Meanwhile back at the 'stead

[Eddie]

It's been blazing hot......108 F yesterday and I expect we're there today too. I've spent most of the day inside.

I spent the last four days putting down the first room of new floor in the lake cottage....replacing some ancient linoleum. I started ripping out the old stuff on Friday afternoon.....and got the base boards back on today.

Too hot to clean up the outside mess properly. Next weekend I will try to get the flatbed to the dump...It's getting pretty full.

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[Eddie]

Tomorrow is the first day of fall. It is raining here, a result of tropical storm Beta, which looks to be causing nothing but some minor flooding and a heavy surf in Galveston. I'm at work, but wishing I was sleeping in.

Rainy days do that to me.

I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up after myself at the lakehouse, putting away tools that have been strewed around the carport all year, as I worked on various projects. The boathouse is done. The floors are done in the upstairs, and I put back the dry wall over the hole I cut in the ceiling to to repair the upstairs shower drain..My 18 foot flat-bed trailer is full and overflowing in the driveway with the detritus of the boathouse build and the floor remodel. I finally got the non-functional washer and dryer out of the carport. We never used them, and they had become a catch-all for left over hardware and tools.......slowly marinating in grease, dust and leaves.

I filled up two huge plastic tote boxes and two smaller ones with tools and useable left-over materials. Most of that will go to my local storage out there next weekend and the trailer will finally go to the dump. I filled up two big garbage bags with trash and leaves. I'm not finished with my clean-up, but it's almost done. I have some lumber and drywall and some roofing metal that need to go to storage too. But a couple of quick trips to the storage and a trip to Llano to the waste transfer station will do it. They'll probably charge me a hundred bucks to empty that trailer.

My fall agenda is lighter, but I still would like to get the lost freeze plug back in the old Mastercraft and get it back in useable condition. I think I'll move it to a warehouse after that, and maybe put my MG under the carport and get it running again. It needed clutch work when I parked it......must be five years now. The carbs will have to be rebuilt. Who knows what else. Rust never sleeps. Time  just gets by so fast now, at my age.. The kids are after me to get our old jetski functional....it needs a steering cable, which I ordered...but I got the wrong swivels...got to order more.

The night time temps are back in the low 70's I hope to get some fall tomatoes...it's been a good year for tomatoes, but the August heat put a stop to fruiting.

I saw that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died...and that Trump wasted no time in announcing he would be picking a woman to replace her...sort of a a typical Trump trick.....a way to provide cover for appointing a sixth Catholic. It's sort of like the old joke about how many Aggies it takes to screw in a light bulb. How many Catholics does it take on the US Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade?

I think Roe was a good decision, if not legally bulletproof. As pointed out by Levitt and Dubner, access to abortion is the most important reason we have seen a huge drop in crime for thirty years. It's rife with irony that the religious folks who are so consumed with walking back Roe are the same ones always worried about crime. They don't get how it works......and don't want to get it.

Nobody complains about the way the Supreme Court has eroded our rights by upholding asset seizures by cops with no proof of a crime. Nobody talks about Citizens United allowing corporate money to completely dominate congressional elections....It's hot button issues like Roe...and the 2nd Amendment.....those are what Americans get worked up about.

The election is a little over 40 days away, and Biden is still enjoying a slight lead in the polls, but the Democrats are nothing if not expert at grasping defeat from the jaws of victory. Their platform is as wormy as a rotten old boat parked for too long in a warming Gulf of Mexico..Trump is sure to do any possible grandstanding he can to try to turn it around, including starting a war, or announcing troop withdrawals from the Middle East, or announcing COVID is cured, even if it isn't. And with all the mail-in votes that can't be counted until after the election, there is a decent chance of angry people hitting the streets.

It truly sucks to be an American voter, with the bad choices we have to pick from. They only seem to get worse, not better.

COVID levels had fallen to decent (very low) levels here, but kids returning to school and a further re-opening of most businesses might cause them to head back up. The curve has turned back up as of last week, but so far it isn't a steep rise. Time will tell.

