Cuteness

That is all.

from the inbox

Sometimes you get an email that is true:

A Lady Named Irena - a true story

There recently was a death of a 98 year old lady named Irena.

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist.

She had an ulterior motive...

She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box she carried, and she carried in the back of her truck a Burlap sack, (for larger kids).

She also had a dog in the back, that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in, and out of the ghetto.

The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.

During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, and arms, and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out, and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it, and reunited the family.

Most of course had been gassed.

Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes, or adopted.

Last year Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize....

She LOST.

. . . . . . . Al Gore won, for doing a slide show on Global Warming.

Fireworks

From Kevin M, Via Dr. Helen

My history with fireworks:

When I was a kid, my father was Vermont State Champion trapshooter in the handicapped division. He paid me 25 cents for each box of 12-guage shells I reloaded for him, so we had gobs of Hercules Red-Dot shotgun powder around the house, as well as a subscription to The Shotgun News. I saw an ad in the Shotgun News for empty Mark II Pineapple grenade casings, so, being a kid, I ordered one.

It arrived, I filled it with Red-Dot, put in a model rocket fuse and sealed the opening with candle wax (melted in a pot on Mom's stove...I'm not using a lit candle because even though I'm really stupid, I'm not friggin' suicidal!).

I bury the grenade in Mom's tomato garden next door to our neighbors' house, a pair of elderly and wonderful French-Canadians. I light the fuse and run like Jessie Owens.

BOOOOOM!!!

Mom no longer has any tomatoes, there's a crater big enough to bury our dog in the garden, Mr. Rouleau dashes outside his house screaming expletives in French and I take off into the woods to develop my skills in unassisted living for two days before returning home to one seriously p*ssed-off mother and a father who, when he learned of the calamity, wet himself.

Fireworks, people. Let the pros handle them.

My father-in law watched a yukon burn up after a kid inside it somehow got his sack of fireworks ignited. The car filled up with smoke and one kid got seriously burned because he couldn't find his way out.

A guy got killed near here over the weekend making a sparkler bomb.

I don't get a big kick out of fireworks so much any more. Maybe when my kid(s) get older. Anyways, have fun, be careful, and if you have a funny story, by all means share it.

For Heidi

Because she was grouchy.

Another pic

A pic

And then there were three.

7lbs 15 oz
19.5"
May 1, 2008

Abby Jeanne

Mom and baby are fine, although Dad's head is swelling up pretty bad.

Thanks for the prayers. I'll get some pictures up eventually.

Life is happening.

I probably will not post very often for a while. There is a lot going on.

At work:

the good: our services are suddenly in demand again. Which is good. Hard for the boss to pay us with no money coming in. It was a long winter.

The bad: a co-worker's wife lost her fight with cancer, then he had a heart attack a week later. So we are short an important piece, and who knows when he will be back (though he is doing well, considering). Stressful situation for his family.

The boss's wife had a heart attack last fall. She is doing well too, but rehab and appointments take him away a lot too. A lot more responsiblity is falling on me, so I guess I ought to quite feeling sorry for myself (i have it good, after all) and put the shoulder to the wheel.

At home, baby Giraffe is making his presence felt though he/she hasn't arrived yet. Mrs. giraffe has been put on bedrest due to swelling. She is not due till mid May, but I don't think it will take that long. The doctor was talking about inducement. There is no immediate concern, but with the swelling and her blood pressure starting to rise, I think the doctor wants to get the baby out as soon as it is safe.

We had a bet. She thought the baby would come before the end of April, I thought in May. With a due date well into May I figured it was a sure thing. I thought I lost the bet last night but the contractions lessened and we were sent home. It is difficult, having not gone through this before, to know what is labor and what is the warm up.

Of course, we are not ready. I put the crib together, but it was a cheap piece of junk and it was broken in two places. So we are going to get our money back and we bought a better quality used one in to replace it. At lunch today, she said she didn't know if she was ready to take care of a baby. I don't think you ever are. But it will be a good thing. I have to figure out the car seat. All of the Mrs's. friends say they take forever to install.

Friday, we had our second spring blizzard, worse than the first. We didn't try to go home this time. Which was a good idea, the road ditches were full of vehicles the next day. We got just shy of 20 inches of snow, and the snowblower broke, so we are just going to have to wait for it to melt. If Algore showed up talking about global warming they would not find his body till the snow melted. Spring has been slow in arriving about the last five years in a row. Pretty unusual to get snow this late to say the least. I was actually thinking it was time to mow the lawn the first time. Odd to have to wait for the snow to melt so you can mow.

Useful Idiots

Do not buy a gun at Walmart. I suppose I'll have to stop shopping there at all.

Since Ebay banned a lot of shooting related things, I quit them too, though it was only because I was only looking for shooting related things.

A pleasant surprise.

I wrote this last week, didn't get time to finish.

Went to the gun show last weekend. I sent on Sunday afternoon. Saturdays are reserved for hunting geese. Got there kind of late, a lot of vendors were packing up. This seems to happen every year, seems like I have to rush through, before they shut down. There is no solution though, the timing of the gun show coincides with the migration of the great white hordes. I won't miss actual trigger time to go to a gun show.

to continue.

The best part of my trip to the gun show, was not that I got a new gun. I only got a couple bags of brass. Mrs. Giraffe saw a gun she liked. A Ruger 10-22 with a pink rubber coated stock. She said, "If I had to have a gun, that would be it" Mrs Giraffe is not a shooter. She also asked if she could shoot geese with it. So, I am going to let her shoot my 10-22 a few times. If she likes it, I will have to get her one. She says she only wants to shoot tin cans and stuff, and not actually hunt. I figure that is a win, even if she doesn't want to hunt. But it is nice for her to show that much interest in it. If we weren't saving for the baby right now, I'd have brought it home right then.

Baby is due in about a month. The doctor told us she needs to stay pregnant a couple more weeks. I need to get a bunch of stuff done first. Mrs. Giraffe is not very comfortable right now, but it has not been an overly difficult pregnancy. For me especially :).

Right now, we are having yet another spring snow storm. A blizzard warning, in fact. Expected to have 40+ mph winds combined with 10" of wet heavy snow. Great. I have to wait in town till the Mrs. gets off of work to make sure she gets home OK. The roads are already accumulating slush. She doesn't get off for three more hours unless they let her go early.

So I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring. Thought I'd finish this post.

