Weekend open thread

| October 21, 2016

A vision in green

A Vision in Green

Foamy waves, agitated by European storm Ruzica, swell around the Tévennec lighthouse in Brittany, France. Local lore complements this moody scene—the lighthouse is believed to be haunted. The image does possess a phenomenal quality, according to Your Shot photographer Mathieu Rivrin: “When we went there, the light was divine, bringing a touch of green to the magnificent Iroise [Sea] for what remains one of my favorite pictures [of] the storm.”

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Hondo

This just in: per the State Bar of California, Daniel A. Bertnath IS STILL DISBARRED.

Hondo

Oh, and first. No chicanery or collusion involved.

Mick

Everyone must have target fixation over at the other thread…

Dave Hardin

Thought you might like to know one of your Hondo Honey girls placed in the National Finals this past week.

http://patrickcollardstudios.zenfolio.com/p283687752/h215fbf82#h397cd105

Far right blonde for those who can’t seem to find her in the crowd. Mention Hondo at the right Hooters and you will probably get some special attention.

Hondo

Please pass along my congrats to the young lady, DH. “She done good.”

Ex-PH2

That photo at the top is extremely reminiscent of the work of marine artist Aivazosky, who did about 6000 marine paintings over his lifetime.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/ivan-konstantinovich-aivazovsky-seascape-paintings

Lovely stuff. Enjoy it!

Skippy

Holy crapola
HONDO is the man

Hondo

Pure blind luck, Skippy. Absolutely pure blind luck.

Couldn’t believe no one else had commented when I made the first comment, so decided this time, “Eh, what the hell” and claimed it.

That will likely be the last. Don’t want people accusing me of “insider trading” or collusion. I don’t play those games.

Yef

Great, but here is my question. Are we going to lose this election?

If Hitlary wins it’s game over. My kids future is going to be dark. Chinese kids are going to own cars, while my kids will ride bicycles.

I love American car culture. Please vote against Hitlary and climate change. Let’s save our beautiful country. American exceptionalism is not just a phrase, it is reality.

I immigrated to America 22 years ago because i love and support what America stands for. Please help me out to save America and my kids future.

Or….fuck man, i am getting angry and i drunk too many bud lights. I better stop posting now. I don’t wanna say somethin stupid.

Deep breath. Do not think of tje democrats.

rgr769

As Cankles’ hubby used to say with a little quaver in his voice, “Ah feel your pain.” I think our best hope is if the dead become Trump supporters and vote in large numbers. I guess we should check and see if our deceased relatives are still registered./sarc/facetious/

Frankie Cee "In the Clear"

“I immigrated to America 22 years ago because i love and support what America stands for. Please help me out to save America and my kids future.”
Welcome to the USA Yef. Those who truly appreciate America are mostly those who came from countries with less freedom, with less opportunity. And while most, like you, will tell us of their love for the country, there are also those who do love what America offers, but want more, and will dirty the country to take what they want. Our Constitution offers us a clear path to keep this country great. Now, if only we could put the Nation above Self, and work diligently, we can keep this country as “OURS”. It needn’t be owned by our Professional Politicians, and but those who would “take” from the country.

Reb

I came to America in 1959 because Opa said “I fought side by side with American Military and they fight proud”

I have duel citizenship and my little one asked me a question…

If your countries went to war, who would you pick?

I’m on American soil, I’m American, I fight with Opas PROUD AMERICANS…

Frankie Cee "in the Clear"

“I’m on American soil, I’m American, I fight with Opas”
As it should be. You are the difference in Legal VS Illegal Immigrants. Most of them are here for the bennies only, and not for the long haul. Our country was built on immigrants with the same mindset as you, Reb.

Mick

A close second?

OC

Second !!!!
I was THAT close……

Veritas Omnia Vincit

TOP FIVE

AW1Ed

Top ten!

