Better Luck Sunday Than Saturday But Still Not Bringing Home The Venison

Just a synopsis of my hunt Sunday and on Monday. Sat on my stand near a lot of rubs and an active scrape. Did not see bubkis. At about 0930, I decided to still hunt. At about 10 or maybe 1015, I was walking under some big pine trees, kind of in the shadows, and I happened to step on a branch and oh heck was the cracking noise loud. Of well, I figured a goof is a goof and just took another step or two before stopping to wait a bit. I had been pretty quiet up until then, except for using the doe bleat or buck grunt, every now and again. I figure the occasional cracking twig noise or whatever  does not matter all hat much as long as you are walking a few steps and pausing for several seconds to a half minute or so before proceeding a few to several steps mores in repetition sort of as a deer does. The calling now and then while doing so works. I have spotted an awful lot of does that way, in fact I have walked up on does many more than once doing that with the doe bleat call. Once I had two big does and a fawn walk right up to within about 10 to 15 feet of me as I had been walking a trail through the woods of my uncle's once upon a time farm. I digress, back to Sunday.

Well, within a couple of seconds of me breaking that branch, a buck, head down, went running by me at about 50 yards off. He was between me and the road and the road was only about 100 yards from me As he ran by, I also noticed another hunter whom I thought was stationary. I figured he must have seen me but got behind a tree just in case he decided to start blasting. I did not even consider shooting. Under other circumstances I might have tried a running deer shot but the road was too darned close and that other hunter was also in that direction. Yeah, the deer had passed him but the road was still just too close and cars passed every now and again.  After a half a minute, with no shots from the other guy, I took a peek around the tree after waving an orange vest a bit. I could not see him. I looked around from the other side of the tree. He was not there. When I thought about it, it sure had looked as if I had seen his back - he had - by my guess - been leaving the woods. Maybe he is what spooked the buck, not me stepping on that branch. That thought gave me a moment's pause and I thought about what to do. I scanned the area, saw no sign of the buck, knelt down and waited about 10 minutes. Then I grunted with the buck grunt call. I did it two or three times and waited. Sure enough, that buck came back into view now headed in the opposite direction than the one he had run before. In other words, he was now headed in the same direction I had been traveling. That made me think too. There was a good chance he had been coming to check me out, thinking I was another deer, when the other hunter spooked him. That guy had been in open hardwoods, I was under the shadows of the pines and it was really hard to see into them from where the deer had been standing (I checked a bit later).

Well, he came into and out of view for the next 15 minutes, as he slowly made his way in the direction I had been traveling (north), then he started to make an arch to his right (east) to get downwind of me. I had my scope lined up on him three times. Twice all I could get the cross hairs on was his rump. Then I had it on his neck but it was through so much brush that I decided not to hoot and wait for a better shot since as he had been walking he had remained broadside to me. Well, after a few more minutes, during which I grunted once (man did that peak his curiosity) he looked right at me, did not see me, and kept trying to get an eyeball on me. Kneeling down had been the right thing to do. doing the right thing did not matter much. He just kept going and disappeared to the north. I waited a half hour during which I called and rattled. I did not see hide nor hair of him again. Maybe he scented me, maybe a doe walked by. Maybe he thought I was to big to tangle with - buck-wise. Whatever, he was gone and I am still deerless.

After waiting that 30 minutes, I followed up on the direction he went. About 100 yards north of where I last saw him there was a big steaming pile of deer pellets and an active scrape. About 4 deer trails ran through the area of the scrape so, I st down there for an hour and a half hoping, if not to see that same buck, then to see another or some does. Dd not happen. I moved on and did some more still hunting and wound up back at my stand from early in the morning. I spent my last hour on that stand.

Monday was another day. It also was another nice day, at least later in the morning once it warmed up a bit. Warm is not always good for a deer hunt but it was not bad as far as I was concerned. I got out to hunt at about 1000 instead of 0530 like on the first two days. That was okay too. I saw one deer at around 1430, about midway up the hill in a fairly clear area - lots of brush and some small trees and only a few bigger ones in that spot. When I took off my pack, to grab a seat on a downfall, with another dead tree as my seat back, a deer, probably a young buck, took off in high gear and waving its tail at me from 30 yards away. That is pretty much all I got to see of it. Oh well.

I am going out to hunt again and will give it another shot this weekend. This time it will be much closer to home - maybe 100 miles away instead of 190 miles. The area to which I will go this time is one for which I have a doe permit which increases the chances of me putting some venison on the table or so I am hoping.

All the best,
Glenn B

Fuck The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International ...

... that is involved in the Twinkies (Hostess) debacle. Even the mighty Teamsters Union agreed to terms with Hostess but this, in my opinion, piss ant union of bakers and the like decided that what was good enough for the leading union in the nation was not good enough for them. If we lose Twinkies because of these assholes, anything baked by union members, of that union, will taste like shit from now on. See:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/19/hostess-union-hopes-buyer-will-put-employees-back-to-work/?test=latestnews

Lucky for me, I got a fix of Twinkies just about 2 weeks ago. Should last me a bit before I go berserk, on a zombie killing spree, due to lack of them. Hopefully all this mess will be resolved before then although it would be just my luck that lack of Twinkies is what will somehow trigger the zombie apocalypse.

All the best,
Glenn B

Jagex Ltd. and RuneScape Annoyance

I keep getting annoying emails from someone claiming to be in the legal department of Jagex Ltd. on the part of RuneScape, a free online game of some sort. Either a phishing scam (which I strongly suspect) or a legitimate email that is accusing me of wrongdoing (which I strongly doubt):

"Dear Player,

We have collected convincing evidence that you tried to trade your RuneScape account or sell your virtual items outside of the game environment.

Such real-world trading is destroying the economy of RuneScape and is in violation with our policies. Therefore any player that continues to engage in the illegal activity has no place in our community.

All of your accounts are now on our watch-list and will be automatically monitored for real-world trading. Regardless of who you are or how long you've been with us, if you continue to real-world trade we will have no hesitation in: (1) permanently banning your account from our community in order to protect the game, and (2) naming you as a defendant in Jagex Limited vs you, which is a lawsuit based on antitrust law violations that is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Civ. Action No. SANC-V13-00342-CGH).

If you decide to ignore this email and instead continue Real-World Trading, we (Jagex Ltd) reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future real-world trading in accordance with 19 U.S.C. 1307(c)(3).

In addition, we have temporarily changed your RuneScape account's status.

Please fill in the following security form to monitor your account's status or to appeal the infractions you have received: (Link removed to protect the innocent.)

Please note: Due to recent technical problems with our automated detection systems, some accounts have been unfairly punished. Most of the void infractions should have been removed. Please visit the appeal section to appeal any unjustified infractions received due to system errors.

Sincerely,
Mod Mark.

© 2012 Jagex Ltd. Jagex® and RuneScape® are registered trademarks of Jagex Ltd in the United Kingdom and trademarks used in other countries of the world.
View our Privacy Policy, Terms And Conditions: (Link removed to protect the innocent.)
St. John's Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB5 1WS, England."