The reloading Page

I figured I'd put up a page of reloading links.

Under Construction. If you have any I should add, let me know.

Bullet Manufacterers

• Nosler
• Berger
• Hornady
• JLK
• Sierra
• Barnes
• Speer
• Swift

Sabots


Powder Manufactures FOR RELOAD DATA

• Alliant
• Hodgdon/Winchester/IMR Link is for reload data for all three. Scroll to bottom to browse individual sites, (powder descriptions, etc)
• Ramshot / Accurate note, Ramshot owns Accurate
• Vihtavuori (Lapua)

Shopping:

• Midway USA
• Midsouth
• Cabelas
• Grafs
• Powder Valley
• Brownels Good for Gunsmithing
• SWFA - optics
  

Reloading Equipment

• Lee
• Redding
• Hornady
• Sinclair
• RCBS
• Lyman
• MEC

Optics

• Sightron
  
• Weaver
• Burris
  
• Nikon
• Leupold
  
• Bushnell
• Horus Vision
• ATN
• Nightforce
• US Optics
• Newcon - Rangefinders, Night Vision

Guns

• Remington
• Savage
• Winchester
• Browning
• Ruger
• Henry
• CZ USA
• Weatherby
• Sako
• Kimber
• Springfield Armory Nate, Note it is listed right below Kimber
  
• Tikka
• Cooper
• Barret
  

AR's

• Rock River
• Olympic Arms
• Bushmaster
• DPMS
  

Miscellaneous

• Ballistic Calculator
• Steve's Pages- Lots of stuff here
• Varminthunter.org
  
• 
  

Do like they do on the...

Warning, crude joke.



Being married to a pregnant woman, we have learned a new technique called "Coyote sex"
This is where the male has to lay by the hole and howl.

My entry in the Friday Challenge:


I awoke to the oldies station blaring loudly. Brittany Spears was cooing "Hit me baby one more time." I wished I could. Was it morning already?. No, it was not. The alarm TV said 1:37 AM.

"Alarm TV off!" I commanded. It turned off. I rolled over to go back to sleep. I remembered that I had not even set it. Tomorrow was Saturday after all. I was going to sleep in.

Then I heard a quiet voice that made me sit bolt upright in bed. "But I'm lonely."

"Who's there!" I cried. "Lights on!" I sat there blinking in the bright light. There was nobody in the room.

"It was me." said the voice. I determined that the voice was coming from my alarm TV. Had someone had tampered with it? Whoever was behind this was going to pay I thought to myself.

"Power down" I said. I figured I better unplug it. Instead, the screen lit up with a gorgeous blond woman's face.

"Keep me company. I'm lonely" she repeated.

"What is going on? Who is doing this?" I said. I looked around to see if someone had planted a cam. There was nothing.

I got out of bed and opened the closet. "There's nobody here but me" she said.

They must be using a microcam, I thought. That would be take time to find. I was scheming my revenge.

"I've been watching you sleep." she said. The hair rose on the back of my neck. "Really, what was I doing last Friday night?" I shot back.

"I think her name was Tina" she said. I stood there with my mouth agape. Nobody knew about Tina. Unless they'd already planted the camera. I'm going to have to hurt someone, I thought to myself.

"I don't like those other girls" the alarm TV said. "They are not right for you". Well I knew that. I looked closer at the screen. She really was beautiful.

"They don't know you like I do" She said. "I know what you like."

"What do I like?" I asked. I didn't know what to think by then.

The image on the screen panned back. I stood dumbstruck as the screen revealed the image of her body. It was absolutely perfect.

"You like this." she said softly. I couldn't argue.

"I don't believe you" I said. "You are not real."

I walked closer to the screen. The image was again a closeup of her face. Her beautiful eyes tracked me across the room.

"That is creepy" I said.

"Don't say that" she said. It sounded like she was offended.

"Who's doing this?" I said.

"Don't you like me?" she asked.

"I like you a lot." I said. "But you are not real. And this is pissing me off."

A tear rolled down her cheek. I wanted to wipe it off. Ridiculous. She saw me move to the wall. "No, please" she sobbed. The desperation in her voice haunts me. I reached for the cord and yanked it out of the wall. The screen went black.

When I awoke the next morning, The sun was streaming in the window. I was going to sleep in, not sleep till noon, I thought to myself. I looked at the time but the screen was blank. It came flooding back to me when I saw the cord hanging. It had not been a dream.

Nobody said anything about it. I kept looking at everyone for weeks, hoping to catch a furtive smile, some clue that they’d been behind the joke. Nobody came forward.

I still think about her a lot. The alarm TV is still there. The only thing on the screen is the time, or the movies I watch. I lie awake at night watching it.

That's better

Thanks, El Borak for the link.

TIA review

I posted this on Amazon:

The Irrational Atheist is a examination of some of the claims made by the New Atheists, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. They have made claims that religion is harmful to society. For example they claim that religion is the chief cause of war, that religion oppresses science, and that atheists are more intelligent than theists. Vox Day does the research and shows these assertions to be false, or at best, misleading.

The 'enlightened' New Atheists, worship at the alters of science and reason. Day conclusively shows they are not well acquainted with either, pointing out factual, logical, and even basic math errors in their writing. Day strips them of their weapons, reason and the scientific method, and uses them to deliver an intellectual beat down that is sure to leave them smarting. Harris and Dawkins should be especially embarrassed.

This book is meticulously researched and footnoted. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that many atheists will have the courage to read it. Nevertheless, it is very entertaining, providing an extra helping of the scorn that the New Atheists so richly deserve. The New atheists have been issued a challenge. The Irrational Atheist will force them to a higher intellectual plane.

Update: I made a few changes for Paul, who objected to my use of the word 'brights'. Maybe he is distancing himself from the Unholy Three.

The prairie dog gun

I was shooting my mouth off over at JACIII's blog and said I was going to do a post about prairie dog guns. First off, I am not an expert prairie dog shooter, I'd just like to be. The prairie dogs live a few hundred miles away, and the only time I get a chance to shoot some is when I'm hunting something else. Then, we don't normally take the time. We had planned to go on a coyote hunting trip in a week or two. We generally shoot a few prairie dogs then if the weather is nice. This year the trip is not be, as the Mrs. has stamped her pretty foot and declared that I will not miss the child bearing classes. Plus I shouldn't spend the money right now.

