First gooey pocket of 2009

So this evening I go out to do my farm-chores. Momma goose is sitting on her nest with 11 eggs underneath. The Pekin ducks aren't that into nesting, so they just leave eggs randomly placed lying around their pen. The red hen lays eggs in an old musket crate, the white hen does too sometimes, but usually she stashes them under the chicken house. The Arucana hen leaves eggs in mysterious places, trying to decide which is best.

The little bantam hen, however, has a plan. She is a little smaller than a pigeon, but pushes out a long, skinny egg for her size. The odd part is that she lays it in the goat's feed dish inside their lean-to.

Tonight when I gathered the eggs from here and there, I stuck the bantam egg in my coat pocket to carry it out to the bucket where I had already put the duck eggs. Bad idea, and I never seem to learn that lesson. Why? Because whenever you put an egg in your pocket, it is almost guaranteed that a goat will push up against you and break it there. So tonight I got my first gooey pocket of the 2009 egg laying season. It probably won't be the last because I never learn.

Tax time means time to clean my desk

April 15th looms ahead. This means I had better buckle down and finish my taxes. To do that, I need to locate all of the 2008 bank statements. To locate the ones from the fall of 2008, I had to do a quick archaelogical dig on my desk.

Yeah, my desk is that bad.

How bad? You can tell how old a document is by how many inches down the pile it is, like the strata in any other "dig".

Cleaning my desk means finding neat stuff.

I found:

-two partial rolls of paper towels

-an unopened bag of yogurt covered blueberries (a trail mix goodie)

-a partial bag of trail mix

-a pocket knife that had been missing for some time

-a BATF approved Form 1, which gives us the go-ahead to build an NFA item, in this case a suppressed carbine

-a few books that I had been wondering where I left them

-my 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade class photos (don't remember why they were on my desk)

-a feather from a guinea hen and a feather from a wild turkey

-two basically new inch-thick notebooks

Most of the excavated treasures were put into my chair so they will need to be dealt with before I sat down to a "normal" desk occupancy, the papers needed for tax preparation I brought up to Wendy's office to work on. Up there I can't get as distracted and will stick with the job until it is done.

Next week at this time it will all be done, and hopefully I'll have my chair at least half emptied.

A goal reached

This summer will be the five year mark since we moved up here to the country from urban Massachusetts.

Somewhere along the line, I came up with a goal of growing all of our own food. While the uncleared land and unimproved clay and rock soil of this property have not yet yielded a decent vegetable garden, the thick underbrush that we have been slowly clearing for the past five years has gone a long way towards feeding livestock.

Today our chest freezer is full to the top with meat. That by itself is a good thing, but the really exciting part about it being full is that every single piece of meat in it was either grown here or hunted here. Beef, pork, goat, raccoon, smoked hams and bacon. Sure there are a few "storebought" packages of meat like a package of Italian sausages and some corned beefs that were on sale, but those got moved to the little freezer that is part of the shop fridge and I'll use them up ASAP to get them gone.

When we built the animal pens, they were temporary in nature so that the panels the pens were made up of could be unclamped and moved elsewhere. The plan is that the ruminant animals clear the brush and strip the bark off of the saplings, then we move in pigs who dig up the roots and dig up the rocks. They all manure the dense clay soil. After a couple of seasons, the pen is ready to be dismantled and moved to a new location on the property leaving behind a cleared, tilled, leveled, de-rocked, fertilized patch of land ready to be a productive garden next year.

This afternoon I took everything out of the chest freezer to take out the dividers in order to fit more into it since I probably have another 100 pounds of beef to cut up and package over the weekend. In returning everything to it, I made an inventory of it's contents to keep better track of what we have on hand. At the bottom I found a goat hide that I forgot we still had, a bag of coonskins, a bag of rabbitskins, and a sheep head. I let Caleigh use a scalpel and skin out the sheep head so we can hang it out for the bugs to strip the flesh off of and add it to our skull collection. It's hanging next to Rocky the steer's skull. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for the bugs to strip them.

