Stand By

I know, it's been a while, hasn't it. Hope you are well and honey flows in your veins.

I'm rusty...fingers are stiff and a gluey fog has a firm grip on my mind. Almost half a year has passed since I've touched finger to keyboard - I need practice.

In time....

Until then.

Stephen

It's Only a Fire

The thirty-five year old boy ran down the outside stairs and banged on my shop door...."Hey, Stephen, help, help."

Needless to say yesterday wasn't a fun day. This building dates to 1949, it's solid construction of concrete block and timber and has withstood the test of time. Well, it had until this man-child moved in upstairs.

Above my shop are two apartments - a very large two bedroom, and a nice studio unit. The boy lives in the studio. He's thirty-five with the maturity of a sixteen year old child.

He continually pisses me off.

And, yesterday he damn near brought this building down with his reckless and slothful ways. He explained he'd crawled from his bed to find water under the closet door - the location of the hot water unit, he then heard 'weird sounds.' He smelled smoke. So, he went back to bed.

Him, "I thought it would clear up and go away..."

Really, he said those exact words.

As he dozed, the water heater went - snap, crackle, pop.

The last pop was the safety valve saving this boy's life. Its design worked very well. It also woke the kid. That's when he ran downstairs to fetch me. I asked was there a problem.

I swear to all that's holy he said, "It's only a fire." I ran upstairs to find a nice mess, and the thermostat on fire. Put it out. Flipped the breaker. Ran back downstairs and closed the water valve to his unit.

The small studio apartment, of course, was flooded. The Boy, "Man, this sure is a mess, who's gonna clean it?"

Certain gene pools should be issued expiration dates.

Stephen


 

Hurry

If you'd like a copy you better hurry,

as there are only two copies left.

Stephen

Coffee Time

Yes, it's early but I want....this.

Can't you just taste it.

Barbara has hit this one out of the park.

***

In other news - I have nothing this morning. Three new toys arrived via snail mail early this morning and my new/old items need to be sorted and fondled.

Later,

Stephen

Up Front

I still remember the first time I read Up Front by Bill Mauldin. I was about twelve. Maybe thirteen, not sure, but anyway, our house had this special closet. It was filled with my father's 'don't you dare touch it things,' and it smelled wonderful.

When I'd crack the door, even just a bit, there was the scent of leather, Hoppe's Number Nine, and wool blankets - but I loved best that deep sweet smell of dusty books.

His books were piled high against the far wall, wonderful books. Books bound in leather and cloth, and here and there were jumbled piles of paperbacks.

One day I slipped inside in search of old copies of Field & Stream. I wanted to research the fine art of bass fishing, and if not bass, at least learn the art of bluegills. Instead I came upon a copy of Bill Mauldin's wonderful book.

I still own my father's copy of Up Front. It's a first with the original dust jacket now torn and crumbled and it barely clings to the binding but that's fine - its mine. Or, should I say, my dad's.

Sorry, Dad.

Willie and Joe became my childhood friends. At such a tender age I truly didn't understand all Bill's jokes, nor the implied sadness. By the age of fifteen or so I'd read the book at least a dozen times.

Last night I found and read Up Front again for the first time in over forty years, and understood. War is hell. The horror forever occupies space within those deep recesses of our minds. This scar is seldom, if ever, allowed the light of day.

If you too have a copy dig it out dust it off and read it again.

We owe it to Willie and Joe.

Stephen

Treasure

My morning routine is simple, after I park my truck I unlock the shop door then run through my setup for the days business - which leaves the difficult task of trash. 

Every night of the year critters drive by and throw their damn empty beer bottles, fast food bags, used condoms, crumpled cigarette packs, spent shell casings (really) out their car windows onto my shop's lot. Which leaves me, plastic bag in hand, a ticked off sanitation worker.

After I've policed the grounds I normally drop the mess into two large trash containers, blue bins. Couple of weeks back I opened the lid and found a very nice old Vornado fan. It was a small unit, heavy with brass and aluminum with its original electrical cord, and at first glace seemed perfectly fine, but on closer inspection I found the fan bent just ever so slightly.

It was mine.

Back in the shop I flipped her over and wrote down the model number. Quick Google search dated the fan's manufacture date between 1955 and 1958.

I adjusted the fan blade, took a screwdriver to her six support screws, topped off her two oil wells with twenty weight and connected her to a bit of electrical juice. She hummed like the day she was born.

Someone had dropped her. The little Vornado fan now has a place in my family room. Isn't it amazing the treasure we find in unexpected places.

Stephen 





 

Slow and Easy

We attended church today.

Notice I said, 'we.' She insisted, so I said, "Yes, Dear." For said attendance she gave me the afternoon off - no chores or shopping or yard work. Just a nice quiet peaceful Sunday. Yes, she treats me awful on occasion but then she turns on a dime and is sweet as honey...go figure.

 (Please don't tell her I said so, begging here.)

It was time to practice the slow and easy method of reloading. The weather weirdos insisted we prepare for a vast and awful flood so I thought it time to try my hand. Went out into the garage and gathered components - powder, bullets, primers, and of course, brass and case lube.

It was fun. Hey, did you know that resizing brass with a hammer will leave marks - deep hairy oh my good gawd scars on your wife's nice portable wooden table....well, it will.

Yes, the 'ole Lee Loader is slow, but its relaxing and as I've said, fun. Take your friggin time. I screwed the pooch on the first four rounds....trust me when you flair the case mouth, tap lightly.

Not sure why I'm wasting my time here but maybe, just maybe, some young fella out there will find this roll your own ammo enjoyable some rainy afternoon this winter.

Above is the end result, a nice finished piece of .38 Special. I used very old Hougdon HD38 so only loaded an even dozen. Four minutes per round, start to finish, at a careful pace, was my best time. I'm told experienced God like creatures can beat me by three minutes.

Soon I'll take the dozen rounds to the range and put 'em thru my Model 19 Smith and we'll see if the vintage Hougdon becomes a display tin.

***

I smell porkchops. She's also whipping out peanut butter brownies.

What a nice afternoon. Rain, not yet, but my boat is tied out back.

Later,

Stephen