ChipNASA

Top 10. Pbbbhhhhtttt.
I’m working (for once)

Sapper3307

TOP 10

Twist

Damn it. I was sucked in on TSO’s thread like everybody else (except Hondo). Since Hondo is a contributor here I’m calling shenanigans. I haven’t seen this much rigging since the DNC leaks. 🙂

2/17 Air Cav

I’m guessing Hondo was surprised to see no cmts and said, “Oh well.” We can’t see what time the thread came up, only the time of the cmts.

Hondo

Correct. That’s also why I waited to post the “first” claim in a follow-up comment. Even then I hesitated.

FWIW: Jonn’s last edit is time-stamped at 1:14. That means it had been up for at least 2 or 3 min before I noticed it. Couldn’t believe it had been up some time and no one had commented.

‘Course, IDC SARC has been scarce lately. Maybe that’s why no one “hit it” immediately. (smile)

Graybeard

It could be that IDC SARC is doing some secret squirrel stuff in Florida. Something involving cocoanuts and airplanes.

IDC SARC

I’m in homework hell. Hurricane outtages at home and on Fort Bragg put me behind…trying to catch up, so I don’t have to drop my course. It’s a GI Bill nightmare if you withdraw from a class.

Graybeard

Hang in there IDC SARC. Good luck with the homework.

Eden

No, I’ve been trying my darndest to catch up. I haven’t been able to visit much since the semester started. I’ve actually made it all the way to the 10th Anniversary WOT.

2/17 Air Cav

Wow. That is a helluva time gap between first and second. I expected VOV (first last week) to be in the hunt. He wasn’t even in range, time-wise. Just when I think I have this stuff figured out, it goes all to hell.

Skippy

Sick as hell but hear

2/17 Air Cav

Sorry, Skip.

Graybeard

Hope you get well soon, Skippy.

Hondo

Condolences, amigo. Get better soon.

Skippy

I’m getting there, feeling better today no spewing temp 99.2 and not 104.6
Sunday should be my back to dad duty day 100 percent

Eden

Well, top 20 anyway. . .

SKYJUMPER

HOT DAMN!!

I’M IN THE TOP 100!!

I feel like singing and dancing!!

68W58

And another Clinton Global Initiative pay for play scam is revealed, this time with Morocco- http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/20/wikileaks-hillary-got-12-million-for-clinton-charity-as-quid-pro-quo-for-morocco-meeting/

Can’t wait for the media to cover this story night and day.

Yep, pretty big news that a candidate for President and former Senator and SOSUS is openly corrupt and taking payoffs from foreign governments.

Got to be front page news in all the papers and the opening story on every newscast!

Right??

??

Twist

From 7-13 October ABC, NBC, CBS spent 4 hours 13 minutes reporting on the allegations against Trump. During that same timeframe they spent a whopping 36 minutes reporting on Clinton and wikileaks.

Skippy

??? Media…. that’s why they call it

Mick

Since we’re all here baring our souls to one another, I thought that I’d open up and let everyone know that I had an unexpected glimpse of some coconuts at the commissary yesterday.

Did that give me PTSD?

jonp

shelf or pants?

AW1Ed

Were they commercially grown or free range coconuts?

It’s important, ya know.

Dave Hardin

Beirut Remembrance this weekend

Anyone interested in watching the Beirut Memorial ceremony can see it online live Sunday Oct 23 2016 1:55 PM EDT. If you have never been to one or seen it, here is the link:

https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/9850

Mick

Dave: are they doing this at Camp Lejeune?

Dave Hardin

Kinda, at the Memorial outside Johnson

Mick

Copy.

Thanks, Dave.

Frankie Cee "In the Clear"

Will Billy Blake be featured?

Dave Hardin

I don’t think he will be the guest speaker this year. Lawton will probably have other plans as well. Gattoni and Priest are still locked up. The rest of the phonies have not come back out from under their rock for a while.

Just An Old Dog

Dave,
Any word of the full charges against Priest, and his court date?

Dave Hardin

Scotty Priest is still locked up. He has had several court appearances. He was caught trying to smuggle drugs into the jail so there are additional charges as well.

