Trailrider #896

I have just finished reading "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine. He was, of course advocating for separation from England, which happened about six months later. Much of what he was advocating was included in the Declaration. Fascinating read!

The ONLY bad thing about the 4th is the effect the fireworks has on my poor cocker spaniel. A "gun dog" he ain't!

Anyone kicking in my front door would hear the intense barking of my two dogs, which would alert me, probably causing me to break out, but not chambering a round. If further kicking or banging continued, I would call out loudly to "Get away from here!" If further action occurred, in addition to calling 911, I would back away from the door, but possibly chambering a round. Should that occur at any other entrance, I would probably assume it was an attempt to actually break in. Won't say what I might do at that point!

I was more aware of Larry Doby than I was of Jackie Robinson, primarily because I was a Chicago White Sox fan, and Cleveland would play the White Sox in Comisky Park. Great player, Larry Doby!

I can't find it, but I once saw a t-shirt showing the skeleton of a cowboy leaning against a cactus, with a guitar across his lap. On the next cactus, looking down at him is the skeleton of a vulture. Of course, the caption is, "But it's a dry heat!"

A year or so ago, a 13 year-old boy was crossing a main thorofare on his scooter. He had the green light. Some scumbag in a truck ran the red light and killed the kid. Maximum punishment in Colorado 1 year in jail and a $5,000 fine! There are several lampposts along the street...nuf said!

Daughter and SIL and grown grandsons live down there. Don't know how they can stand it! But they didn't like snow. Go figure!

There were also the compatriots of Homer Hickam (see the movie "October Skies"), and one young gent whose name I can't recall, who used Liquid Oxygen as an oxidizer for some hydrocarbon fuel. Now LOX is nothing to fool with. Must be careful not to expose it to any organic except in the rocket engine. He was careful. Fuming nitric acid (Nitrogen Tetroxide with the with water left in), carefully handled was a bit safer, though not as powerful. Also with stuff like aniline or isopropyl alcohol was hypergolic (ignites on contact), so no ignition system required. Oh, those were the days... BTW, my rocket engine makes one heck of a paper weight!

Back when I was in middle school, in the mid-1950's, before Estes rockets, my contemporaries would go to the local hardware store, buy lengths of aluminum tubing (welded seam!), fill them with zinc dust and sulfur and light them off. That combination has a burning rate of 90-inches/second. (Compared with the burning rate of solid rocket booster of several inches/second!) The rockets would get up a few feet before exploding. Fortunately, no one was hurt (in my group at least...not so in other cases!) Being a rather chicken sort of kid, I did not get involved. Instead, when I started high school, I picked up a book called, "Rocket Propulsion Elements, 2nd Ed., by Dr. George P. Sutton of MIT, and taught myself how to design a small liquid propellant rocket engine (not sesigned to fly...for static test only). I had the support of several university rocket engineers, who checked out the design. Eventually, by the time I graduated from high school, I static tested the 55 lbf thrust aniline-nitric acid engine. Could not have tested the propellants myself today, so Estes Industries is the best for young would-be rocket engineers. Some of the propellant fumes must have affected me, because I spent the next thirty-plus years in the aerospace field, and still follow developments daily! If I were sixty years younger, I'd be down in Texas, knocking on SpaceX's door to work on either the Raptor 3 engines or figuring out what goes wrong when there is an RUD! Ad Astra!

So. anybody out there shoot a bison rifle? Still, if'n you are goin' huntin' in Africa, better take somethi' heavy. Cape Buffalo can take a lot of punishment and still stomp ya. Friend of mine who used to guide, usually packed a .500 Nitro Express double rifle, and occasionally something bigger. For shaggies in North America a .45-70 or .50-90 will do, if you place the bullet properly.

And they are great eating, too!

It is my understanding that DO's today have to pass the same tests as MD's. I have been treated by both in various specialties, urology and dermatology. However, for serious situations, I prefer an MD.

And sometimes if the bully doesn't get the message and starts to fight back or pick on more others, even doing serious harm to the victims, it may be necessary to hit him again...harder!

B-2's headed west toward Guam, apparently to strike... Oops, wait a minute, seven more headed east to strike the designated targets. Aerial tankers refueled them on the way, and apparently some F-22's and F-35's also escorted them. Of course, we are NOT AT WAR. But the 509th is still winning! And all that was done in almost complete secrecy!

WWII Japanese knee morter.

Regarding a rancher who couldn't make up his mind which of two other ranchers to support: "Straddling a fence can get you a mighty sore crotch!" (paraphrase). "Fool around with the bandwagon, you might get hit with a horn!" Any others?

Thanks to all for the feedback and prayers. This is an ulcer with outpouching, so the doc says it is "not a ticking timebomb". But it needs to be taken care of in the next few weeks. Working on arrangements. Ironically, my grandfather died of an aortic aneuism in 1963. But back then, the only way they had of detecting it was during the autopsy. So I am fortunate that they found this during a scan for something else, and they can fix the problem, hopefully with minimal risks. Will keep everybody updated as soon as I know something.

Had a CT scan on my upper body a couple of weeks ago. Not expecting anything real bad, but come to find out I have a bulging ulcer in my descending aorta! Not a aneurism per se, and not immediately threatening to blow out, but vascular surgeon recommends running a stent in there, coming up from one of my femeral arteries! Needless to say, at almost 83, I am close to needing clean shorts! I plan to get some additional opinions, but they will likely concur. Note this is NOT a heart stent. It is in the main pipe going down my chest. Anybody out there have something like that done?

And then there's the Colorado Rockies! In a break with the season so far, they have actually won the last four straight! If the Rocks were any deeper in the cellar, the PRC might accuse us of a sneak attack....through the center of the Earth!

All you hear is, "BREAKING NEWS!", followed by a story broadcast about six times that day. I wish they would fix that breaking news!

And the 509th could win the war...again! If any nuclear material is left available, it could be turned into a "dirty bomb" smuggled to associated agents who could use it against anybody, anywhere in the world! Just sayin'... Sometimes it is necessary to defacate or abdicate!

Not exactly. I did use an old Ruger Flattop in .44 Mangle-em to administer the coup de gras on a Shiras Montana moose that a hunting companion had dropped, but not finished with his .300 Weatherby rifle, back in '67. I did take a couple of wild boar down to Tennessee back in '63 using a M1886 chambered for .33 WCF.

Wife had it severely in both hands about 10 years ago. Doc at the Mayo Clinic gave her a shot in each hand, but told her there was no guarranty how long it would last. She hasn't had any trouble since then., Just lucky, I guess.

You eat beef hearts and likely they'll beefarts by morning!

More misinformation: The black & white cow shown above, and the ones used by Chick-fillet, that hold up signs saying, "Eat more chikin!" are DAIRY cows, not beef cattle!