I don't even remember ever hearing of the game before receiving those emails although I may have signed up before and don't recall. If I did sign up, the game must have sucked, otherwise I would still be playing it, but it really does not ring a bell in my memory cells. Took care of the problem, added the sender of those annoying emails to my blocked list.

Anyone else ever get any of them?

All the best,
Glenn B

Tonight, I've Been Doing Something That Is Usually Unacceptable

It's something not tolerated by polite society, you would not likely see it being done on a buffet line at a decent restaurant, is highly frowned upon at parties from high society mega-events all the way down to a football party, even those with drug induced munchies discourage others from doing it, parents abhor it when they see their children doing it but I love it and have been doing it for a good part of a bag of tortilla chips and a very large jar of medium hot salsa. I have been double, triple and even quadruple dipping and loving every delicious bite of it.

And, yes, I am going hunting tomorrow, on the opening day of firearms deer season. Every year, I do exactly what a hunter is supposed to do. Scout out an area, get my license, sight in my rifle or shotgun, minimize human and other household and car scents on my clothing, wash with scent killing soap and go as far as to make sure I eat a pretty non-spicy diet for a few days prior to the hunt so the deer won't smell any spices coming through my pores or being passed in a windy way way on the days of the hunt. This year, I have already done most of what I am supposed to do but I said screw it tonight and went for the chips, salsa and Woodchuck Amber Hard Cider (the deer would like that, I am sure).

I figure I'm not going to see any deer anyway, so why not let them have a whiff of garlic, onions and the spices that are in the salsa. They might like that too! I sure like it, in fact, it is my dinner tonight. Yep, not necessarily health food but it sure comfort food, is doing my mental state good, and tastes great too. Add to that the fact that I am doing multiple dips with the same chip and it seems to make it taste even better.

I just realized something though,  should have settled on a smaller bag of chips. I grabbed the biggest one they had but with the multiple dipping, I have eaten almost half of a 24 ounce jar of salsa and only about 1/4 a bag of chips. Oh well, more salsa may be in order by tomorrow night or the next night.

All the best,
Glenn B

The New Medicine Cabinet - Not Installed Because...

...it is broken. The door is pushed in, in fact so far in and twisted just enough, to have me slightly amazed that the mirror did not break. I contacted Home Depot via email, about an hour ago and they have already replied (wow that was very fast) saying I can return it at a store or via UPS. Going to the store will likely be easier so, this evening, after dinner, I am off to Homer's to return this one, get a refund and look for a suitable replacement in store. They have a very small selection of junk in the store, but even at a higher price than most in the store this one was obviously junk too. I wish I knew where to get a well made one for a couple of hundred, to maybe $300. I have seen many made of real wood but starting for around $750 but sure am not going to pay that for a small medicine cabinet. I would be better off making one myself and if I knew how to make a mirrored door I certainly would give it a try. Oh well, off to Homer's soon to see what I can get so it is installed before Thanksgiving. Otherwise, I will be in the doghouse for sure.

All the best,
Glenn B

NY Deer Hunting Season...

...as I write, is only  about 2 1/2 days and a wake-up (plus about 2 or three hours after I wake up) away. I am not ready for it by a longshot! I do have some things ready. For example, my Marlin 336 is sighted in. I have ammo for it. My Remington 870 is also ready to go and I have ammo for that one too. In addition, I have  few bottles of deer lure around somewhere. I bought them within the past couple of months. The car is ready I suppose, just got an oil change a couple or few weeks ago, tires are good, car running okay (knock on wood). We, Brendan and I, both have our hunting license. I may or may not have a hunting partner in Brendan this year. He just got a new job working at Macy's Department Store and he is unsure if he can get away at all on the days I have off. It will be my loneliest hunting season in years. Other than the above, nothing else is ready

Our hunting gear, most of it, is kept in the shed. It tends to get a bit damp in the shed but the clothing and other gear are in big plastic tubs with lids. Still, they need a good washing out and drying (with  unscented dryer sheets). I only have time to do that today as I am working tomorrow, then leaving for upstate right after work, or such is my plan. I need to make sure I will have everything packed and ready to be loaded into the car sometime today. Everything will include clothing like: hunting hat, hunting jacket, hunting pants, hunting shirt, hunting sweater or fleece, hunting boots, hunting gloves, socks, skivvies, and some regular clothes for when not hunting. Other hunting items I will include will be: guns, ammo, gun case, gun cleaning kit, hunting license, hunting license back tag holder, foam hot seat, knives (at least two but probably three - one on belt, one in pocket, one in backpack), compass, emergency kit (things like wind/waterproof matches, candles for firestarter, flashlight, first aid kit, food bars), first aid kit, day pack, rattling antlers, doe bleat call, deer pee lure and scent pads, binoculars and the list goes on. I also have to find and pack some toiletries. I already have a case of water in the trunk of the car. I'll buy food when I get up near my hunting spot. That usually consists of Smucker's peanut butter and Red Raspberry preserves but this year I may try something else other than the PB.

I suppose I had best get started. I have those things to find, the hunting clothes to wash, the car to pack, and other chores to be done (or the wife will not be quite as happy about getting rid of me for 4 days). I need to clean up the back room of our basement (a seemingly never ending task), hang a medicine cabinet in the bathroom, do the regular laundry, do the dishes (already done), have a few biers (not yet but later for sure), get some grocery shopping done, clean the other half of the basement, set up a new aquarium, clean all the critter;s enclosures (bearded dragons, red earred slider, large tortoises, small tortoises, crested geckos, fish tank, and other turtle tank.

If I get it all done early enough, I may run over to Dick's Sporting goods and pick up a set of rings for that scope I got a couple of weeks back, attach the scope and rings to the Marlin XS7 rifle I bought and bring it to the range. If I somehow do manage to get the rings today yet don't get a chance to go to the range tonight, then there is a slim chance I could go tomorrow morning before work. I am only working 1-5 but will have plenty of stuff to still get ready for the hunting trip - if  know myself at all. Well, no more dallying, I have got to get cracking.

(Update #1: 1257 - Breakfast dishes done. The back of the basement now looks organanizized, at last. Finally had a cup of coffee, still on the first of the day.)

All the best,
Glenn B

All The Stuff Of A Classic Spy Thriller...

...or so it looks to me. It seemingly has the potential to become the biggest spying scandal of the decade, if not of the century, if in fact CIA Director Petareus or General Allen or the unnamed FBI agent gave out classified info to either woman.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Gun Blogger In Need

I would have posted about this sooner but only found out about this yesterday. Tamara, of View From The Porch, has been diagnosed with basal cell skin cancer. She reportedly does not have health insurance and thus could use some help to pay her medical expenses relative to the cancer treatments. Along those lines, an organized fund raiser, of sorts, has commenced with the goal of raising enough cash for her not to have to worry about how those bills will be paid. You can donate to her on her blog via her 'tip jar'.

A bunch of other bloggers have donated prizes that can be won dependent upon the amount one donates. Those efforts were individual ventures all with the same aim but now have been organized into a single endeavor as explained by Jay over at MA-rooned. If you would like an explanation of how the prize system works, click on this link: http://www.ma-rooned.com/2012/11/snark-mistress-fundraiser-update-and.html.

