JD_Shellnut

What a great question. I, too, am interested to learn how these look. I must admit that just the idea of Ruger and Marlin together makes me a bit giddy! Part of me thinks, “Oooh perhaps I should try and get one of these ‘1st Generation’ Marlins built by Ruger!”, but then the other part of me says, “Holy Hand Grenades! 1500 bucks! Aaaarrrggghhh!!!” Speaking of Levers, wonder when their prices will return to what they were pre-Rona? I’d really like that to happen. I love to hear from someone that has insight as to why they jumped like they did…I’m truly curious, as I’m totally in the dark. Kudos to you, Gunmagnet! What a great topic!

Man, I thank you for sharing this. He lives on through our memories! Sounds like one helluva character - someone who knew how to have a little fun even! Priceless. Sounds like Mom has lived a full and interesting life as well! I pray that her longevity has been passed to you, my friend. Again, I thank you!

I have a feeling it’s got ZERO to do with disputing the price, and more about phishing for payment details, etc. Here’s a snap of what you see when you manually enter the site address into your browser, minus what’s between the slashes. There’s even a name there. A closer look at the code indicates it was scabbed from a legit site, then prices edited to look more enticing. I hope that’s a BAN that I smell a’cooking

Partner, thank you for sharing that. So powerful and so moving. Just..amazing. Thank you! I’ll be saying prayers for you, every day. God knows your name, and now I know a little of your story.

August 3, 1950 - May 10, 1999. Terry Wayne Morris My Dad passed away on this date, my goodness, 23 years ago. He was only 48 years old. It was in my two arms that he left behind his broken body, and was immediately in the Presence of God. This is my belief. My eyes were full of tears, my heart was full of sorrow, but in my soul…rejoicing! Despite the fact that he was truly my first loved one to go, the significance of the moment was not lost on me. I bent down and whispered into his now deaf ear, “You lucky dawg, you!” You see, I had just watched my Dad suffer terribly over the last three months; he had Pancreatic cancer. It was a terrible ordeal for him, and Dad was never one for suffering, haha. He loathed pain, in any form! He wouldn’t go to the dentist for fear of needles. Same with doctors. I always gave him a ribbing over it, having had so many broken bones as well as multiple surgeries before the age of 20, I was quite well versed with pain, doctors, and needles. I say all this to make a point about my Daddy: he suffered terribly from this dreaded disease! Literally vomiting up his internals, several times per hour…many times so dang weak that all he could do was squeeze my hand, which immediately told me that I needed to pull him up (he was far too weak to do this on his own), and bring the bucket up to his face, holding him by the back of his head so he could vomit again. The man who had always represented strength and life to me was losing his battle. His eyes told me he was tired, so tired of this suffering, but he never complained; not even once! Y’all can’t know what, coming from him, this meant to me! Y’all, forgive me for being so graphic with the description. I promise, though, I didn’t even touch on the worst parts of it. To anyone who may have the same malady today, I want to say that there’s been an exponential improvement in the way this is treated now; never lose hope! I mentioned before that Dad never went to the doctor, and this didn’t help his case at all so far as “catching it early” goes. He knew something was the matter, but chose not to look into the issue until the morning he woke up, went to the bathroom, and noticed that his pasty white complexion was now the color of a glass of Mellow Yellow! Yep, that got him concerned…that got us all concerned! I was sitting in the room with him when his doctor came in there and delivered the terrible news; it’s terminal. Talk about getting kicked in the gut…and that’s just how I felt! I wasn’t close to my dad; never was. I was more of a “Momma’s Boy” (not a fun thing to tell the rest of Tennessee!) growing up, and had a very special affinity for my Grandfather. My Dad used to get so angry with me, saying, “you dig a ditch for your grandfather but won’t even plant a flower for your own father!”, what can I say? He had me pegged. I’m sure he’s had many a laugh from Heaven at my expense; my son is the exact same way with me. I’m saying this for the benefit of anyone reading this that might think it’s too late for them to have a relationship with their loved one….listen to me if this is you - it is never too late to begin! When I came home from taking my dad to the doctor and receiving that terrible news, I had a decision to make. I could choose to continue my life as it was, or I could face the situation and become a man. That fateful day was the day that I became a man. I went to my dad and I asked his forgiveness for the many terrible things I had put him through. I thanked him for his good example that he gave me and for always working hard to provide for his family. Then I asked if he would let me take care of him….if he would let me at least try to be there for him as he was for me. He told me that it need’nt work that way…that it wasn’t my responsibility to care for him the way he cared for me - that as his child I was his responsibility. I saw his point and appreciated what he was saying, but I wanted to be there for him to make up for the absolute lack of appreciation I showed to him in the past. It was three months from the day of that doctor visit until he passed away in his own home, in my own arms. I would not trade anything for that time I had with my Dad, although there are parts of it that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, either! Phew! Thank you, my fellow Tennesseans, for allowing me to unload some of that, and for listening. I still miss my Dad, but the pain is long in the past. I know I’ll see him again in Heaven. I’ve lost many, many loved ones since losing Dad, but no experience in my life, to this point, has even come close to the richness of that which I experienced in those 3 months with my Dad. It’s because of him that, to this very day, I have chosen to NEVER let the sun set on a grudge, to never go to bed angry, and to always, no matter what my pride tells me to do to the opposite, to always forgive when I am wronged, whether it’s asked of me or not. ‘Today, my fellow Tennesseans, I am remembering my Dad, Terry Wayne Morris, may you Rest In Peace, and I’ll see you soon. thanks y’all

