Saturday, March 31, 2007

Will Rogers was the first one,

speaking of the weather around here, to say "You don't like the weather? Wait a couple of hours." As example, when last I took note of this it was bloody pouring and blowing like a hurricane. And, I found out today, radar showed a circulation that passed over the Fair site.

By 8p.m., the heavy had all stopped, just a few sprinkles. This morning just a few scattered clouds and downright chilly, at least compared to the last few days. Hit somewhere in the 60's today with nothing more than a few clouds and should be a bit warmer tomorrow.

The site had one shallow lake, a few small ponds and a whole lot of mud this morning, but conditions improved with both the sun, and the cooler, drier air that moved in last night. Should be pretty good tomorrow. With the exception of the lake disappearing, as my daughter noted a whole bunch of dogs today who saw the water and happily ran to the limit of their leash into it; the dogs'll be as upset about it not being there as their owners were about the dogs turning into used mops.

Ah well, to bed.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Texas Ladies Club

From a friend:
For those of you who don't live here in Texas with us ... and think we are a bunch of uncivilized ruffians ... not true! In fact, we even have ladies groups that meet regularly to discuss current events and develop needed home-skills.

Here is a photo taken at a recent "Say NO to Hillary" ladies group meeting here in Horseshoe Bay.

Current postal match is up

at Mr. Completely's place.

Assuming I- or the range- doesn't wash downstream, I should be able to give it a try.

Remember that cow and the flat rock?

Bossy's gonna die

The 'scattered thunderstorms' the weather weenies talked about seems to consist of the aforementioned cow turning most of the state into a flat rock. All at once. Scattered storms my ass.

Though this should make Algore happy, since this is Ma Nature balancing out last years dry spell. I can hear her now: "Last year was a bit dry, so I'll make up for it. IN ONE WEEK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I'm half afraid to look at the rain guage; yesterday, over the last three days it showed 1.5". Today, there's street flooding all over the damn place and they closed Med-Fair about 2:30. Yuck.

You have to understand, the Fair actually being closed due to weather takes seriously nasty conditions. Like some guy with a beard looking for gopher wood and muttering about 'cubits' nasty. For a long time it was always either the first or second weekend of April- depending on Easter- and weather in this area can be, ah, 'variable' let's say at this time of year. It's been open when it was snowing, cold as hell, hot and wind gusting high enough to damn near tip the forge and anvil over and rain. So heavy enough rain, or threatening bad storms enough to close it, is Not A Good Thing.

I did have enough warning of the rain to get the fire put out and things under cover, so that's good. And from the current info, looks like this should end tonight. So tomorrow should be ok. Soggy ground, but that can deal with.

I repeat: yuck.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Once again, Ma Nature demonstrates

that she has little fondness for moderation. Last year was pretty dry, and there had been hopes for more 'normal' rainfall this year.

In response, I think in the last two weeks we've received as much- more in some areas- than we got in the last six months of last year. According to my rain gauge, in the last three days we've had a good two inches in Oklahoma City; most of it since 7:30 this morning.

I'm all for getting a bit more wet this year, but did it have to be now? And in one big damn swoop?

Balance of nature, my ass.

As to what Britain is becoming,

I saw something on this piece of horrible crap a couple of days ago, but had a hard time figuring out what words to use. Other than foul swearing. Kim has some words:It’s not often that I read something which fills me with horror to such an extent that I can truthfully say, “Words fail me.” This is one of those cases, and I’m not even going to try.

I'm going to have to take back the good things I've said about Tony Blair in the past. Not only does he push a horror like this, but the Iranians kidnap a bunch of British marines and sailors, and what does he do? Protest and run squealing to the UN. And note that the main reason they were grabbed is they weren't allowed to protect themselves. By Brit government orders. Mr. Free Market is right, it's Tony Bleah.

In case you were wondering, (Updated)

the possible tornado was northwest of here, and no apparent damage.


Update: That was the original report I heard. Turns out a lot of electrical lines were damaged/downed and a bunch of roofs damaged.

Oh joy, 'tis spring

It's been off & on raining since about 7:30 this morning, sometimes like the proverbial cow on a flat rock. And now, the tornado sirens are blowing.

Absolutely bloody wonderful.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

I'm linking a lot lately,

but it's all good stuff. Like these two from Sebastian: Clayton Cramer whacking on the latest BS from the Brady Campaign to Ban Guns, and the Armed Canadian on the various and assorted reasons gun registration and licensing is bad.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

As a followup to the

revolver post, something ammo-related comes to mind.

The lady in question had picked up some Winchester .38 Special +P hollowpoints some time ago, and they were a big part of her problem with being spooked by the pistol: the muzzle flash was bothering her. Big, impressive flash in the range, but that was Not a Good Thing in this case. With some different ammo, much less flash, much happier lady.

A lot of people don't realize it, but not only are the brand names and bullets different between brands, powder is. And some produces a lot more flash than others. The Gold Dot ammo I've fired has all had a minimal flash; this Winchester and some Remington hollowpoints the worst I've seen outside of some 7.62x25mm. And it is a real problem for some people.

So here's another point of ammo selection, if the stuff someone tries has to much flash for them to be comfortable with, try another brand. May be all that's needed to get them over the hump.