I decided to do a post about the P-dog setup that is on my wish list. I probably won't actually be able to afford this setup till my children are grown and gone. I have enough guns, in enough flavors, that this setup would be the most logical addition to the arsenal, although if I start shooting handguns more a 1911 would be a better choice. I hear Nate recommends Kimber.

There are a few approaches to prairie dog shooting. You can use the various rimfires, including .22, .22 mag and the .17 hmr. These are good for about 150- 200 yards. These rifles have the ability to be fired fairly rapidly without danger of burning up barrels. Some people take along a rimfire to pop away at the close p-dogs until they disappear down the holes. Then they get set up for the main event.

The main event, in my estimation, is engaging small targets at extended ranges with devastating results. I think it is more fun shooting at pdogs out to 300-400 yards (some people go much much further). This requires special equipment. A rock solid shooting bench is a plus. I intend to build one some day. Some sort of rifle rest is needed. You definitely don't have to do it this way. A bipod or shooting sticks will suffice, especially if you are in an area that you can't drive right to the dog town. But prairie dog shooting is just that, shooting. You don't stalk them, you just sit down and wait for them to show themselves, and shoot. Guided shoots on private land could be hundreds of rounds per day, and you usually can drive to the dog town, so why not try to shoot in comfort. Not that you need a guide.

The rifle.

The rifle needn't be specially made for p-dogs, especially if you aren't a regular p-dog shooter. However, the volume of ammo going down the tube means barrels don't last long, and the hotter the cartridge the faster the barrels burn up. You can burn out a barrel in one trip with something like a .220 swift. How you shoot makes a difference. However, the action can be pretty fast, the weather can be warm, and the next thing you know you will scorch yourself when you touch the barrel. This is not conducive to long barrel life.

Since you aren't carrying the rifle around much and the extreme accuracy is much desired, it makes sense to have a dedicated rifle if you are going to shoot p-dogs a lot. Some shooters have several, and swap them out when the barrels get warm. The stereo-typical dedicated prairie dog rifle is a heavy barreled target model bolt action.

For accuracy considerations, the rifles are often custom, or accurized factory. The remington 700 action is often used here, as gunsmiths love it. Controlled round feeding is not needed, as prairie dogs seldom charge. Single shot bolt actions are also desired, as repeating action isn't needed, and you don't lose any time single loading. Single shot bolt actions are stiffer, and therfore more accurate in theory. I desired a custom built rifle, wanting the accuracy they produce. It is generally cheaper to start with a custom action and built the rifle around it than start with a factory rifle and have it re-worked. Of course, sometimes factory rifles shoot well enough to be employed as is. If a half worn out factory rifle is what you have, and that is what I have right now, then that is what you use.

What kind of accuracy is needed? I'd say a rifle that shoots half inch 5 shot groups is desired. Definitely under an inch. These are rare from the factory, and custom rifles don't always do this. If yours doesn't shoot that good, so what. You are going to miss a lot anyway.

For particular models of rifles, I'd look at the Remington XR-100, or the one of the 700 heavy barrel types. I'd also consider the various Savage model 12's. The Savages would be my first choice. These are just my preferences, any heavy barreled rifle will do. Do not overlook Cooper rifles, they guarantee 1/2 inch (3 shot) I have seen some of the test targets from the Cooper rifles, one some, you can't tell there is more than one shot.

Cartridges.

Note that I assume you handload. You can shoot factory if you can afford it. I think handloading is almost required due to the accuracy needed and the volume of shooting.

It can be difficult selecting a cartridge. Well it used to be. If factory rounds are your style, just get a .204 Ruger and be done with it. This is I believe the fastest mainstream commercial cartridge, velocities up to 4250 fps off the top of my head. It should provide pretty explosive results, and it doesn't burn as much powder as the .22-250 or .220 swift, so barrel life is extended.

The .223 Rem is also a fine choice, and yes, Ar-15's are great prairie dog guns. A .223 doesn't get as hot as fast as the more powerful numbers, and will still handle the p-dogs way out there. The .22-250 and .220 swift are good choices, you just have to mind your barrel temp. They will provide more explosive performance. There are some of use crazies who think that the longer shots are more fun. I think they are, as long as you hit one once in a while. I'd think you will find yourself continually pushing the envelope as your equipment and skills improve. For those long range shooters, a 6.5x284 will get way out there. This is one of Res's interests, he would be better suited to tell you how.

Now if you are in the mood for something better, then might I recommend the 5mm SMC. This is the one I want. I have been reading about this round in Varmint Hunter magazine for a few years. The creators of this cartridge, actually a whole line of them, had the goal of scientifically optimizing case design. I don't know if they succeeded, but they have made some substantial improvements. The 5mm SMC produces 300-400 fps higher velocities with given bullet than the .204 Ruger. The developers claim red mist out to 400 yards. The best part, recoil is so slight that you are able to see the red mist effect through the scope. Another feature, the case is designed with an elliptical shoulder to trap the powder in the case which reduces barrel heating, barrel wear, felt recoil, and increases efficiency. This cartridge provides a flatter trajectory than the .22-250 with the barrel heating of a .204 ruger, which is quite a feat.

Now there are downsides to it. It think ammo is being commercially produced, but it will be expensive. Brass can be purchased, but I think Norma is the only one that makes it right now, so it will also be costly. The brass is also a pain the posterior to form yourself according to the cartridges developer. Of course there may be new developments. I recommend reading the two creators, Mic McPherson and By Smalley's, website, www.superiorballistics.com Navigation is sort of primitive, the animations were never finished, but the description of why the cartridge performs the way it does as well as the descriptions of used in the field make good reading. In fact, it will be much more informative about prairie dog guns than this post.

Bullets

Bullets depend on your preferences. If you are on a budget, get the cheapest ones you can find. If you are seeking accuracy, then you better get higher quality, the Bergers, Noslers, Sierras, or whatever your rifle likes. If you want explosive performance, then get lighter bullets designed to fragment. Think Speer TNT's, Nosler Ballistic Tips, Hornady Vmax's, Berger MEF's, and Barnes Varmint Grenades. The lighter bullets produce less recoil, and the higher velocity combined with fragile construction gets you the red mist. For longer ranges, you have to pay attention to ballistic coefficient. The higher BC's buck the wind better, and carry more energy. Most of the premium bullet makers provide a BC number. I'll save you the trouble, Nosler Ballistic tips usually list the highest number in typical P-dog weights.