The Diner is awfully quiet. With RE in the hospital the forum amounts to a death watch, with old posters and lurkers showing up to check on him. I'm glad to see he still feels good enough to post something  that lets us know he's still alive. I'm sorry my old friend is feeling so poorly, but this has been coming for a long time, and the ending is already written.....just not the timing. I hope he can bounce back one more time. I'm sorry he doesn't have family to look after him at a time like this.

I felt like I should drop in here, just to say hi. Hi, RE, hope you see this. Hope you aren't in too much pain. Hope your medical treatment  goes however you want and need it to go. A hospital is not a great place to die. Hang in there if you can.

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[RE]

]
The Diner is awfully quiet. With RE in the hospital the forum amounts to a death watch, with old posters and lurkers showing up to check on him. I'm glad to see he still feels good enough to post something  that lets us know he's still alive.

I'm trying to post up some update each day.

I am finally out of ICU and back on the ward, but still no solid food.  They give me fucking Jello to eat!  FAKE FOOD.  I haven't eaten Jello since JFK was POTUS!  DISGUSTING!  So far the closest to SF is Wheatina.

I found a Hospital Bed which does all the positions from Sleeping thru to Seat Transfer for $2000.  Do a GoFundMe campaign for me! "Impoverished Crippled Doomer needs SLEEP!"   



Not the biggest or best one out there, but should be enuf for now to assist

In less welcome Newz, I talked with the Ass Doctor and he wants to drag me in for another Up Close & Personal view of my unobstructed Shitter.    Not  immediately, but in another month maybe.   That means subjecting myself to still more abuse.  No food or even water for about 2 days.  About 2gallons of the Shittting Juice to get down.  Then more time on the table and the recovery.

I do not want this option.  I want an unlimited supply of Morphine, my Office Chair and my computer and finish out here writing a new Obituary for myself.

RE

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[Phil Rumpole]

Good that you're making steady progress, but may I ask Eduardo, why you do absolutely everything yourself? Speaking for myself, there are projects I want to try, like building a chickencoop, they can lodge a formal complaint and sue me if it's not perfect.  Then there are the things I call experts to do, so it's finished professionally and I don't need to worry it doesn't look or work right.  A shower drain and flooring fall into the second category.

My mindset is there is my own field of expertise and when it comes to things that I need to depend on and live with, I prefer to trust the experts in the field who have years of experience in that thing.  I want them done better than I can do, and I'm probably not really interested in doing anyway.

I'm curious how you think about it. Why not leave some things to the pros?
----------------------------

RE, make that ass dr earn his fee. I won't start on how hospital food doesnt help anyone get well.
-------------------------------

I listened to a good radio interview with a union official re covid effect on workers. Takeaway was it is having a psychological impact due to digitizalation/isolation.   Re gig economy and neoliberal ethos, temp labour, free market: "we have a generation that doesn't  know what a sick day is".

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[Eddie]

Good that you're making steady progress, but may I ask Eduardo, why you do absolutely everything yourself? Speaking for myself, there are projects I want to try, like building a chickencoop, they can lodge a formal complaint and sue me if it's not perfect.  Then there are the things I call experts to do, so it's finished professionally and I don't need to worry it doesn't look or work right.  A shower drain and flooring fall into the second category.

My mindset is there is my own field of expertise and when it comes to things that I need to depend on and live with, I prefer to trust the experts in the field who have years of experience in that thing.  I want them done better than I can do, and I'm probably not really interested in doing anyway.

I'm curious how you think about it. Why not leave some things to the pros?
----------------------------

RE, make that ass dr earn his fee. I won't start on how hospital food doesnt help anyone get well.
-------------------------------

I listened to a good radio interview with a union official re covid effect on workers. Takeaway was it is having a psychological impact due to digitizalation/isolation.   Re gig economy and neoliberal ethos, temp labour, free market: "we have a generation that doesn't  know what a sick day is".

There are some things I wouldn't attempt to do myself.....but some of the things I've been doing this year were as much as about  the process as the result.

Simple question you asked, but complicated to answer. For one thing three of my favorite go-to guys for handyman jobs have retired on me, and it's hard to find good people. But it's more than that. I grew up in a rural culture in a time and place where people had no choice but to do things for themselves...and that was an influence.