Whether or not you are interested in any of the prizes that are being offered, it certainly would be nice of yo to make a donation to Tamara to help her KICK CANCERS ASS!

All the best,
Glenn B

My Last Two Blog Posts - Did my solutions to my laptop problems...

...make any sense, to any of you who understand computers? Just curious as I am pretty much a computer peckerwood who cannot tell a program from an application.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Almost Said Screw Norton 360...

...after I had run system restore and fixed whatever problem i was that had been slowing down my computer on a select few applications. Why? Well, because after running System Restore and restarting my computer, I realized Norton360 was not working. When I clicked on the Norton Icon, not the Norton 360 icon but the Norton Anti-Virus icon for the trial version that came with my system (I had a Norton 3600 account previously and had installed it on my current laptop after its initial Norton AV trial ran out but after running System Restore only the Norton Trial Icon came up) nothing happened. Ouch, I realized my laptop was without protection, as in rubberless in a world of AIDS computer viruses! So, I went to my Norton account and tried to download Norton 360 again but there was a problem and it did not work. Happily, Norton indicated that I could try again after I first had manually uninstalled any Norton products from my PC. I did that, I uninstalled Norton. Then I reinstalled the Norton 360. Even though my account had showed I had already done so with all 3 of my subscriptions (from a single purchase for three computers) it allowed me to download it again; I guess it can determine that the PC to which one is downloading is one to which it has been downloaded before. That is good. Once I did that; all was again excellent in the land of virtual reality, at least for me, for now!

All the virtual best,
Glenn B

System Restore - A Good Thing - Thank You Bill Gates (or thanks to the tech who thought it up)

Lucky for me that I decided to try to run System Restore tonight, on my pretty new laptop, instead of waiting any longer. I was able to find a restore point that I was sure had been set before a problem started with my computer and that was the only one, of which I was certain, that had been set before the computer started acting up.

My computer was acting kind of slow, but only on certain programs. When bringing up my blog it was really at a snail's pace and, when opening MS Word, it was slower than normal. In addition, sometimes, when I opened my blog it would just keep opening new windows of my blog one after the other nonstop, like 20 or 30 times, before I could stop it by shutting it down.

It also ran the blog very slowly. For instance, when I would be typing a blog post, it would suddenly stop. Since I do not touch type and look at the keys when typing, I often did not notice until after writing several sentences and then when I looked up, it was frozen and all I had typed for the last several seconds, to maybe a minute, was not there. I would have to do it again. Sometimes I would have to wait up to half a minute for it to work again. It would happen repeatedly, often several times within a a couple of minutes. I also would often get a message asking if I wanted to turn off the script that was taking too long.

I just ran System Restore, going as far back as I could to October 25th. Right now, the computer seems to be working okay. There are no slowdowns. The blog came right up, almost instantaneously. So did MS Word. As I typed this post, there was not one delay nor one message asking if I wanted to stop running a script that was taking to long.

I had tried running Norton Anti-Virus and I also ran CCleaner both to no avail to fix this problem, whatever it was that was screwing up. I was about to start screaming, and maybe shooting (at the computer) but a cooler head prevailed and I decided to run System Restore first. It seems to have worked.

All the best,
Glenn B

Some Native Americans And Their Seeming Hypocrtical Sensitivity

So, Victoria's Secret, that way overpriced, in my opinion, lingerie outfit has a lingerie show. One of the models is dressed what looks like native American headdress, jewelry and other bits of clothing. Now some Indians are supposedly extremely offended along the lines of 'how dare they misappropriate Native American attire' . I wonder if that was only used in the article or if some yahoo of a wanna be savage said that??? Victoria's Secret apologized to them. What a shame, as I see it, because I think it is about time that some native Americans stop riding the 'race' horse.

Who is kidding whom here. I have been out west a good numbers of times, I have seen a lot of so called native you get to see a fair number of Indians in places like New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Wyoming, Montana Washington and Oregon. I have also seen a fair number of them in New York, Connecticut, South Dakota and Florida. When you see them, you sometimes get to see what they do, how they act, what work they have, what clothing they wear, how they talk and so on. Reading up on history and watching educational television shows also clued me into their history and some of their cultural aspects. Talking to many of them also gave me further insight.

In all of my encounters with so called Native Americans, speaking with them, working with them (yes I have worked with a few), being a customer in some of their businesses (no not to buy smokes), interviewing them a few times in my career, arresting them (yes I did that too) and many other types of interactions, I came to realize there are basically two types of Indians. There are those who have adapted to the fact that Europeans came to this land in 1492 and kicked their asses and took their lands and changed their lives forever (which is in essence they did) and that life is different now and they can and should work for a living and try to get along with European, African, Asian, and Australian Americans. Then there are those who have not adapted to the hundreds of years old reality and who insist on being on the warpath all of the time.

It is that second type usually, who take or claim to take high offense whenever they say someone has slighted the Indians.  They howl with hypersensitivity if a high school or college football team has a logo that represents an Indian or a name of a tribe, yet many have European names. They are highly offended if a film is made that shows anything about them with which they disagree yet they portray other Americans negatively quite often. They also frown upon anyone claiming to have Indian blood who in essence cannot prove their lineage or have not been DNA tested, yet seemingly push for they hoot and holler hurray when a whole tribe of,  what are, I think, little more than  Fauxahontises is established to beat the tax man out of tax dollars or when someone with 1/16th (or whatever amount is now required) of Indian blood is made a tribal member to skew the political and economic balance in their favor. They go out on what could almost be considered a rampage over anyone who dons Indian apparel, like the Victoria’s Secret model and apparently said that this is seen as misuse and theft of their heritage yet they stroll around in Levi’s Jeans, while wearing cowboy boots, and Stetsons. Or how about those waitresses, at some Indian owned establishments, dressed in cowboy hats and boots with hot-pants wedged right up their cracks - as I see it, much attired along the lines of the model at the lingerie show. Then, what about those casinos! They are against development of sacred Native American lands until it is they themselves who are building a casino or cigarette shop on it. They oppose big business but are more than happy to take your money from you at those casinos and tobacco stores. They are against things like Indians working off of the reservations yet claim to be against reservations saying they own the whole continent. They are against things like Indians working or living off of the reservations yet claim to be against reservations. They oppose others hunting or fishing certain animals, then claim to have been one with nature and say they still commune with nature more so than others, but yet they still hunt and fish for endangered species and call it their right (all the time saying they have rights that others do not and forgetting that all men are created equal and share rights alike). They claim reservations are dumps yet it is they who trash them (I have seen it firsthand several times.) They claim America is not fair to them but step right up in line, hands out, for the dole.

I could go on and on about these contradictions, this hypocrisy, this bogus over sensitivity, but you should know what I am writing about, you should be pretty familiar with it by now. Well, that is if you have half a brain and pay just a wee bit of attention to current events now and again and maybe read a newspaper (or online news articles) or watch educational TV now and again.

