A new appliance that you will want

About ten days ago, we went to the allergist to confirm what I had suspected for some time. I am allergic to cats. I used to like cats, till Mrs. Giraffe brought two of the smelly things into my house. Now I pretty much hate them. So when I turned up allergic, Mrs. Giraffe thought I was going to make her get rid of them. I caved. Just like I did when she wanted to bring them in the house in the first place. What can I say? I have a soft spot for the Mrs. Not to mention that she told me that I go before the cats do. However, the cats and I get along like Sunni and Shia. I wish I had killed them as kittens. (That sounds so harsh when I say it.)

Now that I know that I am allergic, I have set some rules about where the damn things can and cannot be. They can not be in the bedroom. Another suggestion that we got from the allergy literature is to keep them clean. At first I thought that was silly, but now I think that is a really good idea. Especially when I came across this:

Cat lovers beware!

Everyone else, this is pretty funny if you're kinda sick like me.

Portland Ice Storm

Ice+Steep Slopes+Morons= fun for everyone!

I have never seen roads so slippery

Redneck Woodshop project

fine art:

So long '06

2006 is gone. The .30'06 cartridge turned 100 years old. Amazingly, it is still relevant to today's shooters. It was a huge leap over cartridges 10 to 20 years older. A lot of new cartridges have come, some haven't stayed. There are cartridges that surpass it in performance, but that comes with more blast and recoil. It is still the most popular rifle cartridge in the US.

2006 wasn't a bad year. Mrs. Giraffe and I got sort of disciplined with our money, retired a lot of debt. Should be completed out of debt except the mortgage in a month. We still have a ways to go with the discipline. We start Financial Peace University tonight through church. That should help.

Some things I've thought about in the last year:

1. The US may be the best place in the world to live, but this too shall pass. Democracy lasts till people realize they can vote themselves bread and circuses, then it collapses. Republicans no longer argue over whether a program should exist, just how big it should be. Both parties now try beat each other to the punch on providing the latest form of bloated big government programs. For the children. Cause bringing home the bacon gets you re-elected.

2. Stupid people get to vote. I've always known that, just didn't realize how many stupid people there are. People voting themselves into bondage.

3. Republicans aren't always your friend.

4. We are so complacent. Fatted calves for the slaughter. We are a nation of apathetic imbeciles. Our children are so far behind the children from other countries and we worry about bookbags being too heavy. A people needs a little adversity once in a while and we haven't had any. I mean the kind that requires a little personal sacrifice. Because it builds character. Problem is, our nation decided character doesn't matter. I'd hate to find out how metrosexuals fight if the red chinese come knocking.

5. We are becoming less and less a Christian nation. My own state voted down an abortion ban. Lately, the papers say it is not coming back. As we become less Christian, people will lose the Christian morality. Because there is no such thing as morality apart from religion.

6. Liberals may not propegate as much by sexual reproduction, as they abort a higher percentage of their young. Instead, they infect others minds. And they own the schools.

7. Losing weight isn't as easy as it might seem. It requires a change in lifestyle. That is hard. I'll give it a shot this year anyway. I'll start next week.

Maybe I'm just bummed today. I sound so pessimistic.

My new years resolutions

Or, things I would do if I had any will power.

1. Become a more valuable employee. Be more productive.

2. Lose 30 lbs. Get in shape. The wife might help on this one. She has a class reunion. She wants everyone to be jealous.

3. Be more frugal. Make a written budget every month and follow it. Save up 6 months worth of living expenses for an emergency fund. Finish paying off our debts.

4. Tithe. Can I pull this one off? ***

5. Be a better husband. My wife deserves it.

6. Clean the garage. Maybe even so you could actually park a car in there.

7. Pillar bed a one of my rifles. Mount a new barrel on my .30-06.

8. Get my house fixed up. (this summer). I'd like to do this without going back into debt, but I don't see how I can. I'll likely have to hire it done. I'm not a gifted handyman.

9. Stop drinking soft drinks. This will help with #2 and #3.

10. Read my Bible more.


*** A question: Does tithing mean only giving to the church, or would giving to a needy family count?

I want! I want!

What do I want for Christmas? I don't know. So many things I want, so little money for it. Christmas isn't about that anyway.

