Buckskin jackets

 

I was always baffled by the leather fringes on the traditional, buckskin shirts as shown in movies. The thongs are too short to be useful for much.

Looking at these jackets, I see a ghillie suit that softens and fuzzes-up the silhouette of a human. 

Vote more. Vote harder.

 

 

The premise of this video is that most shooters will struggle to hit a 1" diameter circle at 100 yards with five consecutive shots. That is, the shooter/rifle/scope/ammo must be able to shoot less than one-minute-of-angle precision, it must also be centered in the middle of the 1" diameter circle printed on the target one hundred yards downrange.

The person running the video owns a shooting range in southwestern Utah and offered $1000 to the first person to accomplish that feat. It took five days before the shooter showed up and collected the prize.

A typical group. Maybe 6" high by 4" wide.

At the 9:35 mark, the person making the video breaks down why the earlier shooters were struggling:

Well, one, you know, several of the guys just didn't have the the bag set up to to get something like that done. Just they weren't going to be steady enough.Nobody could shoot steady enough in the position that they were in (inadequate technique). But then we also saw a lot of very fine rifles in this challenge. We've seen multiple $5000 and $6,000 rifles that still just can't accomplish it. And so it's not just the gear, it's the full setup, it's the ammo, it's the scope, it's the sighting in with just more than just three shoots, it's the scope.

One factor the narrator did not mention was the wind. There is a town near the range named "Hurricane, Utah". Draw your own conclusions.

 

So, how would I fare if asked to compete with a "cold" rifle?

 

I would probably turn in a 2", 5 shot group that would be centered about 2" high. Attempting to adjust for the bullet-drop would open up the group a bit.

 

I would do better if I spent a couple of hours at the range before my turn. I would also change the scope setting from 3X (my default setting) to 9X magnification. I would dial the zero down the two-inches so it was centered exactly "on" at 100 yards. It would also help me tune-up my bench-rest shooting; my weakness is horizontal stringing. I still would not win the competition but I probably would not embarrass myself. I would also be violating the "cold rifle" part of the rules.

 

By the way, the winner of the contest was a 14 year-old, young man. He was as cool-as-a-cucumber. It wasn't his first rodeo. Also notable was that his father was awesomely supportive. 

 

Yesterday's work-tickets

 

I walked with Southern Belle.

 

I mowed her orchard with a push-mower.

 

I purchased coffee and peanut butter at Wally-world.

 

I called my friend but he was not available for me to complete our transaction.

 

I found the phone number of the neighbor how sells hay.

 

Weather

Our unseasonably warm weather is about to end.

 

 

Today's work-tickets

 

Vote.

 

Clear a path to the are of the pasture where I want the hay bales stored. 

Fine Art Tuesday

 

Jack Lorimer Gray was born in 1927 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He died in 1981.

Many thanks to the tireless Lucas Machias for recommending this artist's works for Fine Art Tuesday

Pondering on how to organize work into smaller bites

 

A seven month-old child gets hearing aids. Hears her father's voice. Reaction starts at the 14 second mark. 30 second run-time.

Today's work-tickets

Mow Southern Belle's orchard and go for a walk with her.

Go to the store and buy some non-perishable foods to top off our pantry for the winter. We are six jars of peanut butter and five jars of instant coffee shy of our "Max" storage target.

Visit a friend on Bellevue Hwy. I verbally committed to purchase an item from him, now I need to give him the money and take delivery. 

Go for a walk with Mrs ERJ.

Keep working on the fence. Get a tub in the pasture to hold water.

Contact a neighbor and purchase two, big round-bales of hay.

Small bits-and-pieces

I need to get better at finding tasks that I can squeeze into five minute chunks of time. One of the consequences of Southern Belle's new job arrangement is that Quicksilver's drop-off time varies from day-to-day.

I need to put down the lap-top and do something productive, even if it is just putting away laundry. 

Single-shot .22 rifles

Single-shot .22 rifles

I recently picked up the book Snaring for Survival by Newt Sterling. He briefly mentions firearms as being useful for dispatching animals that you captured but are still alive. Some of them are large enough to be a threat to life and limb. Others, like raccoons, can deliver painful bites and are potential carriers of rabies.

