Throwback Thursday... way back when

 It is Thursday and for various reasons I ended my day cooling out watching A Bridge too Far. I have marched across that bridge in Holland, was a paratrooper and constantly studied the European theater of WWII. Nice finish for the day spent on mower maintenance and grass clipping. While visiting Facebook before the DVD, I noted it was Throwback Thursday and wondered if I could scan an old picture from a Yearbook of Yesteryear... the Wayback machine in action.

So I looked in the 1964 Yearbook, and found a picture and in the 1963 Yearbook I found two signatures that I scanned to share. Or laugh gently at the memories. I was known for one of the best in Spanish class, an artist, a Brain (was that a curse in those days?), a rising football player (?), leader of the pack rats, a motorcycle enthusiast (didn't own one then nor ride), a rifle shooter, and not to be forgotten... do any of them know my name now? Well, some did years ago when I started chasing folks with computer searches.

The girl in the top picture is in the High School Rifle Team in 1964, the picture is in the gymnasium and that was the year that the girls could shoot in competition with the boys. I like to remember that was the girl that out shot me in the Junior High Rifle Club the year before. The American History teacher, Mister Mauger, was coach for both organizations and signed my 1963 Year book with his red pen.

 The signature on the other page is from one of the girls that didn't think I should shoot so well. As I remember it, we all shot well, and I like to think none of us ended up having a terrible life because of our education and social and sporting activities. There were guns in the schools, in the cars in the parking lot, in the teachers' desks (maybe). There was a rifle in the hands of the Old Mountaineer, with a beard, pipe and jug of moonshine - simple mascot for the school. No, they weren't rednecks, but Lil' Abner was a famous cartoon character of good heart.

I would like to think that my favorite History teacher thinks I have kept up with the rifle, although I didn't join the High School Rifle team. My Revolutionary War Veterans Association is doing well bringing some marksmanship and heritage back into the school systems as we can.  Carver Middle School, Colorado City, Colorado was the most recent example.


Marksmanship in the Classroom   On Facebook one page is dedicated to promoting marksmanship in the classroom. And the CMP, the NRA, and Military Marksmanship Units continue to support and encourage the competition shooting.

The biggest problem of looking back is noting changes, Blue and White were the school colors, the Old Mountaineer the mascot. Now, a larger School district is Black and Red and the mascot is the Ram. Change happens, and there is not a rifle team nor club listed.

Dreams, or sweating the night away...

New pillows on the bed, Costco shopping stop by wife and friends. So I sleep just fine, to be awaken by worried wife since I am sweating while asleep. Some kind of cultural no-no, or just time for her to worry. I did the night before, too. So it isn't the pillows. I think I am rejecting the Borg adaptation, or feeling guilty about the lawn mower? I am not worried, still have coffee and wine in the house and more time to sleep.

Last dream was interesting, my parents attending -- seems my brother was correct, my paranoia is being noticed by the powers that shouldn't be. The Federales are closing in as they decide I am a bit too strange to trust in un-assisted living. Potentially dangerous, is a key term of their fears. My mother is for accepting the political correctness for the sake of her first child's future. Ten Thousand missing in Argentina the last time government got goodness graceless. Spooky.

Bit strips from Facebook. I am just digging up the French Drainage and find the ghost of long ago blogger, with the Librarian Death stare.

Went to the television as the coffee heated up, looking for the latest on the missing airplane and the Indian Ocean, found President Obama lecturing the Europeans on territorial integrity and honoring international boundaries. The Europeans wondering where he went to school, didn't they have any battlefields where one could remember how Napoleon rewrote the Old Order? So much to laugh at in that memorable speech, I thought I was on late night television stand up comedy.

Of important note, since I am very retired I have not concerned myself with filing my income taxes, I once was always finished by the second week of February, but I haven't even looked at them this year. Right after the grass attack, I must put the papers on record for filing. Most of what I hear about the IRS is how they have more to do as the nation gets ducks in order. The trials of the Federal Agencies as they attempt to modify choice, behavior and betterment... King George III would be so proud of his will his way.

What is Liberty and what is there to fear?

Thinking early Monday morning, leaving a warm bed to post a thought on a dead information/entertainment: the blog.

