Gone For Well Over 7 Years Now...

...he passed on to another world on September 12, 2003, just under 4 months after he lost his beloved wife June Carter-Cash. I miss his gravel filled deep voice, his words, his story filled songs and the tough yet sometimes tender style of his ballads. His songs and ballads were set to a new style of country music, that which was fit for the country boy or gal in us all even if we were from the big city. His music always meant a lot to me as I know it did for others. Two of his best songs are below (there are many others just or almost as good), and so is one of his best collaborations with three other country singers (of the 4 only 2 are still with us).

Hopefully, somehow, he still does remain and he will be back again and again and again even if no other way than to remain in our hearts and to be passed on to our children and then onto theirs. That could keep him alive forever. Who knows, maybe someday, someone on a starship may listen to Johnny Cash as that someone travels across the universe divide to the far side of it all, or maybe someone will listen to Johnny Cash on a far away planet just as a falling drop of rain catches his eye. I know my son Brendan loves his music, I hope his children someday will do likewise. Maybe it will be one of them who will travel the universe in that starship to see that raindrop. Johnny Cash's music being passed from one generation to the next has got him started on the road to immortality. Pass him on down through the ages, don't let Johnny Cash be forgotten.

Johnny Cash - Hurt from kakofoni on Vimeo.

Hope you enjoyed the music.

I WONDER, HAS HE MADE IT ACROSS THE UNIVERSE DIVIDE?

I'd bet he has indeed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 99 - Man With Guns, Man On A Mission - Mission Accomplished - Three New Shooters Among Our Ranks

Today, I got it right. After our failed attempt yesterday, my friend Dom and I met up at the range. Sadly, Brendan did not make it. Normally, he would not have made it on a Sunday because he works on Sundays, but today he had a double whammy and he was in bed sick all day. Still up there now snoring away. Well anyway, Dom and I got together and Dom brought along two of his sons, Matt 16 and Dom 22 at the Nassau County Range in Uniondale.

Once they were there, we checked in and Dom was nice enough to pay my range fee. I really appreciate that. Then we headed into the range. Before shooting though, I gave all three of them a quick safety briefing just outside the actual range. I probably babbled for 10 or 15 minutes on safety. I went over the so called 4 rules plus a few of the other cardinal rules of firearms' safety. They all paid attention and that was even nicer than having my range fee paid for by someone else. Once inside the range, I went over more safety stuff. I then uncased the Remington 513T Matchmaster and went over the parts of the rifle and some info about the ammo for it. I then told and showed them how to operate it. Again, all three paid attention very well and again I was very pleased. As I explained to them, one mistake is all it takes and that one mistake can end a life and be your albatross for a lifetime. Each one of them had some pertinent questions and again I was pleased because it only was more evidence of them having paid attention and wanting to learn.

Soon enough, I was pretty sure they were ready to shoot and I let one of the youngsters have a crack at it. I am not sure but think it was young Dom who shot first. Whenever he shot - first or second - he did pretty good. While we were only shooting at 10 yards, to get the basics in on this first go round, he did better than other new shooters I have seen and taught. Matt also shot fairly well and Dom the elder shot surprisingly well. I figure maybe he has shot before but he said not. I let them shoot a few more magazines out of the Remington, then we switched over to a Ruger 10/22. I could see immediately that they had an easier time holding the the Ruger as compared to the Remington. That 513T is a fairly heavy 22. Dom Sr. even mentioned how much lighter was the Ruger.

I am pretty sure that Dom the younger started off with the Ruger. He shot a pretty good group and while doing so he exercised good trigger control, and good firearms' safety. Then Matt shot and I was impressed. They both fired the Ruger standing, unsupported, where they had fired the Remington standing but elbows supported on the bench. Well, Matt surprised us all; he got the best group of the two youngsters firing unsupported, I am guessing about 2 or 2.5 inches across. That was with a stock Ruger 10/22 with factory iron sights. Dom the dad also took several shots with it and did pretty well but not as good as he had done with the Remington, which by the way has peep sights.

After that they each shot the Ruger and the Remington a couple of times and before we knew it time was up. Truthfully, Dom the dad may have had the best group of all but I did not want to tell hm that in font of his kids and have it go to his head. Even if he did though, it was not better than Matt's by much and Dom he younger's was pretty close to that one. In other words they all did well. Next time I think we shoot one magazine each at 15 yards, then out to 25 yards for the three of them.

When we were done we cleaned up and we talked about doing it again. I told Dom to make sure to get himself a hunter safety certificate and after that he would be able to bring Matt to the range without me but that I was certainly willing to help them out again in the near future. Matt, being 16, is required to shoot with an adult and the adult is required to have a hunter safety certificate or certain firearms' instructor qualifications. Then Dom said he was thinking of buying a rifle because it had been so much fun and I almost fell over. Sometime in there, I recalled to Dom's sons that just a couple of years ago or so, Dom the dad had told me something to the effect of: 'I will never have a gun in my house and never let my kids have a gun or shoot.' Dom must be becoming a conservative or something. I am happy for the change, I have some new shooting buddies and so will Brendan hen he joins in with all of us.

As for me shooting today, I think I fired only two shots when demonstrating the Remington. I had a great time despite not shooting more than that. It was really nice to bring some folks into the world of shooting- especially ones who were attentive and safety conscious. Three new shooters in one day was not to shabby and Dom said another son wanted to come today but could not make it. That just means I have another potential new shooter lined up for a future lesson. I am looking forward to it.

Besides teaching some new shooters today, I figure I helped to stimulate the economy albeit in a way that the current administration might not approve. I mean by converting 3 new shooters, just think how I helped the economy today. Three new shooters means at least the purchase of one new rifle, maybe more (more is inevitable if they stick with it). It also means sales of ammo, shooting safety accessories, cleaning accessories and supplies, among other things. They also will spend money on range fees and on gas to get to the range. Heck if a few current shooters matched this, it could cause a local gun shop, or a local range, to hire someone new and we would have created a job or two. Of course, it also means father and sons having a good time together and that, while maybe doing little for the economy, is priceless. I know so because that is how I value my range time when Brendan is with me - as absolutely priceless. Speaking of Brendan, it is time for me to go check on him to see how he is feeling. Later for all of you.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseyes Gun Shots 97 - Men With Guns, Men On A Mission

Later today, Brendan and I will be off to the range. Our range trip today will be somewhat different from the norm in that we will be on a sort of a mission. Our task today pretty much requires us to go to the indoor range so we will not be bringing along some of the larger caliber rifles and probably will bring mostly 22s but those should fit in with the job we need to do. That job will be to teach one of my friends and possibly his son how to shoot. It has been quite the while since I have brought a new shooter into the flock and I am pretty sure it will be a first for Brendan. I suppose as I taught him to shoot, I guess I also taught him to instruct others in how to shoot. I surely gave him most of the basics on that though never in a formal manner. Yet, I am certain he is up to the task of helping a couple of newbies enter the shooters' world today. I am confident he will do well.

Now as for my friend, I guess I am also confident he will do well, his son too if he comes along. I am hopeful both if them will be there since bringing in two new folks to our ranks is simply twice as good as bringing in one and the whole buddies with their sons thing sounds like a fun afternoon.

