WA. There is another weekend in July but I have Fish camp that time, so I will have to find other Appleseeds to help.

Fears, you just have to realize they are fears... based on brain activity or hurt...

So I have fears. Not as many as many, but enough that I feel normal and responsive to what could happen, and how to make it better before the battle I fear.

I made a lot of folks, that don't know me, worried just enough when I passed out, but my doctor and the doctors that really checked me out only fear one remaining thing - that I won't listen to their professional advice.  That I do understand. The heart doctor from the Army Hospital called yesterday, and then again today. I was home and answered today with all the responses he wanted and one he wasn't ready for, but he said he would look into it. I believe he will and fix it. I trust him.

Fear of returning to exercise, not mine, so I did, but I did it in little efforts not some hard charging damn the torpedoes full speed ahead... mode. It felt fine, I really am at the age that a little romance would go so much farther than fourteen human reproductive acts. It is the same with exercise, keep moving, it doesn't count only if not moving, the days of repeating marathon training sessions and karate practice drills over and over are gone - not needed. I have been there, done that, and still have t-shirts and trophies for my best. Same with exercise. Now some of my doctors don't know, but my personal physician does and he is okay with my check up and testing. I can't fix all their fears but I don't have to share them, nor restrict myself to their fears zones.

So I avoid New York, California, Colorado, New Jersey and now Maryland. They fear me, I understand that Maryland has a list of proper pistol carriers and is ambushing them when they enter the state. There you go, allowing yourself to be restricted by the fears of the different state protective services, or local jack booted uniformed thugs. I do think that race played a big part in the ambush, fear you know. But Maryland, is now on my list, and I have been there armed before. Fears.

Now the National Rifle Association has a mission statement, that Harvey Weinstein has never read, but he knows what they do so he is making a movie that will cause the NRA to wish it were DEAD. When they listed all the terrorist propaganda entertainment movies that man makes - I was thinking he is shooting himself in the foot (or head?). The Lawyers will get to sue him for promoting terrible gun handling that seems to produce dead bodies all over the place, which is what he thinks the NRA does. Not because he knows anything about firearms, just how to peddle porn - gun porn, sex porn it is all the same to him, all he needs is the money. So he is going to make a movie that only stupid liberals will watch to see the truth about the NRA. The smart liberals will stay home. They fear what exists, not what doesn't exist. I will have to check and see, but I am betting that I don't own any of his movies in video or dvd, although I know I have seen a couple - but the gun violence and martial arts were not very good. Actually, I do own a couple, but even bad people do good things some times.

Seeing how the market is, when the stocks of the gun industry tank (which they won't) I would be buying like crazy. Actually, why couldn't I get 22lr again today? I have been good. But maybe I don't fear the famine enough yet, I still have bows and arrows, so patient I am. No fear!

I recommend the movie LONE SURVIVOR

Since I am just me, and no one really pays too much attention to me I still say it is a great movie.

A WAR movie, very.

It has been attacked as propaganda - which is really the reason I saw the movie before reading the book. Normally I do it the other way.

I can see where the call of 'propaganda' came from, it was from some one that has no personal value system, that doesn't understand the military, the Special Operations community, and certainly has no real idea of what Afghanistan is nor ever has been.

I will own the DVD as soon as it comes out. Even the special effects guys got most of the explosions right, not all of them but most. Great movie, sad story but heroic on so many levels. I do recommend seeing it.

I wonder where yesterday went...

Bad start for the week was Monday. And I don't even have a place I was supposed to report to for work or something. My gym bag was packed and waited by the door. But I was out of it. Two bowls of oatmeal for the day as I had a very upset stomach, then after another six hours of fitful sleep I was on to steak and green beans.

