A Full Day At My Sportsman's Club

Initial Fishing Outing

Yesterday morning the 15th I got up at 04:30 to go fishing at the club pond. It's about 3 acres in size and has a stream feeding it and an outlet to maintain water levels. It is stocked with trout, but there are plenty of bass, yellow perch, and large bluegills in there, and that's what I fish for. All my tackle has crimped barbs on the hook because I do catch and release. I grabbed a quick shower, got dressed, and went outside to get the chickens out for the day and the coop cleaned. I made a commuter mug of coffee, grabbed my gear, and headed out to the club.

I got there around six, and had a line in the water by 06:15 while it was still kind of dark. Being that this was my first outing of the year, I spent some time the night before making sure everything was ready to go. The line on my reel was changed late in the season last year so it was still good. I use Sufix 832 Advanced Superline. Its a fine braided line and I get the dark green that disappears in the water. 20lb test for the size of 6lb monofilament.

I have the remains of a 600yd spool I bought a few years ago and not knowing what was left I bought another 300yd spool at Cabela's a couple of weeks ago. I have more than enough now. I also have a line winder device so it places line on my reels in the proper orientation so it pays out smoothly. The line on both of my reels gets replaced when it starts to look faded or become worn. While at Cabela's I purchased a replacement floating bass plug for the one that I lost late last year. 

Fishing at that pond in the morning seems to have a small window of activity, at least in my experience. In the dark before dawn.... nothing. After dawn and until the sun comes over the horizon and starts hitting the area is when I have my best success. I was fishing from the rocks and was casting left and right parallel to the shore. I tried a couple of different lure setups and nothing. I began using my new floating plug lure smeared with minnow attractant, and felt what I thought was a clump of weeds I snagged. I reeled it in expecting to have to clear my lure and instead found a large and healthy smallmouth bass. It had swallowed my lure and had the rear treble hook stuck a few inches down it's gullet. Luckily I had my long arm hook remover in my pocket, and holding the fish securely, reached in and down and easily backed the hook out of it's flesh. I took a good look at it and sent it on its way. It swam away in a flash obviously no worse for the wear. I smeared on some fresh attractant and started casting along the shore again, This time I got a big hit retrieving my lure from the left and boy was it fighting hard. It was pulling my line and turning the spool in the wrong direction so I tightened the drag a bit while I continued cranking. About 8 feet from shore and BLOOP! it was off the hook and gone. Oh well, that's just the way things go with crimped barbs. I went back to casting. About 10 minutes later, I got another solid hit from the left and started reeling it in. This time I landed a largemouth bass around 11 inches long. It was hooked solidly in the lip and easy to remove by hand. I took a good look at it and then sent it on its way. Back to casting left and right along the shore. WHAM! from the left side again, another large fish putting up a good fight. It broke water about 12 feet out but I could not tell what it was. Just like before, about 8 feet out and it got away. I wondered if maybe it was the same fish. I continued casting for another 15 minutes or so, but the sun was several degrees over the horizon and it was getting really bright. At about 07:20 I called it quits and went home for breakfast. I was happy to have what I deemed a successful morning of fishing in such a short time.

As the weather warms a bit, I will be heading out in my kayak, and if I can get someone else to go with me we'll get out in my motorized canoe. Life jackets are required to be worn here until June 1st, so on my last shopping trip to Cabela's I purchased a lightweight auto-inflating life jacket that will be easier to wear than the one I currently have. This will be especially necessary on cool mornings while wearing an extra layer for warmth.

An Afternoon At The Range

A month or so ago, I stopped by the salon my wife goes to in order to solicit a donation for the sportsman's club upcoming kid's fishing event. The woman that owns it is also a friend of my wife and I and was more than happy to donate to the event. While we were chatting for a while the subject of firearms came up when she asked about the club facilities. It turns out, she has had her Kommiecticut pistol permit for years, and hasn't done any shooting since she got it. Thankfully she doesn't carry a firearm because that would not be a good situation. I offered her an outing at the range and some one-on-one instruction. She told me she is usually available on Mondays and Fridays, so I told her I'd get in touch when it warmed up a bit and I had a Monday or Friday off. The weather forecast for yesterday was sunny with temps in the 70's and I had a scheduled day off, so I texted her Saturday afternoon to invite her to the range. I could read the excitement in her replies. Initially she was not going to bring any of her own firearms she would just use mine. We agreed to meet at the clubhouse at 13:30 so she could fill out the guest waiver which is good for the rest of the calendar year.

I spent the morning after breakfast getting everything together. I thoughtfully picked out a variety of firearms and associated ammo, targets, and miscellaneous equipment. My range bag had most of what I needed, but I also packed my range tote box with my toolbox/cleaning supplies, spotting scope, tripod, and a can of white spray paint. I hate the idea of having to shut down shooting a particular firearm or an entire range day for the want of simple tools or a cleaning rod, so I usually bring the tote, but sometimes just leave it in the truck. I brought seven handguns and three rifles in appropriate carrying cases. I bring ammo in this Bass Pro Shops marine dry box pictured below. It comes with three smaller matching ammo can style containers that go inside, but I use those for other items. The dual latch box holds my reload trays and commercial boxed ammo fine.

Good sized at: 18-3/8" x 12-1/8" x 8-1/4"

I met her right on time in the clubhouse parking lot. After she filled out the form, I handed her the one page list of club range rules to look over while I went inside to file her waiver. When I came out we quickly went over and discussed the rules which are pretty simple. We also discussed The Four Rules of Gun Safety. She followed me down the road to the range in her vehicle. It took a good half hour to unload my truck and get things set up the way I like them. Our handguns stayed in the cases, but the rifles went on the rifle rack with chamber flags at the rear of the range enclosure. Shooting benches were used to hold the handguns, range bags, ammo, and target supplies. We set up two target stands at defensive range of 7 yards with two targets on each stand. When instructing new shooters, it is important that they put rounds on targets. Once they get some confidence you can start moving targets back farther and farther.