To some people our full-to-capacity freezer just represents a lot of meals waiting to be enjoyed, but to me it represents a major milestone along our road to self-sufficiency.

What is it with whiny kit-builders?

I've been on a 19th century gun kick lately, so I've been reading stuff online about what is available for caplock guns. Back when I started in black powder, you could get a single shot pistol kit for about $39 and a revolver kit for $79. Nowadays, prices have increased dramatically.

It's not the increased prices that baffle me, it's the whiny people who are building the kits and then writing about it on the internet.

I've probably ready half a dozen "reviews" of Spanish and Italian sourced pistol kits and every one of them is full of complaints about how the builder had to file things to make them fit, polish rough surfaces etc.

I thought the whole point of building a kit gun was to tinker with the thing and learn how to do stuff like that? Instead, it seems like these folks are expecting to buy a kit gun and just assemble a perfectly fitted, tuned pistol. That wouldn't be called "gun building" it would be called "gun assembling".

When I was 18 and built my first pistol, I had to figure some things out. That was the whole point of building vs buying one. One thing is for sure, I certainly wouldn't have posted on the internet (had there been an internet then) about rough-cast parts not fitting together perfectly. (duh--they are rough cast)

Nor would I whine about having to inlet an escution plate for a barrel key into the stock. Nor would i write publicly about how the thread on a nipple was messed up, so I used a different nipple (as opposed to just using a file to fix the unfinished thread on the supplied nipple).

What these whiners do is showcase their own lack of skill and aptitude. Instead of adopting a "can-do" spirit and learning how to actually build a gun from parts, they complain that the company that sells the kits (CVA, Traditions, Dixie etc) sells a "low quality" kit and Squawk that the would expect higher quality control from the kit manufacturers.

Sorry folks, but it is the person who builds the kit that is the manufacturer. The companies that sell the kits are selling you a conviniently gathered set of parts that when properly assembled will be a gun.

If people can't handle building a kit gun without whining, then who are going to be the gunsmiths in 20 or 30 years? It seems like people today just want everything handed to them.

We get calls from "gunsmiths" who need to get a spring for some kind of flintlock. A real gunsmith could just make a spring. There was one guy who had taken in a lock to repair for a friend of his who was having problems with the lock not sparking right. (I.E. worn frizzen) The wannabe gunsmith felt the fix for this was to make the mainspring stronger by rehardening it. He had heated up the spring to a white heat and now wanted to know what temperature to heat it in the oven at to temper it. We declined to get involved in that one.

Then there are the "gunsmiths" who are fixing a friend's musket and seem to think that they need a new frizzen because the case hardening is worn through, and can we send them a new one? Believe it or not, there are many of them that decline our offer to reharden the frizzen under our warranty because they insist that it can't be rehardened because they have tried it.

Some of it is just stubborn male ego. No, pretty much all of it is just stubborn male ego.

For some reason, we are all in a hurry these days and don't want to take the time to stop and actually learn how to do something. And coming back to the kit guns and their "reviewers", we aren't talking about something as indepth as blacksmithing, carving grips from wooden blanks, or making a spring, we are talking about people that think using a file to smooth out machine marks, and a piece of sandpaper to contour 99% finished pistol grips is a major accomplishment. Who are they to write reviews of a parts set?

Maybe I'm getting to be a crotchety old fart, but sometimes certain people just amaze me with the lack of skill that is in direct proportion to their arrogance.

For years now, there has been a standing offer for people (so-called "unit armorers" in particular) to come here and spend a day or two to take a crash course in lock repair and tuning. Since we moved here to NH, not a single person has taken us up on it.

Historical Shooting Inc

I wasn't going, but I'm still furious about the Quebec thing in the last post.

On a lighter note, we've been working on some educational shooting-related projects around here that I thought I'd mention.

We've started a new venture called Historical Shooting Inc. HSI for short. HSI's function in life is to hold educational shooting events that will be a step up from "blank firing" reenacting in that participants get to live fire the guns etc. The plan at this time is to hold quarterly events that will highlight specific time periods. We plan to work in as many details, like period correct food, etc.