Of course there are Federal charges when you go about threatening to kill LEO’s and their families.

It does not appear anyone is in a rush to push his case through the system.

Just An Old Dog

Scotty “The Cocksmoker” Priest is probably pretty schooled on being locked up.
He probably considers it his home by now.

Ex-PH2

Giant hacker attack on a major web server and my live news went offline at noon.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/10/21/havoc-across-web-as-major-attack-causes-widespread-internet-outa/

Otherwise, I still have internet service, my cats still love catnip, and that crackpot in Florida is still as boring as a box of bent nails. Life is good in my kingdom.

Rice pilaf and roast chicken for dinner tonight, with a bake apple in a pastry crust and vanilla ice cream.

You all play nice with the other kids, don’t pick fights, and be home before the street lights are on.

Ex-PH2

Another public announcement:

On October 19, 2016, the Social Security Administration announced that Social Security beneficiaries would receive a 0.3% COLA increase. Because veterans COLAs are tied to Social Security adjustments, veterans compensation rates will increase by 0.3% effective December 2016 and will be realized in compensation payments beginning January 1, 2017.

It’s official. It’s so generous of them, don’t you think? It’s that parting gift from whatshisname.

Bill M

Wow! That will so make up for the two years with no COLA. I am so thankful. Must bow down on bended knee to ole whatshisname. I figured we’d get the hat trick this year.

Akpual

Hot damn. I’m in the money now.

Graybeard

That’s a whopping $0.75 increase in my wife’s check.
Wonderful COLA there.

Bill M

Dang, that much? And I thought my $0.18 increase was big money…

HMC Ret

Anyone know the COLA for freeloaders sucking their way through life via government free-shit-for-life programs? 0.3%? Yeah, I know, it’s sarc.

2/17 Air Cav

“and be home before the street lights are on.” Holy smokes! I forgot all about that rule. Takes me waaaaaaaaaaaaay back.

Ex-PH2

Well, I did leave out ‘Don’t make me come lookin’ for you.’

2/17 Air Cav

That never happened in my house. Nobody looked for anybody. We knew that if we weren’t back, we might hear the scariest words on the planet: ” Just wait until your father gets home.” Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Sj

Oh hell no! Mama would whack my ass anywhere, anytime…text book on-the-spot correction. She’d be in jail today because she didn’t care who saw her and she could out cuss any of them. Did I mention that she was the first woman welder in the shipyards during WW2 building Liberty Ships.

jonp

no lie on that. Misbehave in the grocery store and WHACK “now go sit in the car”

Sj, My aunt worked as a welder in the shipyards. That’s where she met my Uncle who was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.

2/17 Air Cav

“Now, go sit in the car.” That’s another gem. Reading over the cmts, I have to wonder whether there wasn’t a rule book they all read from or whether we aren’t all related.

Tallywhagger

It’s from the copybook of parental dispensations.

“We’ll see” fits in there, too.

HMC Ret

I got my share of on-the-spot attitude adjustments, but usually there was a time delay as I was sent to find a suitable switch for my butt. The first one was never satisfactory. I think Mom went through an entire forest on my ass. Dad just hit me with whatever was readily available … usually a belt.

Twist

My Grandmothers favorite was “go pick your switch”. My mother just used wooden spoons.

jonp

you know those paddle things with a rubber band and ball like in blazing saddles? we quickly learned to hide the paddles when the rubber band broke

HMCS(FMF) ret

My Mom had a paddle with a pic of two little ones bent over looking into a well – the saying on it was “Never spank a child in the face – nature provides a better place”

sj

Jonp: You too? It took me way too long to comprehend why Mama would buy me all the paddle things I wanted. I now see that she wanted to always have one within reach.

I need a dog. My high school guidance counselor’s response to what course I should take: “It doesn’t matter {SJ}, you’ll make a “D” in it anyway.

And then Big Dot Thomas (the science teacher) when she saw my fantastic science project {that I had done the night before}: “{SJ}, what in the hell is that?”