I have been looking at rifle scopes. I had the idea that I wanted a better scope for deer hunting. Trouble is, I don't need it. I have a decent one now on both deer rifles. I helped my uncle pick one out for his rifle last month. I am conviced I did pretty well.

This is what I picked for him: http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=3974 That is the best price I have seen on it too. Nearly $100 cheaper than everywhere else.

I might get the same one for me. I decided this year that I wanted a better scope for hunting in the timber. My 4.5-14x40 doesn't have a wide enough field of view. I had a nice buck running through the trees, and I had a hard time finding him in the scope. I still got the deer, but I could have made a better shot. I figure I want one gun, my .30-06, set up for hunting in the woods. Most shots would be less than 200 yards. Now, I am not going to use open (iron) sights. I wanted to get one of these: I still might. I dunno. I read on a couple forums that the image is not flat. Maybe doesn't matter. I would like to look through one before I buy it. Nobody round here carries them. Another minus is the 1/2 MOA adjustment clicks. I'd prefer 1/4. I think it is more meant for muzzleloaders and shotguns. Anyway, it has pretty good optics with a wide field of view, and the ballistic plex reticle if I ever need it for a longer shot. I would use the rifle at home too, were shots can be 20 yards out to who knows. It is very light weight also. You end up carrying your rifle a lot more than you shoot it. This rifle currently has a Swift 3-9x40. Which is not as bright or as sharp as the Nikon. It was a good scope for the money, I and really can't complain about it.

The other scope that I want, is for my 'beanfield' rifle. This rifle would be used out in the wide open. Shots could be pretty far. I don't know how far, I'd have to see how well my rifle and I can shoot. As far as I can hit a paper plate every time I guess. For that, this is the scope I want. The optics are as good as scopes costing quite a bit more, the eye relief is constant, and generous, the exit pupil is large, at over 5mm. Field of view is actually wider than the 3-9x40 Light transmission is really good. If I could have only one rifle and scope, this is the one I would want. (Thank God you can have more than one!) It has side focus adjusment, another really cool feature. Only downside is I would need new rings for the 30mm tube. That is minor. And the cost, which is not minor. This rifle currently has a Weaver Grand Slam 4.5-14x40 on it. Which really is a pretty good scope. If I got a new scope, I have other rifles that have el cheapo's that I could replace with the Weaver. This is the rifle mentioned above. As to why I was using it in that situation in the first place, well, it is a long story.

Anyways. I want a bullet drop compensating reticle. All of these scopes have that. I don't know why I need this, the money would probably be better spent on a good laser rangefinder.
I want bright sharp optics that work well in low light. Both of the Nikons have that. I think the Burris is pretty good too. Nikon does make a 2-7 power, but it doesn't have the BDC and it costs more.

It is pretty sad to be dreaming and drooling about stuff like this that I don't really need.

Fart jokes.

Q: Why didn't the teacher pass gas in public?

A: Because she was a private tutor.



A real life fart joke:

Home

PSA: Due to the fact that the turkey hunting wasn't very good this year, there will be a slight delay in providing free turkeys to first commenters.


Otherwise, the black hills deer hunting was pretty good. We filled our tags early and spent a couple days coyote hunting, and still came home a couple days early. We were even fussy about our deer, passing up anything that didn't have at least 4 points and a few that did. No, I didn't take a camera with me. It never occured to me. I really feel that I have failed my readers. Both of you.

The hunting has gotten much better sincs they went to a limited draw, but we would rather go back to the unlimited licenses. It is more important to us to get a license every year than to try to shoot a trophy. I had a turkey license (my first for the hills), but I only saw 3 turkeys, and they were flying. We had 3 coyote sightings, which we considered to be too few, due to the fact that we were trying to call them in. We decided that the coyotes must have died off in that part of the hills, as there was scant evidence of their existance. Last September, while elk hunting, we were overrun with them.

This is the traditional vacation in my for my dad and my uncle. I have been going for the last 15 years or so. It is mostly a mens vacation, altough sometimes the women come. My mom has never gone, but my sister has gone a couple of tines What could be better than a week in a tent in the Black Hills in November? Where else can you spend a week on vacation for less than $150 per man?