I let her choose what to shoot first, and she wisely agreed on my 1935 vintage S&W K-22 Outdoorsman in .22LR. She brought her boyfriends semi-auto S&W 22A-1 and a new box of Winchester .22 ammo but wanted to start with my six shooter. I demonstrated how to open the cylinder, load it, unload it, and fire it on single or double action. I explained how I zero my guns and drew a diagram of what a proper sight picture should look like. She put a couple of cylinders through and was on paper, but high and to the right. I explained that meant she was anticipating recoil and pulling the gun to the right when she pulled the trigger. Once she settled down she was hitting in the black close to center. She then began shooting double action and did quite well. It is a statistical fact that overall, women are better marksman than men. What impressed me was her technique shooting double action. Most people creep the trigger back and try to hold on target waiting for the hammer to drop. She did the proper single motion pull of the trigger. We went down range and I stood in front of her target to show that all of her shots would have counted as center mass hits. We then moved on to her boyfriend's S&W semi-auto. I showed her how to load the magazine and put the gun in battery ready for shooting. I fired it first to see how he had the sights set and so she could see how it functioned. The sights were set for a zero hold. She then fired several mags at the second target on her backboard. She did as well with the semi-auto as she did with my revolver. We replaced her targets and wrote what gun was used on which target so she could show her boyfriend. Time to go a little bigger.

We looked at all the handguns I brought and I explained what each one was. We decided she would start with my 5-shot stainless Rossi M-88 in .38 Special. It is basically an exact copy of a S&W J-Frame Model 60 because when it was made, Rossi and S&W shared the same parent company and shared designs. The gun is only rated for standard .38 Special, not +P which is how I load my home brew .38 SPL ammo. I fired a cylinder full first, a couple of rounds on single action and the rest on double against one of my two targets at 7 yards. She then took the gun, loaded it up and let loose. She said it was pretty powerful, kinda scared her a little, but she REALLY LIKED IT and fired a couple more cylinders doing pretty well. After that was my Ruger GP-161 in .357 Magnum with a 6 inch full lug barrel. I showed her how to open the cylinder, which uses a push button instead of a slide latch. Because the gun shoots .38 SPL and .357 Magnum, she stopped me and asked about the numbers used for the different calibers and what they meant. After a brief explanation, I loaded it up with .38 SPL and fired a cylinder, half on single and half on double at the 25 yard steel plates to demonstrate. She took it and loaded it up and fired it a couple of times. I then loaded it with my .357 Magnum target loads to demonstrate, smacking the plates at 25 yards with every shot and with authority. She was amazed at the flames out the side and I reminded her that was why I explained where NOT to put your fingers when firing a revolver. She declined to fire any magnums and I told her that was her choice, no pressure to do anything she was uncomfortable with.

We then moved to shooting the S&W Governor, which shoots .45 ACP with moon clips, .45 Long Colt, and .410 shotgun shells. She quickly caught on to using my Moon Clip Tool to load a full moon clip, and my L-Cut 1/2" copper plumbing nipple to unload empties. She fired a couple of clips right on target in double action with no problem. I then loaded 3 Federal 000 Buck .410 shotgun shells for demonstration. Each one of those shells contains (4) .30 caliber round balls that group nicely from the Governor at 7 yards. She went and loaded a full cylinder of them and lit them all off in double action punching a lot of holes in her target. We were then going to shoot my SR9c in 9mm. I demonstrated loading a mag with my Uplula loader, and fired all 10 rounds at the 25 yards plates again. When it came time for her to load up, she said she was done, and that those shotgun shells kinda did her in making her arm sore. With that, we were done and packed everything back up. We stopped at the clubhouse on the way out to socialize with a few members that were there and to enjoy a cold brew. Man, that ice cold PBR tasted SOOOOO good. Hopefully the next time we get together, it will be a foursome including my wife and her boyfriend.

Been A Couple of Wild Weeks

I started composing this post on December 23rd, but have had so many interruptions between emergency calls, other things that have drawn my attention, and then the hustle and bustle of Christmas it is FINALLY finished.

 

I'm going to try to do this in chronological order of the photos. I know it has been a few weeks since I've put up a blog post, but don't worry... I have been trolling and shit-posting the hell out of #Libturds of all kinds on X (Twitter). Amazingly, I have not been suspended. Elon Musk has really reigned in the SJW censors they had on staff.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I found out my cousin Christopher was here in New England visiting his mom, family, and friends. He served in the Navy on the west coast and left with full retirement, only to be immediately hired by the DoD because of his expertise. He still works for DoD but lives in South Carolina. I text poked him when I came across this photo at my brother's house. I am just a little older than he is. This photo is from Easter 1965 and was taken at my Memere's house. He and I are in the foreground, me on the left and him on the right. From left to right was my Memere, his mother, my mother, my aunt Terese, my maternal grandmother (Nana) with my sister on her lap, and in the back my uncle Donald. I have no idea who was in the high chair. My cousin and I tried to get together over Thanksgiving weekend, but it never happened because I had to work. I broke his balls for sneaking up here without telling me. We'll try again over the summer.

 

 

 

On November 28th, snow bands off of Lake Erie made their way across PA and NY/NJ to my neck of the woods. They call it "mood snow." This didn't amount to much more than what's in the video.

Next, this is yet another fine example of shitty Duracell batteries as documented by me a year ago with this post. I thought I had purged them from everything I own.... guess not. On December 2nd I went to put away my brush fire gear for the season and this EverReady headlamp wasn't working. This is what I found when I opened it up. The batteries are dated 2027. Into the garbage it all went. The other day, I discovered yet another device with Duracell batteries that was just starting to leak, my Midland clock radio that is our severe weather alert. What tipped me off that there was an issue was the battery indicator was not at full as it was supposed to be. I dumped the batteries and was able to clean the battery compartment and terminals to save the device.

The headlamp battery compartment

 

I was in WalMart the other day to buy some spare EverReady Energizer batteries for stock. As I approached the battery display, a woman ahead of me grabbed a package of Duracell AA's and accidentally knocked several to the floor. As I helped her pick them up, I told her of my problems with Duracell and how we at the fire department have swapped them all out. Plus the Energizer's were a couple of dollars cheaper. She put the Duracell's back, grabbed the Energizer's, and thanked me.

On December 4th, my chicken flock got one of their favorite seasonal treats, the large pumpkin we buy to set out with the mums for fall decorating. Using a large knife, I score the skin in several places and smash it open on a large rock in the chicken yard. They attack it immediately and get a few days enjoyment out of it. All that's left are paper thin pieces of the skin.

