B B Guns for Christmas

 Summers meant a lot of hard work on the farm in northern Minnesota, where I grew up.  Feeding the livestock was a year-round constant, as was milking the cows twice a day.  Plus, in summer: plow, disc, drag, pick rocks, plant, cultivate, harvest 3-4 crops of hay, harvest grains and bale straw.  Come fall, we were more than ready for the end of the growing season - and hunting.

We hunted for meat, not trophies.  Squirrels, ducks, pheasants, partridge, deer; all were a nice change from the usual beef and pork served up 3 times a day.  Our guns were relics, a single-shot 22 and a single-shot shotgun.  Two of my brothers bought a new German Mauser WWII era rifle and modified it to use as a deer rifle.  I shot my one and only deer with that rifle.

Fast forward several years.  I'm living in the Seattle area, married and have 2 sons, Tod and Adam.  I think they're old enough to learn how to shoot, so I bought them each a BB gun for Christmas.  I showed them the basics of shooting, how to hold it, aim, and so on.  Cautioned them against shooting at each other, or anybody else (you could put an eye out).

Anxious to give the guns a go, they took them outside Christmas morning.  This is where it gets ugly.  

I was big on holiday decorating, both inside and out.  Large, freshly-cut tree with all kinds of decorations inside; lots of lights and other stuff outside.

My mistake was not providing my sons with targets.  Not to worry, they found their own targets - the large-bulb Christmas lights strung along the eaves of the house.  A couple days later, I noticed that several outside light bulbs weren't working.  Upon closer inspection, I discovered the shattered remains of the bulbs on the ground.  I. Was. Pissed!  I confiscated the guns and gave them back to the guys several months later.

On the upside, the boys sure learned how to shoot those guns in short order!

Present Day Gladiators

 I posted this on Facebook a while back, forgot to post it here.

Maces and swords have been replaced by small round missiles.  Missile launchers (aka paddles) propel the missiles (aka balls) towards the opponents at incredibly high speeds. Small courts have replaced arenas, ensuring combatants are always within missile striking distance.  Instead of heavy body armor, braces and wraps are used to protect vulnerable body parts. 

Some things haven’t changed, totally ripped physiques for one (see image below).  Also, spectators still applaud, cheer and make disparaging comments as in the old days.

However, giving the thumbs-down gesture to indicate the losers should be put to death is now a rare occurrence – except in parts of Texas and West Virginia.

Chef Boyardee Pizza

Ever buy it, make your own pizza back in the day, 60 years ago?  I did.  Don't recall how I and others in rural Minnesota even became aware of it.  TV ads, probably.  

My first real pizza (1962), at a small restaurant in Moorhead, MN was sheer delight.  OMG, it was good!  Couldn't wait to bite into it, burned the roof of my mouth several times.  

I thought the rapid growth of pizza restaurants and grocery store frozen pizzas would wipe out Chef B's business in short order.  I was wrong.  Most grocery stores have it in stock.

Hector Boiardi started his pizza and pasta business in 1928, changing his last name to a more phonetic version.  He built a factory in Milton, PA, and hit the jackpot in WW II, producing 250,000 cans a day for the troops.   The C-rations I ate in Vietnam probably included some products from that factory.  The brand is now owned by Conagra Foods: https://www.chefboyardee.com/

Fly Ribbon

 Circa 1960, typical family farm in Minnesota: 40 cows, 30 pigs, 50 chickens, 200 sheep.  And, what do all those critters produce?  You got it, MANURE!  And, what does manure produce?  Flies.  Zillions of 'em.  

We sprayed good old DDT - long since banned - by the gallons in the barn.  I swatted thousands of 'em on the front porch of the house.  Regardless, lots of flies got into the house.  We didn't spray DDT in the house, uh uh: we hung fly ribbons.  I doubt that many if any, city-dwellers used fly ribbons.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

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The most prominent fly ribbon in the house was the one that hung from the light fixture, right above the dining room table.  Can you imagine a more appealing centerpiece?  It did the job though, mostly.

Can't help but think all that exposure to crap, flies and who knows what else, strengthened my immune system.  Could it be, I'm immune to the C-19?  Possibly, but I'm still gonna get the booster shot.

Boise Botanical Gardens

Finally, we have dependable internet and wifi so I can start posting again.

We were in Boise in early June, took a 3-day break from traveling.  We visited fraternity brother Curt Elton and his wife Naomi, Trish biked and I played - you guessed it - pickleball.  Biking was excellent, long paved trail along the river.  PB was lousy: 12 new public courts but the few players there when I went were all beginners.  I don't mind playing with newbies, but it's more fun and much better exercise when playing near one's skill level.

We visit botanical gardens wherever we find them.  The one is Boise is worthwhile but not as awesome as some others we've visited.  The 'tree' below is made of wood scraps, an art class project.

Rose garden.

Koi and reflections.

The gardens overlook an old penitentiary, now a museum.

Quilts of Valor

 On Thursday, the Arizona coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation, presented me with a Quilt of Valor.  A Vietnam vet herself, Jennifer was a surgical nurse, based in Saigon.  She lives in Tucson now, and travels around the state to present the quilts.  We greeted each other with a "Welcome Home!"

I was unaware of QOV until several days ago when sister-in-law Julie said she had nominated me to receive a quilt.  QOV was started in 2003, and over 269,000 quilts have been presented to vets since then.  What a great way to recognize veterans for their service and sacrifice! 

I was an infantry officer in Nam, advisor to various ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) units in 68-69, and saw a good bit of action.  In case you didn't know, Nam vets were harassed, vilified, and spat upon when we returned to the US.  We received no 'welcome home', no 'thank you for your service', no anything from either the public or the government.  We put our lives on the line for our country and this was our reward!  Finally, decades later, we took it upon ourselves to acknowledge and thank our brothers in arms: WELCOME HOME!  

The quilts are made of red, white and blue fabric.  Many, including mine, have patriotic images and words worked into the design.  A personalized note is attached on the back. 

Link: https://www.qovf.org/about-qovf/our-history/

The Projects

The projects.  When city folks hear that, they think of infamous low-income housing complexes, often hotbeds of crime, illegal drugs and gang activity.  "Don't park your car in The Projects; it will get stripped or stolen."

I use the term to describe various tasks, of which there have been many in the last few months.  Too darned many.  I'm listing them here so I have a record of what was done and when it was done - which, frankly, is of little interest to anyone but me.  

RV Projects    

1.  Remove dead built-in microwave after 3 failed repair attempts by 'pros'.

2.  Build and install shelf for new microwave.

3.  Replace microwave electrical outlet to accommodate new microwave and light.

4.  Remove living room slide-out carpeting.  And staples, 100s of blankety blank staples!

5.  Reinstall furniture after new carpet installation.

6.  Install new dinette seating.

7.  Replace top bulb seal on kitchen slide-out.  The old one melted, cheap rubber, messy.

8.  Install backup camera on roof.  Pictured below, looking down from roof top.

9.  Apply sealing tape to roof areas that are likely to leak.  Also seen below.

Home Projects

1.  Replace broken irrigation riser.

2.       "       water softener.  Old one was leaking.

3.       "       water heater.  Same.

4.       "       garage door opener.  Old one was noisy and dropped grease on the floor.

5.       "       failed ground fault circuit interrupter in garage.

6.  Treat house perimeter for termites.

7.  Repair termite-damaged moldings and wall.  3rd infestation of the little bastards!

8.  Remove water-damaged wallboard on shower wall, install new backing, clean and reinstall tile.