Now let me ask you a few things about Native Americans. Didn't they migrate from Asia, so aren't they immigrants too! Could or should other Americans take offense at them using the term native American since there was no America, so to speak, until it was named after Amerigo Vespucci (aka: Americus) by Europeans. Should I feel offended because they could be said to have misappropriated cultural identity. Should I come out and say they have misappropriated cultural attire when I see them dressed in cowboy clothing or in a tuxedo or in a police officer's uniform or one of the uniforms of the United States military services? Should I be ever so sensitive if they call me a white man because I am supposedly not to call them red men.

I have two words for the type of Indian who is supposedly super-sensitive and offended by things like that Victoria's Secret outfit, or by a sports team portraying a native American in its logo, while all along being a racist hypocrite: Get real.

All the best,
Glenn B

Happy Veterans' Day...

...to all of you who have served our nation in her military forces. I was never in the military, spent a 32 year career in the federal civil service in law enforcement (primarily aimed at illegal aliens and smugglers) but I do realize the sacrifices that our guys and gals in the armed forces have made for the rest of us and how important they have been relative to our safety and our freedoms – to our way of life here in the good old USA. I praise them for it, I thank them for it, I honor them for it and I pray that each and every one will stay out of Harm’s Way.

 

To all of you, now serving on foreign soil, or on foreign waters, or in foreign skies, I wish you all the best for a happy Veterans’ Day and for a very happy Thanksgiving and hope you will have a speedy and safe return to your homes and loved ones. To all the rest of you, still here at home, I wish you all a very safe and happy Veterans’ Day and a very happy Thanksgiving as well.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

White Plains Gun Show Report

I woke up fairly early, at least for me, at 0615 today. I finally dragged my protesting arse and all of the grumpy rest of me out of bed at about 0640. I would have had a great night’s sleep if A. B. Normal  (more commonly called Abby), our Chihuahua puppy did not wake me at about 0430 to ply and then finally crawl under my blankets and go to sleep. Seems my wife had heard her whining and let her and her sister Chloe (Abby's sister) outside to do their thing. Amazing is how I see it that the wife and puppies going outside did not awaken me, I must have really been getting some quality snooze time for a change  - it figures though that something had to ruin it for me. Oh well, I got more sleep than usual anyway.

 

Once I was up, I hit the shower, got dressed and took off to meet up with my good friend Pete A.. He gave me a much needed cup of Java and we hit the road toward White Plains. I had been running about 10-15 minutes later than I had thought and we hit pretty bad traffic caused by cops stopped in the left lane on our side of the road checking out, not helping with, a bad accident on the other side of the road. That ate up another 15 minutes or so. We still made decent time to the Westchester County center in White Plains and surprisingly, even though a little after 0900 (the opening time for the gun show) I found a parking spot around the block on the street and saved a bit by not having to pay a parking lot fee. It seemed odd that there were an awful lot of spaces available on the street and stranger still that there were only about 10 people on line ahead of us to get inside. While on the line, Pete told me he had printed up some dollar off the admission price coupons but had forgotten them at home. Well, for a change, I remembered them and had one for each of us and several left over for others on the line and I passed them out to those behind us. The guy immediately behind me seemed astonished that someone would do that. Oh well...

 

I too was pretty much astonished, that is once we got inside, to see that there were only about 150 folks already inside the gun show. I had thought, for sure, that Pete was going to get to witness a feeding frenzy of gun and ammo purchases because of the Obama reelection. We stayed until about noon or maybe 1230 and the place had filled up by then by nowhere near to the usual crowd size, especially at a fall show just before hunting season! So, while he did see people buying things - it was not the buying down to the bare tables that I had expected (at least with regard to ammo).

 

While there, I got to see some things that made me salivate. A Remington 8, in very good to excellent condition in .30 Remington for $450. I did not have enough to buy it being I am in need of a new roof and all so I had to really take care on what I would spend. I know I could turn that around for some profit if I sold it but just could not lay out for it and the ammo I had gone there to buy. I am not going to write a lot about other guns that had me drooling like the two Ruger 10/22's converted to Thompson submachine gun clones, the Marlin 57M Levermatic, a few Stag Arms' AR15's and so on. There was a good selection of firearms to be had.

 

The selection of ammo was pretty fair too although not as good as for that which I had hoped. One guy had 5.56x45mm, 62 grain ammo for sale in full cases and  in 420 round ammo cans (this on stripper clips). He wanted more than I wanted to spend on a full case, asking for $385 plus tax. The same was true of the ammo cans holding 420 rounds each but it wound up being a price on which I would have to settle if I wanted any of it. Another guy had the very same ammo: Federal 5.56x45mm, 62 grain, green tip, penetrator rounds on his table and had about 10 to 15 of those ammo cans, each holding 420 rounds on stripper clips. He was asking what seemed like a very low ball price of $150 each or I should say had been asking. He had a second sign next to the one showing the price, that other sign said "All Sold". He told me he had sold it all to a dealer on Friday night when they set up the dealer tables. The he added, maybe I should have held some back for the customers. He did not even have the decency to pull it off the table but left it there attracting potential customer after potential customer. I don't know if he left it there because he was lazy or because he wanted to lure people to his table to maybe buy other ammo or he was just a peckerwood that did not mind teasing potential buyers. I wound up buying a can from the guy selling it for $180 per can. Shush, don't let Brendan know, I think I may give it to him for his birthday.

 

I also bought three boxes of Prvi Partisan 8mm Mauser, 194 grain, soft point ammo; two boxes of American Eagle .45 Auto, 230 grain, FMJ rounds; a box of Federal .45 Auto, 230 grain, hollow point ammo and a box of Fiocchi .32 Auto, FMJ cartridges. Other than ammunition, I picked up three packages of cotton swabs (6" long wood handles/sticks), and forgot two or three other things I had thought I would get when I saw them my first time around the show like some brass brushes, a bore light and whatever else it was I had thought of while at the show. Pete also picked up a couple or few small items. He grabbed the last PP/PPK book off of the stand. It was a book supposedly showing one how to maintain, field strip, detail strip and reassemble those pistols. His wife owns one in .380 and he got it for her. He also bought a couple or a few tape measures, funny thing to see at a gun show. I think they were a buck each, probably 12 or 15 footers. They had the King Koil logo on them, funny thing to see on a tape measure. Go figure. He admired several other things, especially some micro-knives at one display of all knives. They were truly small scale, maybe an inch and a half long and were scaled down versions of Bowie Knives with intricate scrimshaw on them picturing native Americans. If they had asked something I could have afforded I may have bought one of them but at $1,300.00 the pair - I just moved on after joking I would take them for $13 the pair. The older lady, behind the counter, had a good comeback for that: "Take them from someone else selling them for that price". The young lady with her just smiled.

 

All in all we had a great time, walking around, looking at guns, watching other folks, looking at knives, Pete looking at women (only kidding), shooting the bull and the like. I was pretty unhappy that our mutual friend Charlie K apparently was unable to make it this time around. I had been hoping he would be there so we could all go out to lunch together. As it turned out, Pete suggested that we wait until we get back to near his house for lunch and that we stop at the Resorts' Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, NY. So that is what we did. We chowed down on a buffet lunch and I put a big dent in the huge platter of shrimp they had out along with some other good tasting things. Nothing fancy but the shrimp made it worthwhile. Pete did likewise as far as chowing down went. After that we walked around the casino and BS'd about this and that. I also gambled just a bit, about $25 worth plus the dollar I found on the floor of the casino. It is all slot or poker or roulette and similar machines in that casino, no table games. It was the first time I was there since it opened, maybe two years or so ago. Once out of there, I dropped Pete off at home and headed home myself.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

The Strangest Things Wind Up Following Me Home...