And my father was very good at building farm buildings and fences and corrals......and in his day job he was a millwright. He taught me a lot, and when I build things I feel close to him, as though he is there with me. Even though he's been gone for 30 years now.

The boathouse was an idea I had, that almost built itself. A strange confluence of circumstances.....the unexpected gift of a nice boat lift, exactly like I'd wanted to buy, but couldn't find. The LCRA lowering the lake for two years in a row, which is unusual. The time I had on my hands during the lockdown, although I treated some emergencies the whole time....I did have lots of time. The challenge of building a difficult project and getting a good result. Financial reasons.....professionals charge $50K and up to build a boathouse....and this year money has been tight. I spent maybe $3-4K. That's a guess, I didn't keep receipts or make a budget. Just knocked it out, a little every week. I never even had a set of plans, although I drew out the roof to be sure I had it right.

Once I started it, the pandemic hit....and I very much wanted to see it through...I was worried I might get sick and die and leave it unfinished, I didn't want that to happen, and it kept me very motivated. LOL.

The floors were something I did just to improve the esthetics of our cottage. It's a place where my wife and I both like to go to recharge our batteries and relax. We'd owned the place for a decade and I was tired of looking at the old linoleum. It always looked dirty. it only took two weekends, really, and the results impressed my wife.

And that, sir not an easy thing to accomplish.       We often have trouble agreeing on things like which material looks best, and our tastes are different. I like spare and simple and industrial. She likes kitschy and eclectic. People should screen for that sort of thing before they get married, It's a wonder we've even made it these 40 years.

These days DIY jobs are easier to figure out, what with Utube experts willing to share their tradesman secrets. I only work 4 days a week in my practice, and we alternate days, which gives us a 4 day weekend every other week. So I have the time. I put a lot of money into investments still, and will for a few more years, hopefully. So it's good if I can save a little here and there on things we need done. Money is always a consideration.

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[Eddie]

]
The Diner is awfully quiet. With RE in the hospital the forum amounts to a death watch, with old posters and lurkers showing up to check on him. I'm glad to see he still feels good enough to post something  that lets us know he's still alive.

I'm trying to post up some update each day.

I am finally out of ICU and back on the ward, but still no solid food.  They give me fucking Jello to eat!  FAKE FOOD.  I haven't eaten Jello since JFK was POTUS!  DISGUSTING!  So far the closest to SF is Wheatina.

I found a Hospital Bed which does all the positions from Sleeping thru to Seat Transfer for $2000.  Do a GoFundMe campaign for me! "Impoverished Crippled Doomer needs SLEEP!"   



Not the biggest or best one out there, but should be enuf for now to assist

In less welcome Newz, I talked with the Ass Doctor and he wants to drag me in for another Up Close & Personal view of my unobstructed Shitter.    Not  immediately, but in another month maybe.   That means subjecting myself to still more abuse.  No food or even water for about 2 days.  About 2gallons of the Shittting Juice to get down.  Then more time on the table and the recovery.

I do not want this option.  I want an unlimited supply of Morphine, my Office Chair and my computer and finish out here writing a new Obituary for myself.

RE

He LIVES! 

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[John of Wallan]

Looks like I will have a month off at Christmas. I will add a few posts like I did last year to keep things rolling... Hopefully not all about bloody fires again!
Will do a tree post this weekend. Have planted a couple of more in the last week despite working 65 hour weeks.

Add tequila to the jello. Helps it go down. Just dont think bout the horses hooves. Keep away from the morphine as much as you can. Its good for wounded soldiers, but fucks up your system if on long term. All opiates depresses your breathing which reduces oxygen intake and slows healing. Better off with some medicinal hooch. Might stimulate your appetite too! If you were around when JFK was alive I am sure you have used it before.....

I have noticed the drop off in traffic too since RE has taken leave. Interesting how one grumpy individual can make such a difference.
Sounds like a lot of people miss you RE, me included.
Get well soon mate.

JOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QhlIGFb71A

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[Eddie]

Adventurer daughter has been dating a guy with a young son, and the three of them have started trying to fish off the dock.....nothing too ambitious, just bobbers and earthworms.....a few perch have been caught...and released. But she bought me a fishing license (online...... you can do that here now, finally, thanks to COVID).

