CYA: Cover Your Ass... ets!

This is a topic I began to write about quite some time ago, but I was recently reminded by a post over at A Girl and Her Gun after a friend of hers lost most of what they had in a house fire. The risk of losing our assets, whether they be our firearms, prepping supplies, or other property is always a concern. Most folks have insurance on their home and vehicles, but often they don't have adequate insurance or security measures in place for other assets.

We experienced a burglary of our barn several years ago by a fairly professional crew. They were hitting out-buildings such as barns, sheds, and un-attached garages specifically taking dirt bikes, generators, compressors, construction grade tools, etc. They would come in on foot, hit several places in an area over about sixty minutes, set the items they wanted outside, usually to the rear of the buildings... then they'd come back fast and hard in four-wheel drive trucks driving up, throwing the loot in the back and taking off. They hit us and nine other places on a cold, windy, ten-degree night in December between one and three in the morning.

We lost three Yamaha dirt bikes in terrific condition as they were only used for trail riding and our good 18-volt power tools. They mus have had too much loot from the neighbors since they left one of our generators sitting in the yard near the barn. We carry a thousand dollar deductible on our home-owners insurance we had to eat the loss of $800 plus in tools. The motorcycles were insured, but three dirt bikes minus $500 deductible each, minus depreciation - which is significant per the "blue-book" for dirt bikes... we lost $12,000 in dirt bikes and promptly received a check for $4,600 from our insurance company. We also spent/invested $800 in extending our home alarm and security system to the barn afterwards. The neighbors up the road lost a four-wheel ATV, but did not have separate coverage and since it is a separately insurable item, their home-owners did not cover it.

So, how to you handle your risk of losing some of or all that you have? Well, isn't that why we carry conncealed or prep in the first place... to minimize and mitigate our risk to adverse conditions or circumstances? First, you have to understand that you can NEVER eliminate risk or loss, only mitigate or reduce it's possibility or impact. We are not perfect at it and have been working on it for years, but here are some considerations for you:

Don't keep all your eggs in once basket.

We have well over one-hundred firearms... but only about half are in our fire-resistant gun safe. Some are stored in readily accessible places, some are stored in caches both on and off our property, some are kept off-site under other circumstances. I think a quality, fire-resistant, and tamper-proof gun safe is one of the best investments you can make. Make sure it's bolted down and not in plain sight.  If you can see your safe in the back of your garage from the road while the garage door is open, you're just inviting thieves. Maybe you just need basic security of your firearms to keep them from young children.

Many of you live in states where if you lost your firearms or full-capacity magazines to fire or a thief, you couldn't legally buy or replace them right now assuming you could even find them in-stock under the current circumstances. Also, if everything you own is in your home... you're just one fire or tornado away from losing everything. Do you have a trusted friend or relative to store some items at an off-site location?  Do you have a safe and secure cache location? Don't get me wrong, a house loss due to weather or fire would be devastating to us, but we won't be without access to firearms and ammo and supplies if it happens.

While most of our preps and supplies are stored here at home - including our main Bug-Out-Bags, we have Get-Home-Bags and supplies stored elsewhere too. We had to make a recent change last year to some off-site storage as my mother sold her home and moved to a retirement community. Even our computers have off-site back-ups. We back-up all the computers the first Saturday of each month to two Tera-Byte portable hard-drives that are encrypted and require a password to access.

Layers of security where two is one and one is none.

Your security should be in multiple layers as there is no one, single thing that will eliminate (which can't be done) or minimize most of your risk of loss. Consider your location and environment.  Someone in a high-risk urban environment will have different considerations than someone in a suburban situation or those of you like us that live out in very rural areas. We have multiple complimentary and stand alone layers in place and they still will not eliminate all problems or concerns.

We keep our home closed up most days. You can't see what's in our garage or barn when the doors are closed. Friends who are not neighbors, but pass by fairly regularly often comment that they'd stop in, but they never know if anyone is home. We have bushes planted in front of ground level windows to make physical access more difficult. We have an alarm system with visible notification and multiple, large internal and external sirens to deter those who breach our home's (and now our barn's) alarm system. The alarm system is cellular and runs off battery back-up units for up to a week. So, cut our phone line and nothing happens.

