Thursday, February 13, 2020

So what wakes me up in the night? a dream...

"I woke at 2;30, from a dream of parking my bicycle in a rack, looking up and seeing WlaP, tired and harried, telling me he had messaged me and I had't answered.That was when I woke up to ponder and get a glass of warm milk to help me sleep. Now I am only lightly interested in the NRA leadership, the organization is so far off of the track it will really take heavy lifting to get back in the shooting activity lines and training and the best gun folks on the planet. A lot of heavy lifting. There are real experts out there struggling to ignore that fake beacon about 'political power' and gratitude ahead that lays everywhere around the swamp. Floating endlessly around DC, just more swamp gas. I am taking this and expanding it on my blog... don't follow - only my dream started by other stuff in my life. Keep up the good work, all the heavy lifting. Our country and our passions and Rights all need our attention, but I have little left and will have to use it where gentle old men Do Not Need to be reminded of the danger of not living under the rules. Implied threats against open speech (free speech) seem to be all the rage now. I will go back to basics and leave y'all alone."

I left the above paragraph (?) on a comment string on Friends of the Second group on Facebook. Seems like I can't write to please others, I based my not getting a distinguished award in my military career on the fact I spoke freely too often and always when not wanted, so 'they' got me back. Poor CSM Underwood, we had shared the same special quarters in Korea and talked but he thought I respected his judgement and advice because of his position and title. The poor man had to wonder why I listened but not well. Respect is tough when you might not be right, or living really wrong in my face. My problem not the young CSM's.

So, we all know I have never nor expect that Wayne would message me, and I am not sure of the Wayne's on my Facebook Friends would expect better behavior, we went to high school together apart once. And I was a little bit different then too. Not enough to not be accepted as human, which seems a society reaction now on social media (unsocial more often than not)

Monday, February 10, 2020

What a terrible Appleseed, Dude, can't you keep it together?

  No I can't.... but I can feel bad and complain to myself. Great heroic day of riding the Expresso.com bike at the YMCA on Thursday 32.7 miles, getting a dime a mile and accolades from their staff. But I am in demand. Yanni, our Project Contractor for the kitchen remodel, and new flooring wants me and my wife in Seattle. I hate Seattle, stupid Liberals Anti-Gunner central. I don't want to go, but God and my wife love me and my bad attitude won't get better driving around with my imagination of the evil there. The shopping went well and Yanni wants money on Monday, put it on my to do list, get ready for the Appleseed in Redmond, this weekend. No one ever knows the burdens we bear, how old we feel or don't feel until...  Must have been hiding my hate on my face or heart, my wife flees to her friends for food and talk and I sleep on alone, big home for two living as alonely.

  So quick review of the letter from guest Green Hat, the shoot boss. He wants us in Red Shirts and presenting a professional appearance... I think he is arrogant and I add him to the list of AntiGun Leftists in the world, can't be right he is a real competitor in the rifle and pistol world, isn't he? Never met the man... Car loaded out and on the road before six will be there at seven for the instructor meeting, lots of familiar faces. I am late, they started the briefing without me, and I feel the undercurrent from others about the shoot boss, he is going to straighten us out... perceptions and expectations aren't like our normal. But he has his way of making us better. And we aren't the others, we are the ones that showed up, I toy with driving back home and signing up for helping the Appleseed in Oregon at the end of the month. I don't, because I am reminded the event isn't about me or any of the instructors, it is all about the shooters. So I get to go hand out t-shirts and help Flipper get folks signed in. There are very nice name tags laid out, so everyone has a familiar label to be called by name, pin to hats and we will all be a fine shooting community of no longer strangers.

  Some very familiar faces on the firing line, they all remember me and I get some smiles and hellos. The tension between instructors and Shoot Boss isn't noted that I noticed, but I do see waiting by the crew for the shoot boss for 'what are we doing next/' Eighteen rounds by lunch? One Redcoat and a five rounds on the sighting square?  Part of our getting our ducks in order is presentation of Pistoleer Award to two shooters and one daughter of Ben, another winner. Not cool for rifle shooters looking to earn their own awards to see something that they can't get here, by folks they don't know, but are instructors and safety folks, I would have waited on getting the shooters and instruction crew working as a team before a pleasant sidetrack for past performance. Maybe someone might die before the unit gets together again as a whole. A reason we award thanks and note valor when happening in combat, can't wait for return to Base Camp nor Star Trek Enterprise.

