Question – What does my youngest son have in common with Billy Graham?
Answer – They both have the ability to get me to rise to my feet and yell “Jesus!”.
All posts by daddybear71
Thought for the Day
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/thought-for-the-day-162/
Today’s Motivator
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/todays-motivator/
Parent Attention Levels
Boo and I are at the local splash park. Basically it’s a concrete pad with several water fountains in it that the kids can run through. Kind of like running through the sprinkler when we were kids, but much bigger.
Watching the other parents, I see a relationship between the number of kids they have and their level of attentiveness.
-
Young parent with one child – Never more than 3 feet from the kid. One hand is occupied with a camera or cell phone. Is usually as wet as the child.
Parent with 2 or 3 children – Sits at table and chats with other adults, but never takes eyes off of kids.
Parent with 4 or 5 children – Brings a book, listens for screams from their child, occasionally makes visual contact to make sure kid is still present
Parent with 6 or more spawn – Kids? What kids? A trash novel is their escape from the madness while their horde wears itself out.
Grandparents – Fits in somewhere between the first and second category, depending on age of child, number of grandchildren present, and presence of parents.
I really ought to get a grant, put up a blind with cameras, and publish on this.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/parent-attention-levels/
Anniversary
August 16, 1942
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/anniversary/
Today’s Earworm
These days, Jed would have bought a nice spread in the hills outside of Knoxville and lived happy knowing that he didn’t waste his money in Beverly Hills.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/todays-earworm-207/
30 Days of Abraham Lincoln – Day 13
No country can sustain, in idleness, more than a small per centage of its numbers. The great majority must labor at something productive. — 1859
My Take – 51% of Americans don’t pay taxes. Over 100 million of us are on some form of government assistance or another. Entire sections of the economy are on life support through government funding. We shouldn’t have gotten to this point in the first place, and there is no way we can sustain it for much longer. We’re already at the point where the government is having to buy its own bonds to fund these things, but how long can the snake eat its own tail?
We have to come to grips with this soon, or no amount of last-minute belt tightening and economic hardship will be enough.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/30-days-of-abraham-lincoln-day-13/
News Roundup
- From the “Bad Idea” Department – The British government is warning Ecuador that if it does not give up Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks who is seeking asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, then it will force its way into the embassy and take him. Now, I love our British cousins as much as the next guy, but this is not a good idea. The Ecuadorean embassy is not an office in Whitehall, rather it is Ecuador. As much as our embassy in Tehran was American soil, the embassies of all countries are sovereign and untouchable. Yes, Assange is a slimy character and quite possibly a rapist, but he’s not worth violating the sanctity of an embassy. The Brits ought to sit back and let negotiations continue. Something tells me the Ecuadorians will eventually find a way to give him up so long as the British government doesn’t do anything stupid.
- From the “Dumbass” Department – A man in Nevada shot himself in the butt the other night as he sat in a movie theater. Apparently his handgun fell out of his pocket and discharged. The man left the theater under his own power, and miraculously didn’t cause a panic. He was later caught with a bullet wound to his gluteus maximus, which must have been very debilitating to him, seeing as how he seems to be thinking with it. Folks, get a holster. If you have a holster and it doesn’t either hold the gun securely or stay where you put it, get a better holster. Heck, if you can’t afford one, ask me. I’ve got a couple I stopped using once I discovered custom leather, and I’ll be happy to ship one of them to you so you don’t embarrass the rest of us.
- From the “Dumbass The Sequel” Department – A man in Russia was arrested recently when he tried to steal gunpowder to use as fuel for his stove at home. One wonders what he was cooking. Popovers, perhaps? No word on whether or not his wife knew of the caper, but if she didn’t, I’m assuming he’s safer in jail. No Russian woman is going to put up with a man who wants to blow up her kitchen.
- From the “Dumbass Hat Trick” Department – A man in Florida was arrested the other night because he decided that his pistol was a trump card in an argument. Apparently when “Your mother!” wasn’t strong enough, he showed her his gun and threatened to “Blow her head off”. The man was arrested for aggravated assault and illegally carrying a concealed weapon, so I’m guessing he’s not exactly the law-abiding or intelligent type.