Anyway, I bought a fishing rod and a new reel yesterday, and no matter who wins the election, next weekend I'm going fishing. The intended catch will be crappie, the most decent panfish we have in this part of the world. The plan is to find some place to buy live minnows and then to paddle my kayak out to a place where I know a tree ended up settling into the little bay between my dock and the island that's a hundred yard offshore..That happened in the flood two years ago this last month. The one that washed out the highway bridge two  miles upstream, which has been rebuilt now.

I've meant to get around to some fishing for ten years.....but it never made it to the top of the priority list. Not sure it will work out, but we shall see. I haven't cleaned a fish in two decades, but I guess I still can. I used to have a tackle box and a few bits of equipment from when the kids were little, but they seem to have disappeared from the place I thought they were stored. I suppose I will replace those if this turns out to be a worthwhile pastime.

I can't help but think of that silly movie, Grumpy Old Men. There are similarities. I'm probably going to have to play both characters, the Walter Matthau character and the Jack Lemmon character.....I'm probably a little bit of both those types.

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[John of Wallan]

Just bought this Parker Hale replica at Auction. Would be good for fishing around here... Just waiting for permit and registration paperwork before I pick it up. Cant wait to shoot it!
Might have to make my own black powder now. Should definately start casting my own projectiles.
I believe these were extensively used by the South in your first civil war.

PARKER HALE 1861 ENFIELD PERCUSSION CARBINE: 577 CAL; 24" ROUND BARREL; G. BORE; STD SIGHTS & FITTINGS; LOCK MARKED WITH ROYAL CYPHER P-H ENFIELD 1861; PLEASING PATINA TO BRASS REGULATION FURNITURE; SHARP PROFILES & CLEAR MARKINGS; RETAINING A FULL BLUE FINISH TO THE BARREL, VIVID CASE COLOURS TO HAMMER & LOCK PLATE; VG STOCK WITH MINOR BRUISING; ALL COMPLETE WITH ROD, SNAP CAP & CHAIN & SWIVELS; GWO & VG+ COND. #1561 L/R


JOW

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[Cam]

Adventurer daughter has been dating a guy with a young son, and the three of them have started trying to fish off the dock.....nothing too ambitious, just bobbers and earthworms.....a few perch have been caught...and released. But she bought me a fishing license (online...... you can do that here now, finally, thanks to COVID).

Anyway, I bought a fishing rod and a new reel yesterday, and no matter who wins the election, next weekend I'm going fishing. The intended catch will be crappie, the most decent panfish we have in this part of the world. The plan is to find some place to buy live minnows and then to paddle my kayak out to a place where I know a tree ended up settling into the little bay between my dock and the island that's a hundred yard offshore..That happened in the flood two years ago this last month. The one that washed out the highway bridge two  miles upstream, which has been rebuilt now.

I've meant to get around to some fishing for ten years.....but it never made it to the top of the priority list. Not sure it will work out, but we shall see. I haven't cleaned a fish in two decades, but I guess I still can. I used to have a tackle box and a few bits of equipment from when the kids were little, but they seem to have disappeared from the place I thought they were stored. I suppose I will replace those if this turns out to be a worthwhile pastime.

I can't help but think of that silly movie, Grumpy Old Men. There are similarities. I'm probably going to have to play both characters, the Walter Matthau character and the Jack Lemmon character.....I'm probably a little bit of both those types.

My dad is huge into fishing, it's definitely his thing. Before things got all snowy here he went fishing up at the cottage and got quite a few fish that day. When he cleans fish he does it at an old table in our sauna down by the lake at the cottage. When he has too many fish to squeeze on the table (it's pretty small) he leaves the extra catches on the grass outside. He's never had a problem doing this up until a few weeks ago. He looked out while he was cleaning and saw an otter come out of the water...Initially he found it pretty neat, until he realized the otter was eyeing his fish. He leapt out of his chair and ran at the otter to scare it back in the water. It worked, but the otter somehow managed to swipe his biggest fish on its way back to the water  He didn't see the otter for a little bit, so he went back in and started cleaning again, but he kept an eye out. Just minutes later the otter was back for more. I mean from the otter's perspective my dad had created a buffet so he was just coming along and enjoying it. This time my dad was ready and scared him back into the water before he could swipe anything. Moral of the story: be at the ready like Dora always was. Swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!