  I get the prehistory and the First Strike of the Match, and it was only supposed to be twenty minutes, but I get the hurry up sign from the Shoot Boss - cause I have so much to share as the tale teller. But they march out of Lexington leaving eight dead and many dismayed Rebels behind...I think I was closer to thirty-five minutes than twenty.

   I find my first weakness, I can't get up from the demo position, and not having worked with the instructor before his 'don't get ahead of the instruction' was disconcerting I was waiting for him to tell me what to model next, a demo person doesn't speak until after if asked by the instructor.  Anyway, I was being helped to my feet by a young woman and two men - how do I get so old? You know I didn't want any help just some space and my walking stick. I don't accept the young ladies help, cause I don't accept the men's much either, attitude and stupidity on my part, which I note isn't getting anyone shooting safely on target again. Sigh...

   The lunch time shows up. I wisely stay as line Boss to watch the rifles on line as everyone else goes up to the club house for the Second Strike of the Match and lunch, bathroom breaks become a chore, seems the plumbing isn't free flowing enough, going from two restrooms to one. One of our newer IITs brings me a hot cup of ramyon noodles. I thank him for his thoughtfulness and repay him later. Over all we are teaching or listening to the shootboss instruct everything at his pace and to his standards, and we aren't working well together, starting to look for his mistakes, how we are falling behind and not emphasizing safety. There are also way more instructors than normal, which should be great but we are almost in each others way, the smartest of us start shrinking back and gently correcting the shooters trying to get them to stay on process completing each step and not forgetting anything as the fire on targets. Only one AQT finally on the first day and we clean up to go home and a meal. I can't stay for the instructors dinner, where I understand the having a beer will be pounced upon as totally unacceptable. I wasn't there and don't drink beer unless I have just completed a marathon, ha, ha. That was long ago and when I wasn't drinking anything. Lot of old time memories coming back up, I did mention to the Shoot Boss the old conflict between the back East Headquarters and those of us on the line in our home country or states. He quellshed me quickly, but I have been poking headquarters and staff pukes for too long, I know when my opinions aren't needed -they already have all the answers. Just do it their way, they will go away soon enough. Sigh.

  I did make it home, my wife was talking on the phone, a lovely supper waiting for me, I could get cleaned up, check FoxNews or Japanese Public television to find it hadn't all gone to hell while I was away. Bloomberg was still promising to spend a fortune disarming the peaceful public or at least getting them down to three round bursts. Forgive them, LORD, they know not what they do.

   I do wake up to knowing I hurt and need to move, and the second day begins in the dark, did y'all see that Moon Saturday night? WOW! no cloud cover where you are. Did I mention Saturday was many downpours or steady drizzle and wet is cold. Second day has same beautiful Full moon and not clouds after the morning mist burns away, and I am sick. I pack out much Appleseed extras to give away, lots of reading and notebooks and patches and hanging maps for Will to use in instructing and advertising. Ah, my pile of stuff to move out is getting smaller at home, keep moving, get there again by seven thirty cause we are so set up already. Alexa is really working with me, Blues at night and Southern Gospel in the morning, the Lord loves me. I pick up an instructor sweat shirt to give to ctorg since he needs one to cover his arms against the cold and slingloop.


Kevin is so close but only close.
   Except for being a beautiful day, having lost a couple of shooters over night, maybe their bodies didn't take the wet cold, and weather any better than mine. I finally accepted I was ill, the day sped by and I remember I caught some shooter faults but wasn't effective since we had a round fired from a rifle into the berm, when it shouldn't have been loaded. Process and sequences were not at work, maybe because we still weren't a team going in the same direction. We did get some fine shooters making Rifleman scores, and taking up the IIT hat so I was okay going away early to get home and die quietly, or allow my loving wife to beat me back to better health. I left a shooting mat behind and Andy picked it up and messaged me.

  It is six on Monday morning here, I can go back to bed for a nap, and I will, being retired retired means no one needs me... but then Bloomberg doesn't know I and my millions exist does he? American! armed and at Liberty under the LORD. The two days of the Appleseed we had an Asian couple watching us through the wire fence, I talked to them the second day and told them what we were doing - they thanked me for the information. But I did remind them that we are Americans, we have guns and we shoot them. One of our shooters said his wife is Chinese and she had a relative that learned to shoot an AK in high school, but the rifles all get locked up by the state after the training is over. Yep, that sounds correct, and in Russia on the farms they still have their guns for wolves and lonely state agents of agitation.


 

Friday, February 7, 2020

Well, another week gone, Appleseed in Renton tomorrow...