And through the good offices of Mugwug

We find this:
1. Make sure they are breathing. Yes? Good. No? Adjust head position. Don't worry about spinal injuries. If they ain't breathing, they don't care, so you shouldn't either.

Go, and read it all.

Some years back, while helping some friends pack to move, wife came over and said "There's been a terrible accident, you should go do something", or words to that effect. I went out back and Damn! she wasn't kidding. One vehicle rolled over in the (happily wide) median, one smashed up but upright. By the time I got there I found
The two people in the upright car were conscious, not bleeding, and sitting dazed,
The lady still in the overturned car was hanging in her seat belt(older car, no shoulder belt),
One kid had been ejected and was laying in the grass.

The kid wasn't bleeding and was conscious so I just shaded his eyes from the sun. Then two guys with a crowbar started prying the door of the car open to get to the lady. I started yelling "When you get it open, don't move her!" One of the said something about "We've got to get her out!" but someone else added in "He's right! Don't move her, wait for the ambulance!", and between us they listened. She was fairly solidly anchored by the belt so she wasn't going to fall out, so I didn't try to argue about the door.

Right after that was settled two ladies came over and wanted to put a towel under the kid 'so the grass won't itch'. I kept pointing out(far too politely; I should have said "God-dammit, NO!") that it would be a Bad Thing to move him around, and they kept insisting they needed to 'do something'. God knows how many people have been injured worse because somebody just HAD to do SOMETHING.

Finally the first ambulance arrived(amazing how long it seems with things like that going on) and the pros took over, and I got out of the way.

All this memory sparked by this line:It is perfectly acceptable to DO NOTHING most of the time...

As Oscar Poppa puts it,

The stupidity of some people is bloody amazing.

“For far too long we have ignored the relationship between bullets and gun crimes,” state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), a former NYPD captain, said as he held a hollow-point slug. “We can no longer allow this item, this bullet, to be that silent partner.”

Adams said he was introducing legislation that would mandate the tracking of ammunition and force buyers to register the bullets they purchase.


My first thought on reading this is "It'll really screw with handloaders", since he only wants to 'register the bullets'. However, I then consider that he's one of the standard-issue Functionally-illiterate-on-the-subject GFW politicians, so he actually means 'ammunition'. And it appears he's either unthinking or actually stupid, too, as he says this:
“If David Garvin did not have - as we believe he did not have - a permit for the gun he was carrying, he shouldn’t be allowed to buy bullets,” Schneiderman said.

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Oh yeah, Senator, just because he could illegally get a gun couldn't possibly mean that he could buy ammo, could it?

Actually, it could, but either you don't care or for some reason cannot comprehend the fact that the law you want to pass will be just as useless at stopping dirtbags like this as the disarmament laws already on the books. Or, maybe you just don't like the fact that someone might do something(anything?) without having proper approval from a government minion such as yourself?

Monday, March 26, 2007

Medieval Fair a'coming

and I'm not particularly ready.

Not really un-ready, but not looking forward to it as much as in the past. Aching joints do that to you.

I've got the big stuff gathered up already, and deciding what to wear isn't a problem(kilt, shirt, shoes). Need to figure out some munchies to take along and drinks. Probably soda bread and cheese, maybe some roast or something for meat.

And, there are some things to look forward to. So, getting prepared we go.

In the comments on the Portland demonstration

Windy said Btw, have you noticed that those of that political, philosophical and moral bent nearly always refer to such women as "ladies" and always refer to men as "males"? Denying men their humanity, there?

Which reminded me of something that told me just how rotted some people are on the subject of male-female: Few years ago I was watching 'Antiques Roadshow', the episode was from either Seattle or Portland. Two women had what turned out to be an extremely rare Inuit artifact their father had picked up many years before. In speaking of where he found it, one said "He bought it years ago, when he was a young m-", caught herself and changed it to "person."

Think about that. She was talking about her father, and couldn't let herself refer to him as having been a 'young man'. Just what kind of idiotic twists of mind are required to think that way?

Sunday, March 25, 2007

If you haven't read of the 'peace march' in Portland,

go read this. I can't better his take on it.

Crap like this pretty much destroys the 'we support the troops' lies from these people. You do NOT burn someone in effigy if you support them. You do NOT burn the flag which stands for what they protect. And you do NOT drop your pants and crap on said flag.

That's just bloody amazing to think on. This idiot actually, on a public street in front of women* and kids, took his pants down and emptied his bowels on an American flag. What kind of absolute freakin' idiocy and self-indulgence does it take to commit such an act? And some of these idiots cheered him.

In case anyone who supports this kind of 'protest' happens by, let me state this flatly: I do not question your patriotism, I deny it. You don't burn troops in effigy if you actually support them, you don't burn your own flag(or, in this case, the flag of the country you live in) if you support them and give a damn about this country, and you don't cheer on and make excuses for those who do. If you do, you are not patriotic, no matter how many words you spill claiming you are.

You're the same kind of idiot who makes excuses for the Taliban. You're the same kind of idiot as the homosexuals who protest in support of the Palistinian Authority, and fools like Rosie O'Donnel who supports al Qaeda. And if you're one of the parents who let their kids watch this crap, you just plain suck.


*I will not refer to females such as these as 'ladies', for they most certainly are not.