Bogieblog

Range Report for 2/29/08

Monday, after meeting with my friend and discussing databases (she's going to try to get a real database that is meant to service more than one user / one desktop), I went to the firing range. I was by myself this time and spent some time trying a few different things.

At 7-8 yards, in Single Action Only (SAO) mode, I was not as accurate as I would have liked at first, then obviously found where I needed to be at:

  

At 10 yards, I never truly got consistant in SAO:

 

Lineman Poem

T'was two weeks before Christmas, when all through our town,
Not a light bulb was shining, TVs made no sound.
Generators were humming in garages with care,
With the hope that Public Service would soon bring warm air.

Each family stayed nestled as snug as they could,
While worries of freezing concerned all, as it should.
Papa in his long-johns, Mama in her hat,
Huddled together with the dog in their lap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter!
We sprang from our warmth to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
To peak from behind blankets I had hung on the sash.

The rain on the branches of ice covered trees,
Came crashing around us, as we fell to our knees.
When, what to my frightened eyes should appear,
But a mighty tall oak, I had always held dear.

With a crack, swish and thud, trees flew coldly aloof,
I knew that the next one would come through the roof.
More rapid than eagles the linemen they came.
And we cheered them and thanked them and called them by name:

>From Connecticut!  From Michigan !  From Canada ! and Ohio !
>From D.C.! and New Hampshire ! all bringing such brio!
To the top of the poles! To the treacherous line!
Take good care! And be safe! You are brave and so kind!

As the wind ceased its howling and no ice fell anew,
The worst ice storm in history with relief for so few.
No power or water or everyday fare,
We shared anxious moments but did not despair.

In spite of no lighting, life's kindness shone through,
With neighbor helping neighbor, building friendships anew.
Long lines for hot coffee, "D" batteries and gas,
Brought warm smiles and comfort which helped the time pass.

As the circuits repaired and we warmed up our homes,
I am sure our storm stories could fill many tomes.
Let us never forget one strong common theme,
The compassion of strangers and the work of a team.

The linemen who helped us from home and afar,
Along with their skill brought hope, bright as a star.
As they spring to their trucks, to their teams give a whistle!
As away they all fly, like the down of a thistle,
They should hear us exclaim, ere they drive out of sight,
"Many thanks to you all, and to all a good night!"

-Author Unknown

Only issue I have with this is - NEVER put your generator in the garage (unless it is not running), that's an invitation to CO poisoning or worse!

Found at GranitGrok.

Stupid Quiz Time

Pretty much wraps it up in a nutshell:

My Conservative Identity:

You are an Anti-government Gunslinger, also known as a libertarian conservative. You believe in smaller government, states’ rights, gun rights, and that, as Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com

Thanks to Drumwaster for leading me to this little bit of entertainment (which is hawking a book). And, if you are Liberal or very left leaning, don't bother, it will just p*ss you off.

Time Off Doings

I had Wednesday off from work and went to have lunch with a friend of mine. This friend and I used to work together and she had an interesting proposition - do some contract work, for her current place of employment, creating a couple of databases. I have created several databases using Access, but she wants them done in Base (a free database offered in OpenOffice). Hmm, after looking at Base, it seems to be a very simplistic database and may not be able to do what she wants it to do (or at least, I don't have the programing skills to accomplishing same). I have another meeting with her, and some of her staff, Monday. I'll know more about what they want from the databases then.

After lunch, I met WS (who only had to work 1/2 dya) at the Manchester Firing Line for a bit of target practice. We went thru a couple hundred rounds while discovering that we need a LOT more practice and getting used to our pistols, and I need to find a way to be able to see the sights. For just generally hitting something in the direction and size of a bulleye target - I can do that. It is just trying to actually aim for a specific place or area of the target. I think I will need to go to more sillouette shooting, before I take on targets again - they are less demanding on the eyes. I can see where a laser sight might do me some good. Unfortunately my gun doesn't have a rail for such a thing - I think WS's does, but I really dislike the way it feels in my hand (it kicks back into the web of my thumb). Since I have next week off, I will probably visit the range a couple more times by myself. While I am there, maybe I can rent something that has laser sights and see if that helps.

Christmas was very relaxing. Since we already gotten our presents, we opened cards after WS made us breakfast. I did some reading and piddling around the house (including calls from Cop Car / HH and call to Dudette / Wichi Dude). Karen came over and we exchanged a few gifts, then we headed over to BIL's house for dinner. We had a great time at dinner (good food and company of course) and played a couple of games of 10,000 (a dice game). Then it was off to home, build up the fire again and head for bed.

Hope everyone had the type of Christmas they wanted (relaxing, exciting, surprising etc)!

Ice Storm Pics

So, our snowstorm from Friday, which we were supposed to get 6-12" of white stuff, and that was supposed to end by midnight, has so far yielded 16-18". It has not quit snowing here yet (although, it has slowed down quite a bit - only got 4-6" between yesterday morning and this morning). The next storm is due at about 10 AM and is supposed to yield 12-18" of snow. Can hardly wait to see what we really get. And, we are supposed to get high winds, creating blizzard-like conditions.