I didn’t catch the PTSD in DomRep or VN but I did in high school>

Frankie Cee "In the Clear"

“D”? What is wrong with “D”? I passed the 9th grade with 52 Ds on my report card.

A Proud Infidel®™

Momma did that with me, she had a turbocharged wooden spoon!

Graybeard

Then there was the time when a grandson climbed a tree to avoid a whuppin’ from his mother – who called me from next door to come get him.

His elder brother advised him that Grandpa was enroute, and he had presented himself front-and-center to his mother before I got there.

Deplorable B Woodman

My wife used to use a woven rattan rug beater. Or a heavy wooden “spoon”. Whichever was handiest at the time.

fsckity fsck

John Giduck – the turd with a face!

Sapper3307

Anniversary of our P.T Sniper at Fort Bragg coming up 27 Oct. Kreutzer can burn in Hell.

Tony180a

Damn time flies. May he rot in hell.

Graybeard

Top 40, man I’m falling behind.

ex-OS2

Not first….Pffttt.

OC

“Not first….Pffttt.”
Cocksuckers.

FIFY 😉

ex-OS2

Thank you OC! I must be slipping.

jonp

That’s funny. I was watching youtubes of that and other lighthouses in storms last night.

gitarcarver

Ye olde Tenth Circuit just upheld the barring of some lawyers by the commander of Fort Carson in Colorado.

The Commander banned the lawyers in 2012 and when pressed for a reason stated that the lawyers were “disruptive to order and discipline.”

Specifically, the lawyers are said to have told clients facing disciplinary action to “falsify symptoms of mental illness and ‘drool’ in an attempt to evade a bad conduct discharge.”

The lawyers sued saying “who? US?” and the Tenth Circuit basically said “welcome to the military where commanders rule.”

The lawyers even raised a First Amendment issue to which the Court said “you’re on a military base. First Amendment doesn’t apply in the way you want it to.”

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/15/15-1398.pdf?mc_cid=73b37b80ab&mc_eid=6aaefcbf68

jonp

No shit? cool beans someone in the chain of command still has a pair and the court still has a command of the law and the difference between civilian and military

Bill M

Not for long if Cankles gets elected.

A Proud Infidel®™

Aaahh, good things STILL happen in some places!!

2/17 Air Cav

I read the decision. The idiots pooh-poohed the controlling case law because it was so old. Can you imagine? ‘Yes, your appellate honor, but those cases are so old.’ Cripes.

rgr769

At an oral argument before the California 3rd District Court of Appeal, my dimwitted opposing counsel referred to my on point case citations as “out of date, very old case law.” One the justices responded: “Here, counselor, we refer to them as venerable precedents.”

SFC D

Present. Busy day in my neighborhood, dammit!

Skippy

?

Graybeard

In my neck of the woods, a cool front has moved through dropping the unseasonably warm (and sometimes recordsetting) temps into the 50’s at dawn.

It will be a good weekend for squirrel hunting if I can get to it. For the last several weekends what I had planned to do bore no resemblance to what I ended up doing. I think instead of planning I’ll just engage in wishful thinking.

AW1Ed

Rain here in the AO of La Casa de AW1Ed in the PDRofMD, with more seasonal (cooler) weather on the back side. I for one am disappointed at the departure of the Global Warming trend, but realize these things are cyclical; I believe they’re called “Seasons.”

Tallywhagger

Do you cook the squirrels? If so, do you brine them, first?

With deer, elk, rabbit and similar lean denizens of delight, braising works pretty well. I keep a pressure cooker on the stove, just about all year around. It’s kind of like having JATO on a crock pot.

Happy hunting.

Graybeard

I have never brined them personally. Usually we’ve been around the campfire and just wrapped them in foil with BBQ sauce and other goodies and cooked them on the file.
If I get them home, I’ve broiled them or made them into a pot of dumplings.

I prefer a head shot, but one of my old deacons was always after me to not do that. He’d cook the head and eat the brains. I’ve never done that.