NOTE: In prairie dog country, the wind is always blowing. This adds to the challenge, and fun, unless it gets too windy. Higher BC bullets help fight the wind.

Optics

I am not going into too much depth on optics, except to say, buy the best you can afford. However, it is probably better to buy the cheapest crap you can find and save your money till you can get a good scope instead of buying a mid range value. The cheap scopes are getting better all the time. You also want a scope with a BDC reticle. Leopold, Burris, Nikon, Bushnell and others make one. More will as time goes on, I think the market will force it.

My rifle

Now, if I were doing this on a budget, and considering my life right now, I will be doing this on a tight budget if at all, this is the way I would go. I would choose the Savage Single-shot, right bolt, left port, model 12, which you should be able to get chambered in 5mm SMc, as the Savage custom shop is doing rifles in this chambering. This is a rifle designed for accuracy, and for shooting off a bench.

Conclusion

Well the post got long. For someone such as myself, who has limited p-dog experience, I can sure sound like I know it all.

To sum up, if you can afford it, get a good rifle, find a good load, load a couple thousand rounds, and go shooting. If you can't afford it, use what you've got. Your equipment, and skills at shooting and reloading will get better over time.

For more information about long range varmint shooting, join the Varmint Hunters Association. I think the magazine alone is worth the membership fee. They have 500, 1000, and 1500 yard clubs for those who make a kill beyond those ranges.

A lame attempt:


El Borak is always posting these, I assume he makes them. I used a free web based photo editor. I couldn't get the border right, and the font is wrong. However, it is almost necessary to come up with something when you come across a photo such as this one.

Girafflet

Sometime in month of May your Giraffe will become a father*.

Mrs. Giraffe is starting to show quite a bit now, and junior is kicking the crap out of her. I said junior, but we elected not to find out the sex of the child, so as to surprise ourselves. Of course I want a boy, but then I want at least one of each, so I could hardly be disappointed with a girl.

There is the problem of a name. It seems prudent to have one male and one female name pre-approved before the arrival. I say prudent because then I have more time to steer the Mrs. away from picking a really stupid name. Women can be severely lacking in judgement when it comes to naming their children. I prefer names that are traditional. I abhor 'popular' names and names that sound like they were made up out of thin air. I'd hate to have a son who was one of 15 named Michael in school** or a girl named LaQueefa.

The Mrs. mentioned "Abby" for a girl, and I like it. She also said "David" for a boy, which I don't like, but it is my middle name after all. My role in the naming process seems to be that of the executive branch, Mrs Giraffe submits the names, and I have veto power.

Mrs. Giraffe would prefer to quit her job once the young one comes, and that is my preference as well. I always said don't have kids if you aren't going to raise them. I know some parents do pretty well putting their kids in daycare, but I haven't been impressed with the results I've seen locally. Maybe that is more of a function of bad parents rather than the daycare creating hooligans. The biggest problem is health insurance. Currently, Mrs. Giraffe gets our insurance through her employer. I don't foresee getting insurance through mine anytime soon, so we will have to buy our own. That will be problematic, but I'd rather eat rice and beans than have the Mrs. work anymore, and I definitely don't want to move to town. Perhaps the Mrs. can find something she can do from home, or I will have to work another job or overtime or something.

Being a man, I am surprised at all the expensive crap we have to buy. Apparently, the Mrs. is well aware and has warned me that I am only going to get about 5 bucks a month to spend on myself. Why does a crib have to cost 300 bucks? Diapers and formula will bankrupt us. I guess we shall just have to put the child to work.

I am encouraged by Nate in that I'll be able to deduct an extra $2000 this year. Oh happy day.

*For El Borak, an asterisked footnote: Technically, since I believe life begins at conception, I am already a father, I just have to wait to meet the youngster.

** Hey another one!! I actually would prefer to home school my children, but the Mrs. is not sure. Since she would probably be the one doing it, I don't know if it is going to work.

Funny

http://www.kentuckyhunting.net/forums/showthread.php?t=49649

Who let the dang dog in the house again?

She looks right at home don't she. That's because she gets in the house a lot more than she should. (I'm alergic) It is a shame that you don't get enough years with a dog as good as her.

The trouble with libertarianism

I have heard it argued, I forget by who (maybe Vox, maybe Nate), that freedom means each person should be able to own whatever weapon they wish or can afford. This is true. If you are not permitted to own a nuke your freedom has been restricted. The obvious problem with this is the events of Omaha. If that pathetic loser had been permitted to own a nuke, his decision to go out in style could have been much more devastating.

There is the problem. On one side, you have tyrannical forms of government, that allow no liberty, and on the other, you have libertarianism, which has no restraints. The problem is with abuse. On one side, you have abuses of the government, because it has too much power, and on the other you have abuses of freedom, the reason we need government in the first place. Men are sinful creatures, give them too much power, or too much freedom, and they will abuse it.

The trick is to find the correct balance. I say lean towards freedom. But you can't go too far. You can't give someone the power to wipe out huge blocks of the population. Mutually Assured Destruction doesn't work on the individual level. Self destruction is too often becoming the goal.

MIL

Mother in law's heart started working, so they decided she didn't need the permanent pacemaker. So they sent her home. She was home four days, then she started having chest pains. We had spent the day at their house watching the Vikings beat the Bears, so we were surprised to get the phone call telling us she was in the emergency room.

So my mother in law had a second heart attack. They flew her in a plane to the heart hospital 100 miles away. Did some more rooting around, put some stents in. She came home today. Apparently the vessels used to do the bypass filled with clots. She is OK, but scared to come home, she feels safer in the hospital. She has a problem with her blood, either it clots too little or too much. Hopefully the doctors get to the bottom of it.

I have to go eat some heart healthy food with my dad at McDonald's, then I am going bowling. See ya.

Not out of the woods yet

It seems that complications arose for my Mother in law today, out of the blue. She has a temporary pacemaker, that is all that is keeping her alive. Her bypass surgery screwed up the electrical function of her heart. She will have surgery on Monday to have a permanent pacemaker put in.

She also has a partially collapsed lung, her kidneys quit for a while, and is in danger of blood clots and pneumonia from the inactivity.

Prayers would be appreciated.

