Blogger Blastorama

Analogkid and Mollbot go head to head.

We started our day off at the pin range. Analogkid and I had our challenge shoot out, I did manage to win that one, but was beat in the next round by Mollbot. Mollbot, in his turn was beat by JimP.

Mr. Completely shooting his .38 Special wheelgun

Our pumpkin targets

My 22 Beretta just made kinda' neat little holes in the pumpkins, but when I shot Analogkid's 9mm CZ there were nice big holes. What fun!!!

JimP, Mr. Completely and Mollbot intent on making pumpkin puree

Into the garbage with these pieces

Anyone want some Used pumpkin?

Analogkid and Molbot showing what a rifle will do to pumpkins.

We had done our pumpkin shooting at the pistol range, and now have set up at the rifle range. Besides pumpkins, we had cue chalk to shoot at, so cool to see the puff of chalk when it is hit.

Mr. completely shooting Analogkid's Boomershoot rifle

chalk target exploding

Pretty exciting when the chalk is hit. If you look close, on the right side you can see the puff of chalk dust.

Now go to Mr.Completely's site to see more on our fun day.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Good as Gold: a job well done; not a problem;
an affirmative answer - as in

Q " do you mind if I pay for this later"?

A " Good as gold mate"

Thursday chuckle

Thanks to Linda

Project no 1 finished

Before

The upstairs bathroom was painted in a very dark color which made the room seem rather gloomy. The window shade was right out of the 80's, that had to go.

The new look

The walls are now a white with a hint of a pinkish beige, a color I took from the wallpaper border which you can see around the top of the walls. The new window shade is a soft beige also.

All I need now are towels in a blue shade to match the color in the wallpaper border.

Wallpaper border

Eye Teaser

Old Man Or two People

What can you see? look carefully. There are quite a number of these 'eye teaser' pictures out there. I will try to find some more for your enjoyment.

Computer problems?

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Does your PC breakdown and give you grief?

It might be because you’re a wimp.

Try one of these self-assertive maintenance techniques

Approach the problem machine in a confident manner. Let it think that you don’t care if it works or not. Like dogs, computers can smell fear.

If others are watching always be ready for a machine to start working of its own accord. Rehearse lines like : “There I thought that would work”.

Wave the reference manual at the machine. If you don’t have one use any technical manual close at hand, the weightier the better. This has the effect of invoking spirits friendly to your cause and may convince the machine to give up without a struggle.

Try percussive maintenance . This involves gently lifting the unco-operative device about 100mm above the desk as though looking for something underneath. You them suddenly drop the beast. This often completely fixes the fault.

If you are at work and the PC is relatively untraceable, get in early in the morning and simply swap your broken machine with a working model in another department.

If there is a danger that the serial numbers are kept somewhere, make sure that you’ve swapped all of your machines round long before they break. (This is called ” preventative maintenance ”) That way when you swap them back after yours breaks, you end up with the one you should have had all along, and no one can point the finger.

If none of the above works, consider taking out a contract on the machine - $100 slipped to the office cleaner will usually arrange a suitable “accident” such as falling down the stairs. It will also serve as a warning to the other machines that you’re not to be fooled

Blogger Blastorama Update

YES the rumor is true.
I Keewee, challenge AnalogKid, to a duel at dawn, errr, make that noon, on October 30th.
The challenge will be at the bowling pin range, full size bowling pins set on the back of the tables with any handgun, any sights, regular pin shooting rules, two tables out of three.

Mr.Completely and Jim P. are at it again!

Yesterdays pin top shoot was the usual stiff competition colored with humor and kidding around.

Mr. Completely, Jim P, and I were standing watching some of the shooters,
(Jim P and Mr. Completely are Arch Rivals, they are both always kidding around planning how to be devious and out-shoot one another.) when I happened to turn just in time to see Mr. C reach out and quickly pluck one wayward hair out of Jim P’s goatee. I swear Jim went about four feet straight up in the air.

My mouth dropped open in surprise at what Mr. C did, then I started to laugh, but you should have seen the look on Jim’s face, it was priceless, where is a camera when you need one?
At first there was a startled expression on Jim’s face, followed by a “ I am going to beat you into the ground” look, followed by another look of “payback is on it’s way!” then we were all laughing.
Mr. Completely better watch out, Jim P is already planning revenge.

As usual, we had a fun time yesterday. Go HERE for Mr. Completely’s write-up on the days events and to see a great picture of Pegi and Scruffy.

SUNDAY READING

After yesterdays sunshine we have a damp gloomy morning, a perfect time to stay indoors and read your favorite blogs.
One of my favorites is Grampapinhead. This morning I am going to check out
'SUNDAY....BEST OF THE WEEK' why don't you go check it out for yourself and see what I mean.