I did my rowing 6.2 miles in 56 min 36 seconds. Stop and get a drink, measure BP and Hr and then go for the Expresso.com Bike. Pick the 13.5 mile course and pedal away, getting over fifty-five seconds ahead of my personal best. But on the down hill side the ghost starts to catch me and finally does at about ten miles, about the same time I am slowing down, tired and sweaty and a bit under the weather. I want to go and sleep. That was when I woke, wondering how that guy got in my house, oops! I am still attached to the pedals, get free, lay there having everyone wonder if I am okay, what is my name, do I hurt anywhere (just my pride). Well, I had decided to keep going when I should have stopped. My blood pressure and circulation wasn't meeting all demands and when the brain is drained it shuts down, kind of like the Federal government, no one in charge, everyone sleeping it off.

The bike shut down when there was no more activity, I thought I had lost all my electronic exercise - I was competing to complete the Titan Challenge, 5000 calories burned off in January. Well, I was told to lay still, and the medical alert guys from the Fire Department were on the way. What was my name, when was I born, where did I live, what was my telephone number, was there anyone to call? Nice concerned worried people. The medics got there, more professional worried people - by this time I was cracking jokes and trying to wipe the concern away from their faces. I only look old I am still thirty-five inside, just a conservative thirty-five. The closest hospital emergency room was where they wanted to take me, I told them Madigan would be better, and they liked that.

So one took my locker key, got all my stuff out of the locker, took my Caravan and parked it near the emergency room and gave me back my keys. All the data, was entered into an iPad, radio contact with receiving emergency rooms, details of event (how do you keep from being a problem - when you wake up -RUN away and escape!).  I wasn't allowed to walk, gurney and wheel chair, lots of blood work, continuous monitoring, one IV drip, more nurses and doctors than anyone should need in a day - how I impressed them. Well, I didn't stop breathing or my heart pumping, although one doctor asked if they could shock me back into rhythm or do chest compressions, and put an oxygen tube down my throat. Which I told her sounded like a threat but sure if I needed either. Her husband and she transferred recently from Fort Bragg, 82nd Airborne, and I had to ask if he was adjusting to working at half speed. She knew immediately what I was talking about. After a deployment she told me that 'we would get a command' which I told her was a great way to think about that. Not that the Medical Corps doesn't have its own command structure and she as a Captain would get promoted one day and might become a commander - I don't really know how they pick commanders outside of the combat arms.

I got some chest x-rays which they compared with the last set they had done on me, they found the same question they had the last time and suggested two more tests for that, after I see my family doctor and check in with him. They know something about ornery old men, and made me promise three or four ways to cooperate with their concerns. So, they took the needle out of my arm, the monitoring was turned off and I got my stuff and wandered the parking lot looking for my Caravan, which was where he had said it would be, luckily I was one of the few. Drove home, picked up the mail, ate mondu soup, had coffee and watched a video. Then checked my exercises in the computer and find on the Expresso.com list - they gave me credit for starting the run. "1/14/2014      Totals: 11.1 Miles 446 Calories 0 Chase Score

Completed Laps" And now I have 2400 calories down, only 2600 left to go. 

Think I will now go to bed and get some sleep.

So I found three hundred dollars, and there ain't no ammo to be had...

I want some more 22lr ammunition and can't find any... oh, it is listed then is 'sold out' or something similar. The wonders of the internet. Why can't England or Australia make us lots and lots,  it isn't like they have to worry about too much ammunition falling into their citizens' hands. They can sell it all to the USA, we will buy all they make that is good.

I have enough personal ammunition, but the need for new shooters, for those that want to practice, for those interested in plinking and hunting - those needs must be met. The local manufacturers say they are running shifts full time, but I don't think so, Soros bought them all out and slowed production -- or he didn't. But for the market not to adjust to the demand, that is an artificial constraint - which seems like government stupidity.

Not that the government has ever been stupid, we can't even get Astronauts to the International Space Station... America in decline, worried about terrorists and the poverty stricken, which were both created by stupid government programs. Don't take my word for it, look it up.

Happy Birthday to me. Sixty-six and a couple left un-counted... yet.

I am about to turn the computer off for the second time today, breaking free, thank you.

There are rules and laws... and my wife will make more rules

Everyone seems to want rules, law. They say it is good because Man is evil, or can't be controlled in their desires and lusts, or just because that makes it seem safer - if everyone is playing by the rules.

