Last day of 2015

Decided to finish the year hob knobbing with a couple of local reality TV celebrities...Tommy and Archie, co-stars of National Geographic's Badlands, Texas.  42,48,39,0,B

Wabbit Wednesday

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Austinians at TFL

Bryan and Jenny came for a visit bearing gifts...48,61,32,0,C  

Monday Meme

Ok...this is not actually a meme, but it is a post from Facebook today that reads like (and makes about a much sense as) a typical fear-mongering false meme (from a liberal, imagine that). In case you didn't know, on January 1, 2016 the state of Texas will start allowing the open carry of a handgun.  Something that most of the gun fearing public doesn't know is that there is no federal law that prohibits open carry anywhere in this country although certain restrictions apply to federally owned property.  The right to bear arms is left to the states.  As of the beginning of 2016, only 5 states DO NOT allow open carry of a handgun (oh, the horror!)...New York, California, Illinois, Florida, and South Carolina...and of course, the government kingdom - the District of Columbia.

Here are a couple of my responses:

Hey Pat...Imagine that all those guns are still there but they are concealed. Look around today. You are more likely to be killed by a drunk driver in Terlingua than shot. By the way...if any of your porch buddies are swilling beer with a handgun strapped to their waist - they are breaking the law. CHL holders may not carry in any place or at any time while intoxicated (Penal Code 46.035.), defined as: (a) not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the body; or (B) having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more (Penal Code 49.01.)  
I especially like his criteria for crazies...If you leave "hot-headed" and "fox-news believing" off his liberal list, the other two ("alcoholic and drug-f*cked") include a large portion of everyone else in his "tiny town". I also don't think he realizes that you cannot just start open carrying a handgun in Texas unless you have passed a mandated course with a certified instructor, passed an FBI background check, and submitted your fingerprints in order to obtain a handgun license from DPS. I would like to thank him though for reminding me that it was time to renew my license. As for that "daily commute with armed idiots"...it is still and has been for a very long time, legal to have a handgun in your possession concealed in a vehicle even without a license. Pat has been surrounded by guns for many years in Texas but now that he might actually see some from time to time, he suddenly fears for his life?  35,43,30,0,B

Snow

Job 38:22  Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?

prepped for some winter

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Christmas 2015

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chicken doctor II

Took the bandage off Chupa's leg today.  He was a bit more cooperative with the removal but it still took some effort.  From what I have read, a spur will grow back if trimmed but when removed at the base they do not.  Either way - Chupa doesn't seem to care.  70,80,45,0,B

last run of the year

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survival diet

Got my two week supply of emergency food.  Added up the numbers and found two things:  1. Somewhat lacking in overall nutrition.  2.  You will still eventually starve to death unless you at least double the portions.

Based on government standards of nutritional requirements for an average adult male, over a two week period the food will yeild totals of 82% sodium, 42% protein, 74% vitimin A, 15% vitimin C, 39% iron, 28% calcium, 37% fiber, 28% vitimin D, 4% riboflavin...and only 1,064 calaries per day.
Bottom line - over the long term, you cannot rely on their serving sizes for an extended period but they are good for a short term crash diet.  In the event of a major food shortage you will only prolong the inevitable unless you double down and suppliment the choices with additional forms of nutrition.  The catch22 here (and the beauty of emergency preparedness business models) is if the economy collapses and the world falls into chaos, there will be no one left to sue and you will probably die anyway.  68,76,50,0,B

Monday Meme

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As seen on facebook...

Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;  16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.  19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

comfort food

Got a nice surprise from my Aunt Mary Lou...comfort food from Figi's.  She sent me one of these last year right after I got out of the hospital and it was the perfect gift then as it is now.  I will always associate this sampler with easy meals when in a tight fix.  56,67,30,0,B

friday night

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Year Round Santa

UPS Manny missed out on a Christmas tip last year due to the fact that I was rather incapacitated.  Made up for it this year with some more deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's.  Nice of him to deliver his own Christmas present - I kept one, he got three.  He knows I'm friends with his wife on Facebook so he told me to message her, "Don't make dinner tonight - little daddy is bringing home pizza!"  48,61,31,0,B

long term food

Over the years, I have stocked up on quite a few emergency items to have on hand.  Never have considered myself to be a "prepper"...just smart enough to know that just in case can really suck if you aren't ready.  Since I can no longer stomach Glenn Beck's incessant hyping of solar products from solutions from science, I get my conservative take on the daily news from The Pat & Stu Show (the same stupid solar ads show up here as well but not as often).  Their first commercial break is usually for My Patriot Supply.  Lately, they have been running a special for a 2 week food supply for $50 including shipping that you can only get by calling 888-893-7953.  I have packed away some "armageddon entrees" from a couple of different companies but have yet to try any of them.  I decided to go for the offer just to review how eating only their food for 2 weeks will be.  Normally I prefer to just order stuff online so I don't have to actually deal with a human, but today I called to get what amounts to a little more than half off their internet price... and a surprisingly soft emergency preparedness sales pitch (he gave up when I told him I have 18,000 gallons of stored rainwater).  49,61,31,0,B

Ben flew...

guest pilot

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guests with their own house....