For now, I've got to go get some rifles and ammo picked out. Later, I'll tell you how it all worked out.

All the best,
GB

Jesus...

...H. Christ! You have probably heard that version of Jesus' name many times, I know I have heard it over and over again. I have heard it in heated conversations going on in bars, in surprised statements on the street, in war movies, even at Catholic summer camp and in Catholic School. I have heard it for years but yet I am baffled about that middle initial. So, what I want to know is this: For what does the H stand for?

Any relevant and polite feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Glenn B

John Nosler - in memorium

John Nosler passed away on October 10, 2010. He was 97 years old. To most, the name John Nosler probably means very little but if you are a firearms enthusiast of any degree then you probably are familiar with the last name if not his given name. John Nosler, when in his mid thirties, established what would become one of the premiere bullet manufacturing companies in he world and his family still runs the business today. He is responsible, among other things, for creating the partitioned bullet - a hallmark in ammunition manufacturing and shooting. I will not go into his story in any great depth here because I do not know it that well and anyway, someone else has already written a finer piece about him than than I ever could. Read it over at the Black Bear Blog. See the article http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/2010/10/20/john-a-nosler-passes-away-at-age-97/.

All the best,
Glenn B

Soldiers' Holiday Care Package Update

So far there has been only one donation toward the Soldiers' Holiday Care package but it was a nice one. Al S., a coworker of mine and a friend, donated $50 on the first or second day of the drive. That is going to go a long way to making my assigned soldier and some others in his unit pretty happy. I already have a decent package together and if I have the time, I'll send it out on Saturday. I'll detail the contents when I send it out.

Please, if you have a buck or three to spare, think about making a donation.

All the best,
GB

President Obama Insulting The American Voter Once Again?

"People out there are still hurting very badly, and they are still scared. And so part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared," Obama said at a Democratic fundraiser Saturday in Boston. "And the country is scared, and they have good reason to be." (Quote source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/18/obama-voters-scared-thinking-clearly-election/)
First of all, I cannot believe how insulting this president can be regarding the intelligence of the American voter. he outright insults voters again and again and the statement above is more of the same. Are we truly to believe him that we are not thinking straight because we are scared. I hate to say it but I am scared - scared that this administration will remain in power after November. That is why I will vote for almost anyone but a democrat on election day. Now does that indicate to you that I am not thinking clearly? You see, I have gone over the accomplishments versus the failures of both the House and the Senate. I find the failures far outweigh the accomplishments. I also find that this Congress, especially under the current president, is one that swings far left toward socialism (as in the Health Care Law and as in government ownership/running of automobile companies and many other things). In addition I believe their current policies and hoped for future policies will destroy the prosperity of our nation and will destroy our Constitutional form of government. I came to these findings after long careful study of the facts. I studied the facts because I was alarmed, as in scared. I agree with the president on one point, that last sentence in the quote above, that Americans are scared and have good reason to be. He just does not want to accept the fact that we have good reasons to be scared and those reasons are his and Congress's ultra-leftist policies that may well lead to the ruin of the United States of America.

Does my being scared mean I cannot think effectively. No it does not. I am not terrified, I am not peeing in my pants in fear and trembling in a corner. I am scared more that this political balderdash and conniving will continue and it will be detrimental to our nation and so, I have thought about how to stop it from happening. The way to do that is to vote out the bums. How dare this president say we as a people are not thinking clearly if that is what we choose to do. Whom does he think he is anyway. He is not our superior, not our master, not our boss, certainly not my mentor, nor my role model and not the person to in any way control my or your vote. He is our employee and one who is doing rather poorly at his job. If he and his cronies cannot get the job done well then out they go and he best not forget it. That is about as intelligent a thinking process as anyone could produce. On the other hand, to fall for his smooth yet hollow rhetoric, his false sense of savoire faire, his bullying, his apparent less than truthfulness about such groups as the Tea Party and Acorn (both opposite sides of the coin but was he truthful about either), his seemingly hypocritical accusations about fund raising, his claims that the economy has recovered, and his attempts at winning us over by insulting us, would truly indicate someone was not thinking straight. In that case though it would probably be because they were choking on all the smoke he has been blowing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Marlin XL7 30-06 - Like A Siren's Song...

...a new bolt action rifle keeps calling my name in an incessantly alluring manner. That the rifle is a budget model does not make it any less tempting to me, in fact it makes it more so especially because, while an inexpensive 30 caliber rifle, it is said to be a good one. I had sort of had my mind set on the Marlin XS7 in .308 but the XL7 in 30-06 is just about as tempting and I have found one at a really decent price of about $320. Granted, the ammo for the XL7 in 30-06 would be more expensive than the .308 ammo for the XS7 but the 30-06 also sings its own sort of Siren's Song to me in that the 30-06 is a superior caliber to the .308 and is an old time classic - among the best overall calibers in the world.

I am thinking about going for it. I really cannot afford it right now with a vacation coming up in December, plus the holidays and birthdays but man is it ever so tempting. I do have about $125 in the piggy bank and that would help. One of the only things that keeps me from jumping on it is the magazine is a blind box magazine - in other words it is an internal magazine that is integral to the rifle and it does not have a floorplate. If a round gets stuck in there it could be a witch to clear it. Then again, for the price it is supposed to be one heck of a great deal. Of course I have also been considering a more expensive Savage 11 or a Remington 700. Decisions - decisions!

All the best,
Glenn B

Motorcycle Insurance

I have been working on my son's motorcycle insurance for the past couple of hours. What a pain in the neck getting online quotes. Blogging to be continued probably tomorrow.

Later for you,
Glenn B

The View - Do People In This Country Really Take Them Seriously

Tell me because I truly am aghast at the thought - do folks in our country truly take seriously Whoopi Goldberg (I think just that name is ridiculous let alone her view) Wa-Wa Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd? Do Americans also lend any credence at all to Joy Behar? It is sad to think, even for a moment, that they do. All this fuss over them and the Fox News lefty/righty switching Leprechaun having it out on that show just totally mystifies me. Why make a fuss about anything they talked about or did on that show? It is plain foolish entertainment at its very best, entertainment geared toward an audience of fools - don't you think? They almost make, in my opinion, that jerk terrible talk show host Jerry Springer look like presidential material for 2012.

I have watched The View a number of times while in a doctor's office or while waiting for my car at Jiffy Lube because it was on the tube and I could not change it. I also watched some of Springer's show back when it was on, usually under like conditions. Of course, I sometimes also watch Bill O'Reilly - mostly because I want to watch the news. I am no fan of any of theirs' but have to say that compared to Goldberg, Hasselbeck, Shepherd and Behar, O'Reilly looks like a brain surgeon standing next to 4 of his patients on whom the surgeries were dismal failures. The fifth one, BW, she compares favorably to O'Reilly for smarts, she could have assisted him during those failed surgeries, but both are, in my opinion, out and out charlatans (aka: quacks).