Anyway, I thought I would share some pictures from last weekend's ice storm:

  An icey birch tree in the back yard

Icey grass

     The ridge we live on

      

Ice Storm Pics 2

The second installation of storm pics: 

   A fir tree at the side of the driveway- you can see the wires are down at this point (right, bottom corner).

The tree that took out our wires - this is actually the neighbor's tree. WS had trimmed a bunch of ours last summer to keep them from taking out the power. Didn't seem to work out to well!

The lilacs were taken down when the wire went (all those hanging over the planter to the right of the house should be standing up about 7 feet behind it).

Update for Week Post Ice Storm

Shockingly, we got power back Monday night, the power line is still on the ground, but we have power (the other end of the street, just got power back on Wednesday). WS called the BIL in Francestown and he came to get the generator as he didn’t have power. Tuesday, I got home and emptied all the coolers (official and make-shift) and re-stocked the fridge, put away all the lamps and candles that we had used, and set up my desktop computer (the modem, wireless router and other things had been disconnected for use with the laptop, using the generator). BIL brought the generator back Tuesday night and WS offered it friends, with no takers.

Wednesday, there was about 4” of snow on the ground, so I shoveled. Thursday, I put away the rest of the stuff that had been used during the power outage (blankets, totes etc) and filled both wood racks. I expect there to be plenty of snow on the ground when I get home, so shoveling will once again be my entertainment for the night.

The power line being on the ground is making me nervous. No, that is not true – all the snow we are getting while the line is on the ground is the part that is making me nervous. At the rate we are supposed to get storms (6-12” today and 12+” Sunday – maybe some sleet mixed in), the line may be on the ground all winter. That is not good as it is on the side of the house where the oil tank is – and the tank will need to be filled soon. I’m guessing that will be a problem for the oil delivery guy.

We (read: WS) have to tape off where the line is so no one accidently touches it – which means cordoning off from the street pole to the front corner of the house and to the back corner of the house. That effectively cuts off the oil tank and the snowmobile trail to the back of the house.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about the power company because they have done a phenomenal job, with crews are working hard/long hours to get people back on the grid. NH has gone from 40-50% of the state being without power to 3-4% of the people being without power at the present time.

In the next week (or 2), the no access to the oil tank will be the hardship, but more importantly, this weekend, the snowmobile trail will be a hardship for WS :)

Gift to a Stranger

I was sitting at the red light at 5:20 AM. Although I could have taken the right turn, two cars were coming, so I decided to wait for them to go thru. As the first car approached, the light turned yellow. That car barely made it thru the light before it turned red. You were still far enough from the light to stop but decided you were in too much of a hurry to stop and a couple of seconds later, ripped thru – accelerating all the way.

Fortunately, I had noticed that the second car was not slowing down and waited to see what was up. That time of morning, I could easily have been in a drowsy fog; not paying much attention to anything but the green light on my side. If I were another driver I might have been on my cell phone or drinking my coffee, and been distracted enough not to notice you. Heck, I could have been an aggressive driver and decided that I would teach you a lesson by trying to beat you thru the light.

We could have been another statistic – you going way too fast and ignoring a red light, me not paying enough attention (or being distracted) and failing to see that you were trying to turn your car into a time-travel machine (aka the DeLorean in Back to the Future). But, my gift to you this close to the Christmas season, was staying put for a full 5 seconds after my light had changed to green, so you could pass thru safely.

Please pass along the gift in whatever way you can to make it safer for others on the road.

We've Got the Power

We got power back about 9 Monday night. Immediately called B-I-L so he could come and get the generator. B-I-L got power back Tuesday afternoon.

Will post more this weekend - just wanted everyone to know all the family is good.

Monday, Post Ice Storm

This morning was the day for WS to go to work. I stayed home to babysit the generator and move the food from the deck to the freezer. Tomorrow, I will go to work and WS will stay home to babysit.

WS had set the alam to a battery operated clock, so he got up on time. The house was still warm from the heater (downstairs) and the woodstove upstairs. I got up shortly after WS did and turned on the TV to listen to the news (the picture was so fuzzy that it wasn't watchable). Sitting on the couch, I looked across the room at where the cable enters the room. It has a filter attached at that end, which is plugged into a socket. My brilliant thought of the day; plug that into the surge protector that the TV was on (and in turn, eventually connected to the generator) and maybe the picture would improve - and it certainly did!

After WS left, I turned off the electronics upstairs and rummaged around until I could connect the modem, network router and laptop computer to the generator, and like magic I was on the internet. After going thru about 15,000 emails (4.5 dyas worth), I got dressed and started shuffling stuff off the deck and back into the freezer. it was already inb the 40's, so the stuff definitely needed to be moved. Then I beat the ice of the deck and steps, using some of it in the coolers for "refrigerated" food (still on the deck).

So here I am, sitting in the near dark (it is very cloudy but not dark enough to start oil lamps up), with the Weather Channel on the TV, writing a post on my blog, listening for the phone to ring - all without any outside supplied power.