- From the “Dumbass Superfecta” Department – The U.S. Army four-star general who formerly headed up Africa Command is probably wishing he’d told his wife and her sisters that they really ought to fly Southwest. A recent investigation found that he used government flights to fly friends and family around and also that he overspent on hotel accommodations and other travel expenses. The figure being bandied about is approaching $1 million, which coincidentally is the amount in pay and other benefits he’s expected to lose if he’s demoted and retired. I guess being court-martialed for fraud, waste, and abuse isn’t in the cards if you’re high enough up in the food chain. Personally, I’d like to see him court martialed and busted to the lowest enlisted rank before being retired, even if he gets 3 star retirement. “No one is more professional than I” kept coming into my head as I read that.
- From the “Dumbass the Revenge” Department – Vice President Joe Biden decided to add a little racial tint to his rhetoric the other day, telling a mostly black audience that Mitt Romney and his campaign wanted to put them back into chains. As the descendent of a member of the Union Irish Brigade which fought in Virginia during the Civil War, I should be shocked and offended, but I’m not. Mr. Biden has fought courageously against his case of terminal stupidity for years, and it’s sad to see him finally losing the battle. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if this wasn’t a convenient ploy to give Obama an excuse to dump Biden as his running mate and pick someone more likeable and with a better personality, like Al Gore.
- From the “Cheap Flophouse With Cool Furniture” Department – IKEA, the company that brought self-assembled furniture to the first apartments and dorm rooms of millions of people, is considering opening up a budget hotel chain in Europe. I envision thousands of business travellers being handed an allen wrench and directions to their room written in Swedish and broken English.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/news-roundup-147/
Thoughts and Prayers, Please
Wirecutter got some bad news on Monday night, and it looks like he and his family are going to need all the thoughts and prayers we can muster. Please go on over and show him some love.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 16, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/16/thoughts-and-prayers-please/
Thoughts on the Day
- Cinnamon pretzels and diet Coke – The breakfast of champions.
- Contrary to stereotypes, the bunnies at the farm were not interested in the carrots we brought along for them due to the presence of an entire head of cabbage for them to munch on in the hutch.
- The sheep, goats, llama, donkeys, and horse were much more receptive.
- For the first time in my life, I have acquired a pistol that is new and still needs a breaking-in period. I guess I’ve been fortunate up to this point.
- At least that’s what I’m going to attribute the stiff action and double-feeds to. If it’s still doing this after 1000 rounds, it’s off to the gunsmith with her.
- Girlie Bear was tickled to be offered the chance to give the safety briefing by the range officer this afternoon, but politely declined. She did, however, blush a rather adorable shade of pink.
- When a centerfire or rimfire rifle does not go boom when you pull the trigger, it’s not that hard to get the charge out of the chamber. When a muzzleloader has a failure to fire, it’s an entirely different story.
- I’m guessing the Pyrodex pellets were just too old. The 209 primer was firing OK.
- Luckily for me, it was a true dud and not a hangfire. But I still kept it pointed downrange for about 15 minutes before pulling the rifle off the line and taking out the breech plug.
- When trying to zero a non-scoped rifle at 100 yards, it is probably a good idea to bring a spotting scope or binoculars to the range with you.
- Oh well, guess I’ll just have to go back to the range to finish zeroing it. Shucks.
- Pro-tip – A clear plastic bottle full of water left in the sun on the dash of a car gets very warm after a couple of hours, and does wonders to clean out the bores of muzzle-loaders and guns that have been firing corrosive ammunition.
- I am blessed with a wife who leaves me alone when I’m cleaning my guns. Or maybe it’s the smell of the solvents that she can’t stand.
- Using the term “We who, white woman?” while discussing the new terraced garden boxes that “we” will be excavating, building, and filling before planting season next year might not have been the most diplomatic thing I’ve ever said.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 15, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/15/thoughts-on-the-day-45/
How things change
I distinctly remember making my father an ashtray in art class at the suggestion of the teacher. No-one batted an eye when I asked how big to make the grooves so he could park his butt on the corner.
Fast forward 30+ years, and Girlie Bear changes her design for something she’s working on because having a cigar in it would mean she wouldn’t be able to take pictures of it to school to show to her friends.
Not sure if this is progress or not.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 15, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/08/15/how-things-change/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 