So tell me - do a great number of American actually give them any serious consideration as pundits? If the answer really is yes - well it is no wonder why we are doomed to social, economic, political and probably military failure. We have, or at least some of you have, what I believe are blithering idiots as our mentors. It explains a lot about how an unheard of community organizer was thought to have been experienced enough to have become president. Lots of people must have believed and clung to every word these TV personalities told them. A damn shame is what it is, and a real injustice to all of us. Give me someone like Walter Cronkite any day for news commentary over any of them and someone like Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, or George H.W. Bush for leadership and someone like Theodore Roosevelt and Condoleeza Rice for mentorship.

All the best,
Glenn B

Early To Bed And Early To Rise...

...makes me feel like blah. Here I am getting up at 0350 to go to work early today! This sucks but hopefully it means my workday will end early too.

All the best,
GB

Ballseye's Guns Shots 96 - My Son's New Favorite Gun (or how to shoot and possibly avoid arthritis and other related aches & pains)

I am not a doctor, not an expert in anatomy, nor in biophysics. So take what I am about to say as my anecdotal opinion and not much more, unless of course you decide to try it and it works for you. I know, it works for me and it seems my son independently has discovered it works for him too.

Two evenings ago, my son stopped down in the man cave for a rare after work visit with me; a rare visit in that after he gets home from work he usually does not want to talk to his annoying old man. Well, as it turned out, he picks up the Marlin 25MN that I have leaning up against some molding around one of the doors, makes sure it is empty, brings it to his shoulder pointing it in a safe direction and says: "This is my new favorite gun". Now one has to wonder, why would a soon to be 21 year old young man, in good shape and health, say that. I mean, he owns his own AK47 and his own AR15, he enjoys shooting my SKS, my 91/30 Mosin Nagant and M44 Mosin Nagant and sometimes has fun shooting the Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun - so I really had to ask myself why he said that. He blurted it out before I could ask him and the riddle was solved as to why this young man liked what he had probably thought was a pansy's gun just a week before. He said something to the effect: 'You can shoot this all day long with no recoil and no pain, its good to shoot it to take a break from larger calibers with lots more kick'.

Hmm, he does learn somethings without having to hear them from me. No let me correct that because he has heard that from me numerous times but never paid it much mind. Well, the last time we went shooting he picked it up and started to fire shot after shot and went through about 150 rounds or so, and 100 of them pretty darned fast with a pretty decent group at that. I think he was really impressed at how little recoil there was and at how much fun it was to shoot it after first having pounded his right shoulder with some 12 gauge slugs, some 7.62x54R, lots of .35 Remington and lots of .223 rounds. I had shot them all too, plus some 8mm Mauser out of my Yugo 24/47. I can tell you without a doubt in my mind, taking some time out between the bigger bore rifles to shoot something in .22 caliber is really a smart thing to do if you like your joints. That is why I almost always bring along a .22 caliber rifle to the range when I bring the bigger ones with me.

With me, I do it because I have had joint problems for years due to old injuries and due to Lyme disease. I have arthritis in my neck and shoulders and probably have a burr in each shoulder. I also had a cyst in my neck that probably caused a lot of the neck, upper back and right shoulder and arm pain I used to experience. I had it removed, found out it had been sitting on a nerve that runs down the neck into the shoulder and onto the arm. Since the surgery the arm is feeling better, not without pain but simply much less painful. With all these aches, pains, crackles and crunches in those areas, I decided a couple of years or more back to tone it down on the larger bore guns at the range. I started making it my routine to bring the 22s. I have a bunch of them - so why not enjoy them. I saw a lessening in pain after range days almost immediately.

Now, as I said above, I am not a doctor but I am willing to bet that some of the pain I have in my neck and right shoulder is due to the fact that I have been shooting a 12 gauge shotgun regularly ever since I started my career over 31 years ago. I have also been shooting medium bore rifles since then (some for my job others for pleasure). All that pounding as evidenced by all the bruises (from the 12 gauge) have had to have taken their toll. I am also willing to bet that had I taken it a bit easier and shot some 22 in there along the way I would have wound up with joints in better shape than they are now.

My son seems to have grasped this already, hopefully long before having developed any sort of muscular or skeletal problems like arthritis or town rotator cuffs or bursitis or whatever. What was it the weight lifters used to say: "No pain, no gain". Not for me anymore! I think Steve Reeves (former competitive weight lifter and I think Mr. Universe, and actor who played Hercules way back when) had it right when he said something to the effect of 'if your in pain, you have no brain' in relation to weight lifting. Same goes for shooting as far as I can tell - more or less. Sure, if you shoot a 12 gauge slug gun tactically in a timed event, chances are you will wind up in some pain. If you shoot a fairly large bore rifle to sight it in for hunting season, the same could be true. Same thing for any fairly large bore rifle or shotgun you shoot. The thing is though, you do not need to torture yourself to have fun while shooting, at least not if you have a brain. If you start to ache, if you hear the joints cracking, if you begin to stiffen up, anything like that, then put down the rifles and shotguns, loosen up a bit and if you really want to or need to continue shooting - then maybe you would be better off shooting something in 22 rimfire. Not only is it just as much fun as shooting the larger calibers and less painful at that, it is less expensive too. Yeah, shooting something like our Marlin 25MN in .22WMR (22 magnum) is fairly expensive with a box of 50 rounds going for around $12 to $14 but not as expensive as shooting any of the other calibers I mentioned above if shooting quality ammo. If that is still too expensive for you as an alternate to the shoulder crunching calibers, then go to a rifle in .22LR. It has even less recoil than .22WMR.

Of course, if you suffer from arthritis or other ailments that make it virtually impossible for you to shoot larger bore firearms, you may want to try to see if you can still shoot something in 22 rimfire caliber. It may be a way to still enjoy a pastime that you thought you had been forced to give up - but if you are that bad it may be a good idea to check with your doctor first. It may also be a good idea to hold off on any additional shooting, until you see a doctor, if you get any really serious acute pain while shooting.

If you treat yourself right, and don't inadvertently punish yourself and your joints, you will probably find shooting to be a much nicer experience and may find that your joints wind up staying in good shape a whole lot longer than did mine. Sure, I pointed out above, I have had past joint injuries and Lyme Disease (twice at that) and those things probably took their toll but there is no reason for me to make it worse. So, I bring along a 22 when I also have the larger rifles, heck sometimes they 22s are all I bring along. That way I can keep shooting on those days when the aches and pains start to bother me or already have been bothering me. I can also shoot the 22s on days when the pain is not there, thus probably helping to assure it will not bother me the following days. As I said, I am no doctor but it makes sense to me.

I think my son has hit on something all on his own regardless of me having told him about it countless times and him apparently not listening. Amazing how that happened - how it became his own independent observation that did not cross pollinate with my advice - but I listened to him, even if in amazement when he told me about why the Marlin 25MN has become his favorite gun. I am happy for him if it spares him some of what I have gone through. I only wish I had learned it earlier myself but then I did not have anyone around, as smart as my son, repeatedly telling me about it until I figured it out myself.