Today is the anniversary of the day when I lost my Dad. It’s a significant day to me, for obvious reasons, and some not so obvious. So the thought dawned on me to come here, amongst my fellow Tennesseans, whom I consider family - and that’s whether you’re black, red, yellow, white, young, old, man, woman, child, born here, born elsewhere, democrat, republican, liberal, conservative, atheist, Christian (yes, I always give God at least the respect of capitalization), or somewhere in between….the fact is this is a site for residents of our beloved State of Tennessee to gather. You truly are my brethren (and sis..tren?); my FAMILY. So, perhaps something else that we share in common, bittersweet as it may be, is the fact that we all have lost someone that we love. In the extremely rare case that you’re still young enough not to have, well, just keep on living for a while, and, unfortunately, so will you. I came here, to TGO today, for the express purpose of starting this topic, and I hope that it remains as long as we all do. I want this to be a place for us to come on significant dates in our lives, and remember those precious souls that, in the timeline of world history, yes, is only a vapor, however in our timeline, the impact left on our own person is everything. My fellow Tennesseans, will you honor me with your contributions as the years go by? Will you come to this particular place in the ethereal realm of cyberspace, and let us share in your memories? Will you allow me to grieve with you, laugh with you, share with you? To those who are uncomfortable with this, I say “God Bless You”; not everyone feels the same need to share as others may. There’s absolutely nada, zero, naught, zed, nothing at all wrong with that. No sir. To those of you who are okay with it, just know that (so long as I’m not breaking any type of rules and this thread is allowed to go forward) their memory will live on and on - so long as this record, among others, is here for us to remember them by. I was thinking that I would post something on the anniversary date of my loved one’s passing…such as today, for me. While this is the approach that I choose to take, by no means should this be the only way to proceed, in fact, I’d like to make it clear that there are no rules when it comes to how one chooses to remember their loved ones…..ok? To the Moderators: forgive me if this is already established here elsewhere, and if so, please delete what I’ve tried to do here, and please just PM me with the instructions as to where I should go. I assure you I meant no malice with this posting, but rather, the opposite.

And lead. Lots and lots of lead! And brass, too…and copper. Metal! Metal is our friend. PS I’m sorry. I need sleep. PSS I love 10mm.