On December 7th, my shift partner and I did a transport to Hartford Hospital just before lunch time. The decision was made to save our lunches back at the firehouse for the following day and stop at one of our favorite places. I always get their "Burnt Ends" with two sides, cornbread, and a drink. We were so hungry we ate most of it driving back from Hartford. I was in a food coma later that afternoon.

We had a couple of heavy wind and rain storms. The first one was while I was on duty Sunday the 10th and Monday the 11th. The western part of the state got the worst of it but we were double staffed at the FD just in case. We made sure all the apparatus was fueled, and all the saws were running good. I found three saws with skunky old gas in them and replaced with fresh 2-stroke mix. We got several inches of rain and the local river was near the top of its banks. Only one call for tree/wires down.

 

For the past 40 years we have had a live tree, cutting our own at a tree farm. $85 again this year, but it is full, lush and green. My wife finished up with the it and did a fantastic job as usual. She weaves the lights in and out from the trunk so the entire tree is lit, not just the outside. 1500-1700 lights on the tree this year, she lost count. She also decorates an artificial tree in the corner of the dining room. That tree belonged to my parents and is pretty good for a fake. It is a themed tree, decorated with only Santa ornaments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly a week later Sunday the 17th into Monday the 18th we got another wind and rain storm, which hit the eastern part of the state worse this time. I was not scheduled to work and decided I wanted the time off right before Christmas. If it wasn't right before Christmas, I would have grabbed at least one extra shift. We lost power at the house just before 9 AM and with the storm howling there was no chance a power crew was coming out to fix it. I reported it to Eversource and went outside to set up my generator. I got fucking soaked but at least we had electricity again. Because of the wind and rain still occurring, I set up the collapsible shelter I fabricated to protect the generator from the elements. I listened to my scanner as my department and all the surrounding ones got hammered with calls. EMS calls, flooded basements, trees and wires down, etc. Once the storm went by, things calmed down big time. Just after sundown, power crews were on my road. Normally we don't get power back until all the main feeds are repaired, but this time the main feeds sustained no damage. I looked at my meter around 7 PM and the display was lit. I called my neighbor to let him know power was back on because after I shut mine down I heard his still running. I brought everything into the garage to cool down so I could re-fuel and stow the equipment. The rain gauge showed 5 5/8" total. I dumped it at 5 inches and we got another 5/8" as the storm wound down. The flooding was way worse this time with the local river in the parking lot of the firehouse only about 30' away from the building.

3 1/2" at 07:00, this was at 09:00

 

Below is my latest mortgage statement. I could not imagine trying to buy a house right now thanks mostly to the economic disaster we live in now. We pay less per month than what people are paying for a 1-bedroom apartment in a nice complex. My daughter is now living in a 3-bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor in a multifamily house in the city of New Britain with a roommate and is paying $1500 per month. We have anywhere from $200K to $230K of equity depending on which market analysis you look at. Our house was built for us, moving in April 2005, and we paid about $277K. As you can see, the biggest chunk of my monthly payment (and unfortunately the one that fluctuates) is the escrow for taxes and insurance. For whatever reason, the monthly payment dropped $40 per month with the latest escrow analysis. We re-financed in early 2021 to get the 3.125% rate because every month Chase was inviting us to refinance. Of course, they wanted us to cash out a ton of equity but we just re-financed the balance, leaving the equity alone.

Redacted (OF COURSE) mortgage statement

 

Finally, our Christmas celebration was nice and quiet at home with my wife's brother who lives in a group home and stayed with us for a few days and my daughter. My wife's other brother and his family went to Florida to spend Christmas with The Old Man so we got together with them before they left. My brother and his gang went to Vegas for Christmas. It was nice to be home since the FD schedule is different now meaning I do not work all 5 days M-F. I was off for Thanksgiving and will be off for New Years.

A Couple of 2A Items

Woodstock Fair

Yesterday my wife, her Dad, and I went to the 162nd Annual Woodstock agricultural fair which always occurs for the four days over Labor Day weekend. $10 to park and $15 for my wife and I and only $10 for The Old Man. The only discount is for Seniors over 65 and active duty military with ID. This is a pretty large fair with loads of vendors, tons of food, free stage shows, all kinds of exhibits to include animals, an antique car/truck show, antique tractor and engine show. There is also a midway full of games and rides that we don't bother going into. We watched a comedy/magic show and spent a good hour plus watching the tractor pulls later in the afternoon. To me it is the epitome of the New England agricultural fair.

That said, the traditional part (pre-dating the Civil War) of Yankee New England culture that is not embraced, is the right to keep and bear arms and personal self-defense. They updated their website from the other day and somehow dropped the publication of the "zero tolerance for any weapons" statement. At the gates though, is their 2' x 2' sign stating that and other prohibitions. Once again, the *GFDZ designation is meaningless to me as I was fully armed as usual. There are no metal detectors or bag searches upon entry. I was wearing my Duluth Trading cargo shorts that have generous Velcro secured thigh flap pockets. In my right pocket was my S & W 45 Shield with the extended 7-round mag tucked in a DeSantis pocket holster. In my left outer pocket was a spare 7 round mag. All ammo was Hornady 185 gr Critical Defense in .45 ACP. On my belt in a sheath was my S & W Border Guard blade. Now, the Woodstock Fair inside the fairgrounds is actually pretty secure and safe. There are lots of uniformed (but unarmed) security personnel in pairs patrolling the grounds, as well as plenty of fully uniformed and armed state troopers. They have a Command Post set up with the CSP mobile command unit monitoring the grounds with the telescopic pole mounted cameras. The need for my firearm inside the grounds in practically nil. Also, the majority of attendees are from the agricultural community and surrounding rural areas. The indigenous populations of the blue controlled shithole cities or unruly mobs just stay away. However, the walk to and from and in the parking areas is not secure, other than being located in the little rural town of Woodstock which has a very low possibility of stupid clown world troubles. Just like when on vacation, my being armed is not openly discussed with family members, but I am sure they simply assume I am armed.

Pistol Permit Renewal Delay - Lawsuit?

