Smartie's Bar & Grill #69

That looks more like Espresso
But beware as in the movie - The Freshman - with Marlon and
servile Matthew Broderick.As Brando's character { some kind of
aged Mob boss with a rather spunky & pert Daughter } who
explains { in yer typical mobster little club tucked out of sight
but in plain view } how to drink Espresso.
Lots sugar.

 

Believe it or not it is sunny and dry today not a cloud in the sky. You could say it is a gorgeous day till you see all the damage.

 

You bettcha.

 

Lots of sugar.....I'll pass, I only need one to pour the coffee. <<<<< said that Like Marlon Brando in the Godfather.

 

Florida has very strict building codes after this hurricane they will probably tighten them up a bit more. Hurricanes usually have an influence on the way structures are built.

 

For me, morning is evening and vice versa.

I was going to bed. I needed a shot of booze to help me relax.

My duty weapons at work are a 12 gauge shotgun and a 45 ACP.

 

Just woke after a deep relaxing 8 hours of sleep from 7 a.m. to 3 pm.

Now I'm hungry. The oatmeal 9 hours ago is fully digested.

So for breakfast/supper I am now having:

- chicken vegie tortilla soup

- grapefruit Fresca to wash it down with.

For me, evening is morning.

The chicken is leftover KFC from last night before my graveyard shift. I saved a breast and a thigh. Today they went into the soup.

I have tons of frozen vegies in the little freezer over the fridge (not to be confused with the big chest freezer in the hallway) so I mix these and repackage them. They include mixed Asian stir fry, okra, and asparagus.

The tortillas are fresh flour tortillas that I got at the store very recently. These taste very good in soup. You just take them out of the package and cut them into bite sized pieces. The taste is somewhere between a noodle and a wonton.

I made 2 servings, one for now and another for supper tonight.

Today is my Friday. I have the next 3 days off.

But no booze for me today. I need to get my gear ready for my second elk hunt of the season tomorrow morning. And that requires a sober head.

 

"I need to get my gear ready for my second elk hunt of the season tomorrow morning."

Hmm...

I don't remember the first. Was that when you saw the moose and the deer? I thought that was a scout trip.

 

Yup that was the morning of the first day of elk hunting last weekend.

Friday was a scouting day.

Saturday was a hunting day. Saw the moose and buck on Saturday.

Had to go back to work on Sunday.

I work Sundays thru Wednesdays and have Thursdays thru Saturdays off.

That's why today is my Friday.

 

You gonna do the same routine this weekend?

Same area? Different area?

 

Sitting at the airport, waiting to hop on a plane to get home. In the meantime, I'm having one of the Murphy's Irish Stout. Cheers.

 

Spent my day off at a Mexican restaurant yesterday. They had a full bar there, so I sampled a bunch of tequilas that I'd never heard of.

 

Interesting. I'm only aware of the Don Julio kind. Admittedly, I'm not very "cultured" when it comes to tequila.

 

Just don't ask me to name them. I just pointed at the coolest looking bottles.

 

*Shrug* I come here to "relax" and unwind. If I wanted to "bitch" and "moan" I would go back to the political sections of the board.

 

Watching Texas Chainsaw 3D. Sure makes us Texans look bad.

 

Okra! My mom used to make it sort of ratatouille style. I could never get past the texture.

Enjoy your hunt.

 

Fresh okra is available in any Asian market. I like it fried in oil with sea salt and ground black pepper.

I also have pickled okra for sandwiches.

And of course frozen okra for soups.

 

Same area yes.

I don't give up on an area just because I did not find what I was looking for there last time.

The elk move around. They could be anywhere.

 

Oh-dark-thirty.

When I was in the military that meant the darkness just before first light. And first light is when the horizon gets a light blue glow signaling that the Sun is on its way for another glorious day.

The G/I Joes Sailor Boyz and Jarheads now call Oh-dark-thirty something else chiefly because of the War In Afghanistan. But for me Oh-dark-thirty has not changed.

I am up now at Oh-dark-thirty to get ready for a hunting trip. My dad taught me to get up this early to get to the lake for a fishing trip. I remember him getting me out of bed, getting me dressed, and putting me in the back seat of his car so I could keep sleeping there as a little kid/kit/kiddo while he continued to load the fishing gear and make breakfast. My mom and sisters would still be asleep in bed.

