08:12 – After dinner yesterday, Barbara commented that it was still 92F (33C) outside. I checked the temperature in West Jefferson, which was 73F (23C). That’s pretty much the norm. When it’s very hot down here in the flatlands, it’s usually 10 to 20F cooler up in the mountains. According to the real estate agent, many homes there don’t have central air conditioning because it’s not really needed. Winter temperatures are lower up there as well, but usually not all that much lower. It gets below freezing more often up there, and there is more snow, but the difference isn’t great enough to be a problem.
Most of my time this week was devoted to working on science kit stuff and the prepping book, but here’s what I did to prep this week:
- I finished book one in James Wesley, Rawles’ Patriots series. It’s a bit disconcerting to read a novel that includes a glossary and an index. Rawles isn’t the best writer I’ve ever read, not by a long shot, but he can at least write competently. Rawles self-identifies as a Constitutionalist Christian libertarian, and the book is chock-full of religious stuff. Characters are constantly thanking God, stopping to kneel and pray, and reciting bible verses, but I can live with that. At least Rawles doesn’t want to force his beliefs on others. He even has a Jewish main character and another who’s agnostic (although the latter eventually converts). He also has odd gaps in his technical knowledge. For example, he thinks butane gas is added to gasoline as an octane booster, and he thinks a frequency-agile transmitter is one that can transmit outside authorized frequencies, like a 2-meter ham HT that can be unlocked to transmit outside the 144 – 148 MHz range. But overall it’s not a bad book, particularly compared to others in the PA genre. In absolute terms, I’d give it 2.5 stars out of 5. In relative terms, I’d give it 3.5 or 4. I started the second in the series last night.
So, what precisely did you do to prepare this week? Tell me about it in the comments.
This week in Southeastern WA has been unseasonably hot. Our normal is in the 80s but this week has been 100 to 105. When you see the national weather reports you never see that the normal temperature and weather for WA State is far different than what they show, which is only Seattle. Of course Seattle doesn’t recognize that anything exists East of the Cascades.
We are under an artificially/bureaucrat created “drought” condition that is severely limiting how often and much we can use our irrigation water (this is a separate pressurized non-potable water system originally created by the farmers). It is a no-no to use city water to water your lawn or garden. We’ve had water restrictions before but never this severe or with “water police,” progressive fines, and eventually having your irrigation locked out. If caught using city water you just get fined.
Just slowly adding to supplies, extra emphasis on water.
Trying to convince the wife to take a refresher shooting course with me, but she is reluctant. About 20 years ago I took her to an NRA practical self-defense course (8 sessions over 8 weeks). She started out being bored, but when we got to firing various weapons she really got into it. Trying to use that as a carrot to get her to go again.
Yeah, it’s been my experience that many people who think they’re anti-gun find out they really enjoy shooting, once they can be convinced to try it.
I used to go down to Louisville to machine-gun shoots that were held at an old artillery testing range not far from Ft. Knox. Hundreds of shooters showed up at these, with everything from Thompson SMGs to M-60’s and MG-34’s and -42’s to to M2 50’s to Solothurn antitank guns and RPGs.
We were staying with one of my friend Dave’s friends, Karl, in Louisville. Karl’s girlfriend, Lange Blackburn (Louisville old money), was there with us the night before the event, watching us load belts, clean and oil the guns, and so on. She kept muttering about how we were deranged for being interested in automatic weapons. We convinced her to go along and watch. We had Dave’s MG-42 mounted on Karl’s original Kubelwagen (think VW Thing), which we drove to the event. The targets were mostly old cars, refrigerators, and so on, many with sticks of dynamite taped to them and painted blaze orange.
Lange watched for a while. I think she liked watching things blow up. She finally asked if she could shoot. We had the MG-42 fed with 25o-round belts, with tracer every fifth round. Dave and Karl explained to her how to aim and fire, and both of them told her to fire short bursts. When she opened up, she just held down the trigger and went through 250 rounds in a single burst. That barrel was red-hot afterwards. She climbed down from behind the gun, laughing like mad. When I asked her how she liked it, she replied, “My daddy’s gonna buy me one!”