The practical jokes weren't too good this year. I only sent a few pine cones home with the other hunters. The dead squirrel on the tow hook of the pickup was discovered too soon. My uncle did send a stick of firewood home with a friend. It is not known how long it will take him to find it though. My uncle is the main practical joker, putting firewood into vehicles, duffle bags, sleeping bags etc. And a rock against the side of the outhouse really wakes you up. The best I ever did was throwing a pack of firecrackers into the woodstove in the middle of the night.

I've been trying to catch up on what went on while I was gone. The wife took the opportunity to paint nearly the whole damn house. I actually had to help with most of it before I left. She painted the bathroom a deep red. It now resembles some sort of dungeon, as the new paint absorbs too much light, and you can't see too well with all the lights on. Now I have an excuse for missing! Really, I don't know what was wrong with white paint.

I purchased a trail camera. I set it up at home in the shelterbelt before I left. It took about a 8 pictures. Three of them were deer. Nothing was apparent in the other pictures. One picture was a small 4x4 buck. If anyone cares I'll put it up. If I get a pic of a big one I'll post it.

The hunting seasons are winding down and winter is coming.

A hunting we will go

Leaving tomorrow at 4 in the AM for the Black Hills. Gone till December.

You all have fun at work.

Bits n pieces

I've been busy, and been gone, so I haven't had time to comment on current events.

The abortion ban was defeated. I don't know why for sure. I'd guess it was due to not getting the message out. Part of the reason was, proponents claimed that there was an exception for rape or incest when the words "rape" and "incest" never even appeared in the law. So the argument over whether or not the provision was there distracted from the argument over if it SHOULD be there. I think a lot of people voted against the ban believing there should be exceptions for rape and incest. Nobody put out an ad trying to convince them otherwise.

Now the ban allows anyone to take the morning after pill before a pregnancy test can establish a pregnancy. This was the so called rape and incest provision. I think the abortionists scored some points pointing out that there was no real provision. (In my opinion, a rape or incest exception means that there is a specific exemption that applies to them and excludes them from the ban.)

The alternative would be that my so called conservative state is pro abortion and I don't really want to think about that.

The ban will be back in two years I'm sure. Whether or not it is in its present form or not I don't know. I don't know how a so called rape or incest provision would work. Can a woman who is 4 months pregnant decide she doesn't want the baby and cry rape? What is the standard of proof? Does the man she accuses get prosecuted? I would definitely support strong penalties for falsely accusing someone of rape to get an abortion.

So don't sell your stock in coat hanger factories just yet.

In other happenings, I went west river deer hunting. It was nice getting away. It was also very physically demanding. We hunt in the badlands. Very rough country. I like hunting out there, but the public land is very crowded. I guess we go more just to be in such a rough and beautiful country rather than to shoot a deer. There is no off road vehicle traffic allowed in this unit. So if you get a deer, you have to have a way to get it out. For us, this is a strong incentive to only shoot a deer if it has large antlers. Nobody wants the work of packing out a doe. Last year I shot two deer out there. One was a buck, and easy to get out. Only one mile to pack it out and all downhill. The other was a doe, and I dropped it as it ran across the dirt trail. We literally drove down and loaded it up. The intense hunting pressure makes it hard to find a buck big enough to shoot. They don't live long enough.

This year, only my brother got a deer. Which was good. He's not much of a hunter. He wasn't really into it when he was younger. He is not really an outdoorsman. He had never gotten a deer before. For perspective, I've shot somewhere around forty deer and he is older than I am. So he was getting pretty frustrated and wanted to give up hunting. I wanted him to get a deer before he quit completely. At least he got that monkey off his back. He was pretty happy. It was only a forkhorn, but he made one heck of a shot to get it.

My uncle and I shot the heck out of a poor coyote. Then we skinned it in the field and brought the hide back. Maybe I can get a few bucks for it.

We saw something that was pretty unbelievable. It snowed the day we went out. Then it got nice and the snow melted. The soil in the area is what they call gumbo. When it gets wet, it has the consistency of peanut butter. It sticks to your boots, and your feet get really heavy. It gets to be really hard to get around, and pretty unsafe. It is like trying to stand on a greased up pig.