Establishing my own rules works best for me, no one cares what they are as long as they don't seem to affect anyone else. When I decide to expand my rules to those I am working with or living with, we will have adjustments, but can still get along.

There are hundreds of laws, adjustments and rules no one is paying attention to... because they are written in dead languages of civilizations or of people that no longer exist. They even had laws and rules that no one wrote down, just oral traditions.

We all end up living by our own code of rules, things we won't do, things we must do.  So in the end where is it felt that folks so far away can make more rules I am not paying attention to, in languages I don't speak about things I already know I won't do, ever?

New Year, first day at the range...

So after coffee and breakfast I put the rifle in the Caravan and drove to the range and took point sixteen on Range 15. My goal was to become better with my Marlin 795 LTR.  Knowledge can go along way to making a shooter a rifleman with what he brought to shoot.

I started with Federals and wasn't happy, so I switched to Federal Champions, which seemed to work better. I was having some issues with the ejection not completing before feeding another round. So I looked hard at the ejector and put some leverage on it to bend it slightly to where I thought it should be. Suddenly I had a real semi-automatic rifle. I made some sight adjustments, D12 L4, then shot another target then D8, then shot another target and then R1. And I had not used the sling yet.

Finally, I moved the shooting bench, laid a mat down, and slung up and shot two five round magazines.



I am such an old fellow, still I was happy enough. To bring it all back home. Until the next time, I sure do need more practice, come on weather, just about ten degrees better and we will be rocking. I know I am old by the number of AR platforms on the rifle side of the range. So out of touch. And the communist rifles and bullets.

Ah, I have arrived at that old eccentric great uncle of wars no longer remembered...

A young lady I once knew, told me she had a great uncle that had fought in the Boxer Rebellion, now I knew, in 1966, there was no way a great uncle of such a beautiful young lady could have fought in the Boxer Rebellion. That was way back in the 19th Century, forever ago.  If he had been a young eighteen years old, adding another sixty-six years meant he had to be at least eighty-four. Yep, and he probably was, gosh I wish I could have talked to him. I keep forgetting my grand parents were all born in the 19th Century. Time barriers are so artificial, and mostly it is because we are so central to our lives that the past is to laugh about, or wonder upon.


The eccentric part I always thought was great, mind a little twisted by age or whatever, always not in sync with the latest trends and news and cultural waves, a funny old fellow to laugh at. I have been waking to the soft lights and glitter of the Christmas Tree in the living room, and it welcomes me warmly every morning, I am beyond the gifts just want the warm goodness waiting me in the darkness. I like it so much I toy with the idea I should just leave it up, I know there is another Christmas down the road of time, eleven months - no one visits - no one will notice if I wait until the blinds are drawn to light the tree, it will then be waiting for me, every morning. Christmas spirit all year, and that can't be bad, can it? Eccentric old man, there was a Paladin episode (see I really can remember things not too many talk about now) where an old man was defending his little spread from a bully and big rancher and called on Paladin to defend him. Have Gun Will Travel. He would have trouble taking his guns to town today, but that was then, and Paladin showed up and defended the old fool in court, explaining away all the eccentric behaviors as a fine relationship with the shortening of his remaining life and the joy of small things.

Cold outside, will roll the sleeping bag up, and take the rifle to the range. Pictures and report to follow. I was watching The Man from Snowy River and My Fair Lady yesterday. Got tired of Hollywood violence.

You know I don't think Hollywood and political correctness will win wars...

The Marines want a few good men, and many more really good women to become the few the proud the Marines. And they have some problems, with the women meeting the men's standards - mainly because they aren't men. Even reducing the standards and calling them the same, hasn't worked -- kind of taking forty high school folks, gender unknown, and throwing them together with a Hollywood Marine for eleven weeks and calling them Marines. That won't work the same as being in Boot Camp with real Drill Instructors, rifles and a program to find the few the proud the Marines. Then you can put them on a bus to go visit Fayetteville and tell those paratroopers who is the the best.