Had a great weekend in Port Townsend, Washington. Appleseed event for ten on Saturday, eight on Sunday. Cold a bit on the first day, warmed up with Sunshine on second day. Nice facility for shooting, have been there before. Since then it seems they are under attack, or threat of attack by anti-gun goofs. Sneaking in taking soil samples, pictures and creative havocs un-noticed so far. Because of that the Super Secret Executive Board passed rules against taking photographs, soil samples and doing un-authorized stuff.... or something. Do you see how easily terrorists will use fears to manipulate the mass? So being a fine law abiding citizen I took my pictures and will not expose the once fine shooting club to snipes, snarks and snears of the unwashed heathen anti-gun goofs. I had one video and fifty-four digital master pieces, and now I don't.

So George was the shoot boss, Jay was an IIT and coordinator with host range and sponsor of many of the young shooters - providing rifles and ammunition and transportation. Ralph and Brian were there as IIT and emergency coverage and we worked well as a crew. I was just there for texture.

I will have to work harder on my upcoming Appleseeds, finding crew, cutting my words to the need to be remembered, not the larger need to be spoken. Good attitudes went a long way this weekend.

It must be real Spring here, Brian talked of riding his motorcycle up to a restaurant for some fine Southern pie, we had a great instructor meal there - food was so fine I forgot to ask the waitress to consider coming to our next Appleseed event and learning marksmanship and our heritage. No worry, I have a motorcycle, as soon as the Pacemaker implants heal deeply enough I might be able to lift the motorcycle back up and ride up there to ask her. It really was fine Southern cooking.

Five teens on Saturday, four on Sunday, three parent-child groups, one semi-pro shooter going for his 250 score on a red AQT, he was at the constant 235 point on his AQTs this weekend. We had something to offer all of them, and what they wanted they took and worked on. An Appleseed won't fix all the potential greatness, just a couple points at a time.

High tech, one of the shooters (she who shot the sighting square displayed above) showed me her phone on Sunday with the video (with music) her mother had shot on Saturday as we ran the course of fire. I am now a music video star, or just the big old man hollering the line commands. It was really neat to see, and I was looking forward to seeing it better on my computer monitor at home - but it had to be taken down, because the Executive Board has declared that digital data un-approved of will not stand. Sigh, what was the Revolution about? Liberty? or chains of restrictive measures to make certain nothing ever gets done, shared or proudly displayed? Well, if you don't know, come to an Appleseed and we will tell you what we think.

Be of good heart, what I have always loved about the RWVA, is teaching marksmanship, introducing our Heritage and winning smiles and acceptance by strangers of my shy self. Thank God for smiles, the best reward I have ever gotten.

Time is passing... yes, it is...

This is Thursday, and one more doctor's visit bites the dust. We chatted a bit about his new medical tech, the last one didn't last long. And she was young, he said she didn't take criticism well. Too much pride? Or just not looking for work one could be found unfit for? Don't know, the one today found the vein and took the blood and ran the tests and I am still not dead, but I was hungry (fasting for the last sixteen hours). Next visit in four months.

The idea about time passing is that this is Throwback Thursday, I have no idea how one plays that game but, I did post an old picture and asked for information about the other children in the picture, I was the oldest and looks like junior high to me.

I was viewing more salemanship of coins for the coming terrible times, and telling my wife that needles and pins would be better than gold and silver, actually nails (in quantity) would be hot items when everything goes, heavy but really will be needed. Good jars, and such. What you can't buy you must make or find another way to replace them. But I didn't want to undercut the beauty of some of the coins in their design. How after Queen Victoria Britiannia can hold her trident while one of her breasts is pleasingly exposed (it could have been covered by the shield) I will never understand. But I do like the work. Makes our Liberty with the Fort McHenry Flag look a bit dowdy.

While I was waiting I looked at my Concealed Carry License and it expires in less than ninety days, time to renew! That will be the third time, I have carried that card for five years, the one before it for five years, over ten years and no drunken shoot outs, not one bad guy biting the dust, not one mugging, murder, robbery or rape prevented by my armed presence, nice to live in a country where everyone out to get you is only on the internet or television or in your mind... or in your government. If the government was really ours, it wouldn't be out to get us, would it?

Too much television makes me wonder...

Caught a bit of a movie named Rendition and it was interesting. But what caught my eye, was not the number of government people in their power and goodness telling untruths. But the man caught by a power that knows no fear.

That is the problem, the powers have no fear, so they have no honor, they aren't controlled by the sense of right and wrong, and they don't think law is for themselves either. In my life, if one has no power, one must be kind and quiet and responsible - otherwise bad things happen to me.