...or so I would like to get my wife to believe but she, like my mother years before, knows that such is not the case. Well, that is in most cases anyway. Some of the things she does not mind, like the flower that bloomed within a day or two of Super Storm Sandy, last week. I went out back and there it was staring me in the face, more or less. Of course, my wife had seen it a day before me because most of my staring had been up at my missing roof shingles. The flower must have just about bloomed on Wednesday, the day after the so called hurricane (that changed into a tropical storm that was then called a super storm).

That was also the same day that I hopped in the Toyota and drove into Harlem / Morningside Heights to pick up my latest reptilian acquisition. A nice couple was adopting out a red eared slider and were in need of a taker without delay as they were leaving for employment in East Africa the very next day. Being that the Long Island Herpetological Society (LIHS) was to be having its 23rd annual reptile expo this coming weekend, I figured what the heck. I braved the roads the day after the big storm which was not much of a feat since there was very little traffic and went to pick it up. I thought I would keep it briefly and adopt it out at the show. The thing is, the show has been cancelled since I picked up the turtle and now I am turtle siting until I can adopt it out to a knowledgeable turtle keeper.

Even before I had considered getting that turtle, my son Brendan told me he had a friend who wanted to give away two bearded dragons. He said they were big, came with a big tank and some accessories. I had some thoughts on the matter but not for long and almost immediately agreed he should take them in. It did not happen, at least right away. As I said, the offer came before the storm, maybe a week ahead of it. It did happen though, that the two bearded dragons, a large tank of maybe 55 gallon size, and a bunch of BD care equipment showed up in my basement - today! I am guessing it is either a sexed pair or maybe more likely two females. I am almost positive they are not two males because they are not killing one another. They look healthy and if they are a pair, I may hold onto them and try to breed them. If two females, I may seek out a male to mate with them. Baby bearded dragons can go for up to about $75 apiece easily depending on color and at least for $25 apiece even if nothing special. That is if you have an outlet for them and I do have just that. I fed them tonight and they gobbled up several crickets each and each of them also chomped down on 3 large roaches of the species Blabica dubia. Yes, I have them in a tank in my house too, that is the roaches. I had been feeding the smaller adults of them to my Crested Geckos. They, the roaches, share accommodations with a few hundred crickets. The crested geckos share an enclosure with a toad.

 

Yesterday, I also received a shipment of Blue Tailed Fire Bellied Newts (Cynops cyanurus). I had a small colony of hem before I got ill last year but had to give them to a friend to care for while I was sick. Sadly, most of them died while in his care, probably due to contaminated food they ate. I think the new group of five of them that I just got will do much better. They will soon be sharing an aquarium with my tropical fish. I do not heat the fish tank and they will do just fine in with the fish as the others did before their untimely demise last year. I actually paid for the newts. I had been thinking of selling two or three of the five with the idea of getting enough for them to pa for the remaining ones that I would keep. Since that was also going to be at the LIHS show, tomorrow, and since the show has been cancelled, I guess I am stuck with all five of them.

 

Then there was the bird earlier today. I was sitting at my computer desk, in the basement this afternoon, and thought I saw something fly by out of the corner of my eye in the back room. Then, I saw it again and heard a chirp. I got up, in seer disbelief, to take a look to see if I was going crazy. There it was though, a sparrow and it was flying around in the boiler room. I tried to catch it and it flew upstairs to the first floor. Then it flew up to the top floor. It went into my daughter's room and got lost either under a dresser or the bed or behind some junk. I figured I would give it a break. When I went to go back upstairs, my wife told me that she and my daughter got it to fly out of the window that they had opened for it. Good for them because that meant they had to clean the bird doody off of the window where it had slammed itself once or twice as I tried to catch it and evidently knocked the shit out of itself. I am guessing it came down one of the chimneys because both are missing chimney caps after the storm.

 

Wow, the house is once again turning into a zoo but then again, it has always been a zoo of sorts!

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Am Selling Some Guns (what on earth is wrong with me!)

I hate selling guns but the truth of the matter is that I cannot keep every gun I own, otherwise I would go broke after some recent purchases at a couple of auctions over the past several months. So I decided to sell a couple to a few of what I own. I just sold the Browning Citori Lightning, that I bought in the spring, by way of GunBroker.com. I am going to ship it out today via UPS to a FFL holder in Illinois. I think I may also sell one of my pistols, a High Standard pistol in .22LR. I am thinking of bringing it to the gun show in White Plains tomorrow to see if I can sell it there, either to a dealer or to a pistol license holder who has the proper paperwork with him. I'll see how it works out and let you know later.

I did not fire the Browning shotgun since I purchased it and it was sold to me as unfired. It is probably the nicest gun I have ever owned. I would have given it to my son had he shown an interest in shooting it but he did not. So, I decided to sell it. The money will probably go toward another firearms purchase or maybe, better yet, into the bank from whence it came out of my savings account. Collecting and shooting guns can be a lot of fun so long as it does not bankrupt you.

As for the High Standard Dura-matic pistol, I have fired it but not much. I think I brought it to the range once. It is a nice gun too, pretty old and yet in excellent shape (and not with the addition of me having to say "excellent for its age", it is simply in excellent condition). I likely will not regret selling the Browning shotgun but I may come to regret selling the High Standard pistol one of these days. Then again, whom am I trying to kid , I think I have come to regret selling any of the firearms I have ever sold. Oh well, if I sell the pistol tomorrow, I may have enough cash to buy a case of 5.56x45mm, 62 grain, ammo. That would be a good trade off. Then again, there is no guarantee that I will sell it tomorrow or ever; we will see, i will depend on my mood tomorrow.

I may also try to sell a NEF Pardner 12 gauge single shot shotgun that I have on hand. I recently picked up a single shot Winchester shotgun and right now, as in this very moment, I am thinking I would prefer to keep that one. Of course, that could change at the drop of a hat and maybe I will sell it instead of the Pardner. The Pardner would probably be a better knock around gun than the older Winchester and the Winchester could bring...I will keep mum on what it could bring.

Once again, decisions - decisions - decisions!

All the best,
Glenn B

The 12 Days Of Sandy In A Third World Nation

So far it has been 12 days. The storm began on Monday October 29th and today is Friday November 9th. The roads are not blocked by downed trees, there was no major long lasting flooding that forced rescue crews to go through entire neighborhoods by boat, both as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The major highways are all passable as are the local streets and that despite the fact that a second major storm downed hundreds more trees and dumped a few inches of snow on the ground just two days ago. The airports were not, as they were during Katrina, totally flooded and partially destroyed and thus are all operational.