Tallywhagger

ROTF… that’s what caused democrats to be the way they are, cook’n the heads and eat’n the brains! But, it’s the proper thing with crawfish.

Probably a better thing than passing the snakes around. Passing the snakes was probably before Oral Roberts was consecrated by the FCC to “lay hands on the radio”, and then send a check, as a measure of faith.

When living in Arkansas I discovered that there really is a market for raccoon meat and alligator tails. Hawks got most of the small game. I don’t think there were more than a dozen squirrels in 5,000 acres.

In Massachusetts, there may be more than 500 squirrels per acre, not counting Boston. Out here on Cape Ann, the squirrels are grain fed and probably have more fat on them than Elizabeth Warren has Cherokee blood.

Turkeys are doing very well. Even the coyotes eat them, when they run out of cats!!

That experience provided a greater appreciation for goats and compassion for those who love them, at least as as table fare.

Graybeard

Well, Talleyw, we are having a bumper year in the East Texas Piney Woods. A lot of year has increased the mast dramatically and I can see several just on my power walks through the woods with the old pup. I saw two in my son’s front yard – I’ve not seen two at a time that close together in several years.
So I’m hoping to be able to thin the ranks a bit. The National Forest squirrels have to scramble for a living (more than city squirrels). The hawks have not made a sizeable dent in the population. The coyotes are back – which tells me the game is abundant.
After the big drought a few years ago all the wildlife populations dropped dramatically. This year I think we’re back to the “good new days”.

Graybeard

Correct that 2nd sentence to read “A lot of rain this year has…”

Tallywhagger

Most of my extended family is/was from Jasper, Woodville or Newton counties. Used to love going to the pool in Kirbyville. Jasper had a pool, the Lions Club did, but they decided to fill it in rather than comply with federal law.

Graybeard

Beautiful country, especially with the Big Thicket. 40+ years ago bought some land outside Warren with the thought we’d retire there. Deeded it over to Princess and her hubby. It was our vacation escape from Houston while she was a wee thing and they love it.

Ex-PH2

Would you just spend a few days in my neighborhood? The squirrels outnumber the hawks around here and eat all the bird food.

Tony180a

Just put yourself a few squirrel poles out. On second thought don’t game wardens tend to frown on them.

Tallywhagger

What the birds and squirrels don’t get, the rats will. In this area, we have grain fed rats and squirrels and they occasionally engage in vigorous contesting over whose domain is whose.

We had one ground rat, not to be confused with a bushy tailed tree rat, get so fat it could not fit back into the tunnel it came out of. His coumadin may have been irregular.

PETA was not immediately available for treatment and the CDC did not respond to the vermin’s assertion of social justice.

Some animals have more privilege than others. Except for stupid-ass-no-airplane-flying-skin-tailed-disbarred, and disgraced, lawyers.

Graybeard

I’d have to get an out-of-state hunting license. Can’t afford that after I had to get me a new squirrel gun. My 40-year old Wards Westernfield is wore out.
And I can’t see iron sights any more.

Frankie Cee "in the Clear"

“My 40-year old Wards Westernfield is wore out.” How does a weapon “wear out”? Can’t any part on it be replaced? If that old Wards was kept in working condition, it would be worth some money to someone. And even being a Western Field, it is probably better made than much of this new crap.

Graybeard

Well, FC, it connects to the full stock by a single bolt. Over time this connection has become weak.

I’ve tried filling with epoxy to strengthen the connection, but there is still a lot of wobble when you squeeze the trigger.

The feed tube has become disconnected so that the rounds don’t feed well/reliably. I’ve fixed that temporarily (JB Weld works ok, but it is u.g.l.y. )

Yes, a good gunsmith may be able to fix these issues, (for more than the gun is worth) but then I’d have to have a scope mounted so I can see the target. The last time I tried to get a chicken-killing dog, I couldn’t acquire my front sight in time – and when I did I could not focus on it.

The gun is still a good plinker, and good for teaching grandkids the basics of shooting. But it’s no longer a viable squirrel gun for me.

