Mindfulness

     I’ve been teaching my 10 year old son the concept of mindfulness: being aware of the moment, being fully engaged in your surroundings and conscious of both your environment and those in it. Eyes open, mind open. Understanding your purpose in this life – why you are, who you are, and what you are. Feeling a sense of wholeness and completeness – between your physical body and your emotional state. Those who are "in the moment" are said to be practicing mindfulness.

     My son is smart. Startlingly, breathtakingly smart. I remember having an in-depth conversation with him about quantum physics after he watched an episode of Stargate SG-1 and questioned how the Stargate works – when he was 5 years old. Think Sheldon Cooper from the tv show The Big Bang Theory. Like most who are profoundly gifted, my son shows times where he is completely oblivious to others’ feelings, to his environment, to his habits and his presentation of self. Its not that he doesn’t care – its more that these things have such a low priority in his mind as to be insignificant.  I see that he is ready to accept the concept of mindfulness, so I’ve been striving to teach him. I do not want him growing up oblivious to those around him, and not engaged in his environment.

Mindfulness of place

     Being aware of your surroundings, and sensitive to changes in environment keep you in touch with your physical world. People often talk about “treading lightly” so as not to be too disruptive. This is a core thought behind mindfulness of place – leaving a place as you left it, without the physical marks you’ve been there. In a public setting, being aware of who is physically in your space sharpens the memory and makes you more aware of your surroundings. My son and I have play this game and I spring it on him without warning: “Close your eyes, and tell me about the people in this room/area/store.” When he is mindful, he knows an elderly woman with a pink sweater is at the end of the aisle. He can tell me there are 3 people in line ahead of us at the bank. He can tell me what the price of the zucchini in the grocery cart is after we’ve left the vegetable area. If you find that you often forget details of your environment - or can't answer a simple mental question like "What color shirt is my secretary / best friend /  UPS delivery guy wearing today?" - You may need to develop mindfulness of place.

Mindfulness of person

     Having the awareness that what you do, and how you do it affects those around you is a key element to mindfulness of person. Being thoughtful to other’s feelings, emotions, and reactions is mindfulness of person in action. Understanding that you are not the only human being in the Universe, and the sun does not revolve around you. Tossing a stone into a pond doesn’t just create ripples. Those ripples radiate out until they touch something else…a duck floating along is rocked back and forth. A branch in the water is displaced. A leaf on the far shore of the pond laps against the bank. Watch and listen how others react to you. Become more in tune with how others are seeing you - how others are reacting to you.

     Mindfulness of person is also being aware of your physical body in space. Ever been accused of being “a bull in a china shop?” Do you brush by furniture because you’ve misjudged how much room you will need to negotiate moving around it? Developing mindfulness of person should be on your to-do list. Take a dance or rhythm class. Get in touch with your physical being.

Mindfulness of purpose

     Developing a mission statement for your place in this world is an important step towards awareness of purpose. Going forth without understanding why it is you are doing what you are doing is wasted effort, and lack of forward movement. Mindfulness of purpose is your reason for doing – your reason ( besides your job ) for getting up in the morning and putting one foot in front of the other. It doesn’t have to be formal or written down – but it does have to be something. Think about yourself. What are you doing? Where are you going? Are you working towards "bucket list" goals? What about identifying unhelpful characteristics in your life and striving to eliminate or defuse them?

     I’m always fussing at my son “Move with purpose, please!” as he dawdles or moves too slow for my taste. Being aware that we move with a purpose in mind is important, too. Being aware of mindfulness of purpose goes hand in hand with mindfulness of person and place in this instance. Your body moves through space as a means to an end. A runner does not locomote her body for no reason. We have purpose, and meaning. Our actions have significance, as does our awareness of those actions.