The innocent man caught by American CIA, given to Egyptian law enforcement for torture, has no information, has no idea, and has no one to protect him. So he spends time in the hole, is hurt, humiliated and should have decided to die alone. But he was concerned for his son, his wife and unborn baby, and still has no idea how to make the world a better place. He finally cooperates and gives up the soccer team of Egypt from his boyhood before he went to America.

His American wife is working hard to find him, and tries the hollowed halls of Congress - since one of his college friends works for their elected representative. She even gets to the CIA liaison (or was it Homeland Security) but no one tells her the truth, none of them are afraid of her, their power depends on lies and ignoring her request.

Like the President, the governors of their respective states, or law enforcement officers that don't have anything except bad ideas and power - the innocent man can't survive without adapting and becoming invisible.

The movie should be seen, just to put yourself in the prisoner's place. He will never know what is going on, only that there is an American standing by allowing it to happen.

The rifleman that is told to take some shots near the end of the movie, misses most of them, but no one trains in Hollywood nor Terroristlands to precision just to pretense.

America's Rifle, Rise of the AR-15

CNBC special from 2013 I found drifting around the cable until the Korean Historic Drama shows up. They did a fair job of covering the threat of the rifles, the allure, the mythology, the panic buying and the regular buying. They didn't cover competitions, hunting. They did dwell a lot on the shooting classes, the preppers, and the idea that some kind of control had to be out there. Nothing too deep, sure enough, if I had some more money I still wouldn't have an AR. You all may have yours, and thirty round magazines and three thousand rounds in the ammunition storage of your home or ship. I won't be worried nor afraid.

The four people that once worked in the gun industry and have now gone over to the Gun Control Darkside were highlighted, as well as the 800,000 ARs sold to people that may not have owned an AR before, but are becoming one with the Force. Twenty-five years of carrying the AR, which I have always held was built for women to carry in the military, I am convinced that the heavier rifle is the one I want for the couple of years and couple thousand rounds I have left in me. It doesn't matter to me. If your entirely sane, intelligent and caring politicians can't figure out that the law against murder doesn't protect anyone, they won't be sane, intelligent and caring enough to know that disarming the law abiding folks won't protect them either. Remember the family killed by the New Orleans Police on a bridge during Katrina?

More reports of 22LR found a proper prices this weekend. It only takes five hundred for a fast paced Appleseed Event, two days of shooting the best one can. I am now reading another examination of the Norman Conquest of England, which only started with the Battle of Hastings and the death of Harold.

The 42nd Anniversary of our marriage...

42nd Wedding Anniversary
Traditional Gifts: none
Modern Gifts: Improved Real Estate. Look for properties to invest in if you want to buy real estate. Or simply redecorate your house. Now that the kids are gone, isn't it about time you turned that room into a gym or an office? Install a porch swing or outdoor fire place.

I do really thank God for many great years, and like many things in modern life I am sad when other marriages don't endure and flounder. In between traditional gifts, 40 is Ruby and 45 is Sapphire. Wonder if the gems cost so much no one had money for the none years.

When I finally got government sanctioned married, you have little idea of how much I blame the government and its representatives for slowing my marriage way down, almost three years worth. Vietnam and other things were in the way, mostly for my good or the country's. Shouldn't be bitter about it, but I am until I realize that not knowing much I wasn't very effective from my side of getting married. Heavens, my parents had not much idea about my life, how could a government?

  My parents were married twenty-five years, almost, before us. March marriages, our on the 14th, theirs on the 23rd. I wore my uniform because I had no suit that fit, I was really a blue jeans guy. I mentioned my parents, but her parents weren't in the loop either. I saw her father once, and he saw me. Neither of us added together the meeting quickly enough to make the connection. Both my wife and my mother had left their home country and married a gringo, or mi-guk. My father often commented that he couldn't do like his friends and tell his wife to go live with her parents until she got over the argument. Me neither.

I spend a lot of blank page time while thinking and re-living those years. No, I won't write them on the post for others to read. My mother wondered at my commitment, saying that I didn't have to get married, she was looking for my romantic side - which I would always deny having. Men had no romance in them. She finally found me holding my wife's hand in France and took a picture, to her it was so amazing. To me it was the thing to do at the time. Lots of good times in my life, and my love is most of them. My wife and I count from meeting in 1968, being introduced by friends that knew we were just perfect for each other.... they really work hard at match making in Korean Society but through the families - this wasn't. But it was the start of a wonder in our lives, that I could never have planned better.

Being such a poor planner, we are winging it today, although the buy real estate is a fine idea for investments, I haven't won the Lottery. Will see what happens in the next forty-two years.