PIN SHOOT RESULTS

The optical sight class results
click on picture for better view

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The picture is not the best, but you can see Mike (Mr. Completely) won and I managed third place. After timing in, I shot against Dean narrowly beating him, next I faced Rainey and was lucky to get by her. THEN had to shoot against Mike. I got my butt kicked.
Just wait until next year, I have all winter to practice.

Pin Shoot Today

OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!

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Today Mr. Completely and I are off to a bowling pin shoot. It is, if I remember correctly, the second to last one for the season.

I am looking out the window and the day is a beautiful sunny one, how lucky are we to have such a good day at this time of year?

There may or may not be a report on my shooting later today, depends how I do.

Next Sunday we are going to have a 'Blogger Blastorama'. A bunch bloggers and our friends are going to get together at the range and puverize a few pumkins. Oh Boy!! I am looking forward to this shoot. Mr. Completely has some more information CLICK HERE

RECIPE; Hot 'N' Honeyed Chicken Wings

Hot 'N' Honeyed Chicken Wings

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3 pounds chicken wings
¾ cup Pace Picante Sauce
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup dijon-style mustard
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. Grated orange peel
additional Pace Picante sauce

Cut off and discard wing tips; cut each wing in half at joint. Place in 13x9-inch baking dish.
Combine ¾ cup picante sauce, honey, soy sauce, mustard, oil, ginger and orange peel in small bowl; mix well. Pour over chicken wings. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400F. Place chicken wings and sauce in single layer on foil-lined 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with additional picante sauce. Garnish as desired.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Cackhanded: Left handed, southpaw

A QUESTION ANSWERED

SGT Ron Long of, They Call Us," Doc", was asked several questions by Bob, who is 100% against the Iraq war, but has always been pro military.
SGT Ron Long answered Bob's Questions just as you would expect.
Go read Courteous but WRONG for yourself.

New Element Discovered--"Governmentium"

We do not laugh enough, Mr. Completely has just the medicine.
HERE is your prescription. Go check it out.

Youthful Memories

Almost the same as one I used to own

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Grampapinhead posed the question, "Anyone remember being young....as easy?" I must say that at times it wasn't easy.

Grampapinhead made mention of the 'big old yellow school bus' and this brought to mind my school days and how I got to school.

When I was five years old I was within walking distance of my first school, but after a couple of months my dad started building our second home. This meant moving from the house in the city, Palmerston North, to our bach, (beach house) at Foxton beach while our new house was being built.

At this time, my mother did not drive, dad left for the city early every morning, there wasn't a school bus route anywhere near our home, and the school was about five miles away, soooo, I had to learn to ride a push bike (kiwi talk for bicycle), in a BIG hurry.

You think this was easy? H**L NO! The roads all around us were unpaved, just sand which was covered with cut flax placed across the tire tracks.
You know what flax is don't you? it is a tough grass looking plant, used as an ornamental in our gardens. The variety they used on the roads used to grow probably three to four feet tall.

Just use your imagination what it was like to be just five years old, have a father who was somewhat impatient, holding onto the back of your bike, and you trying to keep your balance on the flax covered sandy road while learning to ride your first bike.

The pressure was on me, I had to learn to ride that bike or walk the five mile to school. As you can imagine I mastered riding that bike in about three days, OOOH the freedom, I can still recall the feeling of riding my own bicycle to school for the first time.

I was nervous and excited at the same time, and had to be extra careful on probably about half the roads near the school as these were just loose gravel and there were ( as I remember) rather large rocks to dodge.

Our new home was completed in about four months so back to the city we moved, where I had paved roads all the way to school.

On my thirteenth birthday I received a brand new Raleigh bicycle, much the same as in the picture. It did not have gears, it was a darker green, and had a bright shiny bell.

I rode that bicycle until I finished highschool which was near six miles from home.

IF BUD ABBOTT AND LOU COSTELLO WERE ALIVE TODAY

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

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If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch,
"Who's on first?" might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. OK, forget that. Can I watch movies on the Internet?

ABBOTT: Yes, you want Real One.

COSTELLO: Maybe a real one, maybe a cartoon. What I watch is none of your business. Just tell me what I need!

ABBOTT: Real ! One.

COSTELLO: If it's a long movie, I also want to watch reels 2, 3, and 4. Can I watch them?

ABBOTT: Of course.

COSTELLO: Great! With what?

ABBOTT: Real One.

COSTELLO: OK, I'm at my computer and I want to watch a movie. What do I do?

ABBOTT: You click the blue "1".

COSTELLO: I click the blue one what?

ABBOTT: The blue "1".

COSTELLO: Is that different from the blue w?

ABBOTT: The blue "1" is Real One and the blue "W" is Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: But there are three words in "office for windows"!

ABBOTT: No, just one. But it's the most popular Word in the world.

COSTELLO: It is?

ABBOTT: Yes, but to be fair, there aren't many other Words left. It pretty much wiped out all the other Words out there.

COSTELLO: And that word is real one?