So why is it that FEMA is only just beginning to get temporary housing, in the way of trailers to NY? Why is it that people on Staten Island have reported, as recently as a day ago, that there is no organized relief effort to dole out aid to those stricken by the storm and things like food, water and clothing are being left on street corners by well meaning folks, who have driven there to help but have not found any organized relief stations? Why is it that the Long Island Power Authority has run out of electric poles? Hell, they run virtually all of their power wires on poles just like is done in any other third world nation. So, you would think they would have had the foresight to have enough on hand or would have ordered more as the storm was hitting. They apparently did not have that foresight.  What happened to the 12 million gallons of FREE gasoline that the government promised to the disaster stricken public? Oh, that's right they are giving it to first responders who are working disaster relief. Not totally true based on what has been told to me by a reliable source. I have heard of plenty of federal agents going to the distribution centers and getting it for free for their government cars and they are not assigned in any way, shape or form to the disaster relief. In addition, now, NY State is following the lead of NJ and is going to a system of forcing gas stations to dole out gasoline using odd/even license plate numbers; cars with plates ending in odd numbers get it one day and those ending in even numbers the next. This is supposed to shorten the lines at gas stations but someone please explain just how that will accomplish that goal. It is going to create confusion and prevent people who really need gas from getting it when needed, like someone traveling through NY from another state who runs low of gas on his or her off day to buy gas. Yes, out of state residents are included in the rationing. It makes one wonder, 'Hey this is day 12, why the fuck is there a shortage of gasoline in the first place at this late stage'. All the excuses of the gas companies are a lot of bullshit in my opinion. They say terminals are not operational. They could be trucking it in from terminals afar with their fleets of gasoline tanker trucks; apparently they are not, at least not by way of major effort. Then again, the people who drive in NY could be trying to conserve fuel by using mass transit whenever possible. Oh yeah, that's right, the Long Island Rail Road and the NYC Transit Authority lines are still not running at full service, at least not as of yesterday morning. Oh, one more thing on the so called gasoline shortage - how is it that Westchester County supposedly uses the same gasoline delivery terminals as do NYC and Western Long Island, yet there is a shortage in NYC and LI and not in Westchester? By the way, how is it that the EPA, a mere one day after the election, decided to change how it polls whether or not gas stations are open and there was a sudden overnight post election day 12% increase in the amount of stations they were reporting closed. It reportedly took them 10 days, and a completed presidential election, before they determined that stations that did not answer their phones, over several days, to take he open or closed poll, were closed! Yet, before the election, they were evidently unable to figure that out and thus reported a much smaller percentage of gas stations being closed than were actually closed. No way that could have had anything to do with election day coming up could it?  Of course, the president made sure to fly into NJ, just a day or two after Sandy, for a photo op right before the election but nah that must just have been coincidence, right!

I am pretty bitter about all of this. Now please note, I am not bitter about the outcome of the election because my choice of candidates did not win. I am bitter though about seeing all of these storm victims suffering without relief in sight. I am bitter that the largest urban population of federal agents within the USA is pretty much sitting on its collective duff and doing little to help. I am bitter because, some federal agents, who work in NYC volunteered to help but were told to stay home and conserve gas; yet not too long ago those same agents were forced to car pool with their government cars - so why not have them car pool to volunteer sites! I am bitter because it has become painfully obvious that the USA has failed its people.

Let's face it folks, the reason for all of the above is obvious: We are living in a third wold nation, a banana republic at best. Then again, there could be another reason, at least in the eyes of those with a different perspective. We could do like them and just blame it all on George W. Bush and get on with life. After all, none of this could have anything to do with any imagined failings of the current administration - could it!

All the best,
Glenn B

Three Tragedies Within A Week

First Tropical Storm Sandy, then that most un-American of presidents gets reelected, then a nor'easter to add insult to injury. I have to wonder, didn't it bother even a few liberal twits and the so called independents, in NY, to find that after waiting in line for gas, possibly for a few hours and almost definitely not less than an hour, after Sandy had hit, that they had to pay upwards of $4.159 (the lowest price I have seen and that was last week, it is higher this week) per gallon of regular? I guess not since NY'ers voted for him by a wide margin. Oh yeah, why would that sway their votes, they are still blaming that on George W. Bush!

I imagine the piss poor response by FEMA, to the storm(s) and the lack of respoonse by most of the rest of the feds in the tri-state area, especially in NY and NJ is also Bush's fault, otherwise how could you explain the largest population of federal employees in any state (remember DC is not a state), and the largest population of federal agents anywhere, almost all having been told to stay home instead of being called into work to perform storm relief duties. You don't think that might show just a bit of lack of leadership and or concern coming from the White House's current occupant - do you!

 

Now imagine this, one week after the super storm, gas stations were reported as being operational, in the NY and Long Island areas, to the tune of  76% by EPA. That means that the EPA was reporting that 24% of area gas stations were without gas and or closed for other reasons (like no power). That was on Monday, the day before the presidential election. Today, on the local news, they reported that the EPA had, as of yesterday the day after said election, decided on a new way to determine if gas stations were closed and they increased the number of closed stations to 36%, up 12% overnight! They decided, just one day after the election that all the stations that they had tried to contact by telephone but that had not picked up the calls must be closed. Funny though, the day before the election they just totally ignored the fact that phones were not being answered for their poll of who was open and who was not and they counted them as being open even though no one had answered the phone then. What a difference a day (or a third world banana republic election) makes.

 

That same election is also going to make a difference in my ammo inventory. I will either order online tonight or tomorrow if my power comes back on. Yes, we are again in the dark and without heat at our house, I am at Starbucks right now. I am hesitant to enter my credit card info while using a public network. If power does not come back on, then I will head to the gun show in White Plains on Saturday and buy some there - no matter the price. I am guessing the prices will be sky high now that the best gun and ammo salesman ever has been reelected.

 

Luckily, I have enough gas in my tank to be able to drive up to the show. That is because I found an open gas station today and got to the pumps before they ran out. A buddy of mine had waited hours only to get up near the front of the line to find they were out of gas at the station he had gone to. As he pulled away, what did he see but the tanker truck pulling into the gas station to replenish its supply. What luck and I thought I had a black cloud. As for me, I probably could have made it, to the gun show nd back home again, on just the gas I had in the tank before today's fill-up. I had just over 1/4 a tank since my last fill-up about a week and a half ago on the Sunday just before Sandy hit.

 

Me and my family have been lucky. We had damage from Sandy, to our roof , gutters & leaders and a few other things but nothing all that terrible like some other folks who lost their homes. Today, I heard on the news, while listening to the radio in my car, that 8 out of 10 homes on Fire island, NY were destroyed.; not merely damaged but destroyed. Stories like that are coming in from all of the shoreline areas from southern NJ, through NYC, out through eastern Long Island. Yes, we were lucky indeed through both storms - just not with the election results. Romney would certainly have been no prize but I am certain he would have been better for this country than was and will be Obama by a long shot. More of a storm is coming.

I hope that the spelling above is none to messed up. I forgot my glasses at home and will admit it was tough seeing the print when I proofed it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Heading Out, In A Minute, To Vote...

...but before I leave home toward my polling place, I just wanted to make sure there is no question as for whom I will cast my ballot today.