At the end of June I received my Kommiecticut pistol permit renewal form. I immediately went to AAA to get a set of new passport photos. They give you two 2" x 2" passport photos for $9.50 which I needed for both my pistol permit and U.S. passport renewal. The passport expired in December 2023 and the pistol permit expires on September 15th. I took care of both at the same time since news reports out of the U.S. State Department were huge backlogs for passports; 13 weeks for renewals and up to 4 months for an initial issue. I mailed the pistol permit renewal "Certified" and the passport Priority Mail on Thursday July 6th. Both the pistol permit and passport paperwork was received on Saturday July 8th. The state department cashed my $130 check by Tuesday July 11th, and by the end of July or early August I received my new passport that expires in 2033. As of a few moments ago, I checked my online banking portal, and the $70 check to the state of Kommiecticut has still not been cashed with 13 days left on my permit. You mean to tell me the federal government has their shit more together than the state of Kommiecticut? No, Kommiecticut just likes to fuck with peaceable citizens exercising their 2A rights. It is well known that we are considered political enemies of state government.

This is my 9th permit renewal. Permits in Kommiecticut are good for 5 years, so you do the math. Back in 2013 when they passed the post Sandy Hook infringements, they made a requirement that you must have a permit in order to buy firearms or ammo. There is a 90 day grace period after your permit expires that it is still valid, EXCEPT TO PURCHASE FIREARMS OR AMMO! If I do not receive my newly renewed and valid permit by September 15th, I will begin searching for a 2A attorney (hopefully one that will work pro bono) and contacting The Second Amendment Foundation to file suit. They have created rules for firearms and ammo purchases and then fucking drag their feet processing permit renewals causing a burden on my Second Amendment rights. Attempts to contact ANYONE at the state DESPP firearms unit have resulted in recorded announcements that then dump the call. They absolutely WILL NOT process renewals in person, only by mail. I have been in contact with Jonathan Hardy of the CCDL (CT Citizens Defense League), and his advice is to simply wait. He alluded to the 90 day grace period and state police using that to delay processing. Yeah? You assholes wanna play that game? The gun hating Gov. "Jolly" Ned Lamont and that fucking arrogant puke AG William "Sum Ting Wong" Tong will be on television wailing about another lawsuit against their precious intolerable/unconstitutional infringements. As those of us that are informed found out with the Lois Lerner IRS scandal trying to crush conservative 501(c)3 non-profits, there is no need for written directives to do this kind of shit. The hive-mind of the LIBTURDS all automatically work in unison to adversely affect those that don't bend to their will.

 

*GFDZ = Gun Free Death Zone

Notes & Observations From Vacation

I typed these off-line into my phone when I had down time and while the thoughts were fresh in my mind. The raw notes have been refined for posting.

 

FIRST... Road Travel and AirBNB
 

1. My bedside Glock 21 with Streamlight TLR-4 laser/light combo came with me. It was unloaded and locked in a hard steel case that was tethered to the seat mounting and hidden way up under the back seat. The ammo was locked in a separate hard steel case and inside my luggage, following the rules of "no quick access" set forth by F.O.P.A. Travel across the 71 miles of Hochul's Hellhole (NY state) on I-84 to PA and back was uneventful. Traveling through PA was not a worry. Although more direct, I chose to completely avoid NJ for the obvious reasons. Those fuckers will arrest and jail anyone that dare cross their imaginary line at the state border with a firearm, regardless of how it is stored and secured. The weapon was loaded with Hornady Critical Defense 185gr .45ACP with a spare mag and placed by my bedside every night. For the entire vacation no one knew including wife, and they still don't. It keeps the subject off the table for possible future vacations. In the morning it was unloaded and secured. The only place to keep it secure when not at the house was in my vehicle, locked in the lock box and secured the same way I traveled. The ammo container stayed at the AirBNB house locked and hidden in my suitcase. AirBNB does not forbid weapons on either side; rental or renter. If you are renting out your property, all weapons must be secured and out of sight of renters. Renters are supposed to get prior permission to bring weapons onto a rental property. FUCK THAT! I don't beg for permission to exercise my right to self defense. I think AirBNB's would be the perfect target for home invaders, especially if criminals were to just use the app to locate them and then prey upon unsuspecting folks on vacation when occupied. If no one breaches my perimeter, no one gets hurt and no one will ever know I was armed. Since PA dos not honor my pistol permit, I carried an assortment of blades while out and about. Better than nothing.

2. AirBNB house: I live on a quiet rural back road. This rental house was on a very busy road that had traffic (including trucks) 7/24. The first night was tough but we quickly got used to it. Our first house was in a busy neighborhood. The next door neighbor has what looked like an old classic bike in his garage. I only saw it at night in low light inside his garage while the door was open. I waited until I saw him outside and went over to say hello and talk bikes. The guy and his wife are nice friendly people. It wasn't a 40+ year old bike but a nice 2005 Kawasaki Concours with really low miles. In low light the twin exhaust and shaft drive had me thinking something like a 1980 Suzuki GS850. Plus he had the removable saddle bags off so that also gave it a retro look. I showed him photos of "The Beast." Turns out his wife doesn't ride much either.

 

SECOND... Hershey Park

1. No weapons allowed. PFFFFT! I carried my Gerber GDC money clip with discreet blade and my Blackie Collins "CIA Letter opener." On Wednesday I accidentally also carried in S&W Border Guard in a belt sheath. I only got stopped on the way in Tuesday because of my metal eyeglass case. The guard wanted a looksee at my glasses. He said people use eyeglass cases to sneak stuff in. They never knew about any of my blades.

2. OMG! Talk about the oversexualization of children, particularly young girls. Most girls were wearing the same basic outfit from about age 8 to early 20's; high tight shorts with crop tops or baby tees. I spotted girls as young as 12 sporting cameltoes while walking around with their parents. I saw one girl of about 12 or 13 repeatedly in a ride line so I know what I saw. Too many mentally ill tranny weirdos as well wandering around instead of being committed to a facility. Day 2 at the park was a combination of roller coasters and several hours in the water park. It wasn't as warm on the second day and we froze getting off water rides. But the rides were just too much fun to care.

3. There was plenty of black and brown people but the parks were not overrun and everyone behaved themselves.



Trip to Amish country 8-24-23
 

Amish Marketplace: I'd never been to one before and it was a feast for the eyes. The meat cases were incredible. A young Amish man asked if I needed anything, but I said no, I was just enjoying the sights and how delicious everything looked. He said "We are blessed!" and I heartily agreed. Then there was the breads, pies, candy, and canned goods. Everyone was so nice and lots of samples. I bought stuff I liked; fruit preserves, some bacon jam, and some pineapple salsa. Both of my Grandmothers had these wall mount folding wooden drying racks in their houses. When I saw these for sale I had to get one for my own laundry room. $37 and NOT MADE IN CHY-NAH!