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chicken doctor

The boys got a little rough this morning and the next thing I noticed was that Chupa tore a spur loose.  He didn't seem too distraught about it but he was bleeding all over the place.  I let him be for about an hour hoping he would be OK...but blood was still dripping out.  Worried that he might bleed to death I decided I had better take action.  Let me tell you - doctoring a chicken leg is no easy task.  After 5 tries I finally got the dangling spur off and managed to bandage his leg.  Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.  The rest of Proverbs 12 gives some very good insight into the results of good over evil....but you must take the appropriate action.

Farewell Christine

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waiting on a pilot...

A couple of weeks ago, I got a friend request from a guy named Ben.  He found me on some PPG pilot directory.  Ben was hoping to fly with me but I had to "break" the news to him that I was still grounded but he was welcome to fly the friendly skies of TFL.  His family is on a full time RV adventure and they are currently in Big Bend National Park.  If the weather holds, they will be landing at TFL in the next couple of days.  72,81,42,0,B

prepping for some winter greens

earthbox reloads

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past plants

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new hobby...

Training Chupa in the art of falconry...

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happy anniversary

Today TFL is 8 years old.  When I first came out here I was pretty gung ho about the whole off grid thing.  I am so settled in to this lifestyle now, I no longer see it at anything special because it is what it is.  To be honest...it is little more than deluxe camping.  Looking forward to year number nine as I learn how to walk again and get back to some real projects.  I kinda missed last years' anniversary, spending it in the hospital on a morphine drip the day after my first surgery.  To celebrate this one, I bought a new charger and batteries for the cordless tools that built my hut that first feverish couple of months in the desert.  63,73,32,0,B

There but for the grace of God go I...

Today is the one year mark since my accident.  A year to heal and contemplate what might have been.  I spent the day living cautiously and mindful of the many blessings bestowed upon me by the Father only through my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

greenhouse labor and chef

My buddy Rick came out today to clear the greenhouse and then cook dinner.  56,74,34,0,B

cyber deal delivery

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JOHNNY WELLS SAIGON VIETNAM

Spent the day doing a little investigative reporting - finding the real truth is not easy.  The earliest reference to the lighter that I can find online is October 9, 2014 from this website.  There is a later message from the same source posted on May 14, 2015 from someone claiming to have the lighter in their possession.  I contacted this person today for more information.  We exchanged a number of emails where I asked very specific questions but only got cryptic answers.  The only thing I can relate from the source was that the lighter was claimed to have been found in what is once referenced as an antique store in New Orleans in April or May of 2015 by a buddy of the person who now had it - and given to a brother of Johnny Wells in July 2015.  In another email I got this message.
"It was found in a surplus second hand store of all places and the young man insisted it go to the family of the original owner. It was said to be on Johnny when he died in Saigon and his family don't know how it got back to the states or separated from his body."
There are a lot of holes in this story and I am not completely convinced, but it will have to do.  And now you know what might be "the rest of the story".   60,72,34,0,C

Dear Facebook,

Thank you for asking, but this is not my lighter.  The US pulled the last troops out of Vietnam in 1973...when I was 14 years old. In the past year, I have received over 200 messages about it.  By now I would assume that it has been returned to the rightful owner or his family...or perhaps it is just another hoax.  For awhile I was tempted to claim it but I have a feeling it will persist on the internet for years regardless of whether or not it has found a home.  At least now I have a blog link to post the next time someone asks.  54,61,32,0,C

off duty...

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FYI - Cyber Monday Deal

Good price on starter kits with free shipping today only from Renogy-solar.com  Coupon code CMONDAY15   55,62,49,0,B

Spirit of adoption...

Romans 8

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Grey Saturday

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over the river and through the desert...

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Thanksgiving 2015: keeping it simple

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for your holiday shopping pleasure...

If you are looking for some small heavy duty storage options, this might just be right.  I tried the "best offer" option and got them for $75 (he wouldn't go any lower).  This is the best price I have found on ebay for ammo cans (with free shipping) and the ones I received were in much better than expected shape considering they are designated Grade 2.  I ordered on Saturday...they shipped on Monday...and I got them at 1PM today.  He must get these in huge lots at government auction for pennies on the dollar.  I checked with UPS and discovered the shipping cost with a commercial UPS discount is $48.89 for a 48lb box that is 12" x 12" x 30".  That means he made $3.26 per ammo can.  One has to wonder how much the military-industrial complex paid for these brand new.  63,75,48,0,B

ben made a new friend today

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