Mindfulness of spirit

 “I don’t care what you believe…just believe it.” – Shepherd Book, Serenity

     Mindfulness of spirit is a celebration in belief. It is recognizing there are forces greater than yourself at play in the Universe. Some call it Religion. Some call it Karma. Some call it God. Whatever name you apply to your belief – embrace it and work towards growing closer to it. Work towards understanding and being comfortable with your beliefs. Unsure? Lapsed? Questioning? Arrange to meet with a priest / rabbi / minister / <insert other religious leader here>. Discuss your concerns. They are there to help you sort out your feelings. Being mindful of spirit is not allowing the faith to run out of the cup to the point there is no more left in the cup.

     Perhaps you are agnostic – that’s ok – to each his own…but what then? Mindfulness of spirit is still for you. Be invigorated by your inner need to help others. Volunteer your time. Work with the homeless. Teach a gun safety course. Whatever it is that betters your community – betters yourself…do it. Work towards expanding your horizons. Learn to play an instrument, and do it well. Learn a craft. Learn a foreign language. Mindfulness of spirit is also expressed when we work to better ourselves simply to further ourselves along the path.


For most people, mindfulness in all its forms is a learned skill. Very few of us are born mindful. Identify the area(s) where you recognize you could be doing better. Formulate a plan whereby you work on achieving goals you set in this area. Mentor under someone who has the skill set you desire. Don't be afraid to place yourself in the role of student. We're all here to make ourselves better than we were. Mindfulness can help us achieve our goals, and our goals will help us achieve mindfulness.

A Modest ProposOil

 

I don't understand our focus on drilling for oil. Supposedly there are vast deposits of oil all over the United States and nearby in the ocean. Apparently we have here in the US huge oil deposits off of the gulf coasts (has anyone even SEEN a Gulf Oil station since the 1980s?), Alaska has the lion's share (ASLAN area) of oil , and there is even some fracking oil in fracking North Dakota. So we have quarts and quarts of this stuff.

But honestly: What is with all of this drilling for OIL? My car only uses a couple of quarts every 3000 miles. What we should be doing is drilling for GASOLINE! Pay attention - that is what is expensive. Gas was $70 a tank, this morning. Why isn't anyone drilling for unleaded gas? 87 octane, please.

I see a lot of gas pumps in stations that are getting gas from right there under the ground. Apparently there are gas deposits at nearly every street corner. I'm sure that the Enco station near me went out of business when they pumped too much gas out of the ground right under the pavement.

We need to put in more stations with those gas pumps that tap that underground gasoline. How much is one of those gas pumps? I should just put one by my driveway and get my own free gas. I'd even sell some of this to my friends for a little less than what you have to pay at a gas station. I'll make a little extra money. Cuz I'm a smart guy.


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Not a Weapon Without Will

No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.

 - Ronald Reagan, 1981


The 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution spells out my right to carry a semi-automatic pistol for personal self defense, and for defense of my family. So I do. I carry a significant weapon at my side in private and in public. This weapon is hidden on my person, as I am allowed to do so by permit.

The weapon is loaded with nine rounds of hollow-point ammunition designed to expend in the flesh of an assailant. Several rounds shot into the center of the chest - into or near critical organs - will cause significant bleeding and hopefully shock. Perhaps, hopefully, enough to stop the assailant. Several rounds fired into an attacker's head should be enough to stop from being attacked.

It is a weapon that has fired hundreds of accurate shots. I trust that it will operate properly and effectively if the time comes. That time would be when there is need to stop someone that intends to bring harm to me and my family.

But I cannot trust my life to only the weapon. This gun will not leap out of my concealed holster and shoot a person. My weapon will not protect me all on its own.

I have to. I must have the will to use my gun to save my life.

I would much rather not shoot another human being, but if shooting a person intent on causing me or my family great harm is what has to be done to stop them, then that is what I must have the will to do. If in imminent danger I must have the will to promptly draw my weapon, aim, and fire. I must stop the person that is attacking. I could lose my life if I do not.

I must have the will to live.


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Penguin (NC-17)

(NC-17)

Your Path

Look ahead at your path. One step in front of the other will take you on your journey. One step moves you into your future. You can see ahead a ways, but there is always a bend that you cannot see around. A turn in your future that is hidden. You don't know what lies that far up.