All the best,
Glenn B

New Blog Added To The Blog Roll

Check this one out, another good gun site: Marooned.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 95 - A Tisket A Tasket - What To Put In The Christmas Shopping Basket (but wait until after Thanksgiving or I may hate myself)

Here I sit, trying to think about something to write about guns or shooting or ammo or hunting something along those lines and I am stumped about what to write about. Not all that much is coming to mind and that has me perplexed because there is one thing that comes to mid but I may hate myself if I do write about it now, in October. You see, I really do not like seeing the once traditional timing of the seasons upset by bad marketing and greed in that Christmas sales begin before Thanksgiving. Once upon a time, Christmas (and Chanukah) sales did not commence until the day after Thanksgiving. That particular Friday, Black Friday, marked the unofficial start of the commercial selling season for Christmas for the majority of my life (and let me just say I am into my second half century).

I am guessing it was about 20 years or so ago that some fool decided that sales were not going all that well, of whatever it was that usually got sold during the couple months just prior to December, and that a way to improve sales would be to start selling Christmas items earlier than usual. So they started selling things about 2 weeks or so before Thanksgiving. Town or city placed Christmas lights, which also went up the day after Thanksgiving or later, were starting to pop up along avenues and boulevards weeks before Black Friday. It pissed me off then and it still does today, the only difference being that merchants do not wait until 2 weeks before Thanksgiving anymore, heck they don’t even wait until Halloween (yes it creeped that far ahead already several years ago) nor do they wait until a month before Thanksgiving or Black Friday to start merchandising Christmas. The truth is they have advanced holiday merchandising all the way up to this past weekend! I was in a Home Depot yesterday and they already had Christmas lights, ornaments, other accessories and artificial Christmas trees for sale. I am pretty sure I saw some menorahs in thee mix as well. It was, in my opinion, an unmitigated disgusting example of shop owners’ incompetence fueled by nothing other than greed and it just gets worse as the years go by. If they knew what they were doing in the first place, they would not have had to have started selling Christmas items about a month and 3 weeks ahead of the traditional Christmas selling season.

By now, you may be wondering why I said I might hate myself if I write about the one topic I had in mind to write about. No that topic is not the whole thing about how I dislike early sales of Christmas of Chanukah items. I have though figured how not to hate myself when I start to write about it here in this post, right now in mid October. The way for me to avoid hating myself if for me to say this to you before I go any further:

I am not recommending that you go out and buy any Christmas or Chanukah gifts now. Nor am I even suggesting that you start to stock up on holiday decorations (unless maybe you celebrate Halloween and want to get some junk Halloween items now - heck Halloween is only a couple of weeks away. What I am going to do though, is to give you some things to think about along the lines of suggestions for holiday gifts for the shooter, gun collector, reloader, hunter and so on and I am going to strongly urge you that if you are going to buy any of these as a Christmas or Chanukah gift - you wait until after Thanksgiving!

So with the holidays in mind (remember only in mind - don’t you dare buy any of this stuff until at least Black Friday - or I will be sorely disappointed and may hate myself) here are my suggestions for some perfect gifts for the shooting sportsman/woman. And yes this list is a knock off of a previous one I did but there are a lot of new items added. Anyway, the list is worth repeating every year and a good time to post it is far too long before Christmas just before hunting season:

Hunting Jacket (and if you love the person to whom you give it, make sure it I blaze orange and not fawn colored)

Spotting Scope

Nice New Rifle in his or her favorite caliber

Reloading Kit

Gun Cleaning Kit

Membership in the NRA

Gift certificate at your local gun shop or sporting goods store that sells firearms, ammo and other shooting or hunting accessories

Fine Hunting Knife

Pair of Hunting Boots

Membership at your local rifle/pistol range

Leather Rifle Sling

Case of Ammunition

Shooting Glasses

Silicone Gun Cloths

Portable Gun Bench/Rest

All Expense Paid Hunting Trip

Set of Sand Bag Rifle Rests

Magazine Subscription to a Shooting or Hunting magazine

Optical Sight/Scope

Extra Rifle or Pistol Magazines for his or her favorite gun

Brand New Shotgun

Military Surplus Rifle

Small Gunsmith Screwdriver Set

Babes (or Hunks) with Firearms Calendar

Gift Certificate for Firearms’ Related Training (such as Gunsite or Front Sight)

Bottle of Gun Oil like Break-free CLP

Deer Scent

Bore Light

Firearms’ Book (how to book, gun history, manuals, gun values, hunting are just some examples of the types of books to consider)

Shooting Vest

Paper Targets

Tree Stand

Clay Pigeons

Clay Thrower

Holsters, web gear, magazine pouches, gun belt

Long Underwear (for hunters)

All Expense Paid Trip to the NRA National Firearms Museum, or to West Point, or another location with historical firearms exhibits

Rifle or Pistol Case

Game call

Shooting Muffs

Workbench with Gun Vise

Portable Hunting Blind

Red Dot Scope

Puppy (as in a Hunting Dog Breed, make sure this is a good choice before buying)

Hunting Dog Training Accessories

ATV (yikes, are you rich, not me)

Reloading Components

Shooting Gloves

Firearms How To Video/CD

Hot Seat

Set of Decoys

Splatter Targets (like Shoot-N-C)

Hunting Day or Fanny Pack

Binoculars

Choke Tubes

Gun Safe

Ammo Cans (military surplus)

Trail Camera

Collectible Firearms Item (maybe a special gun or a collectible ammo tin, or an ammo board, or an antique decoy)

Ben Gay (especially appreciated by shotgun and big bore shooters or by hunters who spend a long cold wet arthritic day in the woods)

Oh, you get the idea. If you are not sure of which caliber, size, breed, model or other designation to get use the old standby - a gift card/certificate - but specify what you mean it to purchase.

Remember this is just all food for thought and not a recommendation to go out and try to stimulate the economy before Black Friday. By getting this info now, you have a lot of time to figure that perfect gift for your shooting sportsman or sportswoman and you have ample time to shop around for a good deal too and then to save up for it. If you are feeling particularly like you need to stimulate the U.S. economy you can even look for those perfect items with made in the USA labels or stickers on them!

All the best,
Glenn B

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first Chilean miner is out of the hole! About time there is some really good news taking up all of the news time.

All the best,
GB

NRA: Institute for Legislative Action

I just sent them a donation and am just wondering if any of my readers have done likewise. I imagine that the solicitation I received from the NRA was sent out to all members and I am sure some of you are NRA members. So tell me: Do you routinely make donations to the NRA? If not, then do you donate now and then, especially when (like this time) the donation form includes an entry form to enter a gun giveaway sweepstakes? Of course, no contribution was required to enter the contest but I donated anyhow. I figure it goes to a good cause, protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. Sure times are tough, now just imagine how tough things will get if they take our guns away. If you received the same mailing from the NRA/ILA - why not dig a just a little and do your part by way of a contribution.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hermann's Tortoises Uncensored

I guess they are celebrating and who can blame them after her having won first place and him second place in the tortoise category at the Long Island Herpetolgical Society's annual show this past weekend. Of course, now he is trying to show her who is really number 1!
Right now they are both loose in the basement and he is still playing Don Juan and is still chasing her around. I suppose they are both getting some good exercise as she plays hard to get and he plays hard to discourage.

All the best,
GB

Reptile Show, Birthday Shopping, Visiting Family, Birthday Party, Carpet Cleaning, It's Been a Busy Weekend...

