fritz

Good for you, Jason. And you don't have to swim the Mississippi to see her (like the song about the Louisiana woman and the Mississippi man). fritz

I'm with Jimro---a cruise is the thing for you both. If you want to go now, it's the Carribean area. In the summer, it's the Alaska cruise through the inland passage. Me and mrs fritz have been married 43 years and have not gone on one yet, but our son went on a golfing vacation to Jamaica before he got married (went with some golfing buddies) and they had a blast. His honeymoon was in Italy, and since then (before their daughter was born) they went to see the ruins of the Aztecs in Mexico. My closest friend and his wife went on the Alaska cruise two years ago, while I took care of his place. From what he told us about that trip, I feel that it is what me and mrs fritz will do someday. And he can take care of my place. When? That is always the big question, but it must be soon. We are not getting any younger. Take a cruise with your wife, and hope she puts the rest of the world out of mind. Best wishes, fritz

This was part of a chain letter to be passed on to ten people, but I don't do those things. this speaks for itself---- Paul Harvey Writes: We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would. I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him. When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her. I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom. If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head. I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like. May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole. I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend. I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle. May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hanukkah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand. These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life. Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you. fritz

Jerry, It ain't over yet. The DNA results did not exactly match a coyote, nor any other animal. And the university at San Marcos only has a small lab with DNA database samples only. The chupacabra sample came closest to a coyote, but not an exact match. It may be a new family within the coyote family. The tests were paid for this time by the TV station, now the lady who found the chupacabra is going to send tissue and skin samples to the University of California/Davis for more detailed study. They have actual DNA samples (instead of just a database) in which to compare. So, the chupacabra may still be a different animal than a common coyote. These things have happened with other species before. No one is trying to pull-the-wool over anybody on this. The chupacabra lives! The Great Pumpkin, well he better show up soon or even Linus will lose faith in him! As to Santa Claus, hell he is on every street corner the day after Thanksgiving. fritz

Tony, I remember the hacksaw pic, and I'm surprised His Holiness did not ban you then and there. To tell you the truth, I got banned not for sporterizing, but by not agreeing to every little bit of his "Holier than thou" ideas. That you must do over there, in order to remain in HIS grace. Sorry, but I keep an open mind, and speak my piece when I feel I am right. I stand up for what I believe is right, and fight against what I feel is wrong. It's the way Texas became free of Mexico. But Mexico may prevail yet, if enough Texans do not remember what we used to have under Mexican rule. Montezuma's revenge and all that crap. fritz

"He was using a Ruger mini 14.Dang them varmits are big. Jerry " Yes, you gotta use enough gun to keep them from getting back in the water. Like stated above, they sink like a rock. Then, when they bloat and surface, they stink up the water. Save our water----to hell with the beavers! Use enough gun! I was going to suggest a single shot .22 and a balloon, but they might get away and die later. fritz

"The cops make you register your guns. Sure goes against the grain! I did it against my better judgement." Not much different than Calirornia, eh? But at least the air is better. Has to be better than that state. California and Hawaii----a nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live there! fritz

Jerry, We used to have a county-owned hospital in Goliad, mrs fritz worked there and my son was born there. But years later they had to close, because all the meskins from surrounding counties came there for treatment. The government was no help at all, what the federal government paid (medicade or welfare) did not come close to paying the bills to keep it open for the taxpaying citizens of the county, who were billed double to make up the difference. Now, you cannot refuse to treat someone in the ER (regardless of their ability to pay). Which meskins do not do. No, there are very few (if any) county hospitals in south Texas rural towns today. And we all know the reason why. We (the taxpayers) had an election on whethere to close the hospital or keep it drawing on the coffers of county assets. It was closed within a week. Now, the EMS (subsidized by county money) takes the sick to area hospitals. It is cheaper than having a hospital losing money every year. fritz

You folks are more patient than fritz. I am lucky that we have no beavers down here, but be damned if I would let them cut down trees on my place. A tree cannot be easily replaced, do you know what a landscape company charges to plant a tree that is as big as what the little furry bastards so easily destroy? Swamprat, if he waits until trapping season, he won't have a tree left. They work fast. No, it ain't that easy, even if someone from the government told you so. A few years ago, at our annual state Soil & Water Conservation meeting, we passed a resolution asking the State Of Texas to help eradicate the pests. It was passed, but nothing in Texas gets done without funding. But it is so much of a problem in East Texas that it is creating conservation problems from their dams. Bullets are cheaper than planting new trees. You folks are not PETA members, are you? fritz

Well, halloween night the Great Pumpkin failed to show up again. Then last night it was unveiled that the chupacabra was just an old coyote with a serious skin disease. DNA tests were complete and a TV station from San Antonio sent a crew down to San Marcos (home of Texas State University where the testing was done). There was an envelope opened and the contents read to the viewers---coyote. The lady who found the animal on her ranch, and had thousands of T-shirts made, asked the fellow "Then why did it have such strange teeth?" He said it was a very old coyote. Now I am beginning to wonder if there is really a Santa Claus, or he just a very old man who dresses funny. fritz

