Horsefly

I felt retired when I had to ask what day of the week it is. Friday is no longer that impossible feeling goal to reach every Monday morning. Not being awaken every morning electronically is fantastic. I had a dream job but still 7 years later feel like I’m on vacation. Your going to enjoy life more than I bet you realize.

In 1971 I worked for Frontier Airlines unloading planes. I got a double hernia lifting soldiers caskets working on my knees. Shipping caskets are way heavy and at the end of war there were lots of them. I was 19 and 20 years old and had such a feeling of guilt that I still don’t understand. Some remains were in about 2’x2’ square box. All of us were always horsing around cuttin up and laughing until those shipments came in. It all got solum then. Pilots announced final approach when the crossed Red River and would say HR aboard. Frontier served mostly Military towns so lots of bigger airlines transferred through us. Lawton Ok, Fayetteville and Ft. Smith, Billings and Casper Wy. seemed to get the most. Me and my twin were going to join Air Force together but I crushed my right leg in motorcycle crash so my brother went without me. Sorry to be so long. This day brings back memories and 50 years later I still get a knot in my throat thinking how those guys my age got home.

So dern interesting. Your Mauser knowledge is amazing. Now I’m thinking about starting over on my Whelen. Thanks for the post.

Squirrels always wipe out the apricots so I wiped them out all winter. This spring tree didn’t even bloom. A few squirrels are back. This is off year for pecans and no apricots. Maybe some hungry squirrels. Looks like good year for peaches.

My brother finally gave in and built high fence around his garden and fruit trees. Squirrels,rabbits, and Mockingbirds wear me out. I eat the first 2 but the Mockingbirds are state bird. Blue Birds swarm my garden eating bugs. Mockers eat my tomatoes.

Mockingbirds ruin more than half my tomatoes every year especially when it’s hot and dry. They only peck the red ones. I read somewhere to put red Christmas bulbs on vines to bluff the birds into thinking there’s no use messing with red things. So far not one single bird peck. Shot 2 cottontails this morning though. One was eating a tomato. Now I’m going to eat them.

I think I love asparagus as much as beer. It doesn’t grow well here, but right across Red River in the sandy land they grow lots of it. We roll it in olive oil and grill on mesquite coals just long enough it doesn’t loose crunch.

This brewing beer is the most interesting thing I’ve read in a long time.

Years ago Silver Streak and Streamline were competitors. Avions are or were top shelve too. Holiday Rambler we’re well built but not aluminum. In-laws built chassis for travel trailers, mobile offices and temp. bank buildings. I worked for them several years and seen lots of different brands and Holiday Rambler always impressed me. We had a 2016 27’ Wildwood I bought because of the chassis and wife choose it because of colors snd layout. Cheap built junk. Hail totaled it 1 year ago. She bought replacement insurance so we came out a winner. She doesn’t think so and is looking at them again but she wasn’t the one repairing all the cheap crap between trips. Gas prices has slowed her hunt for another.

I’ve felt like a stepped on grub worm all week. No machine-guns or puking, just wore down.

I checked into hops after your message. Very limited variety that’ll grow here. Interesting !! Got me wondering where the Germans where I grew up got their hops for their home-brew. I’ve never had home brew. I crave a friends homemade wine over anything I’ve ever bought and wonder if beer would be the same. My buddy went every year to somewhere in Arkansas and bought cases of Concord grapes.

A buzz-tail crippled my favorite uncle, a great uncle lost a leg when he was 12 from rattler bite. We had several dogs killed and a beef calf for our years meat ready to go to processor get bit and ruined him. Old man next farm over got bit stepping off his tractor and leg withered away. Even with all those scary memories, copperheads and moccasins were what we feared the most. Copperheads can be anywhere and moccasins are just plain mean. They’ll bite you out of boredom. City has surrounded me but still have moccasins at my little creek. Couple folks get copperhead bit in town every year.

My Grandpa killed this rattler the day he was moving from the farm he lived on 80 something years. This was about 1975. His German Sheppard stated knocking down my little brother to get him away from snake while fishing on stock pond for last time. Snake bit dog and Dad started to shoot him but he survived. He was one sick puppy. Grandpa was 6’2”.

No range anymore. City surrounded us

This Coyote followed me while I was mowing for a long time I guess hoping I’d flush out a rat or rabbit.

I have an Academy $100.00 gift card from Christmas and haven’t found anything I need from them. There’s one about a mile from me. May just get a Lodge Dutch oven.

I’ll be so glad when the Johnny Depp divorce is over so everybody thinks about Mausers again instead of being glued to the TV.

Yep, S65. 1965.

Yep, 17” barrel carbine. Unless they come on market for 100 bucks in near future, this’un is just for rubbing on and admiring. Someday I may luck into uncut stock.

My now favorite nephew bought me a Honda 65 after seeing pictures of me and his Dad, my twin brother on ours we bought in 1965. We had paper routes using bicycles. Got home one day and had 2 65’s setting in garage. Brand new with plastic on seats at $198.00. Thought I’d never get it paid off. Finally did and had 1 week left with paper route when I hit a car and broke my leg. I cast snd on crutches 13 months. Can’t believe I got another. 3,000 miles and runs.

Here’s pics of Swede 94.

Pics soon. Gotta pot of coffee to drink before heading down to shop.