Fully extended and ready to use. No need for paint or poly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folds down flat against the wall for storage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fisher Farm: We stopped there because of the homemade root beer. I met what I assume was the family patriarch Elim Fisher and had a nice conversation with him. He was curious where I was from and what I did for work. He told me Amish are being pushed out because of high land prices. I have never interacted with The Amish, only viewed from afar. I really like and respect them and am just a bit envious of their way of life. While I could never convert myself, I would enjoy living among them as their neighbors.
 

Kettle Village: outdoor market place with more good eats. My wife picked up a couple of jars of spicy pickles, and a pot holder for the handle of a frying pan. She makes delicious frittatas using a large oven safe non-stick frying pan, so that will make it easier handling the hot pans.

Shady Maple Smorgasbord: I am not normally a fan of all you can eat because I never feel I get my money's worth. We went on a Thursday which is their Wing/Rib Night and was reasonable at $21.99 per person with senior discount for three of us. So I just ate what I liked in normal portions. I started with a good salad loaded with my favorite veggies, toppings, and super chunky bleu cheese dressing. For my entree I got the "burnt" end of a juicy, tender brisket. A helping of smooth mashed potatoes and gravy, a heap of string beans, and a hunk of cornbread, all washed down with some ice cold chocolate milk. For dessert a serving of cherry cobbler and a cup of coffee. I was definitely satisfied without feeling stuffed and bloated. After dinner we all returned to the house to play Marbles. Guys against the girls, and the XY chromosome team dominated.

The other side is for four players. Two decks of cards for moves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-25-23

Most of family left this morning, but we stay until 26th. We took a ride to Bird In Hand for a horse and buggy ride at Abe's Buggy Rides and took the longest ride they offer at 6 1/2 miles. Our driver was a delightful Amish girl in her late teens/early twenties named Naomi. She had been driving horses since she was very young and made it look easy. She is getting married at the end of November and we wished her well. She clarified what Elim Fisher told me about the Amish being pushed out. She said because of land prices, it is very hard for young couples just starting out to get a place of their own. Midway through the ride is a stop at an Amish bakery. I got a pecan sticky and an ice cold chocolate milk. So good! I took some great photos of the countryside with my Nikon D5600. After that we went to a place called "The Amish House and Farm" for their on-site tour of an authentic house and farm. It is surrounded by shopping plazas but once inside you don't see them. A stop for ice cream at the Strasburg Creamery in Strasburg and then over to the Tanger Outlets and the New Balance store for new sneakers. We headed back to our AirBNB for a dinner of leftover pasta that my wife turned into a cheese covered pasta bake. After supper we started making preparations for the trip home tomorrow.

 

8-26-23

Check out time is 10:00 AM, so we got up early to pack and clear out on time. We pulled out at 09:30 and headed to Gus's Keystone Family Restaurant in Mount Joy for a big breakfast. Holy shit they serve a full plate of food. I got one of the day's specials.... a Mexican Omelet. Charizo sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and melted shredded cheese. It comes with salsa and sour cream and a side of fried sliced potatoes and toast (I opted for raisin toast). Everybody's breakfast was absolutely delicious and filling so we would not have to stop for lunch on the way home. The only traffic we hit was in Kommiecticut at the NY border that went almost to Waterbury due to the shitty highways we have that are a total choke point when coming into New England. A stop for gas at BJ's and we were home by 4:30 PM. Vacation is great, but returning home to my own bed and the peace and quiet where I live feels real good after being away.

I am not very active at work because we are stuck at the station on standby most of the time, and then most of our calls are for EMS. My activity level goes way up when I have days off catching up on yard work. For all the eating I did on vacation, I also did a lot of walking and amazingly dropped a couple of pounds. All the walking did my knee good too.

Do Big Bugs Freak You Out?

Last night as I pulled into the firehouse for my midnight shift, this was fluttering around the front entry under the lights. It landed on the concrete in front of the door, and stayed put as I opened the door to get this photo.

Click it to big it. A Polyphemus Moth. It was at least 6" from wingtip to wingtip

Here is a link to a page about it.

Earlier in the week, there was a large Luna Moth hanging around out in back along the wood line. My partner almost ran it over when he was leaving, so I let it climb onto my hand and I moved it to the leafy thicket.

Yummy!

I've been on shift today since 22:30 last night, and got up at 06:00 for the shift change for my incoming partner. OMG... she is so young, but IMHO fully capable. It is strange to work in the fire service with someone born after 9-11. My own daughter was already 18 when my shift partner came into this world. I have actually met her parents and they are bikers, so OK in my book.

I had a leftover baked potato and some kielbasa, so with a couple of fresh eggs from my birds cooked over medium with some Mexican style shredded cheese and an English Muffin, I had a good breakfast.

I did the potato and kielbasa in the toaster oven for 10 minutes under the broiler, while the English muffin went in the 4-slice toaster and I fried up the eggs. Perfectly timed to all be hot and ready at the same time. I thought about turning the potato into homefries, but opted to just halve it with sour cream. I washed it down with an ice cold cup of milk. Real milk... like I have drank all my life... from a cow. Not from a nut tree, oat field, or soybean plant. As an aside; I was the oldest of 3 kids in an intact nuclear family of five. We went through 5 gallons of milk a week. It came direct from the Moser Farms dairy store right in town. They sold a 5-gallon jug that fit in the refrigerator with a spigot at the bottom. We also bought the rest of our dairy goods from them, and went to their soft-serve ice cream stand once a week in the summer.

It Got Muggy Quick

We built our house in eastern Kommiecticut in 2005 and opted to delete the proposed central air conditioning, since this is New England and not Arizona, Texas, or Florida. At most there is a period of 3 1/2 months where it is needed at times, not 8 months where it is mostly needed. Since our house has all Andersen double hung windows, yearly installation of window mount air conditioners is a breeze. I normally pull them out in late September/early October.

So Saturday morning with summer heat and humidity finally on the way, I spent about an hour and a half to put four units in place. It goes pretty quick because the hard part of initial installation is already done, these are re-installs. I have a fifth, but since the job I had that allowed me to work from home vaporized in 2016, I don't put it in our home office any more. It is just a spare.