"A .22 rimfire rifle is an excellent survival tool

There are plenty of affordable, rugged single-shot bolt action rifles and the smaller, kid's models are short, light, and easy to carry and store. Bolt actions are the most dependable and easiest to maintain in rough situations....In my opinion, there is no need for a scope because you will be shooting at close range...

Rifles are much more accurate than handguns." 

For example, the Savage Rascal is on sale now at Sportsman's Warehouse for $149. That price is comparable to the cost of the very cheapest Hi-Point handgun. It weighs 44 ounces, is 30.6" long has adjustable iron-sights and two attachment points for a sling. Even though it is marketed as a "kid's gun", it is a competent weapon in the hands of somebody who knows what they are doing.

I remember one night, around 1957 or so, when the dogs bayed a wild hog in the corner of our front yard. Our mother told me and my brother that if we could kill that hog, the family could eat for a week. I vividly remember the terror I felt as my brother rested the single-shot .22 against a porch support and aimed at that raging hog. He killed it with one shot. I don't know how long that hog fed us, but I do know we spent the rest of the night cleaning it.       -Junior Doughty

...one of the largest grizzlies ever recorded was killed in 1953 with a single shot from a .22 rifle wielded by a tiny Canadian Cree grandmother named Bella Twin.  Source

The dainty size means that you can pack it in a kayak or canoe or squirrel it away in the rafters of a garden shed. Pro-tip, put a piece of masking tape over the muzzle to keep dirt and bugs out of the barrel. The bolt-action and lack of a magazine means that you can fire "quiet" ammo like CB and .22 shorts and low-velocity .22LR with absolute reliability.

Even though the rifle is offered with stocks molded in many bright, vivid colors, the matte-black is less likely to attract attention. 

There are other single-shot, bolt action rifles on the market. The Cricket is notable for offering a stainless steel barrel at almost exactly the same price-point and there are various used models on the market.

Grab-bag

 

I am getting just slightly less than two pounds per 1/2 gallon jar. 

It is gratifying to see these old war-horses (jars) put back into use.

I am using the pestle from the Squeezo strainer to pack the oatmeal in. I fill the jar about 2/3 full and then pack it. Then I fill it to the top and pack it again. Refill, one more pack. Then off to the vacuum pump.

Excitement last night

We had three sets of fire trucks go screaming past our house last night between 7:30 and 8:00 PM.

That means it was a call large enough to justify "mutual aid". I suspect a grass fire.

Weight

I lost seven pounds since mid-August. It is a combination of being busy and eating less. My belt is telling me that my body-composition is shifting as well.

Walking 

One of the things that changed is that Southern Belle's job changed to much more from-home, screen-time. Mrs ERJ and I attempt to support her by going for a walk with her at mid-day. That gets SB some human contact, exercise, sunlight and perspective.

It also means that on the days one of us walks with SB, we get a double-dose of exercise because we also go for walks with each other.

On my last walk with SB, we flushed four pheasant and I chatted with one of her neighbors. She has two apple trees... I IDed them as Granny Smith.

Once I suggested that variety, her neighbor asked..."But why are the apples gray?"

The answer is that some varieties are susceptible to a skin condition called Apple Sooty Blotch. It does not affect the eating quality of the apple or its suitability for pies but it is unsightly. Granny seems to be more affected than most other varieties.

SB's neighbor favors sweet apples although her husband LOVES Granny Smiths. I sort-of volunteered to graft Melrose or some other sweet apple on one of SB's neighbor's trees.

Fertilizer and fence posts

I spread limestone and potash where the trees will be planted in the two, "Dacha" orchards. I saw a pretty nice buck run off while stomping around the north orchard. He was about 100 yards off when I noticed him and running directly away from me. It is nice to know that not all of the deer out there died.

I dug the holes and planted three wooden fence posts for the No Trespassing signs. 