ABBOTT: Real One has nothing to do with Word. Real One isn't even part of Office.

COSTELLO: STOP! Don't start that again. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!



(A few days later)



ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on "START".......

Thanks to my friend Linda R

Carnival Of Recipes

Carnival of Recipes is up.
The carnival is featuring Pork along with many other great recipes.
Click HERE to check them out.

Chuckle of the week

I know it is a little out dated, but it is still funny

New Zealand Goes To War

Picture Saddam Hussein sitting in his office contemplating the current crisis and drinking coffee... His phone rings…

"Kia Ora", would that be Saddam Hussein?"

"Hello, yes, this is Saddam speaking, who is this and what do you want?"

"Well now Saddam this is Rangi, and I'm ringing from the Lonely Arms Pub in Auckland, New Zealand, to tell you that we are officially declaring war on you"

"Well, Rangi," Saddam replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Rangi, after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Toru, my next door neighbour Rua, and the entire dart team from the Pub. That makes eight altogether"

Saddam paused. "I must tell you, Rangi that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Heck!" said Rangi. "I'll have to ring you back!"

Sure enough, the next day, Rangi calls again. "Bro, its me again Mr. Hussein, the war is still on! We have managed to get the hold of some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be, Rangi?" Saddam asked.

"Well, we've got two tractors, a bulldozer, and the loan of Rua’s Honda 90"

Saddam sighed. "I must tell you, Rangi, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armoured personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to 11/2 million since we last spoke."

"Are you tricking me!" said Rangi. "I'll have to get back to you on that one"

Sure enough, Rangi rings again the next day. "Mr. Hussein, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We've modified Ewen Smiths micro-light with a couple of 12 bore double barrel shotguns in the cockpit, and four bro's from the golf club have joined us as well!"

Saddam was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat.

"I must tell you, Rangi, that I have 1,000 bombers and 2,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface- to-air missile sites and since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"E mea, te riri nei au!" said Rangi, "I'll have to ring you back."

Sure enough next day, Rangi calls again "Kia Ora this morning', Mr.Hussein! I am sorry to tell you that we have had to call off the war."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Saddam. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well," said Rangi, "we've all had a long chat over a couple of Beers, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners.

RECIPE: Brownie Cheesecake

Brownie Cheesecake

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This recipe tastes so good I am almost tempted to start back on the good old Kiwi tradition of morning tea at 10am and afternoon tea at 3pm so I can have an extra two pieces per day.

BROWNIE CHEESESCAKE


1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix
½ cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup softened butter or margarine
1 egg
2 (8oz ) pkgs cream cheese
2eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups sour cream
¼ cup sugar
1 T. vanilla

Heat oven to 350F In large mixer bowl blend cake mix, coconut, butter and 1 egg until mixture is crumbly.

Press very lightly in ungreased baking pan 13 x 8 x 2 inches.

Beat cream cheese, 2 eggs, ¾ cup sugar and 2tsp. Vanilla until smooth and fluffy.

Spread over cake mixture. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until top is firm in center.

Mix sour cream, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla until smooth.

Spread over the cheesecake: cool.

Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Makes 20 servings.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Colly Wobbles:a feeling of nausea usually associated with nervousness; as in "bungee jumping gave me a dose of the colly wobbles"

At the end of the rainbow

Y'all can quit looking for the pot at the end of the rainbow-
It has been found

Eye Teaser

These eye teaser pictures are really quite interesting and well done.

Recipe: Cheeseburger Pie

When the weather turns cold, I start looking for "comfort food"

1 package crescent rolls
1 pound hamburger
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 (8oz) package mozzarella cheese

Press crescent rolls into pie crust pan.
Brown hamburger,onion,oregano,basil,Drain.
Add tomato paste,then salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into pie shell. Top with sliced cheese.
Bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Cods Wollop: untrue statement or remark is referred to as a "load of cods wollop".

Lazy Day

Anacortes Marina

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My friend, Joyce, emailed a couple of days ago and asked if I would like to ride with her to Anacortes today, as I had a day off work I said I was happy to go along.
We were too early for Joyce's appointment, so drove to the marina and wandered around for a while.

As I was looking out across the moored boats, I said to myself, "I wonder how many of these hundreds of boats are used on a regular basis"

Reminds me of the saying, " the two happiest times in a boat owners life" are, when he buys the boat, and when he sells it. There could be some truth in this statement.

Looter Shooter

It's actually a little duckie

I went out to the range this evening and shot my entry in the "Looter Shooter" e-Postal match.

It was shot from ten yards behind cover, including cardboard boxes and a garbage can.

My score wasn't too bad, one hundred out of one hundred possible, with four duckie hits.
Mr. Completely commented "not bad for a girl"

Carnival Of Recipes

Carnival Of recipes #58 is up.
There are some wonderful recipes. To see all that is to offer click Here

e-Postal Handgun Match #3 Jack-N-Jill

Funny how time seems to get away from us.