Sparks

71!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tallywhagger

Lighthouses can be such marvels of engineering and human endeavor. Somebody hauled the materials to build that structure out to that raggedy spike and then they hauled those materials to the top of the nasty thing before constructing a durable structure.

That was probably before the era of scheduled lunch breaks, overtime and affirmative action. They probably had to carry their own water, too.

Life can be so cruel, depending on how you look at it.

I have not been around that part of the Atlantic Ocean but I’d guess that the water is pretty cold.

UpNorth

72????!?!?!?!?!?!

ex-OS2

ex-OS2: Clark, have you sent the $880 off to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund yet?

Clark D. Schreiber: gargle..slurp..I have been too busy sucking cock behind truck stop dumpsters.

ex-OS2: Send the money cocksucker.

Clark D. Schreiber: Stop being a meanie, I only make pennies on the dollar slurping cocks.

ex-OS2: I thought honest people donated money to your GoFundMe page for the children?

Clark D. Schreiber: Yea, about that. No shit, there I was the night before the hike, cramming a 12″ dildo up my ass and it got stuck. Had to call EMS and everything. So I had to cancel the 250 mile hike in honor of a real hero.

ex-OS2: That sucks dude. How was the casino trip? Did they comp you a Rascal Scooter?

Clark D. Schreiber: That’s none of your business you bully.

ex-OS2: Go rent some more storage lockers to cover your gambling losses and send off the $880 to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund like you promised.

Clark D. Schreiber: Meanie, I am telling my daddy.

ex-OS2: Cocksucker.

Clark D. Schreiber: Bully.

ex-OS2: Cocksucker.

Clark D. Schreiber: Bully.

ex-OS2: Cocksucker.

Clark D. Schreiber: Meanie.

ex-OS2: Cocksucker.

A Proud Infidel®™

A Proud Infidel®™: Hey Clark D. Schreiber, where’s the money you promised that charity, you booger-munching twinkle-toed candyassed lying dingleberry?

Clark D. Screiber: *WAAAAAHHHH!* STOP being mean to me, you poop stain! I need my safe space, *WAAAAHHHHHHHH!*…

Silentium Est Aureum

And once again, the homestand at Casa de SEA has come to an end.

On the bright side, I’ll have an extra 100k points in my frequent hotel club account REAL soon.

Willie Nelson couldn’t wait to get on the road again. I’m guessing he at least got to spend some time at home first.

Graybeard

Man, life on the road stinks, S.E.A.

Hope you get to get back to CASA de SEA soon and for an extended period of time.

Silentium Est Aureum

Already planned to take week between Xmas and New Years off.

Tony180a

Dateline has a pretty good show tonight titled “Secrets in the Smoky Mountains”. Goes into details of convicted phoney war hero Valor thief Chuck Kaczmarczyk.

http://archive.knoxnews.com/news/bogus-war-hero-pleads-guilty-in-conspiracy-to-murder-friend-ep-510395058-355468601.html

HMC Ret

Saw that show … a good one. He said he was notified by the VA that they had ‘discovered’ several awards for valor he was not aware he had earned. Yeah, like the VA is going to research records and inform someone they are entitled to a Silver Star (in this case). They have trouble researching to expose fake POWs and other scam artists.

HMC Ret

I like watching real crime shows. I call them ‘whacking shows’ and Friday and Saturday nights there is usually at least one new show. I tell the Russian I have to watch my whacking shows and she just rolls her eyes. It’s a tradeoff, though. She gets her shows, I get mine, life is good. Also enjoy 48 Hours and similar shows.

AW1Ed

CINC-House and I enjoyed watching “Justified” together- enough action for me and drama for her. We’re now re-watching “Deadwood” which in my younger years would make for a great drinking game- take a shot every time a character says “cocksucker.”

Frankie Cee "In the Clear"

B’rrrr, this is the first morning that the temperature has been below 50 here in my area this season. 45.5 degrees has me inside, drinking my Cuban Coffee. Range time will begin as soon as I see 55 degrees today.