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[Nearingsfault]

Adventurer daughter has been dating a guy with a young son, and the three of them have started trying to fish off the dock.....nothing too ambitious, just bobbers and earthworms.....a few perch have been caught...and released. But she bought me a fishing license (online...... you can do that here now, finally, thanks to COVID).

Anyway, I bought a fishing rod and a new reel yesterday, and no matter who wins the election, next weekend I'm going fishing. The intended catch will be crappie, the most decent panfish we have in this part of the world. The plan is to find some place to buy live minnows and then to paddle my kayak out to a place where I know a tree ended up settling into the little bay between my dock and the island that's a hundred yard offshore..That happened in the flood two years ago this last month. The one that washed out the highway bridge two  miles upstream, which has been rebuilt now.

I've meant to get around to some fishing for ten years.....but it never made it to the top of the priority list. Not sure it will work out, but we shall see. I haven't cleaned a fish in two decades, but I guess I still can. I used to have a tackle box and a few bits of equipment from when the kids were little, but they seem to have disappeared from the place I thought they were stored. I suppose I will replace those if this turns out to be a worthwhile pastime.

I can't help but think of that silly movie, Grumpy Old Men. There are similarities. I'm probably going to have to play both characters, the Walter Matthau character and the Jack Lemmon character.....I'm probably a little bit of both those types.

My dad is huge into fishing, it's definitely his thing. Before things got all snowy here he went fishing up at the cottage and got quite a few fish that day. When he cleans fish he does it at an old table in our sauna down by the lake at the cottage. When he has too many fish to squeeze on the table (it's pretty small) he leaves the extra catches on the grass outside. He's never had a problem doing this up until a few weeks ago. He looked out while he was cleaning and saw an otter come out of the water...Initially he found it pretty neat, until he realized the otter was eyeing his fish. He leapt out of his chair and ran at the otter to scare it back in the water. It worked, but the otter somehow managed to swipe his biggest fish on its way back to the water  He didn't see the otter for a little bit, so he went back in and started cleaning again, but he kept an eye out. Just minutes later the otter was back for more. I mean from the otter's perspective my dad had created a buffet so he was just coming along and enjoying it. This time my dad was ready and scared him back into the water before he could swipe anything. Moral of the story: be at the ready like Dora always was. Swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!

Ha! Isn't it funny that the otter managed to snag the big fish this releasing your father from the burden of proof to size...
I've never prioritized hunting and fishing but just saw 3 gigantic deer in my meadow this morning and keep getting friends posts about giant fish caught nearby...Maybe after the house. Happy crazy election day.

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[Cam]

Adventurer daughter has been dating a guy with a young son, and the three of them have started trying to fish off the dock.....nothing too ambitious, just bobbers and earthworms.....a few perch have been caught...and released. But she bought me a fishing license (online...... you can do that here now, finally, thanks to COVID).

Anyway, I bought a fishing rod and a new reel yesterday, and no matter who wins the election, next weekend I'm going fishing. The intended catch will be crappie, the most decent panfish we have in this part of the world. The plan is to find some place to buy live minnows and then to paddle my kayak out to a place where I know a tree ended up settling into the little bay between my dock and the island that's a hundred yard offshore..That happened in the flood two years ago this last month. The one that washed out the highway bridge two  miles upstream, which has been rebuilt now.

I've meant to get around to some fishing for ten years.....but it never made it to the top of the priority list. Not sure it will work out, but we shall see. I haven't cleaned a fish in two decades, but I guess I still can. I used to have a tackle box and a few bits of equipment from when the kids were little, but they seem to have disappeared from the place I thought they were stored. I suppose I will replace those if this turns out to be a worthwhile pastime.

I can't help but think of that silly movie, Grumpy Old Men. There are similarities. I'm probably going to have to play both characters, the Walter Matthau character and the Jack Lemmon character.....I'm probably a little bit of both those types.