For instance, the event in January was "The Battle of the Bulge". Participants formed a squad of riflemen and set off on a trek through some deep snow to fire at targets along the way. There was a light machine gun stage, a pistol stage, a rifle stage and a carbine stage. At the end, we all ate our nearly frozen K-rations while we discussed first person accounts of the Bulge from 1944-45.

The next HSI event will be on Sunday, May 17th. This one will showcase the types of weapons used at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.

What we have lined up so far are primitive bows, tomahawks, single action revolvers, double barreled shotguns, a 1866 lever action rifle, and a Trapdoor Springfield Carbine.

To keep up to date on what HSI is doing, bookmark this site:


www.historicalshootinginc.com

And as a little teaser, here are a few of the weapons that will be used at the Little Bighorn Shoot

This just in...the French won?

I'm reading this news in shock and amazement.

It seems that the Seven Years War is finally over and the FRENCH won. It's the oddest thing.

This summer marks the 250th anniversary of the battle on the Plains of Abraham that ended in the fall of Quebec to the English. Some 3000 reenactors from the US and Canada were going to go and reenact the famous battle that resulted in the deaths of the English General Wolfe and his French nemesis General Montcalm.

In the end, the walled French stronghold fell to the English. Its fact, its history, its indesputable.

Now, two and a half centuries later, some limp-wristed, cheese eating, Paris worshipping "Quebec nationalists" have decided that it was an embarassment to lose. Yeah, losing sucks, but in every conflict there is a winner and a loser. In that one, the French lost. The people who should be embarrassed are the rest of Canada for allowing these blowhard clowns to dictate what anniversaries get celebrated.

Word is out: the reenactment on the Plains of Abraham is cancelled. Why? because of threats of protests and "civil disobediance" by this small group of morons who don't seem to understand that the French actually LOST the French and Indian War.

Here are some quotes from the lead whinebag of the group calling itself "Le Reseau de Resistance du Quebecois" (translates to "The Network of Resistance of Quebecois")

He said that re-enactment ``showed disrespect for Quebecers and our
ancestors.''

``It's the federal government that's behind this and they should
not touch the anniversary of this battle in any way,'' he said.

``The celebrations that have been announced were not something that showed
respect for our ancestors. ''

``If it had been the Quebec state that had decided to organize this event
with respect and seriousness, we would not have had any problem with that. But
because it's the federal government that's involved, it's
disrespectful.''

He said that until Quebec becomes a sovereign state, any re-enactment of the
battle would be disrespectful to francophones.

I guess what this means is that, 250 years later, the French won at Quebec...without firing a shot.

General Wolf must be spinning in his grave right now.

Veteran's Day 2008

I haven't posted here in a while. Too many distractions, not enough hours in the day. Rick and Bill reminded me to get busy and write. Much to talk about and no idea where to begin. I guess what I should do is just pick up where I left off.

Today is November 11th, Veteran's Day. Where did the summer go? Being too busy to keep up with blogs is a spoiled American problem, not a real one. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the conflict known as the First World War ended. Those folks knew what real problems were!

Unfortunately, I don't have the time or space here to write a whole lot about it. You are just going to have to visit the library and read up on the particulars. What I will do, however, is show off a few of the WW1 items in our collection. Click on the photo above to see a larger version.

The picture shows some of the WW1 vintage items I was able to round up on short notice. There are more, but they are packed away at the moment.

Starting from the lower left and moving clockwise, we have...

-French Model 1886 Lebel rifle, 8mm. This was the first smokeless powder military rifle. This particular one was modified into a carbine in 1935. Originally it would have been much longer. I found an original sling for it.

-German Model 1888 Mauser rifle, 7.92mm. This rather battered specimen is in sad shape, but I will probably be in worse shape when I am 120 years old.