Please put my name in the official “Dug” column. Oh Papa like….Papa really like!

Preach on brother!

I could be mistaken (I usually am), but Eray might been referring to the 125gr .357 Sig vs .357 Mag. My clue was the mention of the Glock 32 (.357 sig) going up against the SW 4” .357Mag. This would also explain why he made the point that the projectiles were the same, etc. Regardless, I take full blame for derailing the topic; I have that tendency and, in all honesty, what red blooded Tennessean could resist the bait of “man stopper” and “357 mag” in the same sentence? Not I, said the fly!

Hard to find a more proven man stopper than the tried & true .357 magnum.

Personally, I’ve fired countless 40 short n weak rounds from 4 diff platforms without any type of conversions. I’ve never fired 10mm from a baby Glock, but I’ve fired plenty of hot 200 and 220 grain ammo from underwood, Doubletap, and Tim Sundles’s ammo (why can’t I think of name….help me someone?) and it’s got real thunder behind it. If you have any wrist problems, arthritis, etc I’m the opposite with my recommendations…the heavier the platform the less it’ll try to jump out of your hand! My advice with that 29 would be to start with conventional 180 gr range ammo and see how you like it before you go to the hot stuff because you need time to let your ligaments, tendons, and muscles to adjust to it. It’s really fun but the rounds can be a bit high. I recently sold my next door neighbor, a cop, a Rock Island double stack 10mm…it’s a beast and possibly the only 10mm handgun where you could do more damage pistol whipping than shooting…it’s a chunk when it’s empty and feels like a 20lb dumbbell in your hand when there are 16 rounds in it haha! Anyhow what I told him to do was to grip it like you do a nice trout when you’re trying to get that hook out. If you don’t squeeze the cider out of it the thing’s jump out of your hand on you! Same with Ten Mike Mike! If you limp wrist that firearm, besides never hitting anything you’ll also get FTF problems. When 10mm range ammo gets high, I shoot 180gr 40 since it’s cheap. This is only for reps because it’s not at all the same as 180gr 10mm. I’m not trying to be a granny by any means, but since you’ve not experienced it before I’m just trying to keep things in perspective and also keep you from having a negative experience. The lighter and smaller the firearm, the less mass you have to absorb some of that recoil. The hotter the ammo, the more energy released. Powerful ammo + undersized platform means your wrists, elbows, forearms have to take all that energy. I just didn’t want you to get a poor impression of this fantastic round right off the bat and feel like you had made a bad choice is all. Heck…maybe I am turning into granny? Best of luck and would love it if you came back here with a report of your experience! PS a pic of the Big Rock I referred to

LMAO!!! I was going to say “how can we with the word “her” blocking our best shot of at least catching a glimpse of a squiggly peeking out! ….and yes, before anyone says it, I’m sure there aren’t any, either.

Thanks a lot…now I’ve got milk coming out of my nose

I apologize in advance for my confusion, I’m well aware (and have come to accept) that I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer by any stretch of the imagination, but I was simply referring to the article hyperlink that the OP placed there at the bottom of his post. I thought that was what we were discussing….was this not the case? Certainly won’t be by first mistake since I’ve tried to become a contributing member of some of these interesting discussions! Please feel free to set me straight, sir…or anyone for that matter. Please. I believe that I just do this type of thing pretty often as one of the names I often get called at work is “Trig”. I was told it was due to my tendency to derail a conversation along a tangential arc, and as I work alongside some rather nerdy folk (myself included), I get the name “trig”, as opposed to lefty, slick, baldy, stud muffin, etc.