The point of all this is, when the snow melted, the roads were slick. We had to leave the truck at the bottom of the hill and walk to camp. We and four other pickups couldn't make it up the hill. The next day, it dried out a little, and all the pickups had made it up the hill. But there was a new one, with Indiana license plates. The guys in it looked like a couple hippies. The pickup was a ford ranger, and it was a two wheel drive. This, to us, was the height of idiocy. To drive that thing down the hill was one of the dumber things I have even seen. But, it got more interesting. Of course they couldn't get up the hill. They had gone down to the creek and loaded the back end up with rocks till the springs were squashed flat. They got stuck at the base of the hill right in front of us. We figured they were screwed. We had to pull a 4 wheel out of the same spot that morning. Amazingly, the driver kept rocking till he got unstuck. He yelled to the passenger, who was talking to us, "Are you coming along or are you going to stand and talk to them?" I figured his chances would have been better with us. Then, my uncle let them try the hill in front of us. We could not believe they were even trying to get up, there was no way they would make it. Yet they kept trying, driving up 20 feet and then sliding back down. After 20 minutes, they made it up the steepest part. We all would have bet $1000 that they would not have made it. Their tracks were actually steaming. It took us three tries with a four wheel drive and brand new off road tires to make it up. Now they had made it through the worst part, but they still had a long way to go to get to the top. After we got up the worst part, we had to wait while they got up the next part. They kept getting stuck, and we kept thinking there is now way they would get out of this one, but by some miracle they kept getting out.

After a while, they made it up to where the traction was good for a little ways, and then got bad. The driver kept trying to start out in top gear, but he couldn't get the back wheels spinning. So he would rev the engine way up and let the clutch slip. After he tried this a couple times the truck quit moving forward and came down the hill in a cloud of white smoke. The clutch finally burned up. We could smell the clutch stinking when we first pulled up. They let us go past to the top of the hill. We didn't think it would be too long before they walked up looking for help.

We marveled quite a while at the sheer persistent stupidity of these guys. When we went down the next morning the truck wasn't there. Somehow they got up. They had to have about ruined that truck and must have nearly burned off the back tires. If you see a black ford ranger for sale on eBay from Indiana, pass on it.

My brother and I saw a bobcat. The second time I have seen a wild one.

On a quiet evening

It is always exasperating this time of year, with pheasants and ducks and geese and bowhunting for deer all competing for my free time. Saturday morning I went hunting geese. The geese didn't cooperate, we got skunked. As I always say when that happens, "I shoulda went bowhunting." It is a good problem to have, I realize. I really shouldn't complain.

I really get frazzled when we are hunting geese and I see a nice buck out snooping around for does. During October, the deer are concerned mainly with putting on weight for winter, and the bucks are getting ready for the rut (mating season for outdoor illiterates). The deer get their routines changed by the grain harvest, and they get disturbed some, by waterfowl hunters, and especially pheasant hunters. So they go pretty nocturnal during October. Especially the bigger bucks, who have to be pretty wary to survive long enough to get big. So during October, bowhunting is often unproductive. I went out a few times this year an only saw one deer.

Then the rut happens. Gradually the deer activity picks up during the daytime, the bucks rubbing their antlers on small trees and making scrapes on the ground. The big bucks start moving around, establishing dominance over the smaller ones, and looking for receptive does. In other words they get a little vulnerable. When the does start coming into heat it is an explosion of deer activity. The deer can be out moving around and any time of day. When this happens, I want to be in my tree stand.

It is during the transition, from low deer activity and few sightings to high activity that I have trouble deciding what to do. The transition coincides with the peak of the waterfowl migration. When I sit in the tree and see no deer I wish I had gone goose hunting, when I go goose hunting and can't get under the geese, I wish I was bowhunting. I wish I could go on vacation from the middle of October till Christmas.

I went bowhunting Saturday evening. Bowhunting is my favorite way to hunt deer. You are alone with your thoughts. Nature is happening around you. Pheasants cackle, ducks and geese and blackbirds fly by. Some neat things happen. One time I had a hawk land in the top of the tree I was in. One time I had a robin land on my arrow. I heard something kill a rabbit a few nights ago. And you sit their and listen. Your ears tell you what is going on. Well not really. They tell you something is going on, and exactly what is up to you imagination. You hear that rustling in the leaves, and of course your start imagining a huge buck coming down the trail. You look and listen, straining to hear over all the other sounds, the wind rustling the leaves, trees creaking, leaves falling, geese honking in the distance, bluejays and crows and blackbirds. Usually when you locate the source of the sound, it turns out to be a squirrel, or a rabbit. You can get to hate those dang things. But they are fun to watch sometimes too.