We have two larger dogs that are alert and bark at strange and unusual activity. We keep our doors locked when we are at home. Our doors have had both the hinges, dead-bolts, and jambs reinforced, but I'm sure they can still be breached by determined folks... although it won't be an easy one-kick access. Our locks are pick-able - as most standard household locks are - as I've picked them all, but many don't have those skillsets and the cost to upgrade locks is not in the current budget right now, but it's in the long-term plans.

Many items are hidden in plain sight. We do not have a basement, so our main gun safe is in the kitchen.  It dwarfs our refrigerator, but from the front door, it looks like a refrigerator and most do not realize it is there unless they are welcomed into our home and then into our kitchen.  The safe is also bolted to the wall and floor with some specially built support and anchoring structure in the crawl space.  We store some documents and cash in a portable, fire-resistant box that is then stored in the gun safe, but... if you want the majority of our cash or other valuables... you won't find them there.  They are not in the house... or the barn. We also have our food preps divided up. Some friends of ours lost most of their food preps last year when their basement flooded with over six-feet of water while they were on spring break vacation for two weeks.

We have other security measures, alerts, processes, and hindrances in place, but I will not discuss them here. You each need to access your situations, educate yourselves, and make some determinations of plans, provisions, and tactics for your family and home. We can suffer loss, but it's highly unlikely we will lose everything if we lose our home.

OPSEC because loose lips sink ships.

We are probably not the best at Operational Security, or OPSEC. I'm an NRA, CCW, and 4H Shooting Sports instructor. I participate in hunting, Skeet, Trap, Three-Gun, 4H, IDPA, and other shooting activities regularly. There are hundreds of folks that know we have guns... that we have multiple guns. We are active in our community through church, the schools, 4H, and other activities... therefore many folks know where we live and what vehicles we drive. Our mail carrier sees the mail and magazines that arrive each month. Even my UPS and FedEx drivers know about us by the shipments that arrive and the vendors we use. I'm sure it wouldn't even take you very long to figure out who I am through my blog.

With that being said, there is still a lot of information about us, our property, and our lives that are not known to many. My daughter has been raised from a young age to guard her speech and that there are things we discuss and do in the house that are not discussed or done outside the home.  We try not to be creatures of habit, although everyone is to some extent. We even practice systematic dis-information because we are known by so many. Our jobs allow us flexibility to leave and arrive at different times during the week and on weekends... even though the best time to hit our place is probably Sunday mornings as that time away doesn't change each week... except our neighbors are friends and know to watch the place on Sunday mornings.

All that being said, you need to be aware of how easily most of us can be profiled and tracked by amateurs and criminals. Break up your habits. Do you know at least three routes to get from home to work and back... and do you use all three regularly and randomly throw off those who might be watching? Do you know who your neighbors are? Do you know who that new guy at the IDPA match is that you just bragged about your seven Glocks to? Think about what you say and who you say it to if you want to minimize your risk of loss.

No problem, it's insured.

Most folks, in my humble opinion, A) do not understand the purpose of insurance, and B) do not have adequate or appropriate insurance. Insurance will not bring back, replace, or cover one-hundred percent of what you lose. Never has, never will.

First, you need to self-insure you, your family, and your property... to some extent. That may be cash on-hand, it may be extra firearms or supplies, it may be two instead of one. We have a one-thousand dollar deductible on our home-owner insurance. We have five-hundred dollar deductibles on our vehicles. That means we are self-insuring for the deductibles. Why not have lower deductibles? Well, it costs more money... and... go ahead and pay for the $250 or $500 deductible on your home-owner insurance... about the third claim you make... you will pay for it dearly in your premium or you might be altogether dropped by the company as it's happened to many family and friends over the years who think insurance is for every oops they have.

