U.S. Marines Birthday plus 239 Years

Tell A MarineThat He Can't Do Something...

...and he'll figure out a way.  Take a good look at the Marine showing off the .45 and think about that for a minute.  Marines had to hide a .45 when they weren't fighting, or it would be taken away.  My father-in-law buried his under his bed in an ammo box so he would have it when he needed it. 

The pistol is shown prominently, and the flap is tucked into the fellow's trousers.  These fellows obviously wanted folks back home to take a good look when the film was developed.

And here's why.  The wooden grips have been replaced with plexiglass, probably from a wrecked airplane, and it tells anyone with a magnifying glass where they have been, and where they are.  Pretty slick, and that roll of film went right past the censors.

Eyes and Ears! (Lungs, Too!)

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola: Madelon

Madelon was a popular song with French Poilus in 1914. 


It's a charming song, and was revived during World War II by Marlene Dietrich. Shared on YouTube by Tim Graycyk.

The November Mr. Completely e-Postal Match Is Up!

Head over to Sand Castle Scrolls to read the rules and print this target...

Dial your eyes in and steady your nerves; you will be shooting at 30' this month, and I recommend making a range trip right away, just in case winter weather shows up before the end of November. 

This will be the final Mr. Completely e-Postal match of the year, so don't miss out; you know you need the practice!  Many thanks to Danno, and all the other e-Postal hosts who have helped out in 2014.

Olney FFA Does Itself Proud!

The FFA students at Olney, Illinois have been making a good showing in the local and the annual state contest for more than a decade, and last year they went down at the state contest by one point in a real nail-biter.  Their instructor, Jamie VanDyke pushed them hard this year and they won the state contest by 167 points.  They just came back from the national contest in Kentucky, and they made a great showing, taking Fourth Place nationwide. 

National FFA Forestry CDE Results

LOUISVILLE- Winners of the National FFA Forestry Career Development Event (CDE) were

announced Friday at the annual awards banquet. The event was held in conjunction with the 87th National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Ky. Mr. John Allen Bailey of Georgia served as superintendent of this year's event. The top ten individuals and the national winning team members received cash awards to recognize their success in the event. The cash awards and the forestry event are sponsored by Husqvarna and John Deere as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. The National FFA Forestry CDE is a competitive event that tests students' skills and knowledge in the area of forest management. Event components include a general forest knowledge exam, tree identification, timber cruising, tree/forest disorders identification, a chainsaw practicum, forestry issues interview, and a team activity. Each team competed at local and state levels for the privilege of representing their state at the National FFA Convention & Expo. This event, held at Bernheim Forest in Clermont, Ky., is one of many educational activities at the national convention in which FFA members apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations.

*** Olney FFA placed 4^th in the nation***

Top Placing teams:	Top Placing Individuals:
1st. Kathleen FFA – Florida	1st Tyler Dupree – Kathleen FFA- Florida
2. Pocahontas FFA – West Virginia	2nd Brevyn Foreman - Kathleen FFA - Florida
3. Calvin FFA- Louisiana	3rd Emmett Lee – Kathleen - Florida
4th. Olney FFA – Illinois	4th Kyle Trott – Alvirne FFA- New Hampshire
5th.Alvirne FFA – New Hampshire	5th Matt Rao – Pocahontas FFA – West Virginia
6th. Cossatot River FFA – Arkansas
7th Carroll County FFA – Virginia	6th Matthew Runyon – Olney FFA - Illinois
8th Grand Canyon FFA – Pennsylvania	7th Rich Saddler – Cossatot River FFA - Arkansas
9th Grand Rapids FFA- Minnesota	8th Tom Powers – Smith Agricultural FFA - Maine
10th Vallivue FFA – Idaho	9th Joshua Goins – Calvin FFA - Louisiana
	10th Emily Schilling – Olney FFA – Illinois
	15th Tanner Scherer – Olney FFA - Illinois
	43rd George Boehl – Olney FFA – Illinios

Personal Thanks to Forester Wade Bloemer for jumping in and running the contest at Sam Dale lake this year, while I was out of state.  You made this win possible, Wade!

Photo Credit: Jamie VanDyke

Weekend Steam: A Documentary of N & W 1218...

...from 1988.  This is a remarkable engine, and a rare survivor.

November Mr. Completely e-Postal Contest....

...will be up soon over at Sand Castle Scrolls, courtesy of Danno and his Sand Castle Crew.  Don't put away your guns for winter yet!

The Big Parade: It's On DVD!

We bought a video tape of this great movie many years ago.  It is one of the very best movies ever made, and it set the standard for movies about war.  The good news for you is that The Big Parade is available on DVD, and if you go shopping right now, you should be able to watch it on Veterans' Day.  My father-in-law saw this movie when it came out in the 1920's, and it still moved him when he was an old man.  Don't delay; go to Amazon and order your copy of this classic.

Bea Update

Mom has had enough of Good News/Bad News in the last few months.  A chest X-Ray triggered an intense round of medical tests this year, and I have spent quite a bit of time with Mom so I could take her to doctor appointments.  Her lung capacity was down to 60%, and she had two sets of biopsies done at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.  The meeting with her doctor for results began with "There's good news, and bad news."  The good news is Mom does not have cancer.  Note the smiles, and the relief Mom is showing.

Mom does have a pretty serious infection in one lung, but if she takes her meds for the next year and a half, she should have a successful recovery.  The side effects of diminished lung capacity and all the medication have to be watched closely.  She had a big spike in her blood pressure recently, and her family doctor told her to come right in for a look.  She had a minor heart attack while he was examining her, and she spent a couple days in the Washington County Hospital.  Mom is doing OK now, and going to Cardiac Rehab for a couple sessions every week.



I went north to visit last week, and blew her leaves out onto the terrace for her. She was out today with a rake, rolling up new arrivals. She is feeling good enough now that she is talking about cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving. Her last range trip was in August, and she had dropped from two miles to one mile of walking at that time.  Taking it easy indoors during the upcoming winter months will probably be good for her.