Holidays are here, time to relax a bit.

Taking a few days off from work been a bit busy as of late. Temp here in Carolina has dropped 4 degrees in past 20 mins, now down to 40. Last part of this storm is about to sweep through with a chance of snow, for a short time. I'm on snow/sleet watch, for the kids of course.

More later. If I don't get a chance to hop back on, hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving with your families.

Senior

Workday, shooting, and surgery

    This past Saturday was our working Saturday. We had a few agenda items to accomplish from our last meeting. We wanted to extend the roof some to help keep the rain from splashing on the back door and also to re-install the kitchen sink after the flood. Prior to us starting, we met up at a local store to obtain materials, once our foggy drive was done, we did some cleanup work on the roof and deck. Shooter Steve did a maintenance check on the generator, Duke walked around looking for a ladder. Rebel was on the roof, Pirate and I were clearing out wet pine straw from the deck. After a small amount of BS'ing, we got to work.

    We knocked out extending the roof with some metal roofing Duke had brought. Sorry for the picture quality.

 



 After that was taken care of, we BS'd some more and came up with our plan for the kitchen counter frame. We had all this work done by lunch time.

 

    As we ate lunch, of course, we BS'd some more before heading over to the range. Once at the range, I broke out my new friend and converted it over to .22. Well I will admit, it was loud for a .22.  I had sighted it before I went out there and it was running hot on the targets from its first shot to the last. Rebel wanted to get his hands on it, so I said by all means, but your loading the mags. Duke and Shooter Steve broke out a few items, then we turn around and Pirate Jim had tripped over a bench seat and dislocated his pinkie finger. As he gets up, he resets it before anyone can get a look at it. This is why he is the Medic, this man knows his stuff and can tolerate pain. I know he was in pain so I texted him later yesterday to see how he was and he said he had dislocated it again after he got home. Damn the bad luck. Hope he gets it checked out.

    As part of our shooting enjoyment, Duke brought out his new 3 popper target to shoot and test with what we could. He took some pics and think he is doing a blog post on it, so you all will have to wait. The entire time we were there, not one of us heard and hunters firing, so with Duke's target, myself and Shooter Steve fired a couple of 5.56 rounds to clear out gas tubes from .22 ammo. I was real surprised at the AR pistol, I had the buffer tube up to my right cheek and the recoil barely moved it. It was much louder than the .22 and Duke noticed minimal muzzle blast. I will say I am happy with obtaining this pistol.

     Friday, I received the results from my MRI. Seems I have a torn ligament in my right wrist and they are referring me out to one of the orthopedic hospitals for corrective surgery. Don't know when, but I am not looking forward to it. While we were shooting, I brought my Glock 17 Gen 4, along with my carry 23 and fired 10 rounds through them at Duke's target. I have been worried about how my wrist will react but all my pain is when I have downward motion, and with firing the shock from the pistols had not effect on my shooting. The only problem I encountered was the metal in the brace that conforms to my palm messing up my grip. If anyone has had surgery on their wrist, I would like to here your story so I know what I looking forward too. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

 

Senior



Say hello to my new friend...

    Picked this little booger up yesterday from a builder here locally. I would have built one if I could find lower pistol parts and reasonably priced uppers, but it would have cost me more than what I paid. Cant wait to try it out tomorrow after our workday.

 

 

Senior



U.S. NAVY TRIBUTE

   Since I slacked off on Veteran's Day asI didn't have home phone, Internet, cable, satellite, or the modern conveniences of my regular home at my dad's place, I posted this video once before on my blog of a musical tribute to the U.S. Navy, here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud-at_mpGSU

 

 

   As I searched the Internet for that previous video, I was shocked to find this one from "BIG JOHN" This video was from USS JOHN F. KENNEDY CV-67and this footage was from JFK's final deployment. I flew off on a COD in between weapons loads from MT BAKER off VACAPES. I loved being on JFK with staff, it was fun. This was also the last deployment of F-14's from VF-103, the Jolly Rogers out of Oceana. I miss my S-3 alarm clock just prior to a day of cyclic ops and visits up to Vulcher's row and SUPPLOT.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b2vW2tRmfQ

 

 

   Can't have this much fun in a fire department. What? My FIL retired after 30+ years with JFRD and he was an airdale in the navy.