Second, you need to read your policies, ask your insurance providers, and know specifically what is and is not covered and how much the coverage is.  We had to change home-owner insurance companies when we added our German Shepherd Dog to the family as Grange Insurance does not cover them... period... you can't even buy a rider. Most home-owner policies cover firearms for loss by something like fire, but are typically limited to $2,500 or so for theft... the same for jewelry and precious metals, etc. You can often add a rider to cover firearms and such, but read the fine print.  You might have to list your firearms... you may not. The NRA endorsed program only requires firearms and accessories over $2,500 in individual item value to be listed... but the NRA endorsed policy doesn't cover theft of your firearm from you vehicle if there is no breaking and entering of your vehicle... meaning if you left it unlocked... tough luck.

Often, separately isurable items are not covered by home-owners or renters policies. An ATV is separately insurable for most companies, so it is not covered. Now, our John Deere diesel tractor is used for up-keep of the property, so it is covered, but we increased our home-owner property covereage to adequately cover it and other equipment we have... and if you use ANYTHING for business purposes... like the zero-turn mower you mow your lawn with and use for your part-time business... your home-owner policy will not cover it.

Also, make sure you understand what is not covered. Sometimes perishable food items are covered, sometimes not. Three years ago we had friend who lost power at their home for three days in the summer and claimed $1,900 worth of food from their freezers since they had a $2,500 perishable food claim limit, but that was their second claim in five years and their annual premiums went up almost $380 a year after a claim to cover $1,500 of food (remember, they self-insured for the first $500 with their $500 deductible).

Finally, remember... you can sue anyone for anything at any time. The suit may or may not succeed, but defending yourself and pay any awards or judgements can riun you for a life-time.  Consider additional issuance as your situation dictates. My wife is a teacher, she had liability insurance through the Ohio Education Association. We have an umbrella policy on top of our home-owner policy for liability. I have NRA endorsed insurance as an instructor. We have additional insurance on our firearms through a separate company. We increased our content coverage on our home-owner policy due to our preps which covers items stored on-site and off-site... within the State of Ohio... read those policies!

The gals and I are not the experts on these matter, but like the God, Gals, Guns, Grub motto says, "We're learning a little more every day."

If you have something to add or educate folks about... please do so in the comments... so you can also help good folks with... CYA: Cover your Ass... ets!

Hot scrambled eggs in a cast iron pan.

Farmall and John Deere... Smith & Wesson and Winchester... like many names long associated with quality and longevity, a lot of country folks are familiar with names like Griswold and Wagner in the kitchen.  Those last two are just some of the names associated with quality cast-iron cookware.  I've always loved cooking on cast iron whether on the modern electric stove, the ol' Coleman camping stove, or over a fire... and you can't hardly wear out a good cast iron skillet, pan, or pot.

My good friend Matt over at Jerking the Trigger shares my admiration of quality cookware cast with iron and recently sent me a Number Three cast-iron pan he restored using electrolysis... which, by the way, is just the right size for those small meals for one or cooking something on the side for the family.  The cast-iron is the same, but granny's lard and butter are gone and extra virgin olive oil keeps things slick and healthy.  I'm not sure what the difference is between virgin and extra virgin, but I'm guessin' it may be like the difference between pregnant, a little bit pregnant, and extra pregnant.

Now aside from liking my eggs scrambled with bacon, there are just about as many ways to make scrambled eggs as there are reasons for why the chicken crossed the road.  I start off with fresh, grade "A" eggs, whip'em up with a dash of milk and Tabasco sauce, pour it in the pan on low to medium heat, then sprinkle on some mild or sharp shredded cheddar cheese.  Dust a bit of fresh ground, black pepper on top as you work the eggs and then toss on a pinch or two of salt.  Slide those scrambled eggs onto a plate next to some crispy strips of bacon and you've got a protein pizzazz to start off your day just right.

When you're up before the sun enjoying that cold, fresh air in the huntin' blind or tree stand... nothin' wraps it up like sayin' grace and a breakfast of... Hot scrambled eggs in a cast iron pan.

Our First Blogiversary: and we have some winners!

One year ago today, I had just spoken with my dad.  Our time together left in this life was quickly coming to a close... turned out to be less than a month.  When life is having a downhill moment, I've always turned to things that lift me up... my God, Gals, Guns, and Grub.

I had been following quite a few blogs out here in the gun blogosphere for some time.  I decided to give this bloggin' thing a try and through some conversations and great encouragement from some good folks, including the masterful and beautiful word-weaver known as Brigid over at Home on the Range and my ol' buddy Matt who fires fast at Jerking the Trigger... here we are one year later.