...and there was not much time if any for blogging. I took off from work on Friday to get my exhibits ready for the LIHS 21st Annual Reptile & Amphibian Show. I had tanks to clean, animals to select, travel containers to ready, exhibit tags to print up, and so on. That was in the morning and afternoon. Then it was off to the show location on Friday night to help with set-up of the exhibit and vendor tables. It literally took me several hours to get ready and to help out with the tables. In fact, it took so long that I did not have time to go shopping for my nephew's birthday gift that night, as I had planned, so I figured I would do that on Saturday after the show.

Then there was the show on Saturday. I was up at about 0530 to start putting the finishing touch on things, to make sure I had not forgotten anything and to load my car. I was at the show hall by about 0800, a half hour after it opened. I set up my table there and also set up my tanks on the display tables for the competition. Then I found out the maintenance closet was locked with no maintenance men in sight and water could only be had from the sinks in the men's room. Since I was going to display several aquatic and semi-aquatic amphibians, I needed water. I just didn't want to try to fill 5 tanks by the cup full from the washroom sink. After a few hours, I decided that would have to be the way to go, then I remembered I had brought along a hose to siphon my tanks at the end of the show. It was just the right, size so that when using my hand wrapped around one end as a coupling, it meshed almost perfectly with the nozzle end of the faucet. I held it in place, turned on the water, and filled three and a half 5 gallon buckets to get the job done. My salamander, newts, and frogs were finally on display. None too soon since the judging started within about an hour of me having completed the task. Regardless of the competition, having the animals on display was what counted, that is what folks had come to see.

Sometime in the early or mid afternoon, Brendan showed up and helped out watching my table for awhile. My friend Harry, from the LIHS, had already been lending a hand with that and thanks to them I was able to get the tanks filled without having to worry about something disappearing from my table like last year. When Brendan took over the table, I also took the opportunity to walk around to quickly check out the exhibits and to see what the vendors were selling. I had already made a couple of purchases from Slither & Swim, who had the 5 tables next to mine and which were full of herp keeping accessories, tanks, feeder insects, dry food and the like. Paul (hope I remembered his name right, I am terrible on names) is the owner of Slither & Swim and is an all around good guy, one of the nicest vendors at any such show to which I have been.

Brendan also bought a couple of items from Slither & Swim and took a look at all the other tables, both the vendors and the display tables for the competition. After awhile he told me the ribbons were being placed. We waited, impatiently, to see if our animals won anything. In all we had the following on display:

1 Anderson's Aquatic Salamander

1 Iberian Ribbed Newt

2 Blue Tailed Newts

1 African Clawed Frog

2 Red-bellied Toads

1 Male Hermann's Tortoise

1 Female Hermann's Tortoise

Our good husbandry efforts paid off. Of all our animals, only three did not take home ribbons: one of the Fire-bellied Frogs, one of the Blue Tailed Newts and the African Clawed Frog I(that was a disappointment since it is a very nice frog but they are easy to keep and that is figured into the judging). All the others won ribbons and two won trophies:

One of Brendan's Fire-bellied Toads won third place among the frogs & toads division.

The Iberian Ribbed Newt pulled in third place for salamanders, newts & sirens.

The Blue Tailed Newts won second place for salamanders, newts and sirens.

The Anderson's Aquatic Salamander won first place for salamanders, newts & sirens (our animals making it a sweep for that division). This one also went on to win best amphibian and got a nice trophy for that. I was pretty amazed and humbled to say the least. I was humbled because of the quality of the competition. There were two Colorado River Toads on display and one of them had won the first place ribbon in the frogs & toads division, thus putting it up head to head against my salamander for best overall in the amphibians class. It would have been just a bit more than a bit ironic had the toad won best in class because I had given it to Rich M. who had it on display. He surely has kept it in pristine condition, it is a beautiful animal, heck both of them are such.

The male Hermann's Tortoise achieved second place in the tortoises division.

As for the female Hermann's Tortoise - before the judging had begun, Ed (the guy who sold me this tortoise about 5 or 6 years ago) was admiring her and asked me if she was mine. I said yes she was mine. He then said he was amazed by her size as she was the largest, by far, Hermann's Tortoise he had ever seen (and he has seen quite a few having been a breeder of them for years and an admirer and keeper of them for even longer). He also said she was a beautiful animal. When I told him she was the one that he had sold me years ago, his jaw dropped, just a bit but it definitely dropped. She went on to win the blue ribbon for first place for tortoises; then she went on to win best of all turtles and tortoises at the show. That meant I was going home with another trophy. While Ed's compliments had been more than enough to let me know I have been doing something very right in caring for her, winning a blue ribbon and a trophy both surprised me and humbled me since there was a lot of tough competition out there in her class. The competition included, among others, several turtles and tortoises entered by my pal Harry. One of his turtles came in first place. That meant the judges had to pick between his turtle and my tortoise for best overall in the Turtles & Tortoises division. We always have a friendly rivalry going on for the show, and Harry took it in stride as one of us always does when the other guy wins although he did point out that my 'defective' tortoise had won over his pristine turtle! The female Hermann's Tort has some scarring on her shell, barely noticeable after a few years, where my dogs had gnawed on her like a chew toy a few years back. I gloated and rubbed it into Harry's wounds. Really though, I only rubbed it in a little although I may have gloated a bit more. It is all in fun though and next year Harry's animals will probably trounce mine.

Most of all, for next year, I am hoping Brendan will have stuck with it and that he will enter a few more animals of his own and take home a trophy. He was disappointed that 'Bill' the African Clawed Frog (the only of our herps with a given name) did not win, but thems is the breaks! There is always next year.

Of course, Saturday was not the end to this weekend. On Sunday, I drove out to my moms, picked her up, then drove the both of us to my sister's and brother in law's house to celebrate my nephews 10th. Before I could pick up my mom though, I had to go shopping for my nephew's present. Never get anything done until the last possible moment is my motto! Really, I was so tired on Saturday when I got home from the reptile show that I passed out from about 6:30 until 10:30. I had been planning to go shopping for his present somewhere in that time frame before the stores closed at 9. I would have gone days before had my sister gotten back to me to let me know if she and her man approved of what I was planning to buy for my nephew. She didn't though, so I just decided what the heck, I'll get it regardless. So I went shopping before I picked up my mom from the assisted living apartments. We wound up arriving about 45 minutes later than planned thanks to my going shopping and doing my other Sunday morning chores. Those other chores were cleaning out the car. Did I forget to mention I also had to empty out the car of tanks and such that I had not gotten out on Saturday evening after the reptile show.

We had a nice time at the party. The food was excellent, the company even better and the three three Heineken's I had right after I got there went down oh so very well. No more after those because I would be driving my mom home within about five hours of enjoying them. Had plenty of time for good eats, good conversation and good relaxation. Then it was present time and I guess I can tell you what it was I bought that same morning for my nephew's present. The it was a Crossman pump BB rifle and a jar of a thousand BBs. Me thinks, from the reaction it got, is that my brother-in-law may have more fun with it than will my nephew but of course I am sure dad will be teaching the young one and both will love it. My nephew actually seemed pretty pleased with it though it was getting a bit too dim to be shooting it and was a bit too chilly to stay outside by the time we got round to it. Next time I am there I will see how he handles it. If he does well, then when he turns 12, I may just have to give him a .22 rifle and take him to the range (such is the law in NY as far as I know, got to be 12 to shoot at a range).