I just read that article referenced by user Garufa in the opening post. That officer is very fortunate that he wasn’t hurt much worse, don’t you think? I hope they throw the book at them for that madness. Seriously, how insane would you have to be to take off trying to ‘escape’, when the person of whom you’re trying to escape from is in the same vehicle as you are! Don’t get me wrong fellers, growing up I remember my dad driving an LTD where I felt like I was in a different zip code in the back seat from him in the front, but what that gang banger tried was just ridiculous! How some of these officers are able to maintain their wits and discipline during such situations are quick reminders that they’re a cut above someone like myself. My flesh would've quickly got the better of me and, regardless of outcome (I.e. driverless vehicle careening down a mountainside into a river, etc), I think I would’ve at least been tempted to have opened up a third eye socket in this perp. It became pretty clear what the guy was thinking, as I read down a few lines; he wasn’t thinking at all! He was so high he could hockey in a dump truck! Regarding the Detroit connection, I have to agree with the user above…something definitely going on h’yah! I remember reading something or possibly watching something about an enormous gang connection between Atlanta and Detroit several years back. It was highly organized and the amount of weapons, drugs, and money that flowed was staggering…perhaps they have been under so much heat that they’re trying their luck in Knoxville? I was thinking even as far back as when those two young kids were brutally murdered, Christian/Newsome, that there was some kind of Detroit connection with that as well, but I could be mistaken. Regardless, it is undoubtedly a harbinger of greater trouble if something isn’t done to quash it soon - “you gotta nip it…nip it in the bud”!!! Hey, wonder if you can still see Kevin Costner’s Colt from Dances with Wolves at these shows? I’ll never forget how disappointed I was the first time I realized they weren’t talking about his horse!!! Just messing there but that really was a pretty horse.

Pop Pop, I lost my dear Uncle Buddy to Agent Orange, and so I sympathize with you for the fight you’re in. He went with (at the time) an experimental treatment they offered him and he went to Texas and had the treatment. It worked beautifully for him and I want to say that he got six or seven more years out of it, before it came back. At his funeral, I was taken completely off guard by my cousin (Buddy’s son) when he told me that, after going through some kind of testing himself, his DNA had been affected by it as well, but his sister had not! He then told me that his own son was undergoing some blood tests as well, to see if he too had been affected! Terrible, terrible, terrible. I thank you for your service and wish you only the best….…. ahem…and, speaking of The Best, I’m filled with joy at your latest prognosis….Eternal Life! I’ll gladly be your witness, my Brother, that you have indeed “..confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ…” I’ve come to appreciate that Jesus Christ being the One Savior for all Mankind is, by far, the most provable FACT in history. God does not want “blind faith” from any of us as that would be total folly. He told us to “Seek, and ye will Find.” It’s there, for us all. In my early twenties, I had become disgusted with “religion” and, as many of us surely have, I set out to find the truth. I wanted to prove, beyond a shadow of any doubt, and to my everlasting shame I admit here that I was going to disprove the Christian message. The result of this, right at three years later, was me on my knees, crying like a little child, begging the Almighty to forgive my ignorance. I accepted Christ then and there, all alone (or so I thought). From that day over 20 years ago I’ve only found more proof. For me, the dealbreaker came by observing the lives of the Disciples…how they hid in absolute shame and fear after witnessing the Lord Crucified…but then you read about how their lives changed, their superhuman accomplishments, and the real kicker….how they died! If these men conspired to fake the Resurrection of Jesus, what possible benefit could be derived from going willingly and happily to a gruesome martyr’s death? Think about this…you’re a veteran, perhaps you’ve faced the reality of your own demise as you went on a patrol outside the wire? I can tell you from my own experience that, while pretending to be brave, I was literally scared to death! My fear came from the chance of an instant death….not from being crucified upside down or sawed in half by a wooden saw! What one thing could’ve transformed these mortal men, cowardly and jealous of their own lives, into Warriors for God, who went cheerfully to an agonizing death? Perhaps they saw death Conquered? “Oh Death, where is thy sting?” When you realize that Jesus Christ defeated death at the Cross, and that He paid the Ultimate Price for you, me, all who accept Him….well, then my friend, YOU will live again! I, like you, no longer fear my physical demise, but rather look forward to when “He shall wipe away all tears”!!! Yes sir, that’ll preach! Oh, i came here to say that I also carry a .38 snubby on my ankle, as a backup. I alternate weeks with a little Walther PPK/S, but I actually prefer the revolver. I have a real habit of getting off topic when I see Christ mentioned, but I try to eventually come back to the matter at hand hahaha. Bless you, pop pop!