As a Christian man... and if you believe otherwise, that's OK with me... I'm instructed in 1st Thessalonians 5:11 to, "encourage one another, and build each other up" and that's what so many of you out there on the web have done for me and my gals, and hopefully... we're doing some of that for you too.

While my passion, profession, and past-time are teaching and instructing... my foundation is one of life-long learning.  The Good Book also tells me in Proverbs 27:17 that "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."  You folks, especially those listed on the right-hand side of this blog, encourage and sharpen me and the gals daily.  We greatly appreciate your words and work.

So with that idea of appreciation in mind, the gals and I have used a random number generator to determine a couple of winners in our first Blogiverary Give-Away... so congrats to Elijah from Westminster, Colorado and Scott from Ayersville, Ohio. 

Just shoot me an email in the next forty-eight hours to godgalsgunsgrub (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and tell me a t-shirt size: M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL.  We'll get those sent out to you right away.

A big thanks to all of you who read and follow this blog or our Facebook page... it's Our First Blogiversary: and we have some winners!

CRKT Eat'N Tool

We're continually updating our prepping plans, stores, and gear.  Over the years, the contents of our Bug-Out-Bags (B.O.B.s) have changed and evolved to reduce weight and provide more workable options and anytime we can find one tool that does the jobs of several, it gets a thorough lookin' over.

We added some CRKT Eat'N Tools to the B.O.B.s well over a year ago and I've been carrying one with my Maxpedition Jumbo VersiPack... which is my go-to, every-day, man-bag I've had for about four years.

The CRKT Eat'N Tool is made from stainless steel, has a variety of functions including sporkin', bottle-openin', wrenchin', screwdriv'n, and pryin' or diggin'.  It's small, light-weight, comes with a caribiner to attach to your gear, and has a big ol' finger or thumb hole in the middle which really helps in using it since it isn't a very long tool.  We've found that even though it lacks a knife blade, the wide-tipped screwdriver works well for cuttin' through your grub.

It's light-weight, but maybe not as light as some of the titanium options out there... then again... you can find them for six to eight bucks online and they also come in black for those of you who eat while you're goin' tactical.  So if you're tired of eatin' with your fingers while you're campin' or buggin' out...

You might want to consider a... CRKT Eat'N Tool.

Three days of grub...

The first winter advisory went out last week and the checkout lines at the local wally world and grocery stores were backed up and you'd likely burn through half a tank of gas waiting in line to get some more at the pumps.  Seems like every time we have a winter advisory or storm warning around here, folks stock up like we've reached the end of the Mayan calendar.

Runnin' out of grub at the wrong time can be an inconvenience at the least, and deadly in the worst case situation.  The gals and I are of the sheepdog and prepping mindset, so over the years we've made many preparations in various areas of our life.  Sometimes, folks just don't know where to start and that is an area where I have a simple suggestion... three days of grub.

The USDA recommends consumption of between 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day for men and between 1,800 and 2,300 calories a day for women to maintain proper health.  The U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76 indicates that the minimal calorie intake to survive is between 600 and 1,000 per day.  I'm currently following a balanced 1,200 calories per day plan to take off some weight and considering that many Americans consume upwards of 3,000 calories each day, I have to say... my stomach thinks my throat was slit.  You need to plan for your own requirements.

Now some will say, "My freezer and refrigerator are full, what's the problem?"  Well, some will have generators and some won't to preserve their food in the event of a power failure.  Some folks have bottled water stocked up, but many don't in case the water system breaks down or becomes contaminated.  Maybe you figure you'll just run to the store... but so has everyone else.  Last week wally world was cleared out of bottled water and it was a simple winter advisory, not a three day blizzard.

"The prudent see danger and take refuge,
   but the simple keep going and pay the penalty."

~Proverbs 27:12 

Even if your not worried about prepping for a disaster, it would be advisable for everyone to keep some basics on hand and if your not sure where to start... begin with three days of grub.  That includes food, water, and don't forget medications.  Think about what you would need for you and your family to survive three days without being able to access any other immediate food or water sources.  Most folks don't realize that, depending on heat and other conditions, three days without water can leave most folks well on their way to death.