No, I am not a practicing Christian but I do believe in many of the fundamentals taught in the Bible and do believe that this nation was founded in good part upon those that were deemed moral, ethical and just by our Founding Fathers (they realized too that many principles within the Bible were unjust and thus did not incorporate those into our way of governing ourselves). No, I am not going to the polling place to shoot anyone; I am not a psycho-killer. I will not even bring a gun to the polling place (think it is illegal), but I certainly do base my vote upon protection of my rights and liberties and most importantly upon my liberty to exercise my rights. Without the power to defend our liberty we would be a nation enslaved and while still having rights would never be able to exercise them. Guns give us, We The People, the ability to assure that we are not ruled by tyrants who would strip us of the rights and the liberty to enjoy them as we see fit.

As for the shirt, you can bet your bottom dollar I will be wearing it when I vote. Since it is illegal to display such things in polling places within NY State, I suppose I will have to cover it up when at the polling place. Yet, it will be on me when I vote and that will at least give me some personal satisfaction. Hat tip to Wirecutter for telling me where to get one of these excellent shirts.

All the best,
Glenn B

New York Governor Allows Voting At Any Polling Place...

...for individuals who reside and are registered to vote in disaster stricken counties. They may vote by affidavit ballot. The place at which they vote must then send that ballot to their county board of elections.

"Executive Order – Voting by Affidavit Ballot
Governor Cuomo has signed an Executive Order which provides for a voter who is a resident in the federally-declared disaster counties of Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester and of New York City (which includes Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond) who have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy:

1. To vote an affidavit ballot at any poll site in New York State, other than their regular poll site;
2. Every Board of Elections in the State shall transmit the completed affidavit ballot of any voter who resides in one of the above counties to the Board of Elections where such voter is registered to vote to be canvassed;
3. The affidavit ballot can only be canvassed for such contests for which the person was entitled to vote at such election."

Source: http://www.elections.ny.gov/ 

The actual executive, supposedly, order can be downloaded here:

http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/ExecutiveOrders/VoteByAffidavitBallot_EO_62.pdf

Let me say it may take a long time to be able to access either one. I got onto the NYS board of elections site only after about 3 to 4 minutes of waiting for the link to be established. So far, I have been unable to download the PDF file of the actual order because it was just taking way too long and I was not patient enough to wait more than a few minutes. I clicked on the link to the executive order, my third attempt, about 4 minutes ago. It still has not downloaded. According to the download notification at the bottom of my screen, only 2% has downloaded so far, it will take another 1 hour and 33 minutes to download it completely! The site for it must be swamped.

I think it was a last minute desperate effort, on the part of Governor Andrew Cuomo, to get people to vote for Obama. I suppose it truly was a good faith effort to get people out to vote but my guess is that this will cause a lot of confusion at the polling places and will lead to law suits after the election. Hopefully though, enough NY'ers will go out to vote and they will vote for Romney after becoming sic of Obama due to the inaction of the federal government regarding the aftermath of tropical storm Sandy. Yeah, I know - lots of luck on that dream becoming reality here in NY.

All the best,
Glenn B

Election Day At Hand And A Gun Show Weekend Coming Up

Election day has finally arrived - well for most of America anyway. Way too many people have been able to vote for months already and I think it criminal that they have been allowed to do so unless they are absentee voters. I strongly believe otherwise - there should only be one day on which to vote for all Americans. It is just blatantly unfair to allow voters in some states to start voting months ahead of regular election day yet disallow voters in disaster stricken regions, like NJ and NY after tropical storm Sandy, to vote after today if they cannot make the polls today due to hardships caused by the storm. Heck, they were not even sure of where all the polling places were to be set up for those who took the brunt of the storm and whose whole neighborhoods were destroyed.

Well, I know my polling place, or at least think I do. Regardless, I will vote today, even if I have to search out the polling place for hours in the event it was changed to some super seKrit location without them getting the word out to all of us. I tend to think though that it will be at the usual place inside of our village hall. If I could do it,  I would vote many more times than once, just as I suspect many Obama supporters will be doing. However, I cannot do that because it is illegal, unethical, immoral and just plain out very wrong as I see it and I could not bring myself to do it. If Obama is elected again we will just have to live with him and suffer under him for another 4  years or until the enough of The People have decided enough with tyranny and they revolt. You most probably can be assured - if he is elected again - that one of two things will happen by or in 2016: Either there will be a Republican or Libertarian elected to the office of president of the United States of America in 2016 or there will have been a new American Revolution before that election.

Speaking of revolutions, if there is one, my guess would be it will be a violent one. I believe The People will take the liberty of not only exercising the right to keep and bear arms but will exercise the reason it was enumerated in the first place - protecting The Constitution and putting down tyranny.

That brings me to the gun show, this weekend, at White Plains, NY. My bet is, that if Obama wins reelection, the show will be a whirlwind of arms and ammunition sales as has not been witnessed before. I would like to say that is only if dealers have half a brain between them all and charge reasonable prices instead of price gouging. Sadly, I think dealers will probably boost up their prices higher than ever if Obama wins again. Still though, the gun show will likely be akin to a feeding frenzy of very hungry sharks around a whale carcass and my guess would be that ammunition dealers will just about sell out of ammunition in calibers like 5.56x45 (.223),  .308, 7.62x39, .45 ACP, 9mm and other popular self defense calibers. Pre-ban high capacity magazine will sell like hotcakes. Firearms, in the above mentioned calibers will also be hot ticket items. If you think Obama is going to win, you might want to buy ammo now while it is still on the shelves. You also may want to consider buying stock in Sturm Ruger or in Smith & Wesson; gun sales across the nation are sure to soar again should he gain reelection.

What am I waiting for? I am going out to vote (after a cup-a-Joe) then I am coming back home to look online for some 62 or 64 grain 5.56x45 ammo.

All the best,
Glenn B

Equipment And Supplies We Used Because Of Super-Storm Sandy

Here on Long Island in NY state, our second hurricane, in 14 months, has come and gone. Well, this last one was really a tropical storm but a massive one that left a wake of destruction; they called it a superstorm. In that 14 month period we also had a pretty major hail storm, at least here in Nassau County and there was an earthquake too - not all that long ago. I guess that the quake was also within the last year or so. In addition, NYC, Long Island and surrounding areas have been subjected to tornadoes. They were something unheard of in NY, about 40 or 45 years ago, but my mother predicted them for NY back then. She thought so because she saw the weather patterns were changing and tornadoes were hitting where they never had hit before then. Then there is the gasoline shortage. Of course, there is the looting that is going on - hopefully no one will have to deal with that personally. Who knows, if Obama loses the election, maybe there will be rioting in the not so distant future too when those on the dole realize they will be taken off of it or that it will be drastically cut back.

Up this way, we just all had to deal with the effects of the latest storm to one extent or another. People do likewise all over the country for hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, droughts, floods, earthquakes, forest fires, and power failures. For those of us who have faced such, and the bad effects they bring, either we got ready ahead of time or were caught with our pants down but we all dealt with those calamities in one way or the other.

