Where do this stuff come from?

Posted by Greybeard on Nov 18th, 2006 in News and weather | 0 comments

Aside from the daily blogs and essays I read online,  and occasional TV news, a big source is reading paper books.

Recent list:

Gray’s Anatomy,  15th Edition, Henry Gray F.R.S

Toa of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (plus “The Hobbit”)

Tough and Versatile Knots,  Geoffry Budworth

Relativity,  Einstein

No Second Place Winner,  Bill Jordan

Cryptography and Network Security, Stallings,  (I tried)

Unix in a Nutshell,  O’Reilly

Taekwon-Do,  by Choi Hong Hi

Isle Royal Shipwrecks, Avery

Hell I was There,  Elmer Keith

The Custer Wolf, Roger Caras  ****

The Elements of Style,  Strunk and White

The complete Sailor, by Seidman

The Sea Shall Embrace Them,  David Shaw

NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection

The Second Ammendment Primer,  Adams

The Bill of Rights Primer,  Amen and Adams

Gates of Fire,  Stephen Pressfield  ****

A Hunter’s Fireside Book,  by Gene Hill

…

Mr. Hill’s book is currently at my headboard.  What has impressed you,  what are you reading? 

~~GreyBeard

 

 

Road Trip

Posted by Greybeard on Nov 17th, 2006 in News and weather | 0 comments

Today “the better half” and I decided to take a road trip. 

From the small city of Ohmer,  we  turned off US-23 onto main street,  then shortly ran into Tyler Plains Rd.  Tyler Plains road,  a fairly smooth sand road,  crosses (you guessed it) Tyler Plain.  Tyler Plain is a very large and roadless area of nothern Michigan Wilderness.  The private land is posted,  but more than half of the nearly all wooded land is unposted and part of the Au Sable State Forest.  Thousands and thousands of acres.  The single road (Tyler Plains Rd) crosses it diagonally a little north of center.

It was a nice easy scenic drive that ended us up in West Branch, were we dropped of some scrap copper and aluminum.  (Enough to buy a tank of gas)   We chose back roads again to get home,  and stopped by the club, (Eastern Arenac Sportsmans Club), to knock out a couple of boxes of ammo from our pistols. 

Not a bad day,  about 85 miles of back roads,  some target practice, and a light lunch,  and less than a quarter tank of gas used, with the only down side being a pretty dirty truck.

Some day’s this retirement stuff ain’t so bad.   

~~GB 

 

 

 

Medical Insurance (or the impression thereof)

Posted by Greybeard on Nov 16th, 2006 in News and weather, Political | 3 comments

We spent most of the day today at the doctor’s office.  My wife is trying to get through a series of tests (prescribed by her doctor) to determine the cause of some health problems she’s been having.  Well,  to make a long story short,  our GM retiree’s health insurance,  won’t pay for many of the tests,  and won’t pay for the drugs prescribed to treat her.

Ok you say,  “just pay for them yourself”.  Ok,  but the medicine she needed today,  we could not get,  because the GM plan has it blocked.  The druggist stated that he could not fill the prescription,  even if I payed out of my pocket.  There’s also the fact,  that I AM already paying out of my pocket.  A portion of my monthly pension check was taken for medical,  in the last contract,  and we now have large yearly deductable to pay, before insurance kicks in.    

Our newly relected Senator Debbie Stabenow , stated in her re-election campaign,  that she would be insuring good health care for the citizens of Michigan.  WHERE`S DEBBIE AT NOW?  Maybe that “excellent healthcare” is only for those other than GM retiree’s and employee’s?

It’s bad enough,  that GM refuses to honor their commitments to our healthcare,  after 30 years of service.  But to be blocked from even filling a prescription, solely because of my association with GM,  REALLY SUCKS! 

~~GB

Rainy Day

Posted by Greybeard on Nov 16th, 2006 in Shootist | 1 comment

It rained all day and we didn’t make it in until near dark,  but    here’s a picture of the TF-99 and the SK it’s replacing in my safe.

~~GB

TF-99 arrived today

Posted by Greybeard on Nov 15th, 2006 in Shootist | Comments Off

My second TF-99 arrived today.  (That’s a Tech-Force TF-99, .22 cal. airgun, with 4x-12 scope) You’ll remember that the first one had to go back because UPS destroyed it during delivery.

Jack and I gave this one a good looking over before I left his store,  and couldn’t find any evidence that it had been banged around.    It was later in the day when I picked it up but I had time to clean it and sight in the iron sights.

Cleaning it is another story.  It’s amazing how much gunk was packed in the barrel.  I went through half a bottle of solvent and dozens of patches before I could get a somewhat clean patch down the barrell.

I was sighting in my back yard, so my range was about 20 yards.  Before it got to dark,  I had walked the hits to the right about 3 inches, and up an inch,  for multiple hits in the bullseye.  (Good enough for the “irons” I can’t use them with the scope on anyway)

After another barrell cleaning, I mounted the Tech. Force 4x to 12x 50mm airgun scope.  Then spent about an hour cleaning sticky gunk off the stock,  where a safety sticker had been placed. 

As a final test before putting it away for the night,  I set up a steel vegetable can out under the yard light.  (It was pretty dark)  From 10 feet,  I was able to put a clean hole totally through both sides of the can.  (The scope is close, and the power is good!)

Tomorrow’s a busy day,  so I may not get to work with the scope.  If I get a nice day in the next week or so,  I’ll get out to the club and post pic’s of the targets for both the DPMS at 200 yards,  and the TF-99 at 50.

~~GB