-US Model 1917 rifle, .30-06. The US entered the war without sufficient arms in store, so to hurry up the process we borrowed this design from the British P14 rifle. The British rifle is basically the same gun, only in .303 caliber. This is the type of rifle Sgt. York used to help capture 100+ Germans while capturing 30+ German machine guns. (google Alvin York)

-US Model 1903 rifle, .30-06. The US also copied the German Mauser design. The 03 Springfield is an accurate shooting rifle that saw use up into the WW2 era. This one has an original 1918 dated leather sling.

-The group photo is of the 16th infantry, taken in Framingham, MA in 1918. This was rescued from the leaky attic of a barn and we'll attempt to clean it up someday.

-The magazine is British from 1917. The cover photo is of a French military cyclist with a carrier pigeon basket on his back. Walkie-talkies were still a few decades off, and homing pigeons were still in common use. More on carrier pigeons in another post.

-The smaller artillery shell is a 37mm. It is dated 1917 and is probably US Navy in origin.

-The larger artillery shell is German, dated 1915. Haven't gotten around to finding out what type of gun it was fired from.

-The camouflage painted helmet is US issue. The liner is missing, but the leather strap remains.

-The small pointy item in front of the doughboy helmet is a caltrop. These were scattered on the ground to wound the feet of infantrymen and horses. Remember that most cargo was still hauled by draft horses! This one came out of a barn in France.

-The helmet at the three o'clock position is French. It is in relic condition. There would have been a metal badge mounted on the front of it. There is a bullet hole in it that entered in the right rear and exited through the left front. Helmets were meant to stop shrapnel and had little effect against a direct hit from a modern high-powered rifle bullet like the Mauser fired.

-The last item shown is the relic remains of a French canteen.

Eventually, we will be cataloging the items in our collection for better display and plan to upload them to the web to share with everyone. Of course, all of this takes time.

In the meantime, I'd like to invite you all to go see our new website for a new organization, Historical Shooting Inc. http://www.historicalshootinginc.com/

Historical Shooting Inc will be holding a trailwalk type shooting competition in January of 2009. It is to commemorate the Battle of the Bulge, and entrants will get to try various original and reproduction weapons that would have been in use at the battle. Check the HSI website for details!

OK, time to go feed the farm animals.

Never forget the sacrifices made by those who went before us, and remember to give a "thank you" to the men and women who are fighting for us today.

Italy to Germany to New Hampshire

Every family has something cool stashed away in the attic, the cellar, or in a box buried in the closet. Some neat little piece of history. Last week, Earl brought in a piece of rock to show us that his father had given him. Without the story behind it and the piece of masking tape identifying it, it would be just another chunk of marble. It is more than just a rock, however, it is a piece of history.

Here is a picture of the rock. (use you browser's BACK button to return here) Without the story, it's just a cool looking piece of marble, right? But...where has this marble been?

In on April 20th, 1939, a magnificent mountain house was given as a 50th birthday gift to Adolf Hitler. We know it today as the "Eagle's Nest". There is much info about it on the internet, so I won't go into too much detail about it here.

Benito Mussolini's gift on Hitler's birthday was an Italian marble fireplace. Apparently there was enough marble left over from the project to also build a doorway out of the same material. A gift from one dictator to another.

Of course, the Allied powers crushed the 3rd Reich, and eventually it was American GIs that were partying in Hitler's beautiful mountain retreat. Eventually the Eagle's Nest became a museum, and a function hall. You can still tour it today.

In 1952, Earl's Dad was a GI stationed in Germany. At some point, he managed to tour the Eagle's Nest. The tour guide showed him Eve Braun's bedroom, the great hall, the sun porch overlooking the valley below, and the fancy marble fireplace. When the guide wasn't looking, he scooped up a large piece of rubble from the fireplace and stashed it down his pants. GIs love souvenirs. Now, the chunk of Hitler's fireplace that was originally a gift from Mussolini himself resides here in NH, one of those little oddball pieces of history that will be passed down in a family.

Here is the back of the rock, with the story of what it is written on a piece of tape.

and here is a webpage that shows some very clear pieces of the fireplace. There is one photo showing GIs sitting in front of it in 1945, and another, current photo. As you can see, there are a few large chunks of marble missing. We know where one of them is!