A short list

Been kinda busy lately, and nothing to blog about anyway. Here is why:

1. My Mother in Law had a heart attack, and triple bypass surgery in the last two weeks. She is now recovering and things are looking good. She is 100 miles from home in the heart hospital and I have been there providing moral support to Mrs. Girraffe. I have a bit of catching up to do. Looks like she will make a full recovery with no damage to her heart. I didn't know she even had one.

2. Hunting season has opened, I will be spending much time chasing various critters till Christmas at least.

I saw a curious thing today. Today I noticed a rack of jackets with the brand name "Free Country". I had to look. As you should have guessed, the tag said "Made in China". Unbelievable.

I should be bringing in my trail cameras again soon.

Trailcam 3.0

I don't have any deer pictures of huge deer from my camera to share, but if I did this is what they would look like. These pictures where taken less than ten miles from my house:









My cousin will be hunting this deer. There is also at least one other large deer there, but this is the most impressive. A deer this large is pretty rare here.

Trailcam 2.0

I got a bunch more trail cam pics. Here is another buck.


I got a closer picture of him later on the other camera.




My cousin has gotten a couple of bruisers on his camera. This is probably 6 miles away from where these pictures are taken. If I can get a copy of those pics, I'll put them up.

My next strategy will be to get some feed to put out. It is time to spray the food plot and replant it. The feed should attract more deer than I have been seeing and hold them until the food plot gets going.

Regret

Or, a story of my formerly being a band geek.

A long time ago, way back in high school, I did something kinda mean. It wasn't meant to be mean, it just turned out that way. Our high school band, as I reckon many are, had too many of the more popular instruments, and not very many of the less popular ones. I played the trombone, which is nowhere near as cool as you might be thinking. If you were thinking that.

We had too many flutes, and too many clarinets. As a result, some of the lesser talents were strongly encouraged to switch to other less popular instruments. One poor girl had to take up the french horn. She was the only french horn player we had. For some reason, the band director chose an arrangement where the french horn played a prominent part. He seemed to do that occasionally, that is, feature an instrument that we as a band were not strong in talent or numbers. Kinda weird.

Anyway, we had a very good band, despite having lopsided instrument ratios. So, when the french horn player was featured in a very good band playing an important part, a part she was just not able to handle, I was a little upset. During a concert, as she stumbled through her part, I whispered to the guy next to me, "Man she sucks!"

I must have been too loud; she heard me. The sequence of events that followed stands out in my mind.

The horn made a sound not unlike it would make if she had tried to swallow it, and was choking on it. (It was a pretty funny sound). I remember the band director looking up at her trying to see what was going on. She recovered after a few seconds, and played the rest of the part in humiliation. The guy next to me was snickering, trying not to be seen by the band director, with a look on his face that said, "that was really funny, but you are a jerk man."

She quit the band after that year, probably in part due to my careless cruelty. I had made up my mind that I should apologize to her. I never got the opportunity, and if I had, I doubt I would have had the guts to do it, to tell the truth.

It is not that big a deal in the scheme of life, she may not even remember it now. It is not like it is some obsession of mine, every once in a great while I think about it. I've never told anyone about it. Just one of those times were I was less of a person than I would like to have been.

I don't even remember her name.

Trailcam pix

Best buck so far, nothing great. He's got a little time to grow yet. Forgot to set the date on the camera.



Some babies with their mama, munchin' in the remnants of an old food plot I planted. Awwww cute.

Humbug?

In clicking around the 'nieghborhood today, I see several posts pooh poohing the holiday dedicated to celebrating our nation's declaration of independence. I can only assume that all the whining must be due to the fact that they don't live in South Dakota.

I, on the other hand, spent my holiday the way it should be spent, eating at a picnic and playing football in the lake. You haven't celebrated the 4th unless you have acquired a good sunburn. Afterward, we watched the fireworks display of the local municipality.

Speaking of acquisitions, a rather old dilemma has been resolved. I am much pleased.

I admit it

I guessed a few times.

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Via El Borak

Hangtime

Car meets deer.

My brother sent me this:

Pablo type musings.

Seems I need to pay more attention to my haloscan account. I have been getting commenters and missing them. Sorry. I am not used to having readers.

It is hard to find a good deal on used cars. Found two nearly identical cars, one with a local dealer, and one about a hundred miles away. The one a hundred miles away was half the price. Mrs. Giraffe went into aggressive car buying mode so we went to the local dealer. I think her intent was to take the printouts and demand that they give us the local car for the same price. Found out today that the other car has a slapping piston and needs a new engine. The dealer wasn't playing ball anyway. So now they have all our information. They sat us down and pulled out a little pink card. Wrote all of our info down. While we were sitting there I looked around at all the other salesmen. They all had a stack of pink cards and a phone to their ear. There will be phone calls.

Didn't get elk tags. Sent back in for leftover cow tags. Since I got all the deer tags last year, I won't have preference points for this year. I will be lucky to get any rifle tags to have a chance at a buck.

Need to get my trailcam up. The whitetails are growing new antlers and I think it would be nice to get some pics of them. They corn is growing fast and when it gets much taller the deer will go into the cornfields and won't be seen much till harvest. I will post some pics if I get any.

We didn't get the flash flooding here that they forecasted. Some other areas did. It is starting to shape up as a very wet year.

An 8 billion dollar oil refinery is considering locating in our state. It doesn't matter to me if they build it here or somewhere else, just so they build it. A pipeline coming down from Canada will supply the crude.

Friday

I have to get Res's beau off of the top of the page, so time for some random musin's.

Nate bashed Augustine on his blog. I would guess rightfully so. I got off into the deep woods on that discussion talking about good and evil. I claim no infallibility on this, but I suggested that evil doesn't really exist as a thing on its own. To use a word picture, darkness doesn't exist, it is merely the absence of light. Darkness is not a different kind of energy, it is the lack of light energy. Evil is the absence of good. Scripture says God is light.

If evil exists, then it was created by God. To use another word picture, if good is a green light, and evil is a red light, then whoever is responsible for shining the red light is responsible for evil. Thus we come to free will. Some say that we have no free will, and everything is directed by God. He is shining the red light. If this is the case then Augustine would have been right. Nate is wrong then in this case because nobody can accuse God of being evil, because whatever He does is good. This is because He defines good. I believe we have free will, so God is not responsible for the bad things we do, we are.

