Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Most Sincerely....


How many of you grew up driving a car with the master cylinder under the floorboard?  You had to get down on your knees, peel back the floor mat and struggle to get a wrench on the cap.


Seeing the level of brake fluid was difficult, and it was easy to spill when you topped off.
This old pickup is a pretty sad case, and not much is worth anything.


One good piece of glass.


The grill might help someone who is desperate.


A little bit of good chrome!


The gutter over the door is good, but you have to find new mirrors.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Light Foundation

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=409981081

Ruger's auction this week is a Mk I Standard Model from 1982.  It has had thirteen bids at the time of this post, but the price is still within reason, so Click Over and have at it!  100% of the proceeds from this auction will go to benefit the Light Foundation.  This auction will end mid-day, Wednesday, April 30, 2014.

UPDATE: $585.57!

Doing It Wrong; Let Us Count The Ways...

From WFIW News, (Scoll down to April 28) " he drew the gun out of his waistband and accidentally shot himself. The bullet entered his lower abdomen, passed through his..." Oh, No!  ...And he will be going to jail.

Monday, April 28, 2014

The Suspense Is Killing Me


White County, Illinois Civil Rights Activist In The News!





Mike and Valinda Rowe have been in the front lines for many years, fighting for the Second Amendment in Illinois.  TriState News, out of Indiana just published a brief report with along with a video featuring Valinda.  Click Here to read and watch.  Mike and Valinda will be hosting a Women On Target class at the Carmi Rifle Club on Saturday, May 3.


Tuesday Turbo Boost

I believe it has been a couple years since we visited the Bach Scholar, and that is too long.  Here is a good one to reintroduce our old YouTube friend.  Dizzy  Fingers, by Zez Confrey.


Saturday, April 26, 2014

Not My Victrola

Written in 1914, this recording of "When You Wore A Tulip" was recorded in 1915, and shared with us by our friend across the Pond, Paul Harrison.  This song was still heard frequently when I was a kid, but I think it will be unfamiliar to the younger generations of today. 


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Crankin' It Up: A Couple For Hard Core Musical Historians

Here are two of the old Climax records, both of them badly worn.  Mid The Green Fields of Virginia is a sentimental song, reminiscing of home and Mother; the Uncle Josh is typical of Cal Stewart's comedy formula, weak jokes and country bumpkin laughter.  It's probably just as well that we can't understand Uncle Josh, because most of his jokes are not all that funny.


Final Weekend In April; Shoot The e-Postal!


The end of April is coming up, so CLICK OVER to this month's contest, read the rules, print your targets, and head to the range with family and friends.  You shoot this month with one hand, then the other, then however you like.  It's a challenge, and darn good practice.  This was the first time Pattie Ann shot with one hand, and she did pretty well.  I bet you can, too, so shoot your targets and send them in.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Look At What We Will Be Cranking Up In The Weeks Ahead!

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Light Foundation

Ruger has another winner up for sale this week to benefit the Light Foundation!  It's a U.S. Marked Government Model that was returned to the factory for  a split grip.  Ruger repaired it, and then stored it away in their vault.  It can be yours if you want it bad enough; just click over to Ruger's GunBroker page, read all about this pistol, and place your bid.  The hammer will fall, midday, Wednesday, April 23, 2014.  100% of the proceeds will go to benefit the Light Foundation.

$2052.99!

Celebrate Earth Day!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Tuesday Turbo Boost

We're going clear back to 1917 for our energy fix this week.  The energetic wailing to the clarinet and the whinnying horse should keep you stepping lively all week.

Mr. Completely March 2014 e-Postal Scores!

Mr. Completely sent all the scores to me so we could post them for all to see.  He is recovering, but that takes a while after being cracked open for bypass surgery.  I suspect that he will be back to his old self by the time the Rendezvous rolls around.

I count twenty entries;  if we have missed anyone, please let me know so you can be included.  Danno has to shoot at 33' at his range; a significant disadvantage for him.  I have included my estimate of his score if he had shot at 25' like everyone else.  Susan's mother, Pattie Ann has taken up shooting at age 89, but she is unable to support a pistol with her arms due to the stroke she had in 2012.  She has to shoot off of a sandbag (actually cat-litter!), so if she beats you, you can discount that.  Shooting is great therapy for her, and it's not easy because her entire left side was affected, including her vision and perception of things to the left side of her vision.
 