Here I was thinking I had plenty of time to polish my shooting skills so I can partner Mr.Completely in the Jack-N-Jill postal hand gun match.

Mr C. has been shooting way longer than I have, and has the whole routine down pat, you know, the stance, the grip etc and etc.

Me, well, I am still working on it. Sometimes when I do not shoot as well as I usually do, I ask myself "what the heck am I doing wrong now, what have I changed, is my grip different, have I changed my stance?" like Mr.C. reminds me, practice, practice practice!

OK I admit, I do not practice as much as I should, then again, I am not as serious a shooter as Mr. C, I shoot more for fun, and it really does not matter too much to me if I win or not, though that being said, I do not care to come dead last, so I guess I had better get my butt out there to the range and get some real practice in, so I can be the best partner I can be, in the Jack-n-Jill postal match.

To read more about how the J & J match works and all the rules, click Here

New Favorites

I have just added to "My Favorite Bloggers" two blogs I enjoy reading. The first being,

Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea, and chocolate in between

I love this blog, as there are all kinds of interesting articles and facts on coffee, tea and chocolate.

Fantastic recipes for wonderful coffee/chocolate drinks, chocolate chip pudding pie and many others. It makes my mouth water just reading it all.

You will also find links to other Coffee and Tea blogs.

The second blog is,

Mostly Cajun-All American

This blog is written by a Cajun from Louisiana.

One of his stories is about Hurricane Rita and the devastation to his home and life.

When Mostly Cajun returned to his damaged home after Rita passed by, he realized he needed to go get a wet vac from his office to clean up the water.When he returned to his home he found it was on fire.

Sadly all was lost, including four much loved pets, cats named Itty, Splot, Mollie and Callie.
This is a most touching story.

I realized I was reading a story written by an extraordinary person, and this was not the only story, So, go read his stories for yourself, you will see what I am talking about.

You will find the links to these two blogs on the right in MY FAVORITE BLOGGERS

Recipe: Blueberry -Banana Pie

Blueberry-Banana Pie

8 oz cream cheese
3 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 pt. Whipping cream
1 can Comstock blueberry pie filling
2 bananas
2 baked pie shells


Cream together cream cheese, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, vanilla and sugar.
Fold in stiff whipped cream. (I whip this before I cream the other ingredients.)
Line pie shells with thin sliced bananas.
Pour cream mixture over bananas and refrigerate for one hour.
Stir one teaspoon of lemon juice into pie filling and spread over cream mixture.


This recipe is easy to make, and tastes soooo good.

Mr. Completely loves to be “the taste tester”

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

My blog had been down since yesterday afternoon.
After several emails back and forth to Blogger all is now fixed.
I am....

Chuffed: pleased; as in "she was dead chuffed"

Coffee, Tea, chocolate

For all of you who enjoy coffee, tea and chocolate, I have found a blog which has all kinds of fun interesting information. So for a fun read click on the link below.

Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea

Full story

Mr Completely has a full report on the trip to Lake Mayfield, go Here

Lake Mayfield Trip

Part of Mayfield Resort as seen from the island

Another view from the island

There is a small bridge from the end of the dock to the island

Keewee and Mr Completely on the island

Mr Completely and John heading out for some fishing

The Gang

Don, David, Dennis, John, Mike

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

ooops, I nearly forgot Kiwi word of the week.

Brilliant: excellent; great; wonderful

Blog Alert!

Mr.Completely and I are pretty much burned out, so we have loaded our RV and are heading to Lake Mayfield for a couple of days.

My idea of packing for a break is, a bottle of wine, a good book to read, already prepared food to be reheated, and fishing equipment. All of this will be used, in what order, I do not know, it will be decided when we get there.

Providing the weather co-operates, I will have pictures and a report, maybe on Monday evening.

RECIPE: MISSISSIPPI SIN

MISSISSIPPI SIN

1 loaf round Hawaiian bread
11/2 cups sour cream
11/2 cups chopped ham
1 (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped chilies
Dash of worcestershire sauce

Slice off top of bread and hollow out. Mix all ingredients and put inside bread. Put top back on bread. Wrap in foil. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Use pieces of bread and crackers for dippers.

I use 2 ( 4-0z )cans of chopped chilies, but I like chilies, you may only like to use one can.

WHAT I WAS REALLY DOING...........

For those of you who thought I was goofing off today.

I have spent most of the day washing the bathroom walls then painting on two coats of undercoat.

The old color was a kind of pukey salmon pink color, see the window frame, well the whole bathroom was that color.It was so dark it felt like walking into a cave.

There is still some undercoating, the top coat, and a wall paper border to do before the bathroom will be finished

When I finish this project I will post before and after photos.

PIN SHOOT RESULTS

Keewee Qualifying

Well, can't say I did not try my best.

I timed in way down in the pack.