Look again. Look at where you put your very next step. You place your foot firmly on this surface and shift your weight to take the next step. But look at this surface. It is paved smooth. Someone has cleared the trees. Someone has graded the earth. Someone applied the smooth asphalt. It might be your journey, but it is someone else that has laid out this path.

Is this smooth predefined path the one for you? Or do you now need to wander off the given path and create your own? Step over rougher land. Less sure footing, but possibly newer things to explore. A difficult way, harder to navigate. Less sure footing, perhaps, but a path that you take on your own.

Our paths may cross. Not likely on the smooth walkway where others have gone. Not in a place that anyone else has defined. We may share some of the steps in the areas that are tougher to walk. Harder to maintain a fast pace. A part of the journey where each single step is more difficult.

And that is where and when we will lean on each other. In the unsure places we will steady each other and take turns following in each others footsteps. Sometimes having the strength to guide, sometimes having the wisdom to follow.

For a short time your journey isn't just yours. For a short time your journey is ours.


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Don't Mind Me... 10

Happy Easter

Have a weekend of peace.

My prayers are with you all.


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Al E. Gaytore

Anyone ever cook alligator meat before?

 

Anyone? Anyone?


Bueller?


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Ignore the Orange

Targets set at 35 feet. Ignore the orange.

Why ignore the orange? I was a bit distracted by the hot shell that decided to land on my scalp and sizzle.


Ignore the orange again. And the pink. And the white.

I'm happier with this tighter grouping of eight. The extra holes? Those were from my wife shooting her 9 into the targets to the right and above where I hung my target. (Honeeeeey! Don't Bogart my target!) She was doing a rapid fire and sight reacquisition. I shoot pretty wild when I push myself, too.



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Strong Hands

Rough and worn. Dad's hands were a worker's hands. They handled lumber and they handled tools. Other than some damage done to a thumb, the hands stayed out of the way of power tools, but his hands were frequently the victim of slipped hand tools and of slivers from wood. His were strong hands.

My Dad built houses. Early on he was a crew member for some other construction company, but soon he owned his own home construction company. This transition was all when I was very young. Memories my older siblings have, not I. When he took on the responsibility of being the boss, he took on the responsibility of completing everything on the home that he was building.

As he went from being a young married man to that of a father he went from being a rough framer to being a master carpenter. As he worked to raise a large family, he would raise one or two homes a year. Unlike large home builders that would employ teams to build dozens of houses in a single year, the number of houses that my Dad built in his lifetime were limited to only dozens.

Everything in a home built by my father was built by his hand. Every two-by wall stud was measured and cut by him. All of the plywood squared by his skills. Everything made level by his eye. His homes were the result of his skill and craftsmanship.

And... a little of mine.

I grew up with floor plans, lumber, and sawdust. I became his 'helper' at a young age. Sometimes I did little more than pick up the end pieces of wood that he would cut. Many winters these saved scrap pieces would heat our home.

Sometimes on weekends like a set of large Legos the scrap wood would be rearranged to make play forts or represent small cities. Sometimes I would grab Dad's hammer and pound nails that were two sizes too large for me into the scrap wood. Dad would encourage me and show me the right way to fit that hammer into my hand.

As I grew older I gained more responsibility with helping to build the houses. As a toddler I loved playing in the huge hole dug for a basement. I was fascinated by the cement trucks pouring basement floor and walls. But when I was older I was always impatient to get the sub-floor complete because that is when there would be wood cut and nailed into place.

Pounding eight penny nails through plywood and into the floor joists was work, but it was also a delight. I overcame my bad habit of holding a hammer half-way up the handle because I learned that to swing a hammer into a nail you had to have leverage. I was often competing with myself to see if I could improve the number of strokes that it would take to seat a nail. The nail would be tapped lightly two or three times to start. Then with my left hand out of the way the hammer would come down hard on the nail. It was five hits, then four, then I built the hammer handling skill and muscle to seat the nail in three.