Class 1; Rimfire Handgun, Iron Sights
Firearm
Distance
Score
Ruger Single-Six
33’
56 (68)
Ruger Mk III 22/45
33’
73 (96)
Merle
S & W Kit Gun
25’
79
David (True Blue Sam)
GSG 1911-22
25’
81
Paula
Browning Buck  Mark
25’
82
David (True Blue Sam
Ruger Single-Six
25’
87
Ruger Mk I
25’
89
Merle
Ruger Std Model
25’
93




Class 2; Rimfire Handgun,  Zero Magnification Optics
Firearm
Distance
Score
Ruger Mk III, Red Dot
25’
79
Pattie Ann
Ruger Mk III, Red Dot (Rest)
25’
95
Merle
Ruger Mk II, Red Dot
25’
97
David (True Blue Sam)
Ruger Mk III
25’
99




Class 3; Centerfire Handgun, Iron Sights
Firearm
Distance
Score
Merle
S & W M3913 9mm
25’
77
Chester
Springfield XDM .45 ACP
25’
95




Class 5; Centerfire Revolver, Iron Sights
Firearm
Distance
Score
Merle
S & W M624
25’
87
Merle
Ruger Speed-Six 9mm
25’
90
Merle
S & W M625
25’
92




Class 7; Handgun Longer than 12”; Any Rifle
Firearm
Distance
Score
Paula
Savage 62,.22 LR, Scope
25’
89
Hi-Point .40 S&W, Scope
25’
94
Marlin 795, .22 LR, Scope
25’
96


Pattie likes to shoot my Mk III because of the choice of reticles in the Bushnell Red Dot scope.  She currently prefers the circle with the dot in the center.


Be sure to enter the April Contest over at the Conservative UAW Guy.  Only one weekend is left in April, so print those targets and pack your range bag.

Stay Tuned For The March e-Postal Scores

Mr. C is recovering from major surgery, and he has forwarded the e-Postal entries to me.  I must hit the road for work this morning, but tonight, barring unforeseen catastrophes, I will assemble the scores into a table and post them here on True Blue Sam.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

What About The Cat?


Quite a few have asked about the cat that put the hole in my hand.  Most assume that I would have done him in, but that's not the way I am.  Big'un was the cat that bit me, and it was my fault.  He was hiding, and when I reached for his front end, he nailed me.  I didn't understand at the time why he was acting that way, but it all became clear last week.  Back in February I saw that Big'un's right eye had turned red, and I caged him, and took him to the vet.  He was a bad patient, but we managed to give him a shot of antibiotic, which had no effect on the eye.


He went back to the vet and had surgery to remove the eye, and we began taming down the little barn cat as he healed.  It wasn't long until he welcomed contact, and he would purr as soon as he was picked up into my arms.  He stayed off to himself during the days, but at night he was glad to come to our bed and sleep with us.


Then, one day, he didn't want to be touched, and that was when he bit me.  We kept him fed and watered, but left him alone, and he stayed hidden most of the time.  Last week I put on the gloves and caught him.  His remaining eye was tinged with red, and he was wasting away to skin and bones.   Friday morning we had him at the Vet's office.


The eye was unresponsive, and was dying.  Feline Leukemia was the first possibility our vet mentioned, and then FIV.  She tested him for both of those diseases and the results were negative.  That left cancer as the greatest possibility, but whatever the problem was, it meant Curtains for our little Big'un.  Our Vet put him down for us, and he's buried with Nellie, Hank, Marvin, and Hey Joe.  We have lost several pets, and both our fathers to cancer; it's a cruel monster.

Doin' It The Hard Way...



Back To The Old Grind!

He Is Risen!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Not My Victrola: Groundbreaking "Jass"

Livery Stable Blues is one of the most fun Jazz songs you will hear, and it's from way back before Jazz was spelled with Z's.  By the Original Dixieland Jass Band, 1917.


Crankin' It Up: Really, Really Old!