My wife was going to be grooming dogs over the weekend, so I started with the basement. Being a walkout, there is a double hung window by the door. In a house with a basement an air conditioner keeps it cool and dry, which helps keep the rest of the house that way. This one is an older Frigidaire 8,000 BTU model that I got from my cousin for nothing. On the lowest setting it keeps the whole basement comfortable and dry. I originally used it for the first floor before upgrading. I store it under the basement stairs so it is handy, unlike the other units that I store in the garage attic. Because it is at ground level, for security purposes, the lower sash that holds the A/C unit in place has 2 L-shaped brackets screwed in place to prevent removal. If a criminal decides to just destroy the entire window and make entry, the monitored alarm system will go off.

Next up was the first floor. That one is a newer LG 10,000 BTU that I had to carry down from the garage attic. I store them in the boxes so while there is some heft to it, I can manage it just fine. We have an open floor plan on the first floor, so the single 10,000 BTU in the family room window combined with a ceiling fan keeps the whole downstairs cool, even on low. Because of the walkout basement, no security measures are required, but the slope doesn't put this one at full second floor level, so the L-brackets are also used to keep the sash locked down.

All of the bedrooms are on the second floor, and for those I have a pair of small Frigidaire 5,000 BTU units. Both are also stored in the garage attic needing to be carried down, and then back up to the second floor. One of the bedrooms is the office I described earlier. I put one in the master bedroom (I don't care if that is now a verbotten term, I will use it) and one in the guest room currently occupied by my Father-In-Law. Leaving both units on low, with the ceiling fans also turning on low, keeps the entire upstairs comfortable.

They only run as described when it is hot and sticky out, and when my FIL isn't staying at the house (he occasionally spends a few days with my wife's brother's family), the upstairs ones are off during the day. While running them certainly shows up on the electric bill, it is not all that much. Once the humidity breaks, we'll go back to having the windows open. My wife will only run the one in the basement if she is actively grooming dogs. In the wooded hills where we live, it can be almost 15 degrees cooler than in the Greater Hartford area. You can actually see the temperature drop on the vehicle outside thermometer as you head east to where we live.

Once Again, In The Dark of Night

While the citizens were asleep at 04:19 Saturday morning: New Kommiecticut Gun Control Passes Senate

Yup, that's how they always do it here in Commie Land, vote for infringements right before they scurry away to their little hidey holes. Then get it right to Jolly Ned for his signature. It all takes effect on October 1st. The lawsuits are already written and ready to be submitted immediately upon signature, so the pearl clutching and wailing and gashing of teeth will commence henceforth.

One of the things these unconstitutional/intolerable and unenforceable acts does is strengthen gun storage laws. Previously it only applied to young children in the home, but no more. It applies to everywhere. PICTURED BELOW WILL NOW BE ILLEGAL, however without daily violations of my 4th and 5th Amendment rights I can't be charged with anything proactively.

Self-defense at the ready. Oh, how they REALLY hate this!!

This is my night table right next to my bed as I was getting ready to turn in last night. The cord from the clock radio is for my cell phone and the fob for my alarm system sits on top of the phone all next to my glasses. The dogs will wake and start barking before the alarm goes off, giving me plenty of warning and ability to get up and prepare for a breach of my perimeter. Here's how this infringement will be enforced going forward. If I have to defend myself from an intruder, how did I have such quick access to my firearm if it was locked away unloaded and secure in compliance with the law? By non-compliance, of course. I'll just let the lawyers provided by my CCWSafe Ultimate Plan I pay $500 a year for defend me. Preventing citizens from self-defense, NOT CRIME PREVENTION is the true intent of the petty tyrants in Hartford as always.

The proposed bill in original form was much worse, here is a link to what actually passed. A provision I was happy that got removed was the prohibition of carrying any place that served alcohol. Currently that only applies to bars, and even then only if the owner specifically posts and prohibits it. Otherwise, every time I went out to eat, I would have to make a choice between ignoring the newly created *GFDZ and carry anyway, always going out to eat unarmed, or just never going out to eat. The prohibition of buying more than 3 handguns per month doesn't personally affect me because I can't afford more than one handgun every couple of years or so, BUT... it is still a stupid and unnecessary infringement that has zero bearing on what the criminal element does in acquiring firearms. They can expand the "assault weapons" and "large capacity magazine" bans all they want, I have been happily non-compliant since it's inception in 1994. The ban, in place since 1994, expanded in 2013, and now expanded again have been declared to be aggressively enforced, however the opposite is actually true. The 85% non-compliance rate has frightened the authorities into inaction, because they know there would be a lot of dead tyrant goon squad members not going home to their families.

*GFDZ = Gun Free Death Zone

 

 

UPDATE 6-5-23 13:40 EDT --  Here is a link to the bill history showing the votes. In typical Demon-Crap fashion, they apparently just kept voting and counting until they got the desired result. TELL ME THESE FUCKERS DON'T NEED TO BE DRAGGED OUT BOUND AND GAGGED FOR A CITIZEN TRIBUNAL! My rep and senator know their constituents and did the right thing by voting against it.

Annnnnd... It's Still There.

Had a day out with my wife and her Dad, but it was the third stop that inspired this post. We started at the local town farmer's market. Strawberries are just coming into season here in Kommiecticut, and my wife was looking for some fresh and local to make strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. It was kinda drizzly out and there were only a few vendors at the market. No strawberries but she did pickup a block of fresh sharp cheddar cheese.

Next was on to the flea market held every Sunday at the Mansfield Drive-In. My wife was looking for a couple of more plants for her seasonal floral setup on the back deck, and she said the flea market is a great place to get plants at a discount over the greenhouses. I wandered around looking at lots of junk. An item that caught my eye early on was on the table along with some other assorted tube powered electronics; a CRT pattern generator in a carrying case with a mirror in the lid. The guy didn't know or care what it was, he just said "ten bucks." I documented my use of these 40+ years ago in this post where I detailed my work in a TV repair shop doing 25" picture tube replacements in console TV's. While a neat thing to have, I am not going to start an electronics collectible display in my house so I just walked away. There is a building on the property that was once a huge chicken coop, but is now the indoor portion of the flea market. Most of the spaces inside are permanently occupied by vendors with large assortments of stuff like at a tag sale. One guy had quite the display of knives and swords, along with models, train sets, and other high end toys, so I spent a little extra time in there. I was tempted to buy a modern kukri that had a kydex sheath and a composite handle. It was $30 and I definitely would have bought it, except it was made in CHY-NAH. I'll pass, even though the real ones would be made in Nepal which China likes to think it rules. Anyway, my wife found a nice full geranium for her welded tricycle plant stand on the deck and we left to go get lunch.