After the party it was a ride back to my mom's place, then a bit more time spent with her there, then off to home for me. I was pooped. Still though, I got up early this morning. I put away all the stuff I had strewn about from the reptile show, then I got down to some serious business. I started to move furniture in my basement in anticipation of my yearly to biannual carpet cleaning down there. My man-0cave happens to not only be one of my favorite places in my home but also one of the favorite places for our pooches to relive themselves if they have an emergency. We clean up after them, of course, but it still stains somewhat so I clean it, with a carpet cleaning machine I rent at Home Depot, once or twice a year. Luckily my daughter and wife helped out a bit with collateral cleaning such as vacuuming and dusting after I moved the furniture. Then I was off to Home depot, picked up the machine and some cleaning solution and headed back home to get the job done. It took me about 2 hours of cleaning to get it done, not including the furniture moving and dusting and vacuuming. Those all added a few more hours and that does not include moving the furniture back into place. Most of it is in the back part of the basement, shoved in there with the water heater and boiler. I'll move it back later tonight of tomorrow night after I run the dehumidifier for several hours.

Wound up I moved most of the crap stuff back tonight. Right now I am a bit achy, a bit grumpy and in dire need of a vodka and something. That is where I am going right now - to mix myself a soothing concoction and calm the beast within. Believe me, after all the stuff I did today to put an end to this weekend, the beast was pretty grouchy - it would much preferred to have rested today. Now it will settle for a good stiff drink and while I drink it I can ponder this: One of these days, the dogs my wife's dogs will get housebroken beyond accident and marking stages and the friggin carpet cleanings will become a thing of the past.

I cannot find the vodka! Damn must have moved it when I was shifting all the stuff around in the basement. I guess it will have to be a couple of cold ones - HB Hofbrau Oktberfest! Not a bad substitute for a vodka now that I think of it. I have had enough, I took all I can stands cause I can't stands no more but I ain't going for a can of spinach! Bring on those cold ones; and maybe as I takes me a swig, I'll take another look at those trophies I won to calm me nerves.

As for me - next weekend I am going hunting and my male heir will be coming along. As for you - later for you - when the beast is calmer.

All the best,
Glenn B

Reminder - LIHS 21st Annual Reptile & Amphibian Show Tomorrow

The Long Island Herpetological Society will hold its 21st Annual Reptile & Amphibian Show on Saturday October 9th from 10AM to 4PM. The location of the show will be Roosevelt Hall at SUNY Farmingdale in Farmingdale, NY just off of route 110. The show will consist of educational exhibits, a judged show of reptiles & amphibians, and sales of reptile & amphibians and supplies and accessories.

More information about the show can be found at: http://lihs.org/files/events.htm

Directions to the show can be found here: http://lihs.org/files/dir_suny.htm

All the best,
Glenn B

1979 A New Beginning...

...was about to commence in my life. I would have to wait until September of that year to begin my career as a federal agent in the U.S. Border Patrol. That first federal job had me encountering more aliens than I would have ever imagined would have been possible but that is not new beginning to which the title of this post references. No, there was another new beginning in 1979 for me, one that had to do with aliens that were even more unimaginable. It was a new beginning for all of us, especially for those among us who wonder if there are others out there, or just those of us who enjoy a good, and I mean really good, sci-fi movie now and then.

It was on May 25, 1979, just 4 months and 4 days before I was sworn in as a Border Patrol Agent, that an as of then almost unheard of actress appeared in her first leading role, only the third film of her career. It was a film that would scare the peanuts out of your M&Ms (no not my quote but I forget who said it) and maybe I should have seen it as some sort of omen of what was to come for me with all of the alien chasing. Of course, by now you must have figured that the actress was Sigourney Weaver and the film was ALIEN. It was a whole new beginning for the sci-fi genre of films.

Well, I just sat down to watch it, it's on TMC as I type. I have got to say, before I allow myself to become totally enmeshed in it for about the 25th time I have watched it, that it is one of the best all time sci-fi (& horror & action & adventure) movies of all time. A good friend asked me, just two days ago, "What is the best sci-fi movie ever?" and I was unable to answer. I still can't answer that question without some serious thought of all the ones I have ever seen but I can tell you that when he asked, just as when I think of it now, this movie popped right into my mind as one of the very best.

If you have never seen it, and if you decide to watch it, try to see it in a theater that shows old movies. If you cannot, then watch it on the biggest screen television you can with a good sound system and watch it with others who have not seen it yet, at night in a dark room. You will enjoy it if you like sci-fi, just don't eat any Peanut M&Ms while or just before watching it.

All the best,
GB

Election Time - Merry November

I don't know who wrote it, I got it in an email. I am posting it here because the email said to pass it on and that is what I am doing:

Gift wrap them and send them all home!

MERRY NOVEMBER!

'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

'On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT THERE & VOTE!!!!

That was great, wasn't it!

All the best,
GB

Krista Branch - I Am America

I need to see her in concert and America needs more entertainers like her!

Just X out the annoying ad that will pop up at the bottom of the screen. Not there because of me, I guess it is a new YouTube annoyance.

All the best,
Glenn B

October A Good Time For Gardening...

...at least I think so. I got out into the garden at around nine ten this morning and puttered here and there. I also did some of the same yesterday.

Yesterday, I picked a good number of both ripe and green tomatoes and some in between. All will ripen sooner or later. I also picked a few nice banana peppers and a good number of Cayenne peppers. Then I picked most of the remaining butternut squashes, 4 of them. We still have at least another 4 of them on the vines and I figure next week or the week after for picking them. They are all still pretty green, then so were the ones I picked yesterday but those were on vines that were pretty much dead. The remaining ones are on live plants. No worry though, the greenish ones will ripen in our kitchen or down in the basement. We just leave them and sooner or later before Thanksgiving or Christmas they will be ready and yes they stay good a long time if the skin is not broken. We have a few others that are ripe and ready to be cooked and boy do they cook good. My wife makes them in a casserole dish in the oven with butter, garlic and some other spices. Bakes em till ready, then puts em under the broiler to get the top crispy. When she does not over do the garlic, they are scrumptious - one of the best vegetables I have ever eaten.

Getting back to today, I pulled out some near dead tomato plants, picked some green tomatoes (they will ripen inside brown paper bags), pulled out some more squash vines and others, dumped them on the compost pile, then planted a couple of bushes. Linda bought the bushes, two Euonymus japonicus also known as Chollipo, at different times over the summer. I just left them in their pots waiting until the fall to plant them. My uncle used to tell me it was best to plant most trees and shrubs either in early spring or in the fall, so I waited. These are supposedly evergreens though the variegated leaves are both green and yellow. I suppose they mean they have their leaves throughout all the seasons. They supposedly grow 6 feet wide by about 12 feet tall and that will be nice. Probably will piss off my neighbor if they grow over her fence but that is what monthly trimmings are for, and I always take care of that. Easy to care for, tolerant of heat and dry conditions and able to withstand the cold in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6 to 9; we are in zone 6 so they probably will survive even in our backyard. I have to admit, if they keep their color and grow wide, tall and busy - they will be pretty nice looking.