This Climax Record dates back to the very early 1900's, and it's a good one.  What's really neat is that the age of the record gives us a glimpse of how this song would have been performed by folks when it was first published.  Samuel Siegel, the Mandolinist was born in 1875, and lived until 1948.  That means of course, that he learned this song from musicians that played it when it was first published. 


Weekend Steam: Across The Pond Again

Here's another video by Keith Appleton, this one featuring a Stuart Beam Engine.


Thursday, April 17, 2014

Old Cemeteries And Good Intentions


You would hardly know from a casual look that this hilltop in rural Hamilton County is a cemetery.  The last burial that we find in records was in 1915, and it hasn't been too many years since it was wrecked.  The intentions were good.

Rawl's Cemetery had eastern red-cedars growing all over it, and someone had the idea that if they sold the trees, they would have money to take care of the cemetery.  The sale was done, the trees were cut, and the care was hiring someone to mow the cemetery with a  tractor and bush-hog.  The destruction began, and continued until the money was gone.

                                                      
Stones were knocked down by the tractor and mower.  Some stones landed on the corresponding grave and were pressed down by the tractor, but most were broken and moved from where they belong.  The 
 good news is that the person mowing this cemetery didn't heave the stones into the adjoining woods, so 
many of the stones can still be located for record-keeping.


Graves can be found this time of year by the flowers planted generations ago at the headstones, and many of the graves are sunken, so the markers can be found, such as they are.


Little Dora Manchester is one that we have a photo of from the 1970's.  Her headstone was intact, and standing at her grave back then.  We found her again, but pieces are missing.  She died in 1863.  Daylilies have covered most of the cemetery now, and that seems to be keeping the ground fairly clear, except for oaks that are migrating out from the nearby timber.  We can beat the trees back with no impact to the stones but restoration of this cemetery will be difficult due to the heavy damage that occurred after the cedar trees were removed.  What a sad mess.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

And, We Are Almost Out Of Firewood!

Country Boys Learn This Lesson Fast

Tractor tires are great grippers, and they will really pull you in lots of different soil conditions.  The angled lugs also have great mud-moving ability that you won't appreciate until you see it in action.  Once is enough for most of us, though I did see one boy from Chicagoland who stuck a borrowed tractor to the axle twice in one day, and couldn't understand why.  Study the picture of this old Case tractor....

Click The Pic To Enlarge

Note the 1/2 of the wheel has the lugs packed with mud.  When your load stops you in a muddy field and those wheels begin to spin, the lugs are pumping mud out from under the tire.  Figure about 1" per lug.  These tires have about two dozen lugs around the circumference, so the 1/2 turn dropped the tractor one foot.  You can't fight it by gunning the engine; you have to shut down.  This tractor is hitched to a pull-type disc without wheels and hydraulics to lift it, so it will have to be unhitched, and then the tractor should jump right out of the holes that it made.  If the driver had let the wheels spin he would have had the rear end of the tractor flat on the ground in another turn.  It doesn't take long to wreck your day, and many farmers have been hurt or killed over the years trying to extricate tractors from this predicament.  One farmer I heard about chained a fence post to each wheel, thinking that the tractor would lift itself up and out of the situation.  He paid for his inexperience with his life when the tractor flipped over backward instead of going forward.  Listen to the old-timers if you fool around with old equipment.  It will save you a lot of trouble, and might save your life.

Nobody Knows...

This song came around in my head today, and it's the right time of year to share it again.


Here's The Dirt On Microstamping

This NRA video lays out the facts on microstamping, and shows it as the fraud it is.  I saw this first on Ruger's website, and Ruger CEO Michael Fifer does a great job explaining the problems with the concept.  Basically, firearms are not metal-forming machinery, and the technology does not exist to make it work.  Even if it did work, the criminal elements would have a variety of methods available to avoid being caught by microstamped casing evidence. 