Now, if evil is simply the absence of good, then you can't blame God when evil happens (not that you can blame Him anyway). Yet another analogy: A fire that kills a dozen people is evil, in that it is not good. But the firemen are not evil, if they were not called to put it out. A passerby is not evil if he doesn't put it out, as he has no responsibility to do so. In order for God to be guilty of evil in this case, He must be shown to have a responsiblity to stop evil. Does He? I don't think He does, as He is sovereign we have no right to require it from Him. Heaven let your light shine down!


Then there is Difster. Difster doesn't think that a miracle is a violation of physics. He says instead it is an event we can't explain. When Jesus walked on the water, he wasn't violating any laws of physics. Well, why not? Why can't the One who created the forces of nature manipulate them as He pleases?

Take your average dead person. I have never seen one come back to life. It just doesn't happen. Jesus brought a Lazarus back to life after he was dead 4 days. Now, If Jesus didn't manipulate the laws of physics, then Lazarus came back to life spontaneously. You can't give Jesus any credit for this miracle if He took no active role in it.

Take another example. If someone fires a armor piercing bullet at me, and I see it come to a stop in front of me, and then accelerate away from me, this would be a miracle wouldn't it? The bullet cannot violate the laws of physics. An object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an outside force. So that bullet should have hit me. But then we find out that Difster has placed a very powerful Wile Coyote magnet along the bullets path. The magnet applies a force to the steel core of the bullet and stops it, and then pulls it back away. So the bullet was obeying the laws of physics all along. And it wasn't a miracle. That is the important part. If a miracle is only something that can't be explained, as soon as you explain it, it is no longer a miracle.

A miracle by definition is a supernatural event, an event that cannot be explained. If you explain it, it is not a miracle.



So, now just how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

A BAAAADD Girl.

For Res, 'cause he's from Wyoming, and Heidi, 'cause she likes shoes.

And everyone else 'cause its funny.

A brave young man

Every so often, we have a Sunday at church where the pastor doesn't preach. Instead it is a time for an 'open mike', where members of the church get up and tell about what God is doing in their life. I usually don't like this service as it is very emotionally charged with crying women and sometimes crying men. Emotions suck. This time I felt different. There was one woman who stood up to tell about her brain scans, the doctors told her that stroke damage was visible. After the church had prayed for her for a short time she got a second scan that showed her brain was clear.

One young man and his young girlfriend had quite an effect. He stood up in front of the church and said that he had a confession and a prayer request. That was something I hadn't seen before. He said that some months ago they had made a bad decision and now they were going to have a baby. He asked for forgiveness, and for people to pray for them. I think that was a very brave thing to do. I can't imagine the shame they felt. I don't know what motivated them to stand up in front of several hundred and admit what they had done. Even though everyone was going to find out anyway. I'm afraid I would not have done the same thing if I were in his shoes. I might have just avoided the church altogether. It is a lot easier to stand up and tell about a way that God has blessed you, instead of telling about how you've disappointed him. At any rate, it struck me that I was in no position to look down on him, and that many times I've done things that disappointed God. I suppose I'll still have to give an accounting for those things, but I thank God for his mercy and grace.

I hope that God will take the consequences of this young couples sin and transform it into a blessing for their new family. I don't know her name, but if you want to, say a prayer for Ricky.

Farah

A Joseph Farah on wingnut daily put in his latest article."

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage."

The education of Pale Horse

Equus Pallidus asked my why a compound bow of a given draw weight shoots a faster arrow than a traditional bow of the same weight. The pulleys provide mechanical advantage making it easier to pull, but you should be losing energy due to friction, he says. And there is where you went wrong, EP.

A compound does lose energy due to friction in the wheels. But, the cables and pulleys on a compound bow aren't there to provide mechanical advantage. The pulleys are actually eccentric wheels. Picture a wheelbarrow with an oval shaped wheel. The resistance is hard, easy, hard, easy, hard, easy, when you push it. It is the same with a compound bow. The draw starts easy, hits a peak draw weight and then begins the let-off. Let off is a measure of the percentage of the draw weight at full draw compared to the peak weight. I have a 70 pound bow with 65% letoff. At full draw I only hold back 35% of the peak, or about 25 lbs. Equus Pallidus thinks that this is the great attraction to compound bows. You can hold the bow back for a longer time, due to the let off. It is a nice feature, but the main attraction is greater arrow speed.

The key to the greater speed of the compound is the draw force curve. Area under the curve is the energy stored by the bow. A compound is less efficient than a traditional bow. It just stores more energy, providing more energy to accelerate the arrow to a higher speed. A traditional bow typically uses wood arrows. I was told never to shoot wood arrows in a compound bow because it would blow them apart with the acceleration.

So what do you say EP?

The gun law that we need.

John T. Casteen of Slate, proposed a gun law that will supposedly "make a difference" I am doubtful. He proposes that background checks should be done for gun sales between individuals.

The law we need doesn't address a narrow class of guns, and it relies on the principles of a law we already have: the Brady Law. Brady mandates a federal background check before the sale of a gun by any seller who holds a federal firearms license. It applies to Internet gun deals, gun-shop purchases, and sales by FFL sellers at gun shows. It does not apply, however, to the estimated 40 percent of gun transfers that take place between individuals: non-FFL sellers at those same gun shows, and person-to-person sales made through personal contacts or Internet and print classified ads. That's a far larger volume of guns and gun sales than HR 1022 would affect. As our law stands now, anyone may sell a gun to anyone else; the FFL is required only of those who do so as a commercial venture. Sellers without an FFL may not buy and sell new guns for retail, but may trade in used guns—without background checks—to their heart's content. The bill we need would address that large loophole by requiring that every transfer of ownership be preceded by a Brady background check.

Would this have prevented the VTU shootings? No, he bought the gun legally, presumably passed the background check.

Would this have prevented the Columbine shootings? No, they obtained those guns illegally.

Criminals, by definition, don't follow the law. The Brady law is at best just a nuisance for law abiding citizens. At worst, the records are being illegally kept for a future confiscation effort.

I was happy to see the results of this poll.

The art and science of bowling

This post is for Astrosmith, a fellow scientist.

He has been struggling with bowling, a not uncommon malady. First of all, I claim no expertise for myself, I am a mediocre bowler at best. I just thought I could help him some.

The method I use was taught to me by my father in law, and also from a videotape he owns. The tape is very old, from the 80's. My father in law says the guy that made it is one of the best bowlers that ever lived. He died of a heart attack.

