Odds and Ends since my last post.

     Well we are almost done with the month of September and the weather is starting to turn more nicer here in Carolina, I'm sure Warlock will agree. It wont be long before all the leaves start turning and then everything will shift to picking them up. Things have been going great up here, except for the excessive rain we have had over the past 2 weeks, but it could be worse.
     JUGM and I have been throwing the idea around about getting rid of the ATV and going with a Honda Pioneer 700-4.

    I like them, they would be a good get out of dodge vehicle for a family of 4, but we thought about it and decided to go with this.

 

    We ended up getting a Mahindra 22HST 4WD Diesel tractor. I have two more implements coming this week, a 5 foot PTO tiller for the garden and a 5 foot blade for grading the drive way, but I did do some repair work from the 8" of rain we got in 3 hours last week on the driveway, and even with the front loader, it did great. Our family friend, the Farmer has 2 different sized auger's that will work this tractor and already has offered to loan me them whenever I need them. Yesterday, we spent most of the day working here on the hill, and I will tell you, I think this is one of the best things I have invested in. Yes, I have a 1948 IH Farm-all cub as well, but this thing does a hell of a lot more. I will still use the Cub in the garden, but not for the heavier work.

    Deer have been all around the property, but for the past few weeks I have had to deal with some pesky Raccoon's in my deer feeder.

    

    Early in the week, I caught my second raccoon in the trap. This one was going to some "Colored" folks, but when the farmer, myself and NW went to their house, they were all excited about a meal, until they found out that it was still alive, and I heard the record scratch off the turn table. The farmer even told them, "It doesn't get any fresher than this". Never seen someone so scared of a little raccoon. Well we left and took it a local cemetery and let him go, he took off like a bat leaving hell.

     Also late in the week, I received a package from Amazon.com. I have pretty much equipped my AR pistol with its last accessory, a Sig Sauer SB15 Pistol brace, and let me tell you, it does the job. 

 

      Well I had my first meeting with the new group here in SC and I am pleased to report that it went well. I was amazed at how many projects they have going on, which these projects are very essential. They all are working toward HAM licenses, which I have been wanting to do for awhile. They have also enlisted the help of some local HAM operators for training. They were also in the process of placing a large group order with Emergency Essentials to save costs on shipping, so I jumped in on the order. I have plans on making my own "Mountain House" meals with smaller Mylar bags that are similar to their bags, minus the labeling. One thing I received was a broken down schedule of discussion topics for 9 months so at each meeting there are items and areas of concern to discuss as a group and hear every one's opinions on that particular subject. I have also been invited to lunch this next week to assist in vetting a new group member, this should be fun.

   Its getting late, so I will sign off. Hope everyone battles evil Muslim extremist in their dreams and wake up victorious.

Senior