Skippy

Up here in our southern New Mexico cabin, the last two nights have been in the 28-35 range…
fall is in full swing, on the flip side our Tucson house it’s been a damn Oven… Jonn has a link for our weather station but highs in the mid to upper 90s with lows 60-70 at night and a few days ago we hit 99 In the shade talk about insanity…

Silentium Est Aureum

46 degrees? That’s tshirt and shorts weather at Casa de SEA.

Ex-PH2

Wimps! I went out at 6AM (sunrise) in a spring windbreaker, no gloves, a thin t-shirt and a thin sweater, just to shoot the geese. Then I went further north, where the lake is fretful and the wind was blowing right off the water, and froze my assets off. Had a nice, cold soda on the way home.

I enjoy doing dumb things once in a while. Keeps you balanced when you do that.

Silentium Est Aureum

Oh, don’t get me wrong, even working a snowblower will make you break out in a sweat when you’re having to muscle it around a fresh 10-12″ snowfall.

Usually I’m in a long sleeve shirt/pants and not much more, unless the wind is bad.

Speaking of which, snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow as I head to Rutland. Yeah!

Graybeard

Getting your Christmas goose a bit early, aren’t you?
They are not due down here in Texas for a while yet. Even then, I’ve yet to go on goose hunt.

Maybe someday….

Skippy

Well if it gets any cooler you can come to my neck of hell this winter and get a tan and a heat stroke
And maybe freeze your halls off and in one day Lol….
???

Frankie Cee "in the Clear"

SEA, I am “acclimatized” to be totally comfortable in 80 to 100 degree temperature. This morning’s, 41.9 is less than half of what I consider to be “ideal”. I left the cold, frozen, North, Great Lakes State, mostly because of the miserable weather. Living “up North” to me, is being here in the Northwest Florida Panhandle, far from the Florida Keys that I consider to be Paradise. This area gets cold, but it is bearable, and Spring is just around the corner.

A Proud Infidel®™

**SPEW ALERT**

Make SURE you don’t have anything in your mouth when you play THIS game, you’re throwing shit at everyone BUT the Zookeeper pushing a broom, picture the target people as posers and YES, clowns are fair game!

http://games.mi9.com/play_monkey-poo/

Ex-PH2

When I left the house early this morning, I went to a nearby marsh where geese congregate overnight during migration, got a few pictures and then went north from there. Forgot my gloves, so I was grateful for the car’s heater.

On my way to the northern destination, I noticed the price of gas (regular) at various gas stations on the highway and in the small town I go through to get to the lake, and in many, many spots, regular has dropped to under $2/gallon. I thought that was curious, so when I headed back home, I went to the station I usually go to on the highway and asked the clerk if she knows what’s going on, e.g., is it the switch from summer blend to winter and she said she has no idea, but it is not the switch-over yet. But she’s been getting calls almost every hour to drop the price another $.01. I’ve checked the price of crude oil on the NYMEX, which is holding steady around $50/bbl and the USDollar just made another high. I also checked state gas prices, which takes you to Gas Buddy’s state price ‘heat’ map, and 95% of all gas stations in my county are UNDER $2.00/gallon.

I find Gas Buddy https://www.gasbuddy.com/ to be very useful, but if you use their app, it doesn’t take you to the widest area. The quickest way to find prices in your general area, e.g., county, is to type in ‘gas prices in (your town + state)’ and that should take you to gas buddy’s link.

The strange part is that the price is dropping by the hour, because in the time it took me to get home, the price at the station dropped another $.03/gal.

So if you need gas, now is the time to go fill the tank. Just keep an eye on the local area. I don’t know where it’s going to bottom out, but I’m watching it.

This is getting weird. And I have lots to do today.

Ciao!