Page about the Eagle's Nest fireplace: http://www.scrapbookpages.com/EaglesNest/fireplace.html

Media games and the economy

Whenever I watch or read the news, I get pissed off.

The media has a way of twisting things around to make all news stories "sensational". Unfortunately, the average person watching the news doesn't really think about things a whole lot, they just accept what is told to them. This means the press has the power to control our country by controlling public opinion and thought. Right now, they are controlling the economy.

Which brings me to one of the topics that I rant about fairly often.

The so called "mortgage crisis" or "housing crisis". I just read an article on MSN that had the headline: "Foreclosures continue to soar, worst is not over
Filings up 57 percent in March over ’07; ARM resets to crest in May and June". The article went on to describe what a massive crisis this was, how the sky is falling, etc and backed up their claims with hard numbers.

Here are some numbers from the article: "The number of U.S. homes receiving at least one foreclosure filing jumped 57 percent in March to 234,685, compared with 149,150 properties a year earlier. Filings include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions." I'm not even going to get into how the number is skewed by including auction sale notices AND repossessions, thus double-dipping the number because first a property is repossessed, then it is auctioned. Nor will I rant on the fact that a "default notice" is not a repossession, just a notice that you are in default and if you don't pay, they'll start repossession proceedings (I guess that is triple-dipping the numbers).

What I want to concentrate on is the numbers and how they can be twisted right in front of our eyes to mean something that they don't.

The article goes on to spew forth facts: "That meant one in every 538 households received a filing during the month. Forty-four percent were households that slipped into default for the first time and more than a fifth were homes banks took back.

The number of default related "filings" is quoted at being 234,685. Sounds like a terribly high number, right? Not really, because the article later says that "one in every 538" households received a filing of some sort. If you do a little analytical math with these numbers, that means only .0018 of households received some kind of "filing" in March.

.0018 of mortgages doesn't seem all that bad now does it? Yet the press constantly bombards us with "news" about how the middle class is being squeezed and how there is a mortgage crisis destroying our economy. It is, but only because we are letting it by swallowing all of the nonsense the press feeds us. The MSNBC article is just one example of how the media can lie right to our faces, even while giving us facts.

Is .18% of mortgages with filings a big increase? (note, that is not 18 percent, that is POINT eighteen percent, less than one-fifth of one percent) Yes. The same time period last year saw a "filings" rate of .11%. It is an increase of about 60%. If you take a really tiny number and increase it by 60%, it is still an increase, but it is still a very tiny number.

Yet we as a country panic and act like the sky is falling. And strangely, so does the rest of the world. Why? Because if buyer confidence is down and people are afraid to go and buy their new TV or whatever because they are afraid that they'll get foreclosed on because the press said so, the manufacturers aren't able to sell that TV to the distributors, the distributors can't sell it to the wholesaler, the wholesaler can't sell it to the retailer, and the truckers between all points in this example lose. In the end, the only people who profit are the media people who will just create a new "crisis" news story when this one proves to be false...like Y2K did, or the "carbon credits" fiasco, or so many other hyped-up media non-news events over the years.

And, of course, the federal reserve folks, who manage to profit in any "bailout". The media is screaming for government intervention because .18% of people are not paying the mortgage they agreed to pay when they bought the house, and what the end result of screaming is will invariably be a bailout of some sort. The government will dump tax dollars into the banks who are hurt by this whopping .18% of loans that aren't being paid, and to fund it they will sell bonds to the Federal Reserve Bank. The Fed will use the bonds as collateral to print new money and make new loans in a ratio of $10 printed to each $1 of bond. (no kidding, that is how it works, look it up) The influx of "new money" will cause inflation, and we all lose again.

Yet, strangely, the media never seems to report on that...how the Fed actually works and how every bailout is really just controlled inflation, lining the pockets of the Fed by giving them permission to create money out of nothing. I wonder how many people out there know that the Federal Reserve Bank is NOT a government entity, that it is just a cabal of banks that are authorized by Congress to control currency?

It would make quite a news story!