First up, I shot against Dean and just squeaked by, then Greg and I were up.

By now, my adrenalin had kicked in, I gritted my teeth, told those pins how I was going to blow them into tiny pieces, and waited for the starting buzzer.

Buzzzzz, and I blazed away.

Greg won that round.

Like I said, Can't say I did not do my best.

For the full report go to Mr. Completely's site.

PIN SHOOTIN' DAY

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, there is a slight breeze, what more could you ask for when you go to a pin shoot?

How about all the "accuracy gods" on your side, and my new prescription glasses, which I will not have until next week.

I say my new bifocal glasses will help, but I have a feeling there will be a little adjustment time, so there may be some not so accurate shooting for a while.

There may be a report on Mr. C's and my shooting experience later on today, all depends on the results.

I may be too embarrassed to post results.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Shandy: drink made with lemonade (7UP) and beer

This is a drink many ladies who don't like the taste of strong beer prefer.
A nice drink in the heat of summer.

Recipe: BLT DIP

Now the weather is cooling down, and the football and hockey season is here, we need good snack food for in front of the television,
Here is a good easy recipe to fix and eat while watching TV

1 lb bacon
1 loaf bread
1(16-oz) ctn sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lg tomato (take out seeds & juice)

Fry bacon until crisp. Cool and break into small pieces. Dice tomato.
Mix sour cream and mayonnaise.
Add tomato and bacon pieces.
Toast 1 loaf of bread and cut in triangles. Serve toast on side for dipping.

AMEN FOR AMERICA

I Love This Comeback

One of my sons serves in the military. He is still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them also.

But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the U.S. flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly," Yes, I always wear it and probably always will."

The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi.

A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman.

"Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. but, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."

Everyone within hearing distance cheered!

I would be cheering just as loud as everyone there.

Thank you to Bob for this one

New Zealand History

Photo:Francis Prout

Ta Moko

The photo shows male and female faces carved into the trunk of a large tree. Both faces show Maori facial tattoos or Ta Moko.

The history of the Maori people and their stories make for interesting reading.

I remember sitting in class as a young child, listening intently to the Maori myths and legends our teacher read to us.

New Zealand In History is a site I found to have a lot of information.
To learn more about the Maori people of New Zealand , click Here

Carnival of Recipes

The Carnival of Recipes is up.

There are some fantastic recipes for you to try. Go check them out Here

Carnival of Cordite is Up

The Carnival of Cordite Special Double Edition is out.

All kinds of Neat gun stuff.

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Milestone

Considering Keewee's Corner was originally created just for family and friends, it sure has expanded. Much to my delight, I have visitors from all around the globe. Thank you to all who visit my blog making my (fun) work all worthwhile.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Skiting:(rhymes with fighting) bragging; showing off

Photo practice

Dahlia

Godetia

Mimulus

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Last Christmas I was given a little pocket size samsung camera.
Today, I took it out to my garden to see how well it does with close up shots, for a small camera it does reasonably well.

POSTAL MATCH

The results for e- postal match are up, check them out here at Mr. Completely's blog.

RECIPE: PINEAPPLE SURPRISE

1 Box vanilla wafers
1 stick butter or margarine
3 c powdered sugar
2 (8-oz) pkgs. cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Bananas
20- oz can crushed pineapple
16- oz tub cool whip

Crush wafers and use as bottom layer in 9 x 13- inch dish. Melt butter and pour over wafers. Beat powdered sugar and cream cheese with 1 tsp vanilla. Pour over wafers. Slice bananas for next layer. Add drained pineapple. Cover with cool whip. Garnish with pecans, cherries or sprinkles.

GAS GAUGE

MY NEW GAS GAUGE

This sure makes sense the way the gas prices are going up.
Thanks to J for the picture.

Postal match

One of my ten targets. The center circle is only 1/2" across!

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Today I finally got around to shooting Mr. Completely's postal match.

I used my Beretta U22 Neos to shoot five targets free standing then five targets from a bench rest, I don't think I have anything to skite about. (you will have to see kiwi word of the week on Friday) but then again I am not totally embarrassed.

Results will be posted Tuesday evening by Mr. Completely.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2005 when.

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

kiwi word of the week

Chuffed: pleased: as in, "he was dead chuffed"

Tiki tour: roundabout way to get somewhere: scenic tour

THURSDAY'S CHUCKLE

You may have read this before, so read it again. After all, "laughter is the best medicine"

Words of wisdom

I am in shape.
Round is a shape.
*************************
Time may be a great healer,
but it's a lousy beautician.
***************************
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.
***************************
Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels good.
***************************
Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
***************************
Even if you are on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there.
***************************
Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
***************************
An optimist thinks this is the best possible world.
A pessimist fears this is true.
**************************
There will always be death and taxes;
however, death doesn't get worse every year.
***************************
In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
***************************
I am a nutritional overachiever.
***************************
I plan on living forever. So far, so good.
***************************
Practice safe eating -- always use condiments.
***************************
A day without sunshine is like night.
***************************
It's frustrating when you know all the answers,
but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
***************************
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time,
but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
***************************
Brain cells come and brain cells go,
but fat cells live forever.
***************************
Age doesn't always bring wisdom.
Sometimes it comes alone.
***************************
Life not only begins at forty,
it also begins to show.
**************************
I smile because you are my friend!
I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it.