 

Senior

 



Back home from the country

    This past weekend, we took a trip to my dad's place for a bit of piece and quiet, but also had to do some work. There are many large oak trees on the property that have shed roughly 1/3 of their leaves. We slept in til around 0900 on Saturday morning then we all got up and started on the leaves. I had brought some equipment up to help speed the clean up along. The kids took a rake and had a huge pile of leaves within minutes, but as you know with kids that pile never made it into my utility trailer. They ran and slid in them for almost a hour. As for me, I was well into a dust storm of dried leaves and dirt. After 5 hours of work, they were all pushed into the woods.

    In the early afternoon, my family friend showed up on his John Deere tractor with the Disc Harrow attached and headed down to the garden. He tore the crap out of that ground, when I mean tore it up, he was bringing dirt up from about 2-3 feet below the surface just into the red clay layer. When he was done, I was ready to start some rows and put stuff in the ground.

 

 

   When he finished up, I told him we all would be down to his house in a hour, we had already made plans to head to the livestock auction around 1800. He had brought it up a few weeks ago and we said hell yeah we will go. We meet up at his house and take off the back way, down two lane country rounds that later turned into dirt roads. They are not the best roads to travel down, but they sure are fun to drive on. We got to the auction house and went on it. They were setting up for the small animal auctions, such as chickens, turkeys, guineas, and rabbits.

 

   As the auction starts, I look over at my boys and they have no idea what the auctioneer is saying, but they like every animal in the auction and they want them as pets. They were amazed at the guy who would open up each crate, pull the rooster, hen, doe, buck out and display them to the buyers. Of course the bidding was for one animal, if there were 5 in crate, whatever the winning price, multiply that by 5. Little be known, I discovered that ND had been raising his hand bidding, I'm not shitting you. I didn't know this until the auctioneer had stopped the bidding to ask him to stop raising his hand. Thank god they had a rule for kids not bidding or I would have walked out with a rooster and two hens. Roosters went as high as $50 a piece. After about an hour and a half, we retired back to the house for a warm fire and college football.

 

    Sunday was more of a relaxation day. I was picked up around 1000 by our family friend and we went over to a friend of my dad's house. He was also a pal bearer at my dad's funeral. He has had a rough go as of late. He is 71 and lost an eye to diabetes and now has prostate cancer. He caught the cancer early and is in treatment and he looked extremely well. We must have stayed for 2 hours talking about chicken coops, tractors, gardens, baseball, college football, golf, and the yuppie society that has encompassed this country. Once back to the house, we took off to town to find American flags for my dad and two uncles that are buried at the cemetery. If I would have remembered to grab the four I had in my garage at home, there would have been no need to stop at the Walmart in town and have my wife go through what she did.

 

    My dad's side of the family had it hard back early 1920's and 30's. The depression didn't help either. They farmed or worked in the mills. Their only escape was to join the military. Dad served the entire Korean Conflict in the Air Force and got out as a A1C, one uncle served 3 years in the Army after WWII and got out a Corporal and my youngest uncle served 3 tours in Vietnam, that crazy M*%^&$% ^&*(^r wanted to go back for a 4th time but the Marine Corps said no. He also had a tour on SARA as a member of the embarked Marine Corps security detachment. He would have retired a Gunny, but he had disciplinary issues and settled for Staff Sergeant. I visit each one of them every time I am in the cemetery to pay my respects for their service. Once we got back to the house, I took the boys to the garden and we had some range time. NW has no problems shooting and has no problem hitting a target. He shot my Henry Lever Action for the first time and was a pro at it; however ND is a work in progress. His major problem is he is a lefty, but right eye dominate and struggles to hold the cricket rifle. So I go back through my vast military knowledge and come up with a plan. ND, lets try this. I wish I would have snapped a pic of him doing, but for illistrative purpose, this is what he did.