My dad is huge into fishing, it's definitely his thing. Before things got all snowy here he went fishing up at the cottage and got quite a few fish that day. When he cleans fish he does it at an old table in our sauna down by the lake at the cottage. When he has too many fish to squeeze on the table (it's pretty small) he leaves the extra catches on the grass outside. He's never had a problem doing this up until a few weeks ago. He looked out while he was cleaning and saw an otter come out of the water...Initially he found it pretty neat, until he realized the otter was eyeing his fish. He leapt out of his chair and ran at the otter to scare it back in the water. It worked, but the otter somehow managed to swipe his biggest fish on its way back to the water  He didn't see the otter for a little bit, so he went back in and started cleaning again, but he kept an eye out. Just minutes later the otter was back for more. I mean from the otter's perspective my dad had created a buffet so he was just coming along and enjoying it. This time my dad was ready and scared him back into the water before he could swipe anything. Moral of the story: be at the ready like Dora always was. Swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!

Ha! Isn't it funny that the otter managed to snag the big fish this releasing your father from the burden of proof to size...
I've never prioritized hunting and fishing but just saw 3 gigantic deer in my meadow this morning and keep getting friends posts about giant fish caught nearby...Maybe after the house. Happy crazy election day.

Yeah now he can say that was his biggest catch ever. Damn otter.  Sounds like you are in a place full of creatures. You too we will see how this goes.

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[Eddie]

Just bought this Parker Hale replica at Auction. Would be good for fishing around here... Just waiting for permit and registration paperwork before I pick it up. Cant wait to shoot it!
Might have to make my own black powder now. Should definately start casting my own projectiles.
I believe these were extensively used by the South in your first civil war.

PARKER HALE 1861 ENFIELD PERCUSSION CARBINE: 577 CAL; 24" ROUND BARREL; G. BORE; STD SIGHTS & FITTINGS; LOCK MARKED WITH ROYAL CYPHER P-H ENFIELD 1861; PLEASING PATINA TO BRASS REGULATION FURNITURE; SHARP PROFILES & CLEAR MARKINGS; RETAINING A FULL BLUE FINISH TO THE BARREL, VIVID CASE COLOURS TO HAMMER & LOCK PLATE; VG STOCK WITH MINOR BRUISING; ALL COMPLETE WITH ROD, SNAP CAP & CHAIN & SWIVELS; GWO & VG+ COND. #1561 L/R

JOW

More fun to shoot than modern guns.....but more work. Nice piece. I read they were originally issued to British artillery and cavalry units......and the Confederacy imported them and also issued them to artillery....and cavalry. A short gun for its day.

If you make bullets.....and especially if you make black powder...I'd like to to hear (and see)  how you did it. The store-bought stuff you can get here is not REAL black powder, although it works well enough. I was having a lot of fun with my black powder pistols when I first got them.....haven't shot them in a while.

I just went through a disassembly and clean-up to see if I could fix a problem I was having with a replica pump gallery gun I bought years and years ago....a Rossi copy of a 1906 Winchester Model 62......It wasn't ejecting dependably.....it's a .22 Winchester magnum...I have a real model 62 in .22 long rifle which is a very sweet little shooter....but I like the  magnum version  as a light hunting rifle. I need to take it out to the stead and see if I fixed the issue. I suspect it was just getting a little grimy. The ejector looked okay when I inspected it. The copies are known for being more troublesome than the originals......

The modern company Kel-tec has an interesting .22 mag handgun called the PMR. It's a semi-auto that holds 30 rounds of  .22 mag in an innovative little double magazine. With very little if any recoil, it has the capability of  being a rather lethal weapon at short range. I had not heard of it until recently...I might see if I can find one of those....I'm not too into handguns.....but I like the idea of being able to use the same ammo in several different guns in my collection. In addition to the Rossi, I have a Ruger 10-22 magnum I built.....more fancy,.....carbon fiber barrel and Volkquartsen trigger and a molded stock and a scope.

Even now, with ammo almost impossible to get (because people are currently going bat-shit crazy buying both guns and ammo here) I can still get plenty of .22 mag. It isn't a round that many people shoot anymore.