Jerry, air-condioned tractors are fine, but there are many other chores on the farm today that still require sweat. Hell, if it was that easy I would still be farming grain, going into all hours of the night to get things done on time. It's easier now, sure, but it still ain't for everybody. In fact, more farmers are dropping out every year. I guess there is more to it than air-conditioned tractors. You still have to love the land, you still have to have the feeling for the land that our ancestors had. Without that, this country would be without food. BTW, the use of air-conditioned tractors (and 12-row equipment) was necessitated by the above mentioned need to provide food for this country. And we are doing it still, despite everything the government can do to put us out of business. Have you heard about the latest ruling by the government? The one that makes it illegal for a farmer to use a son or daughter to handle pesticides, or even be in a field where pesticides have been applied? Or the other one that I just read about today--a governmental agency wants to restrict the amount of dust that a farmer creates while plowing his fields! But, according to our schitty immigration policy (what policy?) it is OK to send a wetback out there yet. In fact, our government encourages it. How else can you explain the failure of our government to do more about illegal persons coming into this country? There was a good cartoon in my newspaper the other day---showed the people in California reading a letter from their National Guard. It read----"Sorry we cannot be there to help with your firefight, we are in a firefight here. Your National Guard"! fritz

I have a 1912 Steyr that I sporterized to a caliber like the .270, and was quite pleased with it. It is a fine action. fritz

Jason, I've got plaid, I got lace-up boots, but I ain't got a wooly hat. Would a Swedish army hat (with ear-flaps) do? Right now I have a choice of leather or rubber hunting boots. I could go as a duck hunter or as a deer hunter. If I had a camo chest wader, I would go as a duck hunter. But I bought the boots (did not need the camo pattern, but seems everything nowadays comes that way) in rubber partly because of all the rain we USED to have and partly because I had a gift card to Academy. I really wanted to go as an airborne ranger, but do you realize how hard it is to find silver wings in a small town? I think I will go as a South Texas deer hunter, and will remain unnoticed until that fellow who showed up last time in a Dallas cheerleader costume (with the short skirt and fake boobs) made his appearance. Pancho and him had a dance together. Pancho was always one for the senoritas. But oh---manyana! fritz

Tony, If there is a need for money to pay the bills, just let me know, and I will pay them. I still have a little left over after buying the new tractor for mrs fritz. After all, it is the least I can do for someone who has put up with me for so long without banning me (like whatshisname did). As to the rest of your duties, I am not able to help. But let me know, by PM or email, if you need financial help. I will do it. fritz

"when all else fails, kick back, take a nap, and try tomorrow." Well said. That is what I do (64 years old now, never did it before). But I prefer to call it a siesta. An hour after the rest, I'm ready to face the cruel world again. In the old days, farmers would take what was known as a "dinner nap" after the noon meal, then at around 3 in the afternoon we would have what you now call a "coffee break". Back then, the work was hard, and a man (or woman) would work hard both before and after those pauses in the work day. And you know what?---it worked. But those times are gone. Time passes fast. fritz

OK, tomorrow is Halloween, and the mask parties that go with it. For the adults, that is, which is what we are. I don't think any of you are going to go out and try to get free candy tomorrow night. For my age, it's too fattening. So, if you are going to go to a mask party, what are you going as? Couple years ago I went as Pancho Villa, and won first prize. I'm sure you regulars have seen the pic of fritz as Pancho. But you can only run a good thing so far, and it is best to quit when you are ahead (something our elected officials should learn to understand). This year I wanted to go as a soldier, but it is hard to find BDUs in a small town. And the hunter camo just don't look the same, even if I sewed my military patches on it. Hell, when I was in the service we used plain old olive drab uniforms. None of this desert camo that all soldiers wear today. OK, it shows my age. Hunters back then didn't look like soldiers when they went afield. Only in the "Yankee" states was it required to exhibit your hunting license on your clothing. And orange vests were unheard of. I still wonder why a hunter wears the most sophisticated camo clothing, and wears a bright orange vest. Why bother with the camo? OK, maybe the game is color blind (like me), and the bright orange vest is not noticed. But then, why the camo in the first place? In case you don't know it by now, I am going as a full-camo hunter, minus the orange vest. But I will still have a bunch of goodies strapped, tied, or otherwise attached, to my get-up. I may even put a DickCheney badge on my costume----lawyers beware! I shoot first and ask questions later. The water bottle will not have water in it. I think you know what it will have in it. After all, it's Halloween, and I'm too old to do the old things like turn over outhouses and put a cow loose in the high school rooms. Or put the wing tanks from a Korean era airplane on the roof of the school. They frown upon such things today. But ignore more serious infringements, like drugs. Happy Halloween to everybody, hope you have a good (and safe) one. fritz