Many years later, long after Dad retired from building homes he was here in my own home. In a partially unfinished basement the frail old man was the one assisting me. Keeping me company, mainly, as I put part of a door frame in place. He put his coffee down shaking the whole time and slowly got up to help me position a two-by-four. I had driven some eight penny nails partially in the wood prior to positioning. With the piece in place I wanted my Dad to be the one to drive these nails home.

I moved to hand my Dad my hammer, but had to turn away to not show tears when he spoke these words:

"That tool doesn't fit this hand anymore."


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Endurance

The man with the boots does not mind where he places his foot.
 - Irish Proverb 



Insomnia drives this. I don't want to do the math because I think it will be even more discouraging. Perhaps I get 20-30 hours a week? If it is less than this, I don't want to know. Sometimes more. No matter it never feels like enough. But I fight. What other choice do I have? I have to persevere because... because I have to. There has never been a choice. It just is what it is. 

Same with having this cold. It isn't like I get to curl up and stop doing anything else. I have responsibilities. They don't go away just because I can barely talk.


I will be here. I will fight to be what I can be for me. To be a father to my son. To be a husband to my wife. To be a friend. I feel weathered, worn. But there is still some left before I've eroded. I have boots to pull on, a gun to hang on my waist, and the fortitude to kick ass and continue.




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Live well

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much.


There are times, there are days, there are moments in your life where you need to step outside of yourself and take a deep breath. Look in from the outside. You have it in you to give good advice to others, stop for a moment, speak out loud, and really listen to what you have to say. Reflect and consider your strength and your light. If you have it in you to be the strength for others, you have the strength for yourself.

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Bacon! Cream of Roasted Veggie Soup

Forgive me, Maura. I have baconed.


My wife wanted brunch this morning. I was thinking of the standard bacon and eggs. When I cracked open the old coolerator I realized that I had a lot of cut crudites in my fridge. So I decided that soup was in order.

The packaged bacon was still there, however, and needed to be used soon anyway. So I decided it would be in the soup, too.

I seasoned and roasted the bacon in the oven. Once the bacon was semi-crisp, I chopped into small pieces.

The veggies were all cut up into small sizes appropriate for soup. I tossed in a little of the bacon grease and some olive oil and seasoned before roasting under the broiler.

Meanwhile I set up some paper towel in a dish so that the grease can drain off of the bacon. Woof!

Veggies are roasted until just browned. Six cups of chicken broth are brought to a boil in a pot and a half cup of sour cream is stirred in. The chopped up bacon is added, as well as the roasted veggies.

Soup is simmered for only a short time before it is served. Romano cheese sprinkled on top.

Bon appe-slurp!


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No Easter Bunny for My Honey

Buy here: http://www.thegunsource.com/category/2545.aspx

(last graphic is a screen capture)

Risk (and BAG day update)

Admittedly, there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face.

- Ronald Reagan

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Today, 'Tax Day', should certainly be a day that we reflect on the efficiencies of our government. Ronald Reagan was a man well aware of the intrusion of government on our lives:

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
- Ronald Reagan


Tango Juliet has a great Reagan post in the comments section.

Matt provides Reagan's "Conservatives wish every day was the Fourth of July, but the liberals wish every day was April 15."

I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead, make my day.
 - Ronald Reagan

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan





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Post supplement for BAG day:

I actually carry this card.


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Perchance to...

The warm sun dips down below the horizon, greedily drawing with it that which you find so easy to see. The brilliant and vibrant colors of day are drawn through the blue of dusk toward the repressive dim and black. Your own mind slips into the world of dream as easily as the colors at twilight slip into gray. Now you move on to the irresponsible play of your imagination as reality releases its hold on you.

  
Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colors from our sight,
Red is gray and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion.   

 - Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues


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Maura's Pictures

     I've known North for a long time now, and one thing that stays consistent is his universal crowing about how bad a photographer I am. I've tried - heaven knows, I have tried. Pictures of my family, my pets - all blurry. A few years ago, a newborn fawn curled against my home's back door. I took a picture of the fawn and posted it on the Browncoat forum North and I frequented. Everyone laughed at my blurry fawn - and North immediately dubbed the fawn "Weber" - saying he would be great on a charcoal grill. 

     Decent photography remained elusive and kept North amused until my husband bought me a very nice Sony camera for Christmas last year. Since then, I've tentatively taken some good pictures. Without telling North, I began to take some pictures of flowers. Up close pictures; similar to his macro photography - just to see if I could...and the results were not bad at all. North must agree because he asked to post some of my flower photography. Spring is here, and I'm glad to have more willing subjects sprouting around me.

( These pictures belong to Maura
- North )

Cut!

Congratulations on your new knife wound. It looks like a great knife wound to add to your collection.
                                                  

     
Treating Inevitable Knife Wounds:

1 - Stop the bleeding of the knife wound
2 - Clean the knife wound
3 - Close the knife wound
4 - Healing of the knife wound

First: Stop the bleeding of the knife wound

Apply firm pressure to the wound using sterile gauze. Apply enough pressure to stop the flow. Depending on the severity of the cut it can take anywhere from 2 to 8 minutes to stop the free flow of blood. Seek professional medical help if the bleeding does not stop in this time. Also seek help if the severity of the bleeding is such that you can't reduce the bleeding with pressure.

Second: Clean the knife wound

You should rinse the knife wound with clear running cold water. Carefully wash blood from around the wound. Avoid too much rubbing as it may reopen the knife wound. If that happens, stop the bleeding again. Blot dry the wound. Apply an antiseptic wipe to the area around the knife wound.

If your knife wound is severe enough to need a suture, seek medical help. You would need medical help for your knife wound if the wound is deep enough to gape open or if sub dermal fat protrudes from it. You will want to get medical help if you believe that the knife would leave you with an infection.

Third: Close the knife wound
                           
The knife would has just parted your skin. Stopping the bleeding has pushed this part closed. Normal movement will open this knife wound again.                            

If the knife wound is in a place where normal movement does not over-stress the wound, a bandage or butterfly strip can be used to pull the wound tight to prevent parting. A medical professional may choose a medical adhesive in this case.

If the knife wound is in an area where the skin will be flexed and is likely to open the wound, you will likely need a suture to keep the wound closed. Seek medical help.

Fourth: Healing of the knife wound

A topical antibiotic applied to the knife wound with a bandage or gauze dressing is the best way to prevent infection. Reapply with each dressing change. Keep the dressing or bandage dry (except for the antibiotic above the knife wound.)


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Snub Nose Revolver Review

A few weeks ago around the gun blogs there was a lot of talk about snub nose revolvers.

I did a lot of boasting, gave a lot of advice, and generally acted like a big man. After all, it is the Internet.

Truth is: I didn't own one. I'm very intimidated by this weapon. Bluntly - it scares the crap out of me.


Today, though, to overcome my fear I picked up my very own snub nose. This is my review of  this intimidating weapon.

The gun that I bought was a Super Bang Snub Nose. A lot more gun than I usually can deal with. I was a bit surprised at a few things. First off - it was made in China. Second - a lot more of this gun is plastic than I had expected. That does make it very very light to carry as a backup.

You can carry it as a backup, but probably only in an ankle holster. The manufacture does NOT recommend it for pocket carry, as you can see on the packaging. (Right below "Snub Nose")

As a positive the Super Bang Snub Nose isn't limited to a measly 6 rounds - this work horse can be loaded to a full 8 rounds. Take a look at the picture with the cylinder open.

I have one photo where I am timidly holding this formidable weapon.

Sadly I do NOT have a range report. Sundays are supposed to be a day where you can fire any weapon at the range. But I think there was a mix up in the schedule. Apparently it was joke night at the range, because everyone was laughing. Perhaps I'll have a range report on this beast soon.


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