As I was digging the holes for the shrubs, I found a couple of nice fat worms which reminded me I had to hit the compost pile both for compost to put in the newly dug holes for the bushes and to get some worms for my salamanders, tortoises and turtle. The very first spadeful of compost I dug up seemed to have a life of its own with earthworms wriggling here, there and everywhere. I picked out about a dozen for my critters and also took some to throw in the holes for the bushes I was about to plant. I then set the bushes in the holes I had dug for each, then filled in the holes with a combination of fresh garden soil formulated for trees and shrubs, potting soil, compost from our compost pile and soil I had just dug up from my yard when digging the holes. I watered them well, let the dirt settle, added more where needed, then headed inside to get rid of those worms. My critter collection enjoyed lunch though I am guessing that the worms may not have enjoyed being lunch. Such is life, it ends in death - often as a result of being eaten - especially if you are a worm.

Now, I am left with an area about 6 feet long between the two shrubs. Neither one is very big yet and they will probably take years to grow enough to cover that space, so for at least the next couple to few year, I have that space to fill. I guess I may as well start now when the weather is still warm enough and just cool enough to really enjoy puttering around in the yard. I will be turning the soil, adding some peat moss, some potting soil and some compost - mostly compost, and letting it all settle in over the fall and winter. By next spring it should be a regular garden-spot of Eden. Probably a perfect spot for some pepper plants or maybe some squash.

I knew that sooner or later, I would get back to the squash. I planted two types of squash this year, and only two types as far as I am aware. One was called Crooked-Neck Squash. It lives up to its name. The squash grows to about a foot to 16 inches in length and the neck twists or turn into a crook as on the end of a Shepherd's staff. They came out early and matured rapidly. Then their vines all died off. Probably picked the last of them in August. They are fairly tasty but nowhere nearly as delicious as were the Butternut Squash we had last year. I could not find any seedlings this year for Butternut Squash but luckily I saved seeds from last year. I planted them, watered them, and luckily they grew.

The thing is they grew weirdly. Last year, the biggest one was about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 times the size of the smallest one from this year - see the smallest from this year in the picture - that little greenish one in the middle row. In other words the biggest one last year were close to the two lying down in the front row, maybe a bit bigger and those were the largest from last year not the average. I think the smallest one this year probably weighs a pound and a half or two pounds. Most from this year, and all from last year had a shape similar to that one too, most were more elongated or bottle necked but all similar in shape with fat bottom and less wide top. Well this year I got one squash that looks more pumpkin shaped and I figure it to be the biggest or second biggest by weight at about 6 to 8 pounds. Yep, it is a squash, and should be a butternut squash even though it does not look like one. It is definitely not a pumpkin, just has that roundish shape. Another one on the same plant is more or less the classic butternut squash shape but also much bigger than any from last year. Those are both pretty big compared to last year's crop, even though planted in a large pot instead of actually in the ground. Still, they possibly are not the biggest of this year's crop though very close if not. We got several other butternut squashes this year that are much bigger than any I got last year and one possibly bigger than the pumpkin shaped one of this year - that one in the middle of the pic. I wish I had a scale to tell which weighed more.

Maybe I did something right to the soil that I did not do last year but all I did each time was turned the soil, added composted cow manure and compost from my compost heap. Maybe we got a great batch of cow poop this yea. Maybe divine pollination was achieved. Maybe cross pollination between different species of squash happened and we have some hybrids. Maybe aliens landed and zapped them with super-growth radiation rays. Whatever, they grew to some pretty big sizes considering that last year batch looked pretty much like the ones with the bottleneck shapes in the foreground of the accompanying picture or like the one behind them on the right side in the pic (as you look at it). That shotgun shell in the foreground is there for scale; it is a 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge shell.

We have at least another 4 of these beauties still on the vine. The three looking the most, what would you call that color, pale yellowish-orange pukish color are the ripe ones ready to be eaten. They have been off the vine since at least early September. They were not as green as some of the others when picked, nor were they as big, but are definitely butternut squash. So, I am wondering did I get some hybrids because at least some of the others, including that big one in the middle came from the same plant/vine. It looks like one of the others on steroids. While I wonder what they are, I really don't care, as long as they are delicious with turkey in a stuffing, or baked in a casserole pan in the oven with plenty of butter and a good portion of garlic and spices like cinnamon and allspice, or similarly roasted in the oven, or cooked on the grill. So many ways to prepare them, maybe we don't have enough of them.

We had several others growing, some got knocked off the vine when a neighbor moved them when he ripped ivy out of his garden (they were on our mutual fence with the ivy), others got knocked off the vine in high winds, others got diseased or bug infested and one or two knocked off the vines by our dogs. We probably would have had another 10 to a dozen of them. As it is, I think we have enough of them to last for a few meals and I should have plenty of seeds for next year.

Heck, I just remembered, the squash seeds I had and planted this year were not from last year's crop there was no squash crop in our garden last year. In fact, they were from the year before and still germinated his year! Last year, I did not plant anything, I was out in Tucson for the whole spring and halfway through July. Last time I gardened before this spring was in 2008.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 94 - The Aging 870 & The Old Man's Shoulder

The aging Remington 870 struck hard against my shoulder today and my old man's shoulder middle aged, arthritic and bursitis encumbered shoulder was no match for the harsh retort of recoil from the old Remington. As soon as the butt of the shotgun slammed back into my shoulder, it felt as if a searing bolt of lightning had been sent down my arm from my shoulder to the tips of the last two fingers on my right hand. The pain, in my neck, right shoulder, arm and hand that accompanied it was almost unbearable. Then I shot again! I don't know if it was due to stupidity, machismo, the idea that it would be better on the next shot, or that I just could not put down my old friend after only one shot, or that I was determined to be ready for the upcoming hunting season. I fired two more slugs, then I put down my old friend with a grimace still on my face. The second and third shots were not as bad as the first, no more lightning bolt shooting down my arm but the pain was severe nonetheless. I had just fired the Marlin 336 in .35 Remington several times, and had also fired the Mosin Nagant 91/30 in 7.62x54R and the Yugoslavian M24/47 Mauser in 8MM Mauser, also both several times. None of them had inflicted me with even a hint of discomfort, let alone pain. I figured the shotgun would be uncomfortable, or even hurt a bit, as usual but I was not prepared for what it hit me with.

I went to shooting the Marlin 25MN in 22WMR, then back to the Marlin 336, the Mauser and the Nagant. All still no problem. I gave the shotgun a few more tries about an hour and a half or so after the first few rounds. It hurt but was nothing like the first shot, or the second and third but it still hurt too much. Then again, even the second and third shots were nothing like the first one had been, that one was by far the worst. I suppose it must have just pushed on the nerve in my shoulder just right to put my pain receptors into overdrive and to make me actually think I might never be able to shoot it again. Yes, it hurt that badly and I suppose that was in part due to my arthritis, bursitis, and the cyst removal surgery I had on my neck back in May; that cyst had been pressing on the nerve that runs from the neck to shoulder and down the arm. I also know it has to do with me not exercising enough and I guess with me getting older too. I guess maybe before I feel too old before my time, I ought to be exercising more to build up mooscles so it won't happen again too soon. If that does happen again, especially that feeling of a bolt of supercharged lightning running down my arm ending in my finger tips, well then I may have to retire the old 870 for the duration. Of course, before I would do that, I may try some sort of recoil pad added onto my shoulder between me and the recoil pad on the shotgun butt. I just don't want to give up one of my favorites guns without trying to figure out a solution to this problem if there is one.