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know. Old Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide my self for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still her e, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it) MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER! (written by a woman, but applies to men also) fritz

Going back to those two posts that FC listed----I believe the first one was on whatshisname's Mosin Nagant forum. I used to frequent both that one and ours, and it happened one time that I had just completed a scope job on one of his "historical" rifles. I was so proud of my work, that in my haste (and possibly too many schnapps) I posted on the wrong forum. Only by doing some quick crawfishing did I keep from being banned then and there. Oh, it happened later (my banning), but it was not for speaking about sporterizing. Instead I found out later from Emul8 that whatshisname banned me because I did not agree with him on something (the topic eludes me now). It was not nearly as pointedly as fritz has been here, but it was to whatshisname. Here's the pic of my work that I mistakenly posted on his site--- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/fritz/1676762a.jpg fritz

Tony, I have not been there for a long time either, but I can see that things are still the same. I am curious as to why so many of them use the same avatar. I always knew they thought alike, now I see they all look alike too! Quite boring, as each one has to second, third, etc., what the previous "poster" said. That makes whatshisname's traffic go way up. I remember a time when I was there that he complained about the expense of all the traffic. Well, you get what you pay for! fritz

"Subject: Customer Service DEAR MADAM: THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECENT ORDER FROM OUR SEX TOYS WEBSITE. YOU'VE REQUESTED THE LARGE RED VIBRATOR AS FEATURED ON OUR WALL DISPLAY. PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER ITEM. THAT'S OUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER Customer Service. fritz

What science has failed to do, our government has created--- New Chemical Element The recent hurricanes and gasoline issues are proof of the existence of a new chemical element. A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named Governmentium. Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take over four days to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 4 years; It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's Mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium...an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons. fritz

Jerry, First off, my well did not come in, but it was the lease money I got back in the spring that allowed me to trade now instead of next year. I need all the deductions I can get, especially since we were forced into selling some stock we did not want to sell. But, that's the way corporation takeovers go. Damned lucky I did not have Enron stock! The tractor is a new '08 model that my dealer just got in, he didn't even have the brochures on it. But what do brochures tell you better than actually getting behind the wheel tells you? It is a 64 horsepower four wheel drive. I have never had a four wheel drive tractor, but have often seen the need for one in loader work. That is what this tractor is for- stricttly loader work. BTW, John Deere is starting to market tractors that are rather basic, no fancy frills and stuff, and are lowering the list price below the foreign tractors' list price. Mine has all the features I wanted, and none of the stuff that causes trouble (like a hydraulic clutch). I refuse to buy another mid-size tractor with a hydraulic clutch, when the mechanical linkage works just fine on the mid-size tractors. And when I got to thinking about it, I have not bought a brand-new tractor in over 20 years. Oh sure, I bought like-new ones (those like a demo in the car business), but not brand-spanking new. My trade-in was a '78 model, and I got four thousand more for it than it was worth (to me). Here's a pic---with the owner in the driver's seat--- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/fritz/100_0122.jpg fritz

Jerry, I bet it ain't 90 degrees there now. Not with the norther that blew through here yesterday. It got up to around 70 today, but with that strong north/west wind, it was dry as a popcorn fart. With all our rain-fed tall grass from the summer, I can already see the fires starting soon. Just after the frost, but they say we will have a warm and dry winter. That still does not preclude the grass catching fire. My ideal would be a mild and moist winter, but in Texas we just don't get what we want. But if you wait, the weather will change tomorrow. Or so they used to say, seems this year it is the same old stuff once it starts. Right now it is starting dry and windy. fritz

Navajo white is one of the colors that my TSC store had on the closeout shelf, I guess they don't sell much of it here. Or it could be the fact that it was for metal buildings, and you don't need to repaint those often. I sometimes look on the closeout shelf for implement paint in dented cans, that they discount to a little of nothing. If I want to repaint an old trailer that has no color left, it matters not if it will be blue or brown. They are both good for trailers, and the paint in the dented cans is good. With the tractor and implement paint (enamel) I always use the hardener with them. It drys faster, and holds up better than without it. I won't be needing any John Deere green paint anytime soon, since I just bought a new JD tractor and loader. My trade-in needed repainting bad, but I still got a good price for it. For me, there is nothing like that JD green and yellow. They have a patent on that color combination. How many of you know that the leaping deer on the tractors made since around 1940 have two legs showing, while the real old John Deeres had a four legged deer? Just a bit of info I learned from the RFDTV channel. fritz

Yes, I know about having that BS work sometimes (as to a contractor/professional), as I had my first encounter with the welding supply company work out favorably, but only by answering the salesman's question "Who are you with"? I simply told him to give me his best price on the oxygen and welding supplies I needed, and if he didn't meet the price I was willing to pay----he would never see me again. I got a good price, and go back when I need any welding supplies. As a self-employed farmer/rancher, I sometimes get sick and tired of the question "Who are you with"? Sherlock Holmes would tell them, "The answer is elementary. It is me". fritz