It was after sundown. Legal shooting hours go from 1/2 hour before sunup to 1/2 hour after sundown. I heard something to the north. This was after a couple squirrel false alarms, and what I believe was a pheasant sneaking through the grass. Whatever it was, the thing that I heard, it was taking its time. I heard some small twigs breaking. Crunches in the leaves. The minutes dragged on. It was coming closer, but far too slowly. I figured it had to be a deer. The deadline for shooting was close, if not past when I finally heard it coming crunch crunch crunch down the trail through the fallen leaves. It was getting dark. I finally saw some movement, there he was. It was a buck. I raised my binoculars, not needing the magnification, but the light gathering. He caught the movement of me bringing up the binoculars. He looked at me, I looked at him. He wasn't sure what he had seen, I was in full camo with a face mask. But he knew he had seen something. He did the trick deer usually do, put his head down, pretending to feed, but his eyes were on me. I tried to stay still, trying to get a feel for how big he was. After a bit, he seemed to lose interest in me and worked a scrape in front of me. I kept looking him over with the binocs. Is he big enough? I decided not, and the shot angle wasn't the best anyway. I could have shot at him while he worked the scrape. After a a few minutes, he took a couple more steps and then turned off the trail, away from the lanes I had cut through the branches to shoot through. I think in the back of his mind, he knew something was up there, and though he didn't know what, he didn't want to find out either. I had another brief shot opportunity as he worked his way out of the trees and into the corn field for the nights activities. I waited till he was far enough away that I wouldn't scare him and then walked home.

He was a medium sized four point (on each side), probably a 2 year old. In a couple years he could be something special. I don't think I will take a shot at him even if I get a better chance. But it certainly made it worth the trip out there. No griping about being out chasing geese.

I saw him again Sunday morning. He was out sparring with a smaller buck. This time they were about 300 yards away, and I was in a different spot due to the wind direction. I wanted to watch the fight, as I have never seen one. I got distracted though and missed it. A small doe had appeared out of nowhere behind me and was looking at me. I stood looking at her, hoping she wouldn't spook. She finally lost interest and went into the trees. When I turned back to the other two deer, the small buck was much closer, and the 4 point was moving along the slough, having chased him off. I looked at the smaller buck. He had at least 2 points on one side, and no antler on the other. Either he didn't grow any or they broke off in a fight. He caught my scent and took off. I had to leave to get to church.

The time change pretty much eliminates the evening hunts now, except on weekends. I can go out in the mornings before work, for a while. I might be a little late, but the boss doesn't care. Since I can't hunt in the evenings, I can make up the lost time then.

Sorry this got so long. I really enjoy bowhunting if you can't tell.

My first blog pic: My biggest buck. I may never top it.

Never mind, can't get the picture to post right now. Will try later.

Update 11-1

Here is the photo. It doesn't do the deer justice. I have been out bowhunting a couple more times. I saw three small bucks, including (I think) the one described above trying to molest a young fawn this morning.

Not looking good

From the Sioux Falls Argus liar:

A new poll finds most South Dakotans would vote against the state's
ban on almost all abortions. But, as a previous poll found, the ban would have
broader support if it allowed women to receive abortions for cases of rape
and incest.

The determining factor in my opinion is turnout. For us pro-lifers, we have been waiting for years to get the chance to vote on this. For some, abortion is the One Issue, it totally defines how they vote. The congressional race is a blowout, the governors race is a blowout, nobody cares too much about the other issues. Most of the other stuff is already decided. But the prolifers care very deeply about this, and will not be deterred from the polls. Even if we lose.

Pray for a blizzard on November 7.

I am doubtful, but I am going to vote no matter what.

The spotlight is on us

On November 7th, a very important issue will come before the people of my state.

Of course, I'm talking about Referred Law 6.

It is an issue that is getting the attention of the whole nation, with money coming in from the whole country on both sides.