Piggy Bank

MY PIGGY BANK AFTER VISITING THE GAS PUMP

I always thought we were lucky to have such reasonable gas prices compared to New Zealand.
Even though our gas prices are rising rapidly, we are still better off than back in good old N ZED.
Owning a scooter is starting to sound good. Hmmmm, let's see, what color should I choose?

Busy Day

I have spent most of today painting the main bedroom. Several days ago I took a "before" picture so that when the room is finished I can post the "before and after" pictures, I am getting close to having the job finished.
It crossed my mind to do a little more painting tonight, but, I have just finished a plate of tortilla chips and salsa, and a large glass of wine. Standing on a ladder right now would not be a good idea!
Amazing how one glass of wine can go to ones head.

Not Embarrassed

Table set with three rows of pins for the "fun shoot"

Mr. Completely "smokin" a few pins

Table set with pins and shotgun casings

Pegi

I am happy to report I left the shoot with my head held high, somehow I managed to find that special gut feeling of confidence and aggression towards the pins that seemed to be lacking the last few shoots. I came in second overall after shooting against Jim, then Rainey, and finally against Al who was in top form, he really "toasted" me.

We finished the pin shoot early, so decided to have a fun shoot. The first table was set up with five full size pins just balanced on the back of the table, then a row of five pin tops in the middle, then three pin tops in the front. The object was to shoot all the pin tops off with out knocking any of the full size pins off the table, if you did knock any of the full size pins over or off the table you were done shooting.The full size pins were shot off the table once all the pin tops had been shot off the table. We also had to stay behind the shooting station table, we could move to the right or left so long as our outside leg did not pass the edge of the table.

Mr. Completely managed to clear all the pins off the table, you should have heard the "yahoo" he was still feeling the sting of defeat from the first pin shoot of the day. I managed to get seven pins off the table before knocking one of the full size pins over thereby ending my turn.

Then Al decided to get even more creative by placing spent shotgun cases between the full size pins on the back of the table and pin tops in the middle and front row. I was thinking to myself, now here is a challenge. the shotgun shell casings are dark red and blend with the berm in back of the table, how the heck am I going to see those?

Darned if I know how I did it but I managed to get all pins and shell casings off the table with just one round remaining in the clip. Oh, I forgot to mention we could only have twenty rounds to get the job done. It was my turn to "Yahoo"

The last picture is Pegi showing just one of her creative stances. Pegi was doing very well on this table but missed her target a couple of times meaning she was just one round short to get all the pins and casings off the table, this placed her second behind me.

We all had a fun filled day.

PIN SHOOT TODAY

Wow! they get smaller every time I look

Today, Mr. Completely and I are off to a pin shoot. Lately I have not been as accurate as I would have wished and have come to the conclusion that I really need to go have my eyes checked and get new eye glasses. I came across a receipt for my last eye exam and new glasses, that was four years ago, no wonder things are getting a little hazy.
So, there may, or may not be, a report on how I shoot today , depending on my level of embarrassment.

BAD FOOD KILLS

I was interested to read this story in The Manawatu Standard,the local newspaper from Palmerston North, New Zealand, about the consequences of eating bad food. I also ate a pie and a doughnut, on occasion, for lunch when attending school, and loved every bite. Things have not changed much over the years.

LOCAL NEWS STORY

Bad food kills 30% of us:
25 August 2005
By HELEN HARVEY

Food and poor diet is the cause of about 30 percent of deaths each year, Green MP Sue Kedgley told a meeting in Palmerston North last night.

That is more than alcohol, violence, cigarette smoking or road deaths combined. More than 60 people crammed into the meeting room at the Palmerston North library to hear Ms Kedgley talk about the need for a food revolution.

If the Greens go into coalition with Labour after the election, food and nutrition will be on their list of policies, she said.

She churned out facts and figures at an alarming rate - some complicated, some well known and others downright scary.

"A child eating a pie, chips, a cookie and a fizzy drink for lunch would consume 10 teaspoons of fat and 20 teaspoons of sugar."

A Moro bar contains two teaspoons of fat and 10 teaspoons of sugar, the average pie 6.5 teaspoons of fat, a bottle of Coke - the biggest seller at the supermarket - contains about 17 teaspoons of sugar, and a serving of french fries seven teaspoons of fat.

Food should be one of the greatest contributors to good health, but a raft of experts are warning that food is becoming one of the greatest contributors towards ill health, Ms Kedgley said.