I suggested we go to the Willimantic Brewing Co otherwise known as WilliBrew for burgers and a beer which was only about 10 minutes away and my wife and her Dad were good with it. We were last there a little over a year ago, and in this post I wrote about the mentally ill freak on the waitstaff. I was hoping that with either the passing of a year, or the shortage of help in the restaurant business these days, it had moved on elsewhere or at least wasn't working there today. The parking lot was full but the restaurant was not, in a case of every single patron driving their own car? Who knows, we got seated right away at a table that gave me a good tactical advantage and ability to see everything in my A.O. I look up and what do I see? Yup, the freak from last year is still there and was working today. Dammit, now I am hoping it does not come our way to be our server because if it does, I am moving or leaving. Nope, it was working the other end of the restaurant, while we had a very nice and kinda cute 100% real woman waitress not suffering from gender confusion due to mental illness. The freak stayed far away and we had an enjoyable meal. I had a "build your own" burger and a dark lager, my wife had a lobster roll and Diet Coke, and my father-in-law had a Reuben and a lager. My FIL and I both dislike IPA's, and really can't stand the double and triple IPA's. But it seems that what most breweries specialize in, so you have to really peruse the beer menu to find something else.

When we left, we made a quick stop at BJ's in Willimantic. We picked up a few of our regular sundries and my wife got an angel food cake and some heavy cream for whipping but passed up on the strawberries from out west or down south. When we were leaving BJ's, I suggested stopping at Stearn's Farm Stand high up on the hill in Mansfield to see if they had any. Bingo! She came out of the store with 2 quart containers of local strawberries. OMG were they delicious, just sliced up on their own. The fresh angel food cake and her homemade whipped cream made a complete tasty treat. My chickens got the strawberry tops for an afternoon treat of their own.

Chicken Hospice

I pride myself on being a tough old bastard that does not put up with anyone's bullshit. That said, I do have a caring and compassionate side as demonstrated by my career in EMS and the care of my animals.

This morning I found one of my elderly French Black Maran hens lying on her side in the pen when I went down to the coop this morning. The other birds were stomping all over her in excitement to my approach. I sent the other birds out to get their morning mealworm treat and picked her up. At first I thought she was dead, but she opened her eyes and lifted her head. I carried her into the house to my wife's dog grooming area of the basement. I set her on a towel on her grooming table while I went to get a spare dog crate. After the crate was assembled I placed the hen on the towel inside, put the crate on the table, and raised the table to its maximum level. She is sitting in a tripod position which makes breathing easier with her eyes closed and it is just a matter of time before she expires. At least she has a quiet space to go. I had her since she was a 4 month old pullet, laid hundreds of eggs while productive, and has lived out her long life as a matron of the younger ones.

When I find a chicken dead in the morning, I place their body in an empty feed bag and place it in the trash.

Fabulous Weather

It is sunny, 82 with low humidity, and a light breeze. The leaves have finally popped on the trees providing shade on the house. I have every window open and it is a comfortable 72 on the first floor and 74 on the second. I am spending a quiet afternoon alone on the porch listening to the WTIC AM 1080 stream on Audacy through my ROKU with the birds and squirrels to keep me company. 

Nothing else to do until after I get my knee fixed and go back to "fightin' fires and savin' lives!"

If this were a normal day off I'd definitely be out on "The Beast." I hear some guys out on the main road rippin' it up on sportbikes in the distance.

Finally Got A New Trailer

My wife was right. In 2016 when I got permanently exiled from a 35 year career in telecommunications and I.T., I sold off several possessions in order to keep the roof over our heads. One of those possessions was a utility trailer I owned in order to sweeten the deal when I sold my snowmobile. My wife didn't think I should let the trailer go and stated I would later regret it. Yup... I did and missed it more than the sled itself which was itself one sweet ride. It was 15 years old with low miles and a fresh top end, electric start, studded track, reverse, and heated seats and grips. I had modified the trailer to also carry the sled which it did perfectly and that clinched the sale.

My 45th Anniversary Edition Polaris 2000 700 XC. *Sniff* no more

So after getting a substantial sum of back overtime pay, I went trailer shopping again. The other things I use my trailer for is forest management from the road in front of my house, moving large items, and carrying my canoe with kayaks to and from bodies of water. I had looked around before and never found what I really wanted for a decent price. I started looking again and have had a bitch of time finding what I want. I came across an internet ad for Big Tex trailers, and found a local dealer. I called CT Trailer in Bolton and they had a brand new leftover trailer that was larger and heavier than I wanted but at a discounted price of $3995. They were going to close before I got out of work, so they said I could come by and look at it in their lot after hours then call them the next day. I looked at it and thought it was huge, but the price was unbeatable. I also looked at some aluminum trailers that had on site and jotted down some model numbers to see how much more they were out of curiosity.

When I called the next day, the saleswoman I originally spoke to was off. The salesman I spoke to said the Big Tex trailer I was looking to buy should not have been on the inventory because it was already sold. Since I had looked at the aluminum trailers I inquired about an Aluma 7210 they had on the lot. YIKES.... $5299.00 but was the size and capacity with the features I wanted. Plus it is all aluminum construction instead of a wooden deck like the Big Tex had. I went down that afternoon with the intention of buying it and taking it home. Unfortunately, my wife had other plans. She called me to see when I was coming home just as I was walking into the showroom. I went out with the salesman to give it a good once over and decided to take it. Because I did not have time to process the whole sale, I gave them a 10% down payment and told them I'd be back next Saturday the 6th to finalize the sale and take it home.

