Venezuela

 What the hell is going on down there?  I'm seeing reporting that Trump has closed the airspace over the country and that there is an aircraft carrier battle group steaming close by.

Also, the Seditious Six are going crazy. Something about a drug boat that took two strikes to kill.

I also heard one report that Maduro has un-assed the country, heading toward Brazil, but that was unconfirmed. I also heard reports of B-52s and B-2s sortieing.   Seems like it is getting kind of  sporty down there.

It reminds me of the runup to Panama back in 1989.  That was in December, too, come to think of it.

Sucession

 It's a legal tern where we clean up the property of a deceased person and distribute the proceeds to the heirs.  I had offered, several years ago, to take that on, but Mom wanted someone else to handle it.  She made a good choice, as was her prerogative.  Another of my siblings is handling it and doing a fine job.

I spent most of the day filling out forms, responding to emails and getting folks the information they needed.  All this has to be done legal and proper.

This makes me think about things that I need to accomplish before my time is over.

C Rations

 C Rations were an individual field ration used in the US military during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.  The Army was still using the when I went through basic in 1973. Simultaneously beloved and loathed by the troops, it was what you had to eat in the field. Twelve meals to a box, a mixed carton of joy and loathing.

The worst meal in most troops opinion was the Ham and Limas.  It came with a dessert of fruitcake. Both were inedible, but this guy liked it. Each C Ration came with an accessory pack that contained toilet paper, a heat tab, paper matches, cigarettes, and a toothpick.

My favorite C was Poork Patties in gravy. One day on a break I was hungry, so I took out the Pork Patty can, lit a heat tab and was merrily heating the tin when the Drill Sergeant wandered by.

Him: "Private, what are you eating?"

Me:  "Pork Patties in gravy."

Him:  "When was that packed?  Look on the bottom of the can."

I lifted the can to look at the bottom. "Drill Sergeant, this says 1948."

Him: "Damn, Private, that pig has been dead longer than you have been alive.  I'm going to watch you close te rest of the day."

The Army later came out with LRRP rations, which were totally inedible, then followed those with MRE rations, which are still used today.  If I had my choice, I'd pick C Rations every time.

Cleaning My Turkey FRYING OIL with CORNSTARCH

Have y'all seen Bruce Mitchell's method of cleaning frying oil with corn starch and water? It works, I'm here to tell you it works.

I've used this method in the past.  I didn't have to use it today because it's been two days since I fried the turkey and the little crumbs had settled in the bottom.

I thought it was witchcraft the first time I tried it.  Go slow when pouring the corn starch mixture into that hot oil.  Go real slow.

Leftovers

 Yesterday we focused on leftovers.  That big ham was sliced off the bone. The bone is in the freezer for a pot of beans later this year, the ham will go sandwiches or omelets, or any other recipe where applicable.

The turkey carcass was boiled for stock and the leftover meat will go into a gumbo tomorrow.

The other odd bits will either be eaten or discarded.  One of the grandkids brought a big pot of queso dip.  I'm going to re-heat it in another hour and eat it over fried potatoes.

The weather outside is miserable.  Cold, clammy, rainy, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones.  It is altogether a good day to build a fire.  Those cheese fries are going to taste good later on.  Belle is looking at the weather report, and saying that a venison chili is in our future for Monday.

I see that folks north of us across this great country are having a rather intense winter storm.  As a young man, I lived in the snowy North for three years and snow lost all of its appeal for me.  I'll deal with the oppressive heat of summer, but I don't care if I ever see snow again.

Right now, though, I need to figure out how to save all that cooking oil in the turkey fryer.  I have four gallons to deal with.

Thanksgiving

 The turkey was moist, and the ham was savory.  The yams were sweet, and the cornbread dressing was delicious.  The green bean casserole, excellent. Yeast rolls, or course, with cranberry sauce and assorted desserts.  Let's not forget about the gravy

We fed, by my count, sixteen today.  I have much to be thankful for.  My friends, my family, and the bounty that the Lord has blessed me with. I hope that each of you had a remarkable Thanksgiving. Tomorrow begins the Christmas season.

For myself, I will be sorting thru the debris.  I have to put away the turkey fryer and clean that big pot that I use once a year.  Then Belle and I will eat leftovers. I'll put the turkey carcass in a pot and boil the bones for stock, saving the leftover meat.  This will become a traditional gumbo that I cook each Sunday after Thanksgiving.

It was a very good day and I am relaxing with a bourbon and counting my blessings.

This Factory Ammo

Surfing the intertubes and this video pops up. The guy is griping that factory ammo is not consistent. Imagine that.

This guy asked for recommendations, and I have one word for him.  Handload. For about $200 you can start making better ammo than you can buy. The thing about handloading is that the initial $200 investment turns into $1000 or more. Then you start chasing nodes, and Es and Sd and before long you wonder if you are a shooter who wants good ammo, or a handloader who has to shoot experimental ammo so that you can load it again.  You start chasing bug hole groups and find yourself down rabbit holes.

Don't get me started on making your own bullets.  That rabbit hole is so deep, you will wish you had mining equipment.

When I was running a SWAT team, my marksmen shot Federal God Medal ammo.  It was the most consistent factory ammo we could find. My agency required factory ammo, so we shot Federal Gold Medal.

The ammo companies make good ammo.  It goes bang and will generally do what it is intended to do, but the simple fact remains that theirs is a bulk manufacturing process, and they don't have the time to spend that a good handloader will spend on each round of ammunition. If you want the very ammo for your rifle, you have to build it yourself.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have to prep a turkey.

Accountability

 So this whole kerfuffle over illegal orders has ginned up some controversy.  Senator Mark Kelly and whatshername Slotkin are being called to account for their indiscretion.   As well they should.

Slotkin gave an interview where she claimed that she knew of no illegal orders that the President had given. She acts as if the whole controversy was framed as an educational exercise, to let junior officers and enlisted know that they should check with JAG officers if they the ink an order is illegal.

Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, is in the limelight.  Supposedly, SecWar Hegseth is launching an investigation to see if Kelly violated any portion of the UCMJ by his participation in that video.  Captain Mark Kelly, USN (retired) may soon learn that he has not been relieved of his obligation. He may find himself before a board of his peers to explain himself. An officer might disagree with the President privately, but to do so publicly puts him at risk both criminally and financially.  

I was taught as a young officer that discretion is the better part of valor. You may disagree with your superiors, but you had better be damned sure that you are right, and you must be willing to suffer the consequences of being right.

I recall once that I was given an order that I thought was a bit shaky.  I asked for that order in writing.  When he asked my why, I simply explained that at my Courts-Martial, I could present an affirmative defense. He backed off and modified the order so that it would not conflict with regulation.

There are ways to "buck" an order. YouTube is not the way to do that.