This just isn’t fair. I mean, this is my introductory post! I feel like I’ve literally died, woke up in Heaven, quickly cast my crown at the Feet of the Lord (definitely not the plural, ‘crowns’, actually if I have even a tiara to cast, I’ll be shocked and MOST pleased…and confused lol), and then, skipping all ceremony and formalities, been ushered straight to the “Hall of Interesting, yet Cool, Kindred Souls” , and I’ve been given the seat of honor! Cheesy? Yes indeed, very! I’m known for cheesiness, but also for always speaking from the heart. I feel like a kid in a candy store, with a freshly stolen American Express card….I literally don’t know which of these great posts to answer first! I don’t have the hours in the day available to me where I could honestly do justice with a proper reply…including yours HiPower, hahaha! Forgive me? xtriggerman - you’re my new hero…I’d like to sit down with you and have a real conversation…”off the books”, if I may be so bold. I covet the thought of it, simply for the sheer encouragement that , selfishly, I could glean from it. choatecav - oh the stories you must have to tell! I would absolutely love to hear ANY of them, ANY time! I literally mourn the loss of “Old Blue Light” every single day of my life. I make it a point, sir, every morning to remember him as I raise the Colors anew each morning, and this is no exaggeration. I remain convinced that truly “Great Men”, like our beloved Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, simply no longer exist….although I have to admit that I’m starting to feel hope again now that I’ve found a home here… omchamlin - sir, I thank you for the kind welcome, and for the anecdotes regarding your roots and my current home…haha the ‘flat lander’ comment gave me a hearty chuckle! You’ve heard the expression “you can take the boy out of the trailer park, but you’ll never take the trailer park outta the boy”? We’ve all heard one or two different iterations of this, some much more shall we say ‘colorful’ than others, but you get the idea. In my heart, I believe this is also applicable with ‘mountains’ being the operative word. Your mountain home will always be in your heart, sir! hipower - you, sir, are simply in a league of your own. You’ll have to dumb it down at least three notches when speaking with me, my friend, if you wish for me to understand. You are the first member here that I’ve transacted with, and you have set the bar quite high indeed! I’m continually flabbergasted (love that word) at the realization that there is an abundance of members here who have no problem meeting this incredibly high standard! What can I say except your wisdom and kindness is only equaled by your witty banter and supernatural (in this day and time) integrity, sir. I hope that I do not err when I say that, despite only having a few telephone conversations that I consider you to be a true friend… snaveba - what can I say, sir? You just went on the record (that will literally last as long as the internet does) as being well versed in one of the greatest movies of all time! I love that movie! From spitting ‘backy on that miserable cur hound to giving those red-legs hell to sneaking up on that old Indian to the unforgettable “Missouri Boat Ride” (Lord, I hope that’s what he called it), that is a movie that warms the heart of many a freedom loving man! You, sir, also touched my heart deeply during our Resurrection Sunday topic…back when Pastor Chuck Smith was still here with us (what a tremendous loss to our side when Christ called him Home), I would sometimes catch the west coast live stream of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa and the he would often recite the Blessing from Numbers 6…the same beautiful verses you shared with us on Easter. God Bless you for that, for I needed it! I need it every hour of every day…and I still fail! This should cover everyone who responded that I missed this last go around. If I forgot anyone then forgive me, then post something else and I’ll keep the replies coming as long as people choose to bless me with their posts! I truly am happy with everyone I’ve met so far. Many of y’all I read, and enjoy so very much, although I try to reply only about every fifth time that I feel so inclined, honestly, for fear of wearing out my welcome. That would be horrible, and I pray that never happens. xtriggerman I’d also like the opportunity to hear more of your GP’s war stories…how do you feel about telephone conversations? Not trying to impose, not at all, but I have enjoyed the posts that you’ve shared with me more than you may realize….you have a worldview that is very familiar to me and I’d be dishonest if I did not say that, not only have they enriched my musings, but they have also edified me, as well. I can think of few higher words of praise, and none amongst my fellow man, sir!

