Walking The Plank

 We put up a couple new Wood Duck boxes this spring, so we have a total of three around the pond now.  This one went up on a cypress that is out in the water, and I had to walk the plank to get up in the tree.

It was a bit awkward, but I didn't lose any tools in the pond.

There is a pair of Woodies that just moved into a box we can watch from the house.  The female likes to land on top of the box and crane her neck around to look inside before she goes in.  We've been reading about these pretty little ducks, and predators really hit them hard.  Snakes, squirrels, coons, possums and turtles all prey on the little ducklings, and it's a wonder that any of them survive.  I hope ours get lucky.

Looking For A Hero

This cute little Studebaker would be a fine, rare vehicle for restoration, and it might get lucky, since it sits along a state highway in rural Wabash County, Illinois. 

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Light Foundation

The collectors are piling on for this week's Ruger auction.  The firearm is an early (under 1000 Serial Number) Number 1 rifle, made in 1967, and used by none other than Mr. William Ruger.  This rifle is in the versatile and useful .308 caliber, so it's a gun you can use for hunting and recreational shooting.  Click over to Ruger's GunBroker page and read all about it.  This fine, desirable rifle will sell mid-day, Wednesday, April 9, 2014.  100 % of the proceeds will go to benefit the Light Foundation.

$3035!

Tuesday Turbo Boost

I've enjoyed this song for many years, and now I see that It was featured in a movie way back in 1945


From "Bring On The Girls," 1945.

Feedback!

Good comments make blogging and YouTubing worthwhile, and on a little blog like this one, the mailbox ususally echoes like Charley Brown's.  But today we got a good one.  My little brother shared one of the cat bite slide shows with a friend who just agreed to cat-sit.  Here is what he had to say after seeing the results of a cat bite:


Here are photos of the progression from Day 1 to Day 15. Surgery was on Day 7. The picc line will come out this week, and then I can go back to work.

I have handled the cat that bit me since I've been home....with WELDING GLOVES! I sure don't want to repeat this experience.

Ready Or Not, Here It Comes

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola: Peel Off Those Long-Johns And Have A Good Soak!

Here is one of my old favorites again, this time, performed by Vaughn De Leath.

e-Postal Tactics

Trying for the big points on an e-Postal target can be a challenge.  The March target had these little 25 point bullseyes in the corners, and I didn't even try for them with my iron-sighted pistols.  The Mk III has a good red dot sight, though and I made a couple attempts.  The sight is dialed in for 25 yards, and the target was set up at 25 feet, so an allowance for elevation had to be figured in.  Using the taco grip on the gun, I placed the bottom of the crosshair in the circle, and was a bit high.  Only one bullet touched the circle, for 25 points.

For the second attempt I put the bullseye between the cross and the bottom of the crosshair, and made three touches, but boy does that require some concentration!  For my third attempt, I went for the easy points.

The ten-ring is not too difficult when you are using a good red-dot sight; that allowed me to relax a bit too much, and I pulled off one shot to barely make a 9.

These monthly contests are good practice for all of us, and they will remind you how each of your pistols shoots, so be sure to join in the fun.  Mr. Completely will not be posting the results of March until some time next week, so feel free to shoot the March target and send your scans in to him.  The April contest is Right Here, so you can shoot them both in one range trip

Weekend Steam: Steamroller Crash!

In this video we see the results of a steamroller going out of control.  Most of these old machines don't have brakes, and they are stopped by closing the throttle, reversing the engine, and then opening the throttle again.  That can be a problem if the operator is also steering the engine.   If you ever find yourself in this situation, you must kill or drop the fire ASAP.  The front end of the engine on the ground means that the crown sheet in the firebox probably has no water on it, and it will overheat in short order.  I was holding my breath when they picked up the front end.  Heating up the crown sheet and then putting water on it can cause an explosion from flash steam. 

Crankin' It Up

Dancing In The Dark by TrueBlueSam

This dance record is from 1931, and it is interesting to hear the change from my Roaring Twenties records.  No Charleston bumps, but just a simple Fox-Trot.  Not up to the Swing era yet.