To start, you go to the fowl line and face away from the alley. Take four normals steps to find your starting point. This should allow you to finish right at the foul line and give a little room so you don't foul.

The grip: the video says to hold the ball with your thumb in the 3 o'clock position and your pointing finger at 6 o'clock. This is counterintuitive, but it works. Myself, I don't turn the ball that far, my thumb is at about 1 o'clock. I think the most important thing is to just be consistent till you figure what works for you. You hold the ball in front of you in your right hand with the left supporting it. Your right arm should in the the plane of your target.

Your feet should be about shoulder width apart, toes pointing down the lane. Your right foot should be back a little, your toes about in the middle of your left foot. This forces you to step with your right foot first. The first step, with your right foot, is a small step, just a few inches or a foot. As you step push the ball forward. It is important to keep that first step small. The next step is with your left, it should be a normal step, and as you take it, you let the ball drop into the backswing. The footwork is: a small step with the right, left, right, left. Four steps. On the first step the ball goes forward, on the second it is dropping, about at the bottom of the swing. On the third step, the ball is all the way back. Your forward motion helps the ball swing higher on the back. On the fourth step, you plant your left foot. It can slide a little if you have that much speed. I say go easy at first, the speed will come. Also on the fourth step, let your right foot trail a little, even behind your left foot. This lefts the bowling ball clear your hip and leg.

The whole time you are moving forward, your eyes focus on your target, not the pins. On the fourth step, the ball is now coming forward. You release the ball, the thumb comes out first. Your fingers are on the bottom. Lift the ball with your fingers, and follow through. Your arm swings up through the plane of your target, and you end up just like you are reaching to shake someone's hand. Keep your wrist stiff through the whole swing, if you let the ball move your wrist, it takes all the hook out of the ball. (I shoot some spares by letting my wrist move so the ball hooks less.) You also need to keep balance during the release, and keep your shoulders square with the lane. If you turn them, the ball turns with them. You don't want to be hunched over so that you fall forward. I sometimes concentrate on standing up slightly, and pushing my hips forward at the release.

This is what I learned watching that video, my average went up from the 150's to the 170's. I generally shoot in the 180' to 190's, but my average stays lower because of all those bad games in the beginning of the year. My biggest weakness is shooting spares. I usually get more strikes than spares.

To aim the ball, you pick an arrow on the lane (or a board between arrows) to shoot at and a dot by your feet (or a board between dots). This is the line you are shooting. If you ball hooks too much to the left, you move your feet left, but aim at the same spot. The boards are one inch I think. According to the video: If you move your feet one board, it results in about four boards down at the pins.

According to the USBC magazine, the optimum angle to hit the pocket is 6 degrees. If your ball has too much hook, you shoot a line in the middle of the lane from the left side of the alley. If your ball hooks gently, shoot a line over the right side of the lane from the middle or right side of the alley.

That is about all I know about bowling. I hope this helps you.

Equus Pallidus wanted a post on compound bows. I will get to that eventually.

Snow day

Yesterday we had a snow day. A blizzard rolled through Thursday and Friday. We still had to go to town, as Mrs. Giraffe's employer did not see fit to close for the day till we were already halfway there. Yes, they are idiots. The kind of employer that wants total loyalty from employees, yet treats them like dirt. They do pay very well for SD. That is why she continues to work there, for now. So we had coffee with her dad, rented a few movies and went back home before the blizzard got too bad.

She got the crazy idea that she wanted to go out and play in the snow. I think it comes from spending too much time indoors. Addles the brain or something. I had spent a couple hours in the last few days trying to keep the driveway open and I had enough of the white crap, so I didn't think the idea sounded too great. But she talked me into it.

We got then got a Really Crazy Idea. We put on our bathing suits and put a beach towel down in the snow and took pictures. It was pretty funny. She enjoyed it till somebody drove by. They didn't appear to see us, focusing on the road. After she took pictures of me, I grabbed her and tried to throw her into a snowbank. I didn't get her into the snow like I wanted too, but she started hollering at me, so I let up.

I don't think I will post the pictures. I am not tremendously photogenic, and while Mrs. Giraffe looks quite fetching in a bikini, she's pretty shy. I doubt very much she would let me near that camera.

Flogging the deceased equines

I have read so much about this in the last few months. It's atheism vs. theism (namely Christianity) and the argument is morality. The atheists can't seem to get it through their heads that they have no basis for morality.

First we should talk definitions. When I speak of morality I mean: The quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct. It is important to realize that morality is behaving in the way that you ought to behave. Morality is not defined as that which is legal. I am certain Hitler made it legal to kill Jews, he could never make it moral. Morality is objective. Meaning independent of point of view. If it is wrong for me to murder someone it is wrong for everyone. {Atheists like to say that their morals are superior to Christian's morals and later say that there is no objective morality. Of course your morals are superior, but so are mine!}

It seems clear from this that morality cannot be determined by people. People disagree. Liberals say abortion is moral, conservatives say it is not. One is right, or neither is.

Morality then can't be determined by majority rule. (although, wouldn't it be nice to actually vote on abortion?) Think two cannibals and a missionary deciding on whats for lunch. Is it moral to eat the missionary because the two cannibals outvote him? Does it really change this if the whole world gets to vote?

Then the atheist runs into more trouble: You need an objective standard. This standard must be unchanging. Murder can't be immoral today and moral tomorrow. Roe vs. Wade didn't make it moral to kill the unborn. For Christians, God is the objective standard. Atheists have no objective standard.

If a cat kills a mouse, is it murder? Most say no. (The rest are idiots.) If a cat kills another cat, is it murder? Is there a standard of behavior for animals? No, there is not. Other than the law of the jungle. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. It is survival of the fittest. The atheist says we are just another species of animal. If a chimpanzee can kill an eat another chimpanzee, why can't a human?

{It is at about this point that an atheist will jump in and say "wow, look at how immoral the Christians really are!" We are looking at your worldview, dummy}

The logical implication of the belief that humans evolved, and that God doesn't exist, is that we are also under the law of the jungle. What about the laws of men? Remember, legality does not equal morality. The theory of evolution claims that we are the result of a blind process, that has no goals. The universe doesn't care if humans exists. Our emotions and social structure are the products of eons of evolution. We are simply self replicating meat machines whose only 'purpose' is to replicate the selfish gene. Evolutionary success is determined by survival of the species, generally accomplished by producing the most offspring. (It must kill the atheists to realize that by this measure they are less 'fit'.) Mother earth is not crying over the extinction of the dodo. She won't cry over the extinction of all life.