So anyway, some blogger wrote about it, and why women shouldn't be stuffed into combat roles to prove points, gender equalization and stupidity. Not real bad for a non-combat fellow, but except for proving that stupid people can't have any really great ideas, he had no experience in the real reasons why it doesn't work.

Basically biological. When I as a young man saw a female human I immediately started thinking about having sexual relations. Biological, doesn't matter about rules, laws, good sense or my higher mental capacity - females were to have sexual relations with... it is natural. When I see other men, they were to fight against to allow me to have all the females. That is biology, human reproductive biology.

Because this is so animal and we are supposed to be human I will have to allow my brain and higher thinking powers to come into the seeking sexual relations.  First I only want the most desirable, conditioned by cultural norms, although when things get really extreme almost any female would do...But I am still only a thinking animal, running on basic biologic functions.

Add a higher spiritual level and I want to have a woman as a partner in life to bear my children and raise them and make a home... which is a very high standard. The motivation, much of it biological and thinking human male, of such a creature, family and home almost guarantees that I will put my life on the line to protect that, all that I love. Even not having my own, still I will put my life on the line to protect that idea. I will never do it for money, for a country, for my fears, for my friends like I will for that fine dream of family.

To do it well, I will gather with other warriors, and train, and sing, and dance and boast and train and dance and sing and boast and train and dance and sing and boast and put on the war paint and go into the darkness after leaving our nice on the bunk until we come back. Then we meet the enemy and start killing, and killing, and dying, and killing and getting tired and killing and dying, and getting so tired and killing and dying more and continuously. Then peace. Or just a hot meal, or a full day of rest, or a hot shower that looks and feels like heaven - you remember hot showers don't you?

I remember standing watch outside a shower in Saudi Arabia while a female soldier took one, a hot shower, she didn't like being dirty. I would never have stood watch outside of a male soldier taking a shower. Hollywood would have written me into the shower, but Earl wouldn't have gone there. Earl doesn't have romances with his warriors, if you aren't going to do something with love - you really aren't going to do it well, are you?

I can tell you all the reasons that I don't want females in the combat roles - but mainly it is because our civilization will have lost by the time we have to put them there to protect our civilization. I think women should decide why they can't compete directly with the males on the field of battle, I have an idea that you couldn't even get enough female drone operators to manage all our drone operations. Just like you can't get enough women engineers. But you all keep trying.

I do think universal military training would be good for every young person in high school, and I do KNOW that there are positions in the military that women fill very well, often even better than men. But I haven't figured our how General Custer or Crazy Horse would have done as well as the modern warriors of the Marines with women infantry, cavalry at the Little Big Horn.

What I need women for is to make me civilized, what I need enemies for is to make me stronger, what I need God for is to make me my best for His purpose and his kingdom. Which is never stuck on the battlefield, God leaves no one stuck on the battlefield. Governments do, because they don't care and have no love of anything except the boss. So God isn't demanding females in combat, He didn't design them that way. Thank the Lord, Amen!

Hello, New Year, what's up?

I spent part of the first day of the New Year looking at making my Marlin 795LTR better, according to another shooter on the RWVA forum. He provided pictures and advice. I looked at the pictures and the advice and took my rifle apart to work on it, and looked again at my rifle. But I only did some minor filing to remove a little metal. I saw some advantage in polishing the magazine well, and might do that later. But I think most of his claims aren't real, but they make him happy. In the end I didn't do all he recommended, but I worked my magazines in and out of the well, made sure that I understand the sequence designed into the rifle by their engineers, why the pieces fit the way they do. I will be checking various types of 22LR this weekend, just to see what it likes best. Cleanliness and best ammunition are always big factors in rifle functioning on Appleseeds, the other one is the shooter's familiarity with the rifle, everything I have done with this rifle is good, seems well designed - but inexpensive, which isn't a problem as long as it is safe and built to last a bit. Like my M1, as I get familiar with it, and little stuff I find along the way, it will be a better rifle for me. I expect the Marlin will be also.

I will be trying to be a better Earl all this year. The most difficult thing so far was getting rid of the cough and congestion, which I think is gone as of today. One step at a time, and before 364 days have past, it will be an other New Year. See you then.