So what kind of grub should you pack away or keep on hand for three days?  Well, that depends on you and your family.  Some folks may just want to put some boxes or tubs of food and bottled water away.  You may not be able to cook, so you should consider having food that can be eaten hot or cold.  You may not have the ability to keep food or beverages (or your insulin as I have a friend who is diabetic) cold, so again... you should think about that along with the storage life or expiration dates of the food and beverages you store away.  Oh, and don't forget the pets and livestock, if you have any, 'cause even our four-legged friends like to eat and drink too.

We have a food rotation system set up in our house that usually means we have thirty days of canned and dry goods that we use daily.  We have a significant stock of bottled water that we rotate through on a regular basis.  When it comes to water, don't forget you can drain the 40-plus gallons in your hot-water tank if needed and you can use a device like he Water Bob to fill and store water in you bathtub.  You may also want to consider having something on hand to purify the water for consumption as boiling may not be a possibility.

Additionally, you may want to have a Bug Out Bag (BOB) ready to go for each of your family members, but that is a topic for another day.  If you have a vehicle or place at work, you might even consider storing some food and water there too just in case you're stranded.  Make sure you include your whole family in on the plan and preparation.  I personally know some men who have extensive preparations in place and their wives haven't been included.  Get the entire family on board.

The bottom line is... if you haven't made any specific preparations for troubles that are almost sure to come at some point, I would encourage you to think about it and take the first step with... three days of grub.

Deserve's got nothin' to do with it...

As I observe the world around me, and even further through the eyes of the media and internet... there are a lot of folks responding to a variety of circumstances... many facing situations which are not of their their own doing.  The sheep are "baaing" away for someone to take care of them, but the sheepdogs are wiping off the mud and blood while they continue on through life.

For Christians, the good Lord above never promised us Heaven in this life, but in the next life.  What he did provide us in this life is the teachings of the Bible to guide us.  Whether or not you're of my faith and beliefs, I've also been fortunate in life to have been provided incredible men and women who have guided and taught me.

See, my heroes and role models are not sports figures or movie stars, but real people who have entered, and sometimes at my age, have now left my life.  Real people who have taught me, advised me, and guided me out of no other obligation than their own choice.  A man like my father served his country, his family, and his community because he chose to.  Don't think fatherhood isn't a choice as I believe the lack of millions of men failing to own up to their responsibilities as fathers and husbands is possibly one of the biggest challenges our country has ever faced.

Men like Pappy, my grandfather, who was a farmer, steel mill worker and foreman, and a solid American man who built his life and this country through his sweat and physical strife.  He gave me my first gun, but what he really left me was knowledge, character, and footsteps to follow in.  I thought of him yesterday as I wandered through Cabela's... this is a place he would have really enjoyed.

Our friend Dale, who was a farmer, trucker, and business man... taught me everything and anything from money management and cutting (harvesting) wheat to tig-welding and backing a semi-truck up to a loading dock.  He was a great and generous man who unassumingly drove his rusty 1974 Chevy pick-up into his 70s and left a multi-million dollar estate and thousands of acres of prime farmland free of any debt.  His wife always reminded us that no how matter how busy the farm and trucking company was, it was still important to stop work, eat, reassess the work, and then carry on... even if was ninety-seven degrees on a humid July afternoon.

In college, I somehow ended up with Dr. Ernie for an advisor, the only Kentucky Baptist that probably existed on a liberal college campus.  A farmboy and Vietnam vet with a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University... he's now retired in Kentucky on the family farm, I'm sure he's still dispensing his thoughtful advice to his son and grand-children while he sits on his porch.

There are so many others who have taught and guided my life from my mother, an Ohio farm girl who can bake an apple pie, plant a two-acre garden, and build furniture or change oil to the many ladies who taught me through elementary school the basics in education that I needed to get through life... before we implemented the politically corrected, "everybody wins while learning nothing of substance" baloney that currently occurs in our public schools.