Saturday the 6th (bum knee and all) I went to CT Trailer to pickup my new trailer. The saleswoman I originally dealt with over the phone was there and I must say, quite the hot cougar (younger than me but older than MILF status). I did the paperwork and paid the money, which meant I was leaving with a fully registered trailer sporting a brand new license plate. I went outside with the saleswoman to get it ready to take away. Uh oh.... a problem developed with my hitch. I had a 6" drop hitch in my receiver, which was perfect for my old trailer, but too low for the new one. She said the too low angle will wear out the tires unnecessarily. "No problem, I have a level hitch with a 2" ball in my truck box" I said all proud of myself. That hitch was made by Toyota and came with our 2005 4Runner we had bought new and traded in back in 2019. I had never tried it in my Tundra tow receiver. The way it was made it would not go in far enough for the locking pin holes to line up. Now I look like an idiot. OK, they have some level hitches in the accessory store, they would just move my 2" ball onto it. Nope. The Toyota ball has a larger shank and was not even close to fitting. Another $50 for a whole new hitch and another 2" ball. OK it is hooked up and level, and all the lights are working fine. I had tested my truck's trailer electrical connector previously to make sure it was all good.

The new hitch and ball. I already had the locking retention pin

I have large stainless steel lock-nut rings on the receiver because unless the trailer safety chains have monster size hooks, they don't fit in those angled slots. That was the case with the new trailer's safety chains that had snap hooks on the ends. I also wanted to purchase hitch locks, so back into the store to pick out what I wanted.

A ball lock and a hitch lever pin lock

Because I bought a brand new trailer I got 10% off all the accessories, but it still all cost me another $144.38 for every thing. The whole deal for the trailer, registration, sales tax, and the accessories was $5960.56 which I plunked down on my rewards VISA card. I will pay the entire balance when the bill comes next month and use the points to get gift cards like I always do.

I extended and re-adjusted my tow mirrors, put on my headlights, and made the uneventful trip home. At only 450 pounds empty, I didn't even feel the trailer back there. I share a driveway with my neighbor, and I pulled in and up their driveway and then easily backed into mine and all the way up to my garage. It tracks and maneuvers like a dream.

Parked in my driveway. GVW is 2200 pounds

From the other side. Dimensions are 10' x 6' with 24" high removable sides

Heavy duty tie-down points in all four corners

The tie-downs will allow me to trailer "The Beast" to the Honda dealer in the event something happens that I can't drive it there.

So the anti-theft locks I put on really won't prevent theft. The hitch is bolted onto the trailer tongue, where it was all welded steel on my old trailer and these locks worked fine. All someone had to do was unbolt my hitch and toss it aside, bolt on a new one, and drive away with my trailer. See what I mean below.

 

So here is my solution; a 20' tow chain I had in the barn wrapped around a 2' diameter pine tree and threaded around the trailer tongue, secured with a "Level 9"  Master padlock. The trailer would be destroyed cutting the softer aluminum around the chain and lock. The hitch locks are there also. Will a determined thief with all the time in the world make off with my trailer? Probably. The hope is that the run of the mill petty thieves that sometimes pop up in our area would look at this mess and go elsewhere.

Current view from my Blink Outdoor camera

I had contemplated parking the trailer and chaining it to the telephone pole down the driveway in a better and flatter spot, but here by the pine tree puts it in camera range. It won't be used every day so secured, under video surveillance, and out of the way is fine.

Conditions Improved

In this post the other day I highlighted the high fire danger conditions around my home and the region. I am pleased to report that thanks to the over 3 1/2" of rain we received (with higher rain amounts in the CT river valley) in the last 24 hours, the spring wild fire season may be completely over. The leaf canopy and green ground cover is going to explode when the sun comes up. Also, the water levels in the rivers, streams, ponds, and swamps are way up. This means plenty of water supply for rural firefighting operations. Fishing will improve in the next few days too.

Happenings at The Homestead

The fire danger in Kommiecticut (actually most of southern New England) has been anywhere from "High" to "Extreme" with RED FLAG WARNINGS for the past few weeks. I receive the daily fire danger alert from the state via email. If there is a day of rain, the danger may go to low for one day, but on the next day it goes back to "HIGH" and continues up until the next rain. There have been many fires in the region and several I have personally worked. There was a 700 acre fire in Rhode Island that looked like a fire from out west that required help from CT & MA. Our fires never get into the trees like that requiring air drops, but that one did. The next couple of photos are from one my department fought along a town hiking trail. When we got the call it was reported as 10' x 10'. I was on duty that day and got there first with our brush truck, finding an area that was now 100' x 100' with a roaring fire spreading fast. We put it out with a total of six guys and 2,000 gallons of water from two of our engines. When all was said and done it was more than an acre. Normally a dirt strip will stop it, but as you can see it went right across the hiking trail burning both sides. In the last photo, the fire was on a hilltop a few hundred feet in off the road. Smelly, dirty, and soaking wet when you are done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My house is surrounded by woods and for the most part has a wide WUI (wildland-urban interface) barrier except for the west side facing the road. That is a thin strip of grass and in the summer also has a thick lush green area of ferns and ground cover. However, everything is just starting to grow so the ground is still covered with dry cured fuels that burn ferociously.

Our front porch which sees lots of use in warm weather

Looking down the steep hill from the porch towards the road.

The front of the house from the driveway

 

As you can see, the woods are pretty close to the front of the house. All it would take is some fucktard driving by to flick a cigarette butt out the window to light off my front woods. Under normal conditions that is not an issue. Once the tree canopy shades the forest floor, the ground cover holds the moisture and prevents fire spread. Right now, the sun is shining right through and baking everything on the ground making it super flammable. Therefore, once in the morning and once in the evening, the entire area 20-30 feet from the grass line out is wet down with what we in the fire service call "The Green Line" meaning a garden hose. Doing it twice a day will allow the water to soak through enough to slow if not halt fire spread. This coming Sunday we are supposed to get significant rain, so with this area pre-wetted down, the rain should really soak through and not just run off down the hill. Luckily we have not suffered through the decades of drought like Kommiefornia and are allowed to clear and mange our forests. I have a pile of stuff to burn out back once the fire danger lessens.

In yesterday's post about my Rhodesian Ridgeback Eli's birthday, I mentioned he won a dog show. The official photo came in the mail. I cropped it out for SafeSECS to eliminate the judge and my wife's faces, but there is my Handsome Boy in a show stance.

We normally keep our dogs lean, so you can just make out their ribs. But my wife was told that judges don't care for that look, so we have upped his meal portions to bulk him up and it seemed to work this time.