  Don't forget folks, don't live in fear... all your worst fears will grow because you don't know the truth, or you fear what might be true, or you are too afraid to learn how you shouldn't be so. The government love fearful folks, so easy to control. And if you can, take some Anti Gun folk to a range to get over the idea that a gun makes anyone powerful and deadly. They have no idea how much gunfighters had to practice to maintain superiority... and bullets cost money. Why I swear by dry practice my marksmanship skills and then use 22 lr for perforating paper targets.

  They are going to repair my U of Maryland class ring so I can wear it again.  And today we picked out the style for the kitchen cabinets, floor and hardware. Had to drive to Seattle, for some strange reason I went but it was so stressful carrying all those ideas of liberty, guns, voting the way I want, I was sure they would ask if I minded disarming while I was in town. I have the box to send to my son for my grand or great grandsons or daughters. Of course it is one of those boxes full of stuff that will have no bearing on the world that far in the future - but it is all me and where I was when. Should I include the high school and other books? Ha, ha.

Add some more stress and I should fold up under the pressure, I keep thinking that has a lot to do with questions about me having enough insurance. Ha, ha. Be good folks, better than anything else.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Trauma... weakness piles on to increase discomfort.... it just is life at risk....

   I and my wife are a couple, of old folks with different desires and different priorities. So the first step is to keep out of each other's way, and help each other when we can. In general we had wonderful examples in our families of how to live life. For some reason my wife can't give up shoes, her shoes. They have significance I will never understand. Since she is going to be a widow, she gets to keep the shoes. I am going to empty one shelving unit, disassemble it, maybe to put it up somewhere else, maybe. But every I do bring up moving stuff she balks and wants to do something that won't work, until she thinks it through.

   My problem, almost gone now, it that I thought I had saved all the important stuff for the end of the World, or at least my world as I thought about it. With this much stuff, I need to stop worrying about it. It is not worth my trouble. Inside I want to give everything to someone for their use, beside someone making lots of money from it. I did give the history tactical gaming magazines away today. Since someone else has them, they no longer concern me. My aunt planned and worked better at it than I am, but she was a wonder. I thank the federal government for their destruction of my news addictions. I just don't care - they have been wrong before, and I expect they will be again and again.  I will make sure I have some stuff for Goodwill every day, maybe they can move it.

  Didn't work out today at the YMCA, forgot to lock my locker, forgot to have recharged my cellphone, and so I took the old Vietnamese Mister Li to coffee and we talked, about our whatevers. Well, church tonight and for me that means AWANAS. Now back to moving out before my passing over. Ha, ha... it will never get done but I will be trying.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Earl's View, focus on the front sight: Packed that weekend up and I did well... but getti...

Earl's View, focus on the front sight: Packed that weekend up and I did well... but getti...:   We had Men's Village Bible Study at our home on Saturday evening, pray, study and discuss, then pray again and then eat. Who hosts has...

Packed that weekend up and I did well... but getting old, moving to elder...

  We had Men's Village Bible Study at our home on Saturday evening, pray, study and discuss, then pray again and then eat. Who hosts has three days of search for main meats, snacks, paper plates, cups of lots of stuff to clean up. The Spanaway group was once about twelve men., now around seven faithful. What mainly happened was changing the large group of twelve to make more effective local groups elsewhere. I suspect that we got older and died off, our wives had problems, and we were distracted by current events on digital distraction devices. We have a core, each member puts five dollars in the hat/cap and we send the money to The Gideon's International, which means I get unasked for mailings from their contributor lists. I got stuff moved, helped my wife find her roaster, LARGE hiding in the garage since last year. I also was called in to find the crystal water pitcher, which I had misplaced since I put it in the wrong cabinet. I was going by my height and logic, since I could see it (TOP shelf and surrounded by other crystal items). Love being a hunter finder hero of the moment. Why don't we entertain more, my wife feels competition from other women and homes, for my sake, of course. Yes, she knows I don't really care at her professional level.
   Sunday service, adult Sunday school and members stayed around or returned for the 1330 business meeting, agenda  three items, small group of conflictors trying to muscle the church their way, we are still searching for a Senior Pastor. Meeting should have taken no more than one hour and a half, it went on to three hours. I fell getting out of my pew, alarmed too many, felt like a fool pretending I am still spry and able. I am moving to other seats, since the worship areas are not designed by the no longer needed. I will lay by the pool, hoping someone will drag me in to be cured one day.  I was not hurt, I didn't fall on the two little ladies that I was working so hard to avoid bothering. Only my self image was again crushed. No more telephone booths for changing into Superman, everyone will be exposed to gravity. It is a law.

 

Wednesday, January 22, 2020