AW1Ed

To celebrate the weather change, I’m using this recipe as a guide (as I commonly do) for dinner tonight:

CHICKEN RICE & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken
2 c. rice (raw)
4 c. strong chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lg. can Durkee French fried onion rings
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Steam or boil the chicken. (Preferably steam.) Reserve the cooking liquid and defat. Use the reserved stock to cook the rice in. When cooled, remove the chicken meat from the bones.
Simmer the rice in 4 cups of the reserved broth until most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 12-15 minutes). Add the frozen broccoli and continue to cook just until the broccoli has thawed.
Combine the cooked rice and broccoli with the cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, the chicken meat, milk, salt, pepper 1/3 of the onion rings (crumbled), and 1/3 of the Monterey Jack cheese.
Place mixture into one very large (or 2 smaller) buttered casserole dishes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese for about 30-40 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

I’m using the chicken to make the stock in my pressure cooker, will use white wine instead of milk, and will forgo the onion rings.

My, My, My

Chili Con Queso: Ready for Football style.

1 Block of Velveeta cut it up in Cubes.
1 package (1/2 lb) of Chorizo (Beef or Pork)
1 Can of Rotel original
1 can of beef or chicken stock
1/2 yellow onion cut in cubes
1 tomato cut in cubes
1 clove garlic (fresh or powdered)
1 Jalapeno finely diced (no seeds) add to your flavor
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

DO NOT ADD SALT

Cook the Chorizo with the onions till done (drain the fat).

While it is cooking: Put all of the remaining ingredients into a crock pot on high. Add the chorizo/onions to the crock pot as well when it is done cooking. Stir the shit and keep stirring the shit every 10 mins or so till the cheese is melted and all inside is hot and tasty.

Grab your bag of chips, bowl of Queso awesomeness, beer etc and enjoy the football games.

All of the above takes about an hour or 1.5 hours or so, start to finish.

You are welcome 🙂

I have been making this for many years.

My, My, My

Forgot to say: Add one small can of green chili. and add additional stock if you want to thin it up.
Sorry

Graybeard

I didn’t get any squirrel hunting in, but two of the grandsons did get to reel in perch until they were tired of it, then took four of the grandsons on a hike.

A good day overall.

Ex-PH2

Top of the 7th

Cubs 5 Dodgers 0

Ex-PH2

Final score:

Cubs 5 Dodgers 0

CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WINNNN!!!!!!

Cubs to the World Series!!!! All the Way!!!

68W58

Cubs-Indians?

More accurately it should be called the “End of the World” Series.

HMCS(FMF) ret

SMOD to throw the first pitch out for game 1? If either city wins it, their fans are gonna go nuts…

Ex-PH2

Really good work by this team! And they are not taking anything for granted.

sj

Just stumbled across “Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan” on Esquire channel. I had never heard of Esquire Channel but I get it, I just found out.

As an old fart, I’m amazed at the equipment folks have today, and that is a good thing. Damn, those MRAPs are huge! I think back to my M151 “Jeep” with sandbags on the floor. Different threat then.

The other thing that was reconfirmed is that EOD folks have huge balls. And that I didn’t know that Navy EOD had such a huge role. Did those gents know when they signed up for the Navy that they’d be ground pounders? I Salute them.

A Proud Infidel®™

“The other thing that was reconfirmed is that EOD folks have huge balls.”

Yes indeed. Shortly after I got on the ground in A-stan I thought that if ANY part of the U.S. Military should qualify for overtime pay, it ought to be the EOD’s in a Combat Zone, those Warriors honestly earn every penny and bit of respect they get!!

Ex-PH2

I watched that show when it was first aired and got hooked on it. Until Chief Groat walked down into a roadside bomb crater, the scope of those explosions had never been shown. Kudos to that team and to the production crew that went with them. One of the crew was in an MRAP that rolled over a roadbed IED just as it went off. The tension was tangible.

Sj

Think I’ve now watched them all. As a VN vet it seems a totally different world. This and Restrepo are a wake up. As a geezer I think that all of them look so young and then I look at my VN unit’s pix and we were so young too.

This series and Restrepo are must see’s.