 

    BY GOD, it worked. ND was not shooting to the right anymore and was hitting the targets every time, I was jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas day. God, I love being a father teaching my kids. After we finished up I had brought my ATV with us and let JUGM get some time on the ATV riding around the property. That led to her riding the kids around one at a time and they had a blast. Once it got dark, I got a fire ready in the fireplace, they settled in and I went to the hill top to listen to the night and have time to myself reflecting on my memories on that hill top. Made my soul feel good to have that time looking to the sky, reflecting, questioning, and requesting.

 

    Monday we headed back to normal life, and back to work and school today. Got a notification that BOOF and his ya clattie wee toerag were making noise over at some blog. C'mon Randall, do I need to go there. By the way, send my best to Ellen as she recovers with emphysema.

 

Have a great week everyone.

 

Senior

 

   

Hard Rock on Veterans Day

   Here is some hard rock music from a band who has no fear and travel into hositle zones to perform for our troops, not like Obama's LIBERAL friends Jay Z and Rhianna. Its a cover song from Bad Company, Enjoy.

Senior

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVo8g7T39A4

Cold night on the hill

Fire is going, and we are all warm. Had a great weekend, heading home tomorrow. More to follow.

See what i mean, Liberty is knocked out.

Senior.....

19 years ago, we tied the knot.

 

  

Not to busy of a weekend, but pain sucks.

     This weekend has been ok, got some things done but sharp shooting pains don't feel to good. Prior to our camping trip last weekend, I injured my right wrist and have inflamed it real good. I was having problems holding or picking up many things in my right hand that whole weekend. Went to the doctor this last Monday and saw the ortho doc at our family practice. Seems I have something similar to Carpal Tunnel, but its not the nerve in the center of my wrist, its on the outer edge, the Lunate nerve. Well he said let's try and knock the inflammation down with predisnone, if not we may have to do a cortisone shot. Then he said if all else fails, you may need surgery. Well, the prednisone hasn't done a damn thing to help. Ice has helped with some pain but it just comes right back after my hand and wrist warms back up. First off, doctors and I don't get along to well, so it seems I may be going back tomorrow for the next step. I still have some work that needs to get done with the business and I need to get that done in the case I need surgery on my wrist. If I do get a shot, I hope it works and corrects my pain. If it doesn't, guess I will be back to schedule surgery for sometime in December. I have been asked to bid on some clean up work but I think I will have to pass on it. I have two other local companies that I have talked to and may let them have it.

   Last Thursday, I started having issues with my F-250 starting, it sounded real weak and it was having a hard time cranking. I figured it was the battery but after checking the voltage of the battery and alternator, taking it to a local auto parts place to test the battery and my buddies boat shop to load test the correct way, seems I needed a new starter. One good thing about having real good friends that own businesses is you can get things cheaper, usually wholesale. I went friday with him to one of the parts places he gets some parts for boats, since inboard motors are basically car engines and got hooked up with a re-manufactured starter for just over $100.00, saved at least $35.00

    Saturday morning, JUGM decided she was going to the commissary and she took both boys with her so I could get started changing starters out. I have changed starters before but FORD decided they wanted to add a third bolt on the top of this one, in a spot that is nearly impossible to get to. To add to the difficulty, there was a metal and foam insulating pad over the factory starter solenoid that separated from the foam so the metal kept getting in the way. Well after much constricting my hands, winching in pain, and going through 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and air ratchet's with 1/2 sockets, swivel adapters, and 1/2 swivel sockets the starter made its way out. Installation of course took 1/3 of the time I needed to get it out. Made all the electrical connections and it cranked up like a charm, no issues.

   Today, I brought my open trailer home to do some hub maintenance and preservation work on it. Took a wire brush to some surface rust and repainted most of the trailer. Hubs were fine but I like to pull them apart from time-to-time and just check. I have always learned to take care of your stuff, it lasts longer and keeps costs down. I will be needing this trailer most of the week as I have a large amount of mulch to move and put in its new place which I can see will be slower than normal.

   Senior