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Ruger's Aucton To Benefit The Light Foundation

This week Ruger is auctioning a revolver that is still in the current catalog.  It's a Blackhawk in .30 Carbine, with a 7 1/2" barrel.  This revolver was manufactured in 1977, and has been residing in Ruger's safe for all these years.  I remember visiting with a Korean War vet about forty years ago, and he was overjoyed when talking about Ruger making a gun in .30 Carbine, because he had carried an M1 Carbine when he fought in Korea.  It's a popular caliber with many Blackhawk owners, and you will like it if you buy it.  100% of the proceeds go to benefit the Light Foundation, so Click Over to read all about it and place your bid.        Update:  Sold for $905!

http://www.mattlight72.com/lightFoundation-About.html

Do You Remember The Joyful Feeling...

...you felt as a child, when you returned to school, and smelled the hallways and the school kitchen, and saw your schoomates, after several days at home with the mumps, measles, or other childhood malady?  That feeling came to mind last week when I returned to work after three weeks off, and felt none of that joy.  I've worked for over 48 years with only two weeks of unemployment, and I guess that I am losing my enthusiasm.  Going back to work brought this poem to mind.  I heard it first from Cliff Arquette (as Charlie Weaver) and the author has never revealed himself.  It's timely for us old dudes.

    My Get-Up-And-Go Has Got Up and Went

      Anonymous
    Old age is golden, or so I’ve heard said,
    But sometimes I wonder, as I crawl into bed,
    With my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
    My eyes on the table until I wake up.
    As sleep dims my vision, I say to myself:
    Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?
    But, though nations are warring, and Congress is vexed,
    We’ll still stick around to see what happens next!
      How do I know my youth is all spent?
      My get-up-and-go has got up and went!
      But, in spite of it all, I’m able to grin
      And think of the places my getup has been!
    When I was young, my slippers were red;
    I could kick up my heels right over my head.
    When I was older my slippers were blue,
    But still I could dance the whole night through.
    Now I am older, my slippers are black.
    I huff to the store and puff my way back.
    But never you laugh; I don’t mind at all:
    I’d rather be huffing than not puff at all!

      How do I know my youth is all spent?
      My get-up-and-go has got up and went!
      But, in spite of it all, I’m able to grin
      And think of the places my getup has been!
    I get up each morning and dust off my wits,
    Open the paper, and read the Obits.
    If I’m not there, I know I’m not dead,
    So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed!

      How do I know my youth is all spent?
      My get-up-and-go has got up and went!
      But, in spite of it all, I’m able to grin
      And think of the places my getup has been!
       
       Well, I'm still a wage slave and can't go back to bed, but the sentiment of this poem is right.  Every morning when I wake up, it's like Groundhog Day.  I just went straight from reading glasses to tri-focals, tinnitus has been my constant companion for twenty years, and I don't walk a 40 as fast as I used to.  I guess I need to get out and burn, cut, or shoot something.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Pop A Pair Of Postals, and Send Mr. Completely Get-Well-Wishes!

http://www.mrcompletely.blogspot.com/2014/02/march-2014-e-postal-match-little-warped.html
 If you have been checking Mr. Completely's blog you know by now that he is in the hospital because of triple bypass surgery.  Because of that, he hasn't posted the March scores yet, so I want you all to show Mr. C some love and send him more targets to score when he is up and around.  I know nothing would make him happier than getting a bunch of Well-Wishes in his In Box with target scans attached.  So, head over to his blog, roll down the page to his March e-Postal instructions and print your targets.  Do it this weekend, because he will be up and around soon, ending the March contest by posting the scores.

http://theconservativeuawguy.blogspot.com/2014/03/time-to-dust-off-ye-olde-blogge-and.html
While you are making preparations to head to the range be sure and print out the April target from the Couserveative UAW Guy's blog, and shoot that contest tool  These monthly contests are great for honing your trigger skills, and you will enjoy the fellowship with bloggers and blog followers.

Not My Victrola

Cobblestones is a nice little fox-trot by Ted Lewis in 1927. The slide show is a great bonus.


Friday, April 11, 2014

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Tree Planting Payoff


Crabapple trees are a common landscape tree, and most are planted because they fit in restricted spaces, and they have showy colors from both flowers and fruit.  The fruit is more important than most of us realize.  Northward bound robins feed on these trees, and this week I saw a flock of Cedar Waxwings feasting on the colorful fruit. 

These trees can be used in urban or rural settings.  Plant them away from sidewalks so folks don't track the little apples into homes.  Expect to see robins and turtledoves nest in these trees.