Those elementary teachers knew how to achieve success in the classrooms and maintain a child's attention... without using drugs.  You learned what you needed to know because they held you accountable.  If you were slow at learning your multiplication tables, they'd stay after school to help you, but then again, YOU had to put the time and work in... nobody was going to slap an "A" on your paper just to make you feel better after for making a lazy, half-hearted attempt.

Pappy, Dale, and my dad are all gone now.  Mrs. Heslup, my second grade teacher and the last of the elementary school teachers living, passed on this fall.  I still have good counsel, role-models, and heroes around, but it looks like I too need to keep stepping up to the plate as a father, a husband, and mentor for my family, friends, college students, church kids, 4H youth, community, and others.  It's not because it's required or that I have any special circumstances or qualifications, it's just what was done for me and I need to keep paying it forward in my life.

So while I am thankful today for so much... when we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner today... friends and family... and my father was not here with us to sit at the head of the table... my mother said, "Dann, you sit at the head of table this year."

I sat at the head of the table, but believe me... Deserve's got nothin' to do with it...

Five Bucks: The Rod Burger

There is fast food, fancy food, and then there is good ol' American food.  Over the years, my gals and I have traveled many back roads and two-lane by-ways across this great country on the motorcycles, and even in the motorhome for a few years that it took up space in the barn.  We love to find those out-of-the-way, mom-n-pop shops, businesses, and burger joints.

Good food in a good place at a good price is just what I like.  I'm not the biggest fan of the "Mc-Chain" restaurants, whether they be fast or fancy food.  I've never found any food yet worth my standing around and waiting an hour for as my wife will attest.  Hour wait... I'm out the door.  Fortunately, there are a lot of good out-of-the-way places that to some may not look like a five-star restaurant on the outside, or even the inside, but they serve up good ol' American food.

Fortunately for us, we don't live too far from such a place.  The Capricorn Inn is a great little mom-n-pop restaurant and if you ask directions to it from local folks they probably have never heard of it.  Most around here refer to it as Rod's after the former owner and cook who also had a reputation for singing loudly to whatever was blaring on the radio while firing up some hot food at the grill.

Rod recently retired and sold the place to Ron and Angie Hubbard, some good folks who have returned to southern Ohio after some time in Colorado.  They've done a nice job putting a little polish and shine on the place to freshen it up, and they were smart enough to keep the name and most of the offerings on the short menu... including the Rod Burger.

The Rod Burger is pretty much a meal by itself.  It's a good ol' American burger loaded up with fresh fixin's that will make your mouth water.  They have several other selections on the menu, but the Rod Burger is what they're known for... and judging from the number of pick-up trucks and American iron usually sitting in the gravel parking lot... if you're bringing any yuppie, metro-sexual types to Rod's, I can assure you they'll be disappointed with the lack of vegan offerings.

So if you're ever in the area, don't hesitate to stop in and have a terrific burger at Rod's, just remember to bring cash... 'cause MasterCard might be priceless, but it's worthless at Rod's.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Pocket Knives and Political Correctness

Recently over at Og's Neanderpundit Blog, he asked folks in the blogosphere to take out the knife in their pocket, the knife they carry every day, take a picture, and post it.  Well, I actually carry three different knives every day, but before you think I've gone all tactically-corrected mall-ninja on you... let's take a look...

It seems like I've had a knife or two on me everyday since I was eight years old.  The little guy there is a MiniBuck by Buck Knives.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but I've carried that thing for so many years in my pocket that the plastic handle has worn smooth and the "Buck" name is worn down so much you can barely read it.  This little lock-back folder is so light you almost forget you have it in your pocket and while the blade edge has been sharpened a few times over the years, it holds it's edge pretty well.

The second knife there is nothing fancy, just a Cabela's XPG with serrated blade that tends to be clipped in my right pocket or on my Maxpedition Jumbo VersiPack man-bag.  This is my "cheap sunglasses" knife.  Did you ever notice that if you buy expensive sunglasses they tend to get broken, scratched, or lost in a matter of days, but you get those cheap ten-dollar sunglasses and they'll still be hangin' around after the Apocalypse.  That's my Cabela's XPG... a good, inexpensive, every-day-carry, belt-clip knife that doesn't make me kick myself for three days after loosing it like when my $120 Benchmade disappeared in the woods while deer hunting.