Besides that incident with the shotgun, the range day was great. I was there with Brendan. He needed to see if the Marlin 336 was sighted in for himself and also had to shoot the 870 for the same reason. He fired only 3 shots out of the 870 and called it quits with that one for the rest of the 4 hours or so that we were at the range. I suppose I cannot blame him. He had a lot more fun with the 336, the Mosin Nagant, his Stag Arms AR15 (which I forgot to mention above that I also had fun shooting), and the Marlin 25MN. He must have fired about 150 rounds through the 25MN, and 100 of them as rapidly as I have ever seen anyone shoot a bolt action rifle. I was pretty pleased he had about a 2 1/2 to 3 group, with only about 2 fliers out of a box of 50 rounds, at 50 yards, while firing that fast. His slow fire is usually not any better, if that good, so seeing him do that well that fast was fairly impressive. He was really having a blast with it between shooting the other guns. In fact, he pretty much ended up the range day shooting the Marlin 25 MN although he took time out to fire a last few shots from the Marlin 336 - just to make sure it was sighted in for him. I think any big game that may cross his path this year, while he is holding the Marlin 336, had better start worrying now. As for the gray squirrels, he would easily take them at 50 yards with the Marlin 25MN. I can almost smell the roasting venison and the squirrel stew but I guess we first have to see some of them within shooting distance.

After the range, we stopped off at a Hooters for a late lunch. We didn't have anything like squirrel stew or roasted venison but the onion rings were out of this world, the hot chicken wings just deliciously hot, the fries were nice and crispy and only the BBQ ribs were left needing something that the waitress' ribs certainly were not lacking. After all - it was Hooters, not known for the best of food but certainly known for something to do with ribs!

All the best,
Glenn B

Soldiers' Care Packages - Donations Please

It is October 1, 2010. Once again, as over the past few years, I am going to start putting together care packages for some of our military personnel foreign soil or seas and I am again going to ask for my readers' help by way of donations. I have already requested, just minutes ago, that Soldiers' Angels assign me a new soldier. I specifically asked for someone in Afghanistan and asked if this time they would assign me a female since the others were all men. I figure it is both our men and women over there, so why not try to get at least one lady included among those to whom we send these packages. If they can do it - fine; if not, then to whomever they assign me will be fine just as well.

I also went out today and picked up the first items to include in the first package, I hope, with your help, there will be at least a few to several other good ones going out between now, Christmas and New Year's Day. So far this is what I have purchased for the first package:

A four pack of Merino Wool Socks (it is about to start getting cold in that part of the world)

A large box of Tootsie Roll Pops

A 48 pack of AA alkaline batteries

A 30 pack of Hershey's candy bars including Hershey's milk chocolate bars (both plain and with almonds), KitKat bars, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)

A 60 pack of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (including a variety of chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal raisin)

That set me back about $56.93. This is my donation so far, all out of my pocket. Any donations I receive from my readers, or others, will go toward future purchases of items to go into the care packages.

So, once again I am asking that you, my readers, help out with whatever monetary contributions you can to help make these packages something worthy of our young men and woman who are fighting terrorism, and protecting us and the freedoms we enjoy. As in the past, if you donate anything to me, every penny I receive will go toward the purchase of items to be included in the care package(s). I will also make a sizable donation to the package(s) (such as the items I already bought today - they are at my expense alone and I will probably throw in another $50 or more worth of goods that I alone pay for). I will also pay for boxes, tape (unless I use free boxes and tape), and I will pay for shipping the package(s) to my assigned soldier and his or her unit all out of my own pocket. I guess I am also paying for the gas to drive to the store and pick this stuff up. Again, any donations I receive from you go 100% toward the cost of items I put into the care packages. (Note: What I RECEIVE as a donation is what goes toward the purchases. So there is no misunderstanding, if you donate $25.00 by way of PayPal, I will use all the funds I receive, after PayPal takes their small cut, toward the items for the care packages. PayPal is not free; I get nothing of the percentage they charge but they do charge a fairly small amount for receiving funds through them. a Paypal account is free, or was when i signed up. If, on the other hand, you donate $25.00 cash, then 100% of that money will go to buying items for the care packages. (Please note, PayPal is free to sign up for and, as far as I know, still does not charge you for sending money; they charge the person who receives the money - see this link.)

By the way, these gifts are nondenominational and will be for anyone in my assigned soldier's unit regardless of religious beliefs or anything else. Regardless of it being the Christmas season, they are to be shared among the unit and with other units if my soldier and his or her unit feel generous and I hope that will be the case. I just send em out at Christmas because I was brought up as a Catholic. I am not a practicing Catholic any longer but have the Christian upbringing and still feel this time of year is an especially nice one for giving. I especially like the Christmas spirit. The Christmas spirit is not one of a stingy scrooge; it is a time for giving what you can give. I know, the economy sucks. I know a lot of people are hurting. Still, you have to realize these guys and gals are far from home, they are hurting even more than any of us and they are in some god forsaken hell holes. They surely could use some recognition from us beyond simply saying - I support the troops. No matter how tough times are, if you are reading this you have something to give - don't you?

"Money is tight, times are hard" - we have all heard talk like that recently. Remember though, talk like that is cheap but so too are the donations for which I ask. Send whatever you can to help out. Send $50 if you have it and can spare it, or send $5.00 if things are bad. Heck send a dollar if things are really that bad - then feel happy you did something because even a dollar will help make some of our boys and girls have it just a bit easier during the holiday season and the time leading up to it. I do not know about you but I don't want to be the one to send our troops a photocopied Christmas card showing Santa giving them the finger and saying "Money is tight and times are hard, so here's your fucking Christmas card"! I got that card once, I laughed until my sides hurt. Think about sending that sentiment to our troops, it quite likely would be seen in another way. Think about the message we send when we send nothing - then think about the joy we send when we send whatever we can. If it is is just a few pennies, then do it please because those few pennies will help both our troops and you.

Once I know the identity of my soldier, I will post what I can here on the blog. As usual, by the rules at Soldiers' Angels, I can only give my soldier's first name and where he or she is located (in general). If I later get permission from the soldier, I will post more info. I will also post any thank yous I receive from the soldier and his or her unit. I can tell you this without a doubt, when you and I gave in the past, when we sent those other packages, the folks on the receiving end had a better time for it. We made them smile, we made their days, we showed them that the ones here still at home really do care and they were thankful for it. Please, let's do it again - anything you can donate goes a long way toward making a soldier smile.

You can either click on the donation icon above or click on the donation icon located on the upper right hand side of my blog page. The icon in the upper right of my blog page will remain there throughout the time period I will accept donations which probably will be sometime in early to mid December. If you prefer to donate by money order, please email me for my address. I will only send my mailing address to those whom I already know. Thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B