One of my daughters BF told me at a dinner the other night that he'd bought an AR-15 clone.....and that he couldn't find ANY .223 caliber (5.56 NATO) to buy....crazy, as they make so much of it..You used to be able to buy mil-spec and reloaded rounds dirt cheap in bulk.....not right now though. I think I have a couple of thousand rounds in the gun closet. I used to shoot it a lot in my Mini-14 Ranch Rifles when I was hunting more a few years back.

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[Eddie]

Adventurer daughter has been dating a guy with a young son, and the three of them have started trying to fish off the dock.....nothing too ambitious, just bobbers and earthworms.....a few perch have been caught...and released. But she bought me a fishing license (online...... you can do that here now, finally, thanks to COVID).

Anyway, I bought a fishing rod and a new reel yesterday, and no matter who wins the election, next weekend I'm going fishing. The intended catch will be crappie, the most decent panfish we have in this part of the world. The plan is to find some place to buy live minnows and then to paddle my kayak out to a place where I know a tree ended up settling into the little bay between my dock and the island that's a hundred yard offshore..That happened in the flood two years ago this last month. The one that washed out the highway bridge two  miles upstream, which has been rebuilt now.

I've meant to get around to some fishing for ten years.....but it never made it to the top of the priority list. Not sure it will work out, but we shall see. I haven't cleaned a fish in two decades, but I guess I still can. I used to have a tackle box and a few bits of equipment from when the kids were little, but they seem to have disappeared from the place I thought they were stored. I suppose I will replace those if this turns out to be a worthwhile pastime.

I can't help but think of that silly movie, Grumpy Old Men. There are similarities. I'm probably going to have to play both characters, the Walter Matthau character and the Jack Lemmon character.....I'm probably a little bit of both those types.

My dad is huge into fishing, it's definitely his thing. Before things got all snowy here he went fishing up at the cottage and got quite a few fish that day. When he cleans fish he does it at an old table in our sauna down by the lake at the cottage. When he has too many fish to squeeze on the table (it's pretty small) he leaves the extra catches on the grass outside. He's never had a problem doing this up until a few weeks ago. He looked out while he was cleaning and saw an otter come out of the water...Initially he found it pretty neat, until he realized the otter was eyeing his fish. He leapt out of his chair and ran at the otter to scare it back in the water. It worked, but the otter somehow managed to swipe his biggest fish on its way back to the water  He didn't see the otter for a little bit, so he went back in and started cleaning again, but he kept an eye out. Just minutes later the otter was back for more. I mean from the otter's perspective my dad had created a buffet so he was just coming along and enjoying it. This time my dad was ready and scared him back into the water before he could swipe anything. Moral of the story: be at the ready like Dora always was. Swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!

Canada sounds like a hunting and fishing paradise. Great story about the one that got away,....,the otter version.

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[John of Wallan]

Just bought this Parker Hale replica at Auction. Would be good for fishing around here... Just waiting for permit and registration paperwork before I pick it up. Cant wait to shoot it!
Might have to make my own black powder now. Should definately start casting my own projectiles.
I believe these were extensively used by the South in your first civil war.

PARKER HALE 1861 ENFIELD PERCUSSION CARBINE: 577 CAL; 24" ROUND BARREL; G. BORE; STD SIGHTS & FITTINGS; LOCK MARKED WITH ROYAL CYPHER P-H ENFIELD 1861; PLEASING PATINA TO BRASS REGULATION FURNITURE; SHARP PROFILES & CLEAR MARKINGS; RETAINING A FULL BLUE FINISH TO THE BARREL, VIVID CASE COLOURS TO HAMMER & LOCK PLATE; VG STOCK WITH MINOR BRUISING; ALL COMPLETE WITH ROD, SNAP CAP & CHAIN & SWIVELS; GWO & VG+ COND. #1561 L/R

JOW

More fun to shoot than modern guns.....but more work. Nice piece. I read they were originally issued to British artillery and cavalry units......and the Confederacy imported them and also issued them to artillery....and cavalry. A short gun for its day.