A third knife in my pocket is a little Leatherman Style which hangs on my keychain and is probably used just as often each day as my keys are.  I've lost count of the number of times I've opened a package, cut twine, used the tweezers to pull out a splinter, cut thread with the scissors, tightened a screw, cut down and filed a broken thumb-nail after trying to use my thumb-nail as a pry bar.  This diminutive knife and multi-tool owes me nothing and it's as handy as my Ford F-150.

In these progessive days of zero-intelligence... uh... I mean zero-tolerance, my wife carries a purple Buck Transport because purple is less intimidating and it's small enough to be politically correct within the zero-tolerance policies of today's public schools as she is an elementary school teacher.

My daughter has a couple of knives, but she asked for one like dad's a couple of years ago and so I bought her a Buck MiniBuck like mine, except this one has the outline of Idaho on it since the good folks at Buck moved their operations to Idaho from the Republic of Kalifornia to remain competitive with an American-made product that I think Toby Keith would appreciate.  Of course she only carries it when she's not in our politically-corrected school system.

See, I'm old enough to remember when kids could carry knives and I was given my first four-bladed, boy scout knife at eight years-old which rests in the gun safe with the Buck finger-grooved Model 110 Folding Hunter I carried on my belt all through high school and into college.  It's cut just about everything, field-dressed deer, skinned squirrels and rabbits... and never once went homicidal during Algebra II.  I do miss the little two-bladed Schrade pocket knife my uncle had given me, long since lost in the memories of my pre-teen years.

I'd be remiss is I didn't mention our grub knives.  I picked up this BuckLite Max a couple of years ago which has scalpel-like sharpness and a rubberized grip for a steady hold when preparing the wild game the good Lord has blessed us with.

You've probably noticed I have a number of Buck knives.  There are a lot of knives around here we've accumulated over the years and many have been Buck knives.  Buck makes a good knife right here in the good ol' USA which means a lot to us.  Another thing about Buck is they are not afraid of their beliefs and John 3:16 is tucked in with the words on their instruction sheets for each of their knives and as Christian, I can appreciate that.

A couple of other grub cuttin' utensils is this beautiful carving set, hand-crafted by my father-in-law for my wife.  The photograph doesn't do these two justice as Papa Jim, a retired tool and die machinist who could literally make anything, has given these stainless-steel steak stabbers the mirror-like finish of a chrome bumper on a '57 Chevy convertible.  The carefully shaped wood handles have the perfect ergonomics only a true craftsman could produce.  They were a gift to my main gal and will be passed on someday to my little gal, a family heirloom no money could ever buy.

There are a lot of different knives around here, but if you want to know what we keep in our pocket or ready at hand... that about cuts it down to size.

Corn and Community

The Corn Festival is held at the fairgrounds the first weekend after Labor Day each year.  There are various fall festivals in small towns and rural areas all over this great country of ours.  It's a great time to catch up with friends, meet new folks, and see some of our local heritage.

 

Many local farmers take time to compare notes, converse about the weather, and think about the upcoming harvest.  Some talk country smack with friendly challenges for the antique tractor pull.

 

Agriculture is still a big source, maybe the biggest source of income in this county.  Our rural county was previously home to the DHL/Airborne Express Air Park.  DHL purchased Air Borne Express, closed up shop, and shuttered about 15,000 related jobs around here.  This county was in a recession and that was a year before the economy tanked in 2008 and things really went down hill.

 

So it's good to see things like the local Corn Festival still happening when our unemployment in this county is over twice the national average.  It's good to see old friends and familiar faces smiling, chatting, and enjoying grilled corn on the cob.

 

The maple syrup smells good as it steams and cooks down.  You'd hardly know around here that about every third house you pass has a "For Sale" sign in front of it or that every Thursday the local paper is half-again larger than usual to list all the foreclosures.  Around the festival there's good eats, kids playing... checking out the petting zoo, and old friends.

 

You see a lot of patriotism, hear some discussion of tomorrow's significance.  Folks stop and tip their hats, shake a hand in thanks, and kids salute a young man in uniform... home on leave, visiting the folks, and checking out the corn festival's sights, sounds, and aromas.