Once you realize this, what room is there for morality? You are trying to tell my that your close relative is the monkey down at the zoo that throws his poop at you, yet you have a great set of morals for me to follow. Why should I? What is the reason that I ought to behave as you say? There is none.

So it boils down to, I can now do whatever I want to you. Might makes right. Animals steal from each other all the time. And kill each other, etc. The Christian says people are special. We are made in the image of God and we are above the animals. The atheist says we are animals.

You an' me baby ain't nothin' but mammals
so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel

I guess I am just a little more fit than you.

You can argue that your rights are being violated, but rights are made of the same stuff morals are. We can amend the Constitution. (the 28th amendment: all atheists shall be ground up for fertilizer)

Atheists cling parasitically to society's moral values, keeping only the ones they like. But, if you can throw out some, you can throw out all of them. The result is Nihilism.

This is one reason that our society will fail if things continue as the are. As atheism becomes more prevalent, morals will slowly erode. First kill the unborn, then the old and infirm, then the stupid. I am not saying it will become right, just that it will happen. Woe unto those that fall into the arbitrarily chosen class of people to be exterminated! People will slowly come to the realization that once they give up the 'imaginary friend' they can do whatever they want.

Now an atheist does have one valid argument: He can say that since your god doesn't really exist, you don't really have any morals either. You just think you do.

That is really the best they can do.

I'm Back

Score, Coyotes 3, Giraffe 0.

The coyotes were not too plentiful this year. Had fun anyway.

So I am catching up on blogs. Erik posted at Nate's

I've been waiting for this post to ask this question.

Looking into long range target shooting. What would be a good rifle? Models, not just rounds. I am assuming y'all are gonna say the .308

I missed the discussion, but I will post here anyway.

Define Long Range. Some use a .308 for 1000 yard shooting. A .300 mag would do better for that far. I assume you are a beginner. If that is the case, I don't think I would jump right in and start shooting a big magnum. They kick. A lot. Unless you have a muzzle brake. Then they are extremely loud. Both recoil and blast contribute to flinching, which will ruin your shooting. For a beginner, a .308 is just fine. Or a .30-06. Most shooters won't get good enough to use the extra performance that a magnum brings. Either cartridge will be easier on the shoulder, and both will work at to 1000 yards. The .270 was mentioned. It is a fine hunting cartridge, but it isn't the best choice for long range shooting. There are very few match grade bullets made in that caliber. I suggest finding somone who will let you shoot a rifle before you buy it. If you find the recoil to be harsh, a .260 remington would be an excellent choice. Ammo will cost more for this unless you reload. There are many match bullets for this caliber. The 1000 yard becnhrest crowd is into the .260 (6.5mm) caliber. They generally use the 6.5-284, a wildcat round. That means you can't buy factory ammo for it. Another choice is the .223 remington. As a military round, ammo is cheap and plentiful. It is not a long range round, though, just a good choice to introduce one to rifle shooting. You can get a dedicated long range rifle later if you want. I figure you can't have too many guns.

As for models, don't let Nate fool you. The Remington 700 is a fine choice. As is a savage. The savage will be cheaper. Both have excellent accuracy. I should note, that firearms are individuals, and there is no guarantee that a particular brand or model will always be accurate. Even two guns that come off the same manufacturing equiment can be different. The Remington 700 and the Savage models are known for accuracy. In a particular shooting organization I belong to, the Remington 700 and Savage models win nearly everything in the stock rifle class. No other brand or madels have much of a presence. If you get a remington 700 that doesn't shoot well, a gunsmith can usually correct it easily. Stay away from the Remington 710. They are a Bic throwaway.

Tikka is also a good rifle. It has a very slick bolt, and Tikkas are also known for accuracy. I have nothing against Winchester or Browning, but no experience with them either. I am intrigued by the new Icon made by Thompson Center. This is their first bolt action gun, and they consulted with a lot of gun people on the design.

If money is tight, I recommend the Stevens 200. It is basically a Savage, without the better stock and trigger. If you can afford the savage, get it. The accu-triger is pretty good.

Don't forget to budget for a quality scope. I would plan on spending as much or more for the scope as on the rifle. Good scopes include the Leupold VX II or VX III, Nikon Monarch, and Monarch Gold, Bushnell Elite 3200 or 4200, Sightron S1 or S2, Weaver Grand Slam, or a Burris Signature Series. There are better scopes, but you start talking thousands instead of hundreds. A cheaper alternative might be A Leupold VX1 or a Nikon Buckmaster, or a Burris Fullfield 2. Avoid cheap scopes like Tasco, Barska, Simmons and BSA unless you can't afford a good scope right away.

More scope magnification is better, but you start losing field of view when you get too high. Mirage will also affect you more at higher power.

A heavy barreled rifle is generally more accurate, but it is also heavy. If you plan to carry the rifle much, in a hunting situation, then a heavy barrel may be a detriment. You carry a rifle a lot more than you shoot it when hunting. For shooting at a range, the heavy barrel might be preferred.

Se ya.

I am going on a little hunting trip. Hunting coyotes. And prairie dogs, if they poke their head up. Maybe a bobcat. Coyotes are quite the challenge. At least around here. Some places have more of them, and they are a lot less wary.

Why hunting coyotes? I guess because that is all there is to hunt this time of year. Sometimes I find that what my family considers a vacation is pretty different from what 'normal' people do. So I won't try to explain too much, as I doubt that I can. I doubt very much that we will see more than a few other people out there. That is part of the appeal.

We will be staying in a camper. So we are not really roughing it. No doubt we will watch a lot of movies and play a lot of pinochle. I plan to take a camera.

See you later.

Breaking news

Well that miserable rodent says to expect an early spring.

This morning on the television they said he has an accuracy of 39%. Not confidence inspiring, but way ahead of the average weatherman.

That darn Ole

Ole and Lena came into some money. Of course, they couldn't agree on how to spend it. Ole wanted a new pickup, and Lena wanted a new sports car. Finally, Lena put her foot down. "That car tops out at 240," she said. "If you can find something that will do better, get that, otherwise we are getting that car"

Ole went out and bought the pickup. Then he bought Lena a bathroom scale.

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: