Now, I was in the U. S. Navy, but Damsel and I immediately liked this version of the “never mind the dog . . .” window placard. Never knew a Marine we didn’t like – except for maybe some like Jack Murtha.
November 2007
Opossum
I set the small animal trap to try and catch the squirrel that gets in Damsel’s garden and raids the bird feeders. Then this little ‘possum wandered in much to it’s dismay. Not to worry, though, it got released back into the “urban wild” shortly afterwards.
Image courtesy Damsel. Click image for hi-res.
Opossums are probably more beneficial than they are destructive in urban areas. Consider this description from the National Opossum Society:
Opossums help to maintain a clean and healthy environment. They eat all types of insects, including cockroaches, crickets, beetles, et cetera. They catch and eat rats, roof rats, mice, and they consume dead animals of all types (carrion). They like over-ripe fruit, berries, and grapes. And they think snails and slugs are a delicacy! Nature’s little Sanitation Engineers!!
Typically they go about their quiet task late at night, and you usually won’t know they were around…unless your dog (being territorial) starts barking, or you happen to take a midnight stroll when one is munching insects or snails in your yard.
Polishing The Jewels
We’re still in the break-in of Damsel’s Para Ordinance Warthog .45 ACP pistol, so we don’t quite have the final report as of yet. The pistol seems to be taking a bit longer to get used to, since it has been finicky about feeding rounds into the chamber. There is also more lubrication and wiping off the excess involved.
Damsel considers the chore to be like polishing up her jewelry. Click on the image for a closer look.
Blackfive
No, it’s not about the popular milblog Blackfive. It’s our five black guns lined up for a group photo. Top to bottom, left to right, (ignoring the magazines) they are: Remington 870 Express Synthetic 12 gauge 6+1 shotgun, Glock 30 .45ACP 10+1 pistol, Smith & Wesson 442 .38 special 5-shot revolver, Smith & Wesson 908 9mm 8+1 pistol and Glock 26 9mm 10+1 pistol.
One of our comrades-in-arms, The Wandering Minstrel, has started his own blog to address (mostly) second amendment topics. We have added a link on our second-amendment blogroll.
Damsel’s Diner
Welcome to Damsel’s Diner. Over the weekend, we indulged ourselves by preparing this delicious blue-plate special: chicken-fried steaks with mashed taters and country-style green beans – served with a frosty mug of winter lager.
Although the meal seems a bit waistline-unfriendly, we did clean up the fat act somewhat. Damsel fried up the steaks in light oil in a pan (rather than deep-fried) and low or no-fat dairy products were used to prepare the mashed taters and gravy. The green beans were accented with onions, garlic and bacon bits. By the way, we used fresh-picked green beans that are still growing in Damsel’s garden.
Click on the image to enlarge.
A Special WWII Veteran
On this Veterans Day of 2007, in addition to thanking all the veterans for their service, we wanted to recognize a special veteran, David Tallichet Jr. who recently passed away here in Southern California.
Image right: Proud Bird Restaurant – click for large view.
Tallichet flew 20 missions over Europe in the second world war, and then came to California where he became a successful restauranteer and entrepreneur. He was best known for his Proud Bird Restaurant located right next to the final approach path at LAX. David also established Ports O’ Call Village in San Pedro, California, which is a nautical-themed collection of restaurants and shops.
Image courtesy 100th Bomb Group – Milton Alvo crew. Standing (left to right): Walter M. Gibson, Jr., Milton Alvo, David C. Tallichet II and Donald E. Israel, Kneeling: George I. Murray, Boleslaw V. Bitel, Farrell J. Davis, Woodrow W. Wilson and Leonard G. Woodruff. Click on the image for close-up view.
Read the complete article about the life of David C Tallichet, II, from the South Bay Daily Breeze:
Happy Birthday USMC
Damsel wore this T-shirt all day in honor of the birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi guys!