Take the recent storm for instance or any natural disaster. Maybe you were lucky and you did not even have your power go out on you. Maybe you were very unlucky and you lost a loved one and or your home. Maybe, like us - you fell somewhere in between. In this recent storm - Tropical Storm Sandy (it had been classified as a hurricane but was downgraded to being a tropical storm - a savage one at that) we had power go out on Tuesday and not come back until late Friday night. We also lost part of our roof (shingles in pretty big swaths) and others are lose and or cracked. It seems those shingles just keep falling off after that storm. As recently as today, a shingle fell off of my roof and there was little apparent wind, seemingly loosened enough by the storm to fall off sooner or later. We also had damage to: our gutters and leaders, the front railing, our sidewalk (two blocks cracked, I am supposing as the Linden tree out front swayed), and we lost chimney caps and had other apparent minor damage to the chimneys. We also lost a small amount of food. All in all, we were lucky but then we do live in the center of Nassau County, far from the shoreline and the storm did not hit us as hard as it did others who were much less fortunate.

At our house we used: flashlights; batteries; strike anywhere matches; candles; glo-sticks; our vehicles, gasoline and car chargers to charge cell phones (we all had filled our tanks prior to the storm’s arrival); the vehicle radios for news; our BBQ and propane to cook (even though we had gas in the house I cooked some meals outside just for the taste of grilled food – we had enough propane for sure); a water filter (we made sure to drink only filtered or bottled water); bottled water (only a little since we did have the filtered water); ice packs we had made before the storm to try to keep the fridge and freezer cold; ice from a local beer distributor (I got that after the storm from the distributor who had been wise enough and civic minded enough to stock up on a walk-in freezer full of ice before the storm hit and it was still frozen solid days after the storm when he sold it at regular – not inflated – cost; yes they opened for business even though they had no power); food for emergency use (we used some canned food we otherwise would not have used but needed some of it; yet, most of what we ate had already been in our fridge); food that we cooked right after our electricity went out so as to preserve it a bit longer (like eggs that my wife hard-boiled so they would not go bad and meats that she cooked so they would last longer in the fridge with ice packs). Of course there was also the emergency supply of beer, wine and booze that I had also bought before the storm hit and used with gusto during and after the blow. I had also pre-charged the two batteries for my laptop and used it for a bit of writing after the storm.

As for food, batteries, flashlights, matches, candles and water, we always have all of them available in emergency our supplies; I see to that. I lived through the height of the Cold War and learned about being prepared back then even if preparation back then may have been pointless had the involved nations started throwing thousands of nukes at one another. So, I am not a “prepper” to be cool or to be in line with the times, or to prepare for Zombies or for The Rapture but for all of them to some extent just as I am prepared for more realistic disasters such as natural calamities, collapse of our economy, failure of our infrastructure, long term civil unrest, and maybe even an invasion by enemy troops or a homegrown revolution or an attack by aliens from another world (or even Mexico). I was never a Boy Scout but I virtually always have believed the motto of the Boy Scouts of America: “Be Prepared”. The time to get prepared is before an emergency though and not during or after one.

My level of preparedness, while not being as high as one person or another’s, is assuredly higher than many of the folks I saw at Home Depot and Costco the day before the storm hit and even on the day of the storm when I went again to Home Depot. I had to go to both stores the day before storm, not for emergency supplies (except a case of HB Oktoberfestbier and some wine of which we probably had enough anyway but being prepared is a good thing), but for other regular things. I went again, on the day of the storm, to Home Depot, for something I had forgotten, the day before, for a plastering job that I wanted to finish. 

 

While in each store, I checked out things like the battery and flashlight aisles. You could not find a D sized battery in either store. They had AAA and AA batteries as well as C batteries at Home Depot and AA at Costco. There was not a single flashlight at Costco. At Home Depot, people were looking for batteries, in a panic. Home Depot also had some flashlights for sale – some small LED jobs, a sole two-pack of LED headlamps and some rather large flashlights - those that take those big 6 volt batteries that are about the size of a brick of 22 ammo. Folks were buying them as if there would be no tomorrow. One woman was lugging 3 or 4 of those big flashlights with her and someone with her also had a few. I saw that lone two-pack of LED head lamps and grabbed it up as I was passing and watching the circus. I already had two or three of them but figured that instead of looking for and grabbing the others out of my hunting equipment boxes out in our shed, I would buy those for my wife and daughter and have them readily on hand. Total cost, with batteries: less than $7.00 out the door; a great buy. I bought them not because we needed them but because they struck my fancy as I walked by and watched all the madness of those shopping for flashlights and batteries.

 

Funny, I saw at least 50 people, n those two days, in Home Depot buying batteries and flashlights and not one of them seemingly even gave a second look to any of the LED lights that were still available. Those little lights give out a sufficient beam of white light, use triple A batteries and the batteries can power the light for from 8 to 12 hours continuously – much longer than a conventional flashlight will go before it drains the batteries. There had to be hundreds of single bulb, penlight like, LED flashlights for sale to which no one was paying attention - amazing. Those must be the same people who are now clamoring to buy gasoline and are waiting on very long lines at gas stations.

 

Back to our house. In addition, to other things at the ready, I had firearms loaded and at the ready, in my home, that I may or may not usually keep at the ready. Luckily we had no need to actually use them other than to have them prepared for the worst like armed looters. So I guess, in a sense, I used them too if only in a preparedness role.

 

We also had taken precautions and had enough dry and caned dog food on hand to feed our five live burglar alarms plus the two that were visiting. But I digress as we did not actually have to use any of the surplus on hand.

 

There were also some things I considered using but did not use: our two Coleman gas fired lanterns, and our Coleman gas fired stove. I decided to hold off on these unless absolutely needed as I was leery of the potential for carbon monoxide problems or gasoline fueled fire. inside my house. If the need had arisen, we would have used them.

 

I cannot think of any other emergency equipment or supplies that we used but know if we needed some other things like first aid kits, blankets, gas masks, duct tape, tarps, sleping bags or go bags, we had them on hand. About the only two things I think we could have used that we did not have was a portable battery operated AM/FM/Weather band radio and a generator (and fuel for it). I considered buying a generator after Hurricane Irene hit us last year, then I had my personal hurricane (cancer) hit me and I forgot all about a generator. I was reminded of one last week and will have to look into getting one. If for nothing else, it would be nice to use it to power the electronic ignition for our furnace.

 

Are we ready for another storm or other disaster. I think so and they say one may be coming again this week - a nor'easter. They can pack winds up to 50 or so miles per hour and with the storm damage to our roof already, I am guessing a storm like that could rip a lot more of the shingles off of it. Who knows, that could be a good thing if the insurance company paid for a whole new roof minus two deductibles, one for each storm! As for preparedness, I have already replenished some items in anticipation of the possible nor'eatser. I already bought more candles to replace those we used after Sandy. I will try to buy some gasoline tomorrow or Wednesday but if not have enough to last for a few days at least.everything else, including Twinkies just in case of a Zombie Apocalypse.

 

What I am curious to find out is – have you ever faced a natural disaster and if so, what emergency supplies did you actually use during and after the storm. Mind you, not what did you buy or have on hand in case you needed it but what did you actually use?

 

All the best,

Glenn B