I am opting for simple black-and-white signs. The signs are sized to fit on a 3-by-4" cross-piece. Frequent commenter 10x25mm clued me in that the only two colors that are UV resistant (at least in the most common, commodity grade pigments) are black and white. I will add a couple turns of reflective tape to the post beneath the sign to make it more visible in low-light.

I did not have time to verify the cordless drills.

AI melting down

NASDAQ (a stock exchange) is down about 4% in the last five days.

The drop is due to various AI ventures collapsing. EVERYBODY knew there were too many players starting up but that didn't stop investors from piling into them. The FED has been pumping money into the economy to keep it juiced up. Those dollars had to land somewhere.

Vertical line is when Trump was sworn in. Biden dropped rates staring in July 2024 to juice up his chances of winning in November.

Do you see that tiny up-tick on the extreme right side of the chart? That is what is causing everybody to lose their minds. The AI "build-out" eats money and it is BORROWED money. Revenue is mostly somewhere in the distant future. Tiny twitches in the cost of borrowing money body-slams the NPV of AI investments. The house-of-cards is tumbling. AI valuations are the tent-poles holding up the tent (i.e. NASDAQ, S&P 500).

Ironically, the mainstream media is screaming for lower interest rates "because of the high cost of living". Historically, the only way to rein-in higher costs (of the physical item or service) is to reduce consumption via higher interest rates. Lowering interest rates means that Billy and Kaeshona can afford to buy more crap that they don't need and eat at restaurants more often...thus jacking up the prices.

Europe is burning

The contagion is spreading.

 

Another clip from Facing the Giants 

This is a time for focus. Keep your priorities straight. Focus on those items that are most under your control. Don't get sucked into the frog-blender. If you have any critical items stored in a storage unit, this might be a good time to go and fetch them.

A lot will depend on how the police chiefs and mayors react if violence breaks out after the elections. Your city may be fine while another city 30 miles away will see businesses might shut-down due to vandalism and looting.

For those who read the Bible, Nehemiah 4:5-17 might be instructive.

ROUS, Rabbits and work-tickets

Mrs ERJ reported a R.O.U.S. in the garage.

I used a bowl of Wild Cherry Pepsi for bait. The first time I have purchased soda-pop in over a year. I coveted the 1-1/2l bottle.

R.O.U.S. stands for a Rodent Of Unusual Size.

Rabbits

I am still enjoying the videos (copied from T.V. series) on wartime cooking in U.K. during WWII. The series has an urban focus but they mention that rural people had a harder time getting tobacco and seafood than the city people. In turn, the rural people had more meat and they specifically mentioned "rabbit".

Snippets from a collection of essays Life on the Old Farm by Tom Quinn

 

"...starve half a sheep to the acre..." when the post-myxy virus planning numbers are about five-ewes-per-acre. Myzy entered the U.K. from the continent sometime in the very early 1950s.

There were literally hundreds of pounds of rabbits per acre living in the hedgerows and in tunnels beneath the stone fences that surrounded the fields.

That sheds a different light on "Watership Down" and Farmer McGregor in "Peter Cottontail". 

Yesterday's work-tickets 

I split some White Spruce rounds. I won't go out of my way to get any more. Many "pin" knots made the larger, older pieces very difficult to split.

I could not get the motor on the wood-splitter to start, not even with ether.

I had lunch with my siblings. I brought up the topic of caretakers for dementia patients. My sister reminded me that many dementia patients develop intense paranoia ("Hey! Who moved the bathroom?") and anger and anger directed at their caretakers. My sister also reminded me that as doctors retire or are replaced by a new set of specialists, they often look at drug choices and dosing and make changes based on their preference "Hey, we can titer that down to a level that will not require pre-approval from your insurance company" and the resulting train-wreck is blamed on dementia progressing.

Today's work-tickets

Verify the accuracy of my cordless drills.

Post "No Trespassing signs". 

Question for my readers

Do you have any opinions on metal detectors? It could be valuable when looking for lost tools and fence wires buried beneath the tall grass. $100 now might be a good investment because of potential, future shortages of replacements.

Random photos

Interstem varieties in the foreground. Quince in the midground. MM106 in the background. Grafted trees on the right-rear.