Oh-dark-thirty is a guy thing. Guys get up at Oh-dark-thirty to do stuff.

First thing, now, for me as always is feed the cat. He is already up as always. Today I spooned out two rows of meat onto his plate so it would last him all day long while I am gone. He ate some and then went back to sleep.

Second thing is make the coffee. I use and old fashioned one pint coffee pot on the stovetop for a breakfast brew of something out of a package from Starbucks. I also put the extra into a travelling mug for my car. This keeps me away during the long drive between Oh-dark-thirty and first light. I don't drink coffee every morning nor even every day -- just on days like this when I get up at Oh-dark-thirty and then hit the road.

Third thing is make a few sandwiches for the day and pack a small ice chest with food and drinks. I like roast beef on flour tortilla wraps with bbq sauce and pickled okra. Eventually when I get hungry on the road I will start eating these and have another every few hours so that I am not hungry when I concentrate on hunting rather than eating.

The fourth thing is load the Jeep. The ice chest goes in empty first. Then ice from the big chest freezer goes into it. Then everything else goes into it. Last of all my loaded but not yet chambered rifle goes into it.

The fifth thing is get cleaned up and dressed. I wear my same 45ACP for self defense while hunting as I do on the job while guarding people and places during the week. I can draw quickly and shoot accurately if need be. There are 2 legged predators out there as well as 4 legged ones. I have run into each a time or two in the past. The 2 legged ones are robbers and thieves usually. The 4 legged ones are usually mountain lions. The lions can be most easily spotted with a very bright flashlight. Their big eyes glow red in the night. If you spot them they usually go away without bothering you. The last one I spotted like that was watching me from behind a post. When I lit up his eyes with my flashlight, he got up, stretched, scratched the post, and then pi ss ed on it, and he then walked away in the opposite direction. He was telling me not to cross his line in the sand. Otherwise he left me alone.

Finally, a prayer to the hunting Gods, and then go.

The hunting Gods must always be supplicated for safety and success and generally for thanksgiving that I am still able to hunt in my now old age. I have friends who are not as lucky. I still have all my fingers and toes and everything else. And the PTSD is mild for me -- just an occasional nightmare now and again. So everything I learned from Uncle Sam about hunting when he/they taught me how to hunt the enemy in their troop movements of squads, platoons, companies and battalions also applies to hunting my favorite game -- elk and deer and wild pigs. The wild animals are smarter though. People are usually noisy and make a lot of noise, and their cooking fires and tobacco are easy to spot.

Today I am hunting elk. I may or may not find any, but the hunt will be thrilling and fun.

This is the oldest profession in the world for men -- hunting.

I'm taking all you beloved computer nerds through this so you can experience it vicariously.

Good luck and good hunting to everyone who is hunting today!

 

Everything worth doing right requires a list.

Here is my list for elk hunting:


ELK HUNTING LIST


Feed the kitty 2 lines of food for the day.

Morning prayer.

Coffee for here and to go into the jeep.

Pack food for the day and into the jeep.

Ice chest to the jeep.

Ice to the ice chest.


Backpack with game bags and knives and a filled water bottle to the jeep.

Orange vest over backpack.

Extra water bottle to the jeep.

Extra surveyor tape into backpack.

Trail TP into backpack.

Extra tap water jugs to the jeep.

TP and paper towels to the jeep.


Maps & compass to the jeep.


Wear:


Skivis & double sox

Cargo pants

Camo shirt

Boots

Combat belt

Gunbelt

Pistol

Rifle ammo pouch

Pepper spray pouch & spray

Flashlight pouch & light

Holster

Lighter

Surveyor tape

Compass around neck

Keys around neck

Jack knife

Wallet with trail payment cash

Hunting license and game tags

Hankee

Cell phone

Binos and spotting scope

Tripod and hiking bino stick

Rifle loaded

 

Don't forget the spiked heels......they are part of the uniform ya knows.

 

Alright people of the Strange Brews.....looks like winter is fast approaching. 32 degrees here, not counting any wind.

The thrill is gone, uhm I mean the summer and fall. Women will be layering up and looking like polar bears. It gets worse. No women will be out in heels.

Did I mention I hate winter?