Speaking of firearms, looks like Colt may go into bankruptcy this month. They missed an interest payment last month and have a few more days to make it up. The bondholders refused to take a 50% or so haircut.
Oh no! New York City is going under the rising sea this month! “FLASHBACK: ABC’s ’08 Prediction: NYC Under Water from Climate Change By June 2015”
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2015/06/12/flashback-abcs-08-prediction-nyc-under-water-climate-change-june
There is more than one reason why I do not watch the major networks news anymore. The only way that you tell when they are lying is when their lips are moving. Bunch of liberal elitists!
Speaking of firearms, looks like Colt may go into bankruptcy this month.
That is what they get for stopping production of the Colt Python.
http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/11/bankruptcy-on-the-horizon-for-colt/
I have not seen a Colt weapon in a store in decades. Whereas I have been drooling over a S&W model 66 in several stores.
Remington has also had a large mangler shakeup at the top levels recently.
And RIP Christopher Lee, now gone from us at 93. And was still working right up to the end.
Oh noes. Will that mean I can’t get parts for my Combat Commander?
Oh, I just realized. Mr. Atoz can make them for me on that fancy CNC mill he just got.
I was looking at the Ghost Gunner CNC machine but they’re on way-back-order and you gotta pay a couple of Franklins to even get on a waiting list.
As you no doubt know, you can get whatever Colt and after-market parts you want for your Commander; the innernet, Brownell’;s, Midway, Shotgun News, etc.
Gee whiz; another full day of steady rain here, like we need it. Rest of weekend ‘sposed to be nice, though, and we’re heading down to MA to grab a car for Princess so she can mess that one up, and heading right back up here. Last time also to see son and DIL and grandkids before they head out to the SF Bay area.
Prepping? We finished two more raised beds and planted more tomatoes; now about to do pumpkins and squash, and of course, more flowers. Also several varieties of habanero and jalapeno peppers, and if the farmers just up the street can grow ’em, we should be able to as well. You’d think. Ordered up more 5.56 and 9mm ammo, and some firearms parts and tools, plus additional reloading gear. Studied up on ways to be more secure with computers, network and radio commo. Worked on Technician License study (I already have a GMRS license, two Baofengs, and a Midland Base Camp 2-way radio, plus two shortwave radios, one a Grundig Satellit and the other a much smaller Sony.) Studying up also on various antenna configs.
I’ve got plenty of outside grunt work to do coming up this week, including fencing off the rear perimeter and installing half a dozen more solar motion-detector floodlights. But I also wanna start getting the basement in better shape for food storage, which means dumping RUTHLESSLY a bunch of junk we don’t need and won’t use but which has collected there. Then I’m debating whether or not to filling in with concrete mix an open and broken eight-foot section of the floor in one corner. Next step after that will be putting a bunch of shelving down there along as much wall space as I can. Mrs. OFD may not be totally on board with this but I’ll start the cleanup at least and then work on her about it. We don’t use the space for anything other than dumping junk into it and I wanna get us away from that habit.
After that, I wanna start the flooring and shelving in the attic and I have the tools and gear ready to go.
My prepping consists of sitting the a Hampton Inn in San Bernardino while the wife teaches. I’m thinking of moving here and signing up for welfare. This place is the pits.
Oh, I just realized. Mr. Atoz can make them for me on that fancy CNC mill he just got.
As long as aluminum will do. I think steel would use a hundred bits. Plus no cooling liquid other than what you squirt on yourself.
I love this story of a White chick masquerading as a Black chick while heading up the Spokane NAACP. The best part is the NAACP backing her up…uh…you don’t have to be White…uh. Why are they backing up an obviously mentally ill woman. Looks like she is denying reality.
Rawles self-identifies as a Constitutionalist Christian libertarian, and the book is chock-full of religious stuff.