I will be voting for it, but I'm not sure it will pass. I see a lot of signs in front yards supporting the ban. I have not seen a single sign against it (other than billboards). I think opponents are afraid to put up a sign. It says a lot about your position when you are ashamed to admit it. Apparently some of the pro life signs have been hit by vandals. I suspect if there were any pro ban signs they would get the same treatment, probably worse.

If the ban on abortion fails, it will be because it does not allow exceptions for rape and incest.
If you really think that there should be such exceptions, come back after reading this. I am not sure how it will shake out, the only polls show support for the ban is behind, but catching up.

Even if the ban is upheld, it is almost certain that we will relect Stephanie Herseth, a strong supporter of abortion. That confuses me; we're a State that is strongly pro life. Another thing that really makes me angry, is that the National Rifle Association has endorsed her. She is a Democrat and supposedly has said that she would support Nancy Pelosi for majority leader if the Democrats retake the house. Her very presence in the House adds to the possibility of the Democrats taking control. And the Republican candidate recieves the same A rating on gun control issues. Nice call NRA. Why endorse a candidate at all when both candidates support gun rights? And if you do, why support the one that gives more power the the gun grabbers in her party? I will not be renewing my membership. I will probably have to write them a letter explaining why.

I expect voter turnout will be high for the pro life side. I am sure the churches will have the congregations motivated. This will be the first time in 30 years that anyone in the US will have a chance to vote on abortion instead of having the court dictate to them. For the pro-life crowd, this is the Big Chance.

I am not sure what motivates the other side. The House race will probably be a blowout, so there is no desparation to make sure Herseth is re-elected.

If the ban is passed, I am afraid it will only be the beginning of the fight.

On gay old pedophillia

My political memory may be short, like the rest of my memory, but it seems to me that the Republicans reaction to a scandal is a bit different to the reaction of Democrats toward their scandals. The Republicans seem to disown offenders in their own party, while Democrats circle the wagons. At least that is how it seems to me. I think it is right for Foley to resign, even though apparently no actual crime was committed. Republicans have are not defeinding him. Somehow Clinton can perjure himself, and sell pardons and Democrats look the other way or defend him. Newt resigns after an affair, Clinton doesn't resign after several. An perjures himself and lies outright to the public. Doesn't seem like the Democrats apply the same standard to themselves that they do to the Republicans.

You have to hand it to the Dems though. Aside from the obvious timing before the elections, nobody seems to be asking who is behind outing Foley. And as Steve at Hog on Ice points out, it really seems to be a hachet job. They have come a long way from the screw ups with Dan Rather and the National Guard story. That story was probably true too. It is unfortunate, that the Democrats do not have the honor to resign when their skeletons are dragged out of the closet.

You know you're a gun nut when....

You buy reloading dies for a gun you don't even own!!!!


At least I got a good deal.

(44 mag carbide RCBS $28)

Say What?

Say What part one: Quote of the day

Joe Carter: "Anyone who thinks the Democratic Party is good for the poor or minorities or thinks that Republicans are for small government hasn't been paying attention."

Say What part the second:

I didn't see this coming.

Friday

I am going golfing this weekend. One last hurrah with a college buddy before I put away the clubs for the year. It is now huntin' season, with seasons for various species now open or opening soon. As usual, I am not prepared, not having enough shotgun shells loading, nor deer loads perfected, nor bow sighted in and practiced, etc. But if the lawn will stop forcing me to mow thrice weekly and I get my potatoes dug, I still have some time to get ready.

My suspicions were confirmed. My wife stayed down there all day and half the night, to get Ty's autograph. She did finally get it, at least that is what she claims it is. I could not discern anything in the scribbling on the paper that she showed me. So she stood around all day, and came home footsore, hungry, and thirsty, just to see Ty. Luckily, he wasn't too friendly, or this might have ended up like a country song. He came down the line, signing stuff, not saying anything, and when he saw my wife, he said "hey how ya doing?" or something like that. That's right, the only one he spoke to was my wife. I knew that I should be worried. Fortunately, she was too starstruck and weak in the knees to jump the barricade. So she came home, we met for supper at Applebees. Marital bliss resumes. I think I may have to ban that show on the premises though.

Today I will be passing by the Cabelas store, so I am pondering a shopping list. If I don't go in with a list, I might go nuts and could come out with maxed out credit cards. Self control is tough in such a place.