If you make bullets.....and especially if you make black powder...I'd like to to hear (and see)  how you did it. The store-bought stuff you can get here is not REAL black powder, although it works well enough. I was having a lot of fun with my black powder pistols when I first got them.....haven't shot them in a while.

I just went through a disassembly and clean-up to see if I could fix a problem I was having with a replica pump gallery gun I bought years and years ago....a Rossi copy of a 1906 Winchester Model 62......It wasn't ejecting dependably.....it's a .22 Winchester magnum...I have a real model 62 in .22 long rifle which is a very sweet little shooter....but I like the  magnum version  as a light hunting rifle. I need to take it out to the stead and see if I fixed the issue. I suspect it was just getting a little grimy. The ejector looked okay when I inspected it. The copies are known for being more troublesome than the originals......

The modern company Kel-tec has an interesting .22 mag handgun called the PMR. It's a semi-auto that holds 30 rounds of  .22 mag in an innovative little double magazine. With very little if any recoil, it has the capability of  being a rather lethal weapon at short range. I had not heard of it until recently...I might see if I can find one of those....I'm not too into handguns.....but I like the idea of being able to use the same ammo in several different guns in my collection. In addition to the Rossi, I have a Ruger 10-22 magnum I built.....more fancy,.....carbon fiber barrel and Volkquartsen trigger and a molded stock and a scope.

Even now, with ammo almost impossible to get (because people are currently going bat-shit crazy buying both guns and ammo here) I can still get plenty of .22 mag. It isn't a round that many people shoot anymore.

One of my daughters BF told me at a dinner the other night that he'd bought an AR-15 clone.....and that he couldn't find ANY .223 caliber (5.56 NATO) to buy....crazy, as they make so much of it..You used to be able to buy mil-spec and reloaded rounds dirt cheap in bulk.....not right now though. I think I have a couple of thousand rounds in the gun closet. I used to shoot it a lot in my Mini-14 Ranch Rifles when I was hunting more a few years back.

No amunitions shortage in Oz, but black powder is hard to get compared to smokeless powder as its more dangerous to handle; very low flash point... Also $100 per Kg.
Have ordered Saltpeter on line, (Stump remover), and will buy some sulphur and charcoal from local hardware this week. I have some Isopropal alcohol from Aldi. Enough to make 4kg for about $60. If it works I will share it around a bit. If it does not work I will remove a stum in the front yard...
Recipe I am going to try is 75% Saltpeter, 15% sulphur, 10% charcoal. Got the recipe from an old book I have. Seems to be most common on net as well.
Will pinch the stone mortar and pestle from the better half when she is not looking to grind it up. I think I have a fine seive. Otherwise I know my father has a heap of fine stainless and brass mesh he used in filters. I will pinch some off him. I will make a small batch of a couple of different methods to test.

A few diferent method here:
https://www.thoughtco.com/make-black-powder-safely-4062684
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Black-Powder
https://www.outdoorrevival.com/instant-articles/making-your-own-black-powder.html

I might see if I can post a video of testing it once its made.

Casting projectiles will be next step. Have a heap of old lead flashing. My mate uses wheel weights as they are harder than lead flashing, but he is loading 303 with smokeless powder so needs a harder projectile. I want it really sort so it deforms and engages rifling. Should be able to buy minnie ball in the interim from a local gun shop. If the lad and I get real keen I will buy a die from Lee. (Probably get it online from US). Local die guys down here have a very good reputation but also very expensive. https://www.castbulletengineering.com.au/

Also, after seeing your pictures Eddie a few years back of your custom 22 magnum I think, (It had a laminated stock?), I did a custom job on my old Anshutz 22mag I inherited from dad. Fitted scope, bipod and pained very poor condition stock black so it looks like a polimer stock... Looks excellent. Still cant hit a fucking barn door with it! My youngest son is better shot than me I am horified to admit... I was a crack shot in the military 30 years ago... 50mm group at 300m with SLR. (Topped the class). They were an excellent rifle. Never been able to shoot that well since! Might take up trap shooting so at least I can hit something. I will post a pic of it next time I get it out. Will hit the range once lockdowns lift.

JOW


JOW

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