What people eat has changed more in the past 40 years than the previous 40,000 of human history.

"The so called affluent diet of today has twice the amount of saturated fat, a third of the former daily fibre intake, vastly more sugar, salt, flour, and carbohydrates and a reduced intake of nutrients," she said.

However, it is not only the composition of food that has changed. People's relationship with food has also changed.

"Anthropologists say our generation in the West is the first society where large numbers of people eat food alone - in front of the telly, in the street, at our desks and even in our cars."

In the future cars will be fitted with microwaves so people can heat up meals as they drive to and from work - while they are sitting in traffic jams, she said.

While the aim for many people is to buy cheap, processed food, there are a lot of hidden costs such as clogged arteries, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental decay, topsoil that is exhausted by fertiliser use, rivers and lakes polluted by pesticides and cruel treatment of animals reared inside factory farms.

Transporting food around the world is another hidden cost, Ms Kedgley said. Marmite, made in New Zealand, contains sugar from Brazil, salt from Israel, wheat malto dextrum and caramel colour from the United States, iron from Sweden and vitamins from China and India.

Translation:
MP, Member of parliament
fizzy drink, soda
telly. television
Marmite,a spread for toast or bread.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Sarnie: sandwich

Two sammies short of a picnic: used to describe a person who is a "bit thick" or does not "have all their marbles"

Billy Graham

Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home.

As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver.

"You know" he said, "I am 87 years old and I have never driven a limousine.

Would you mind if I drove it for a while?"

The driver said, "No problem. Have at it."

Billy gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway.

A short distance away sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap.

The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone.

The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo and got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure.

The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down he was surprised to see who was driving.

He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor.

He told the supervisor, "I know we are supposed to enforce the law but I also know that important people are given certain courtesies.

I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very important person."

The supervisor asked, "Is it the governor?"

The young trooper said, "No, he's more important than that."

The supervisor said, "Oh, so it's the president."

The young trooper said, "Not, he's even more important than that."

The supervisor finally asked, "Well then, who is it?"

The young trooper said, "I think it's Jesus because he's got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!"


Thank you to my friend Joyce for this.

RECIPE--Barn Yard Barbecue Biscuits

Great snacks with beer, for the football season.

1 Can buttermilk biscuits
1 lb ground beef
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
3 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Separate biscuits and flatten in circles. Press each biscuit into the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin tin; set aside. In a skillet, brown ground beef and drain. mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder in small bowl. Add to meat and mix well. Put 1/4 cup of meat mixture into each biscuit lined muffin cup. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375F for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

FINALLY THE ANSWERS I NEEDED

This one is for Mr. Completely who is not too fond of certain vegetables.


HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO .. Cocoa beans ... another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets and remember:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - strawberries in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming - WOO HOO! What a ride!"

Thank you to my friend Val

NEW HEADER

Feast your eyes on my new HEADER , I think it is fantastic.
A huge thank you to Sulfuric Attitude for the very creative artwork, and to Mr. Completely for spending time last night installing it.
It really is way beyond cool, isn't it?

HARD AT WORK

Isn't it a shame that I have such difficult working conditions at the spa?

I am made to sit at my desk and admire the view of Saratoga Passage with Camano Island in the distance. Then around April - May the gray whales swim by, often feeding only about a few hundred yards from where I sit. Then there are seals, rabbits, squirrels, blue herons and bald eagles to watch, whew! I work so hard!
OK, so I do not work in a square cubicle without windows, and happy I am not, the whole scene is fantastic, makes the words "working atmosphere" take on a whole new meaning.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Dreaded lurgy: alternative name for the flu or a head cold: used as an excuse for not going to work, as in " I can't come in today because I have the dreaded lurgy"

I would love to use this excuse for staying home from work today, as I am
Stuffed: really tired.

MANURE

Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be
transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so
large shipments of manure were common.

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than
when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the
process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas.
As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could
(and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time
someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined
just what was happening.

After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term
"Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high
enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold
would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term "S.H.I.T " , (Ship High In Transport) which has
come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I.

I had always thought it was a golf term.

They say we are never too old to learn.

Thanks to Joyce for sending me this HISTORY lesson.

Mr Completely's Postal Match

Mr Completely has started up a new postal match for hand guns.
You download a target, shoot it according to the rules, and email in your score.

Check it out here.

Recipe........"Diet soda Cake"

This is really is quite good for a low calorie low fat cake.And so simple to make.

Be Creative With Your Flavors

One box any cake mix (dry)
One 12 ounce can diet soda, any flavor
2 egg whites

Just mix these three ingredients together and bake in a 9x12 cake pan.

Variations:

Use fresh or a 16oz frozen bag of blueberries, or mixed frozen berries, one butter cream cake mix, one 12oz can diet Seven Up Wild berry Plus.
Pre Heat oven to 350F Then lightly spray pan with butter cooking spray.
Then layer ingredients. 1st layer berries, cake mix, diet soda, it's just like making what we used to call Dump Cake.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve hot or cold.
Great with icecream.