At first glance, I agree with this totally:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_libertarianism
“For these reasons, Christian libertarians may consider Jesus of Nazareth as the greatest libertarian in history.” I totally agree with that statement as Jesus was big on personal responsibility. “Go and sin no more” is about as clear as it comes.
If you like robot stories, you might like the novel “Brother, Frankenstein” by Michael Bunker (I believe he’s a prepper and has written some prepping books). A fast SciFi read with hackers, black suit gummint bad guys and the Amish community. Still 99 cents on the Kindle.
Did I mention San Bernardino is the pits. Two homeless WHITE! dudes begging right outside the Inn.
Had a pleasant surprise in my 2005 Ford Expedition today. I popped in a MP3 Audio CD of Jack Higgins book, “The President’s Daughter (Sean Dillon Book 6)” and it worked! I figured that my ten year old CD player in my truck had no idea what MP3 was but it proved me wrong.
http://www.amazon.com/Presidents-Daughter-Sean-Dillon-Series/dp/1469269708/
And another big advantage of the MP3 CD is that it is only one disk versus 7 to 10 disks for the old style audio CDs. Our local libraries appear to be transitioning to MP3 so I am good (this is a library book that my wife picked up for me).
An interesting take on the McKinney incident.
installing half a dozen more solar motion-detector floodlights
Where from? Make/model number?
Other intel on that McKinney incident shows that it was a malice-aforethought enterprise engineered by that exact same female subject prior to all the mayhem, and they basically invaded that neighborhood. Naturally the online Maoist rag Salon advertises the pics and vids from it as “the face of white rage.” So the officer got caught on camera doing his job, pretty much, under trying circumstances and a very fluid crowd situation and was the sacrificial goat when it was over. We note that Reverends Sharpless and Jackwagon never showed up for this, which may tell us something. And Reverend Fartinacan never shows up for these capers, which tells us something else.
@Alan: These are Swiftly-Done units (solar motion sensor light):
http://swiftly-done.com/product/peel-n-stick-lightning-black/
http://www.amazon.com/Swiftly-Bright-Outdoor-Energy-Powered/dp/B00EGFKOZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434160260&sr=8-1&keywords=Swiftly-Done+motion+sensor+light
McKinney, dunno, I’m skeptical. From what I see in the videos, the guy let his enthusiasm for a confrontation get out of hand. The gratuitous barrel roll is pretty indicative: “wow, an excuse to cut loose”. Drawing his pistol on an unarmed group that was not threatening him. Nope, not buying it.
Videos can be edited six ways from Sunday and then uploaded all over the net. I kinda thought the same thing, that the cop went overboard somewhat, but it was quite a mess to have to jump into to the middle of and very fluid. You show up and there’s a mob of kids be-bopping all over the ‘hood and a couple of them seem like they’re coming at ya, other cops are racing around, and you have to try to get some kind of immediate control. Yes, he drew his sidearm, probably not a good move; if I was the chief there I’d sit down with him and the other responding cops and go over the whole thing with them, maybe a couple of reprimands. No one got hurt and I’d also make sure the public knew the genesis of this little event.
Gateway pundit has good links re: McKinney. FSA Trying to use something they don’t own to make money. Cops actions may or may not have been politic, but he drew after 2 guys charged him. He promptly re-holsters. Chief should NOT have thrown him under the bus.
Nick
I predict a lot of Blue Flu and officer exodus in McKinney. I wonder if Ms. Yellow Bikini got charged for inciting a riot and disturbing the peace? One of those young men who charged the cop is lucky to be alive, he faced off and made like he was pulling something from his back. Not good, not good at all. That is how you get yourself shot because you just started a gun battle without a gun.
http://conservativetribune.com/mckinney-cop-speaks-out/
McKinney is a solid little town. In fact, quite a wealthy town, just like the Land of Sugar. There is no way that they will charge that officer. And there is no way that he would be convicted.
http://therightscoop.com/mark-levin-blasts-mckinney-police-chief-for-throwing-officer-over-the-cliff/