Everyone say a prayer for Jeff. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Extreme Home Makeover, Giraffe Edition

A big deal in my area now is the house for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. They are building it about 30 miles from my house. I went down there on Sunday with Mrs. Giraffe. We parked in a wheatfield 2 miles from the house, waited in line for 45 minutes to get on a bus, got to the site and them stood around watching them paint and put up stone on the front. This was Sunday, they started with a hole in the ground on Friday afternoon. The foundation was laid, the house was framed, roofed sided, sheetrocked, and they were painting it in 3 days. There were swarms of people around in blue t-shirts. Each crew has a specific task, when done, they get out of the way for the next crew. We couldn't see much, and the only cast member we saw was Eduardo (I think, I don't watch the show). After standing around gawking at nothing for an hour, we were lucky to only wait 15 minutes for the bus back to the car. I kept telling her we should leave, but she wanted to see Ty. Of course we didn't, he wasn't even there. About the same time we were there, my niece ran into him and some other cast members at a gas station in Brookings.

I thought it was a waste of time, but apparently Mrs. Giraffe didn't, because she went back early this morning. She called to tell me she she was the third car there. Today is the reveal date, and they are only letting in 1000 people. It is now 2:30 in the afternoon, and I haven't heard from my wife yet. She has been there since 7:00 A.M. The family was supposed to arrive at 2:00. So, if I blog even less than normal, it is because my wife ran away with Ty Pennington and I have gone hunting him.

Via email

I used to have a Labrador retriever & I was buying a large bag of Purina at Wal-Mart and was in line to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog(?). On impulse, I told her that no, I was starting The Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry & that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall, black guy who was behind her.Horrified, she asked if I'd been poisoned. I told her no, I'd been sitting in the street licking my balls and a car hit me.

I thought the black guy was going to have to stagger out the door.

What a week

It has been a very long week. We have finally been getting some rain. Too late for the corn crop but it will help the soybeans. Much better off than some in that department. West of here they are baling up the corn because they aren't going to get a harvest. I haven't mowed my lawn for a month. I have to do that soon. The weeds are growing, but not the grass. That makes it look really ugly. Starting to get tomatoes and cucumbers out of the garden. Will have a good potato crop, because I watered them. Bad year for a garden. Nothing came up. A lot of people had that problem this year.

Loaded up some .223 shells and shot a few groups with my AR. Wow. One group measured 0.33 inches. At 100 yards with 5 shots. The higher loadings were around an inch, but showed pressure signs. I will take the accuracy over the speed in this case. I loaded some more to see if I can repeat it, but I haven't had time or good conditions to shoot. If I can repeat it, it will be about the easiest load development I have ever done. I will post a photo if it works out. Load was 26.0 grns Varget, 55 grn. Nosler Ballistic Tip, CCI primer, Federal case. I could post links to Hodgdon and Nosler etc., but if you don't already know you probably don't care. Varget is a pain to get in a .22 case, but I don't shoot that many rounds. It will be my coyote load.

I got licenses for Black Hills deer, 3 fall turkey licenses, a two tag West River deer license. I will also get an archery deer license and probably at least one East river tag and a blackpowder tag. Potentially 7 deer if I get all of them, which I won't. It ends up being far more deer meat than I can eat, but I don't hunt only for the meat. That reminds me, I have to get dog food. My mutt has been dining on the deer sausage that I made for the last couple days because I'm out of food for her.


It is shaping up to be a huge year for pheasants. We had a 40 year high in population last year, and as far as I know, there will be even more this year. I have not seen any projections for this year yet. The Canada geese had a good hatch this year, the first around here in about 3 years. A lot of them have left, taking the young up into North Dakota. I don't know why they do that, but there is always a noticeable decline in goose numbers right before the season opens. They have tracked geese that nest here and go all the way into Canada after the young can fly.

This is shaping up to be the best year for hunting that I have had in a long time. My brother has left for college, so I might not hunt as much as I had when he was here.

We froze a whole bunch of sweet corn. It turned out OK, but I want to do better. I think if I drained the juice out of it, and put butter in it and a little salt, it will be excellent.

I have about a 30 pound watermelon in the fridge at home. I think it is time to see if it is any good.