Chocolate cake mix and diet root beer, and 2 beaten egg whites.

Chocolate fudge mix with pudding in the mix and 12oz diet Dr pepper, and few chopped nuts.

Free Beer

I like to keep updated with the local news from Palmerston north New Zealand where I was born and raised, so I check on the local news paper from time to time.
Imagine my surprise when I found this article.

MANAWATU STANDARD STORY

Free beer here 17 August 2005
"Have one on us" is the call from DB Breweries, which wants to shout all New Zealanders 18 or older a free beer today.

DB managing director Brian Blake said the company is proud to be celebrating its 75th birthday and wants to share this milestone.

"We've been part of New Zealand communities since 1930 and have a strong Kiwi heritage," Mr Blake said.

"Many Kiwis have grown with our brands - from the original Waitemata Sparkling Ale, to Export Gold and DB Draught. Having a national event like this is one way we can say thanks for more than seven decades of loyalty."

To claim their free beer, readers need to clip the coupon from P8 of today's paper and present it at a participating bar today. Not more than one voucher can be redeemed at a time.

Something actually FREE, and it happens to be what New Zealanders drink a lot of.
The bars are going to be full of people waving coupons. or not!

Whew! it's warm

I was too warm inside so I decided to take my camera outside and see what I could find.

All these wonderful plums are now out of reach for the bunnies now the new fence is finished, though we do pick some and toss them to our long eared friends.

The birds sure are getting their fair share of plums. You walk out of the front door and flocks of crows take to the air from the trees.

See how well my flowers are doing now the bunnies are fenced out. All I have to deal with now are the bugs eating on some of the plants.

As this is a new garden, I have discovered that some plants will have to be moved to a new location next season for them to do better, all a case of learning what conditions plants require to thrive and do their best.

This bunch of young starlings were enjoying a cool bath.

It is fun to watch their squabbles over who is to take his bath first, especially when they have splashed nearly all the water out of the bath leaving just a couple of inches.

The bird bath was filled three times today.

What A rush!

Besides all the fishing we did, shooting a mind blowing weapon was on the agenda.

This was a Crikey Dick!!! (see word of the week) moment for me.
( in all truth, it was more, than a crikey dick, moment for me)

for pictures and the full story go here

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Crikey dick: gosh! wow!

Home From Juneau

Home away from home

(click on pictures for enlarged view)

We spent 10 days staying in this wonderful cozy A frame house which is attached to the main house, on the left, by a covered breezeway.

Each day we made our own breakfast and lunch, but enjoyed evening meals with our friends Charlotte and Steve over in the main house.

One that did not get away

The weather for the first couple of days was a little wet, but that did not stop us from going fishing, What's a little rain? "liquid sunshine," right? When we came home our wet clothes went into the clothes dryer to be dried for the next days fishing.

The Chum salmon you see was a good size, around 15 lbs. It had, like all the salmon at spawning time, an ugly snout full of very sharp teeth. This salmon was released back into the water so he could finish the life cycle by spawning and creating the next generation.

Mr completely and I caught many salmon, which were all released as we were in Juneau a little later in the season than usual, so the fish were really past their best condition and not really worth bringing home to eat.

False Outer Point with Mendenhall glacier in back ground

Two days before we were to come home, we took a drive up to the old gold mine and explored the area.

On the way back, we decided to drive on past the house to False Outer Point to take some pictures. I took a picture or two, then we sat on the grass to enjoy the view, listen to the waves on the rocks below and the water cascading down the rocky bluff across the road behind us.

After a while we decided to head back to the house, so jumped into our "vanmobile" (Plymouth Voyager) turned the key, NOTHING HAPPENED!

After looking under the bonnet ( hood in American) and finding nothing obvious wrong,( but we thought the fuel pump had quit,) there was no choice but to walk back to the boat launch to find help.

Of all days to have to walk several miles , it was HOT ! up in the 80's. Anyhow, we did manage to get a ride back to the house from the boat launch.

The voyager was repaired the next day, it was the fuel pump.

Juneau Update

KeeWee asked my to add a short post for her. As you have noticed, blogging and pictures have been light while we are in Juneau. That is mostly because of very slow and limited internet access.

Posting will be back up to speed on Thursday, including some pictures......

.............................Mr. Completely

Juneau Alaska

Hi Folks, here we are enjoying our vacation. As per usual in Juneau, it is raining today, but that is not going to stop us getting out and exercising a few salmon.

Our first day here we drove out to a couple of places we know to view the salmon population, there are plenty of fish to exercise.

We will not be going into town, as there are four cruise ships in, that means a glut of tourists on the streets, I dislike crowded sidewalks.

Well that is all for now, we are off to FISH!.