 

There are a lot of signs of what makes this the greatest country in the world.  You see the products of years past that show American ingenuity, sweat, pride.  You see folks that know we still have it.  There might be some dirt on the tires and some rust on the metal, but things keep running right along.  Folks around here seem to be resilient in tough times.

 

Life around here may not look so bright, but it doesn't stop as most folks pull together and help each other out... and as a man gives a grilled ear of corn to a young fellow whose mama just told him they didn't have money for that.  You realize that for a lot of country folks... for a lot of Americans... things look a bit brighter when you're spending the day enjoying a little corn and community.

The gals and I had a terrific day...

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Cordon Bleu'n Cheese

Sometimes you need a manly meal on a rainy day, so rather than grill with fire, we occasionally cook in the oven.  Sam's Meats (no relation to Sam the Butcher on the Brady Bunch) is a local deli, grill, and restaurant that creates some terrific combinations when you need to put a home-cooked meal on the table while keeping preparation to a minimum.

Their version of Chicken Cordon Bleu involves large chicken breasts rolled up with ham, aged cheddar, and Provolone cheese.  The center is packed with cream cheese and chopped chives.  They stand the rolled-up, protein-energy bundle on end and wrap it with large strips of fresh bacon.  If you have the time, they're not hard to make from scratch and you can use some wood skewers to hold everything together.

After placing in an appropriate cooking dish, just add a cup of water to keep the chicken breasts moist, sprinkle on some of Mrs. Dash's Original Blend seasoning, and cover with sliced colby-jack cheese (or cheese of your choice) that will smother the whole entree.  You can always vary the specifics to you're taste.  Just bake at 350 degrees for an hour or so covered and then another fifteen minutes uncovered.

While a vegetable side dish or a salad make for a well-balanced meal, these bundles of delicious, bacon-wrapped chicken are best served with a side of .357 Magnum.

Check out my gal's new rack!

While we have some significant food storage and rotation in our home, the only pantry in our kitchen is a fairly small one next to the refrigerator.  When we moved in years ago, there were five non-adjustable shelves that didn't seem to be the right size or height for anything my wife wanted to arrange on them.  One of our summer projects was tearing out the original shelves and installing some adjustable shelving.

While looking around the local home improvement stores, my gal decided she liked the Rubbermaid Wire Closet Shelving System at Lowes.  The new shelves allow her to adjust the number, size, and height to her liking in our small kitchen pantry.  I noticed some angled shelf brackets designed to hold shoes in closets.  We decided to install some of these "shoe" shelves to use as forward-slanted racks for our canned goods to help keep things organized in our food rotation system.

So after some priming, painting, and installation... feel free to check out my gal's new rack!

Fair Food and Fixin's.

It doesn't really matter what kind of food you like or what diet you're on, out here in the country during fair week it is your patriotic duty to partake of the fair food.  It may be over-priced, over-sweetened, and/or over-cooked, but mmmmm-mm, once a year it sure is good.

Where else can you get a more battered-up, deep-fried, salt-spreaded, cheese-slathered, ketchup-covered, high-dollar cholesterol boost than at the county fair? Besides, at these prices we'll be stimulating the economy faster than the BATF can move guns into Mexico.

You can get Hobo Steaks, Tacoritos, Corn Dogs, Coney Dogs, Chili Dogs, Chicken Burgers, Pork Nachos, Fried Cheese, Blooming Onions, and just about any deep-fried vegetable or critter you can imagine. Not a whole lot of cuisine for vegans and most of the vegetarians at the fair are on four-legs in various pens around the fair grounds.

 

If the more traditional chicken and steak sandwiches are not really what you're looking for, and since it's five o'clock somewhere, we always have some intoxicated poultry on hand.

When you're finished and need something a little bit soothing for your sweet tooth, there's cotton-candy, flavored and shaved-ice, ice-cream, home-made pie, funnel-cakes, elephant ears, and of course my favorite - caramel-candied apples.

Oh, don't forget to visit the animal exhibits at the fair to catch a glimpse of next year's fair food.

Ya'll come back, ya hear!