Brilliant perfection, sir. Well said indeed. Here’s my question: have we made it to the point where the divide between ourselves and those who believe opposite as we do is so large that it cannot be bridged? Is this country so divided between red and blue that our only recourse is bloodshed? I truly hope it never comes to that, but if so, then so be it. Isn’t it telling though, that liberal ‘ideals’ always oozes forth from large cities? It seems like they just have too much free time and a lack of good, wholesome, hard work to occupy themselves, and the result is meddling on the affairs of others, as if we are just too simple and ignorant to know what’s good for us? My GP (how my Grandfather signed his letters), rest his soul, (and thank God he passed on before seeing the USA become what it is now) used to say, “Had God not meant for mankind to labor, he wouldn’t have dropped Adam & Eve in a garden.” Pet allowances for welfare recipients… I, too, shall end with a quote. Something Ruth Graham said to her husband Billy (speaking of the death of complete ignorance, there are two whom await us in Glory!)…. "Billy, if God doesn't come soon and bring judgment upon the United States, He's going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

Thank you for your kind welcome, sir. I may have been unkind with my comment on Damned Yankees (some of the younger folk may not realize there’s a difference between the two), and, several of the wiser and much, much more seasoned members did well to clarify the point with their replies…and it dawns on me that I should too. I apologize if I was rude, and to generalize an entire population of people by a single term is never a good idea, yet I have done so. I ask forgiveness and beg your pardon, sir. What I should have said, and will go on the record now to say, is that I’m ok with Damned Yankees (not Yankees) who wish to come to Tennessee (or anywhere below Mason-Dixon), so long as they leave their Godless, unchivalrous, pompous, greed driven, hate fueled, anti-American, liberal, sissified, dishonest, and now “woke” way of life/beliefs behind them when they come here, because that ain’t how it’s done here, as you have undoubtedly come to appreciate in your quarter-century plus of living here, sir. That is what I should have said in the first place, and again, I’m only qualified to speak on my feelings, but I can attest right here that I personally have spoken with many, many Tennesseans who feel the exact same way. So many that I’m starting to get confused, really, as to why these Damned Yankees “flee” their despotic home states, where they see the oppressive result of the aforementioned ideals, only to come here to for sanctuary and immediately start trying to push the same garbage on all of us! If this is what they want then they should all go the hell back to where they came from! Unless, of course, they’re coming for the express purpose of making Tennessee just like where they came from, that is. Sir, all ranting aside, I thank you for the nice welcome, I really do. I am truly sorry if I was offensive and admittedly I made a mistake by generalizing. I didn’t come here to make enemies, and I don’t feel for a moment that you see me this way at all, but rather I consider you a friend because you have caused me to better myself, if that makes any sense. I should be more clear with what I write and I’m going to strive to do better. Going back to your post, I agree with you 100% and appreciate you looking to “keep the place as you found it” by moving into a home instead of building. I do understand that people have to put a roof over their head somehow, but I like the ideas that you have on the issue. I believe it to be greed, plain and simple. If there aren’t houses to accommodate all the people pouring into our state, then send them the heck on elsewhere! Seriously, here where I live in Sevierville, you go to the pharmacy to get your medicine and end up standing in line for an hour only to get told they ‘ran out’ of your medicine and to come back tomorrow. You go to the grocery store and all your favorite things have been bought up by someone else. I have the unfortunate circumstance of now living in a neighborhood that has an HOA because a bunch of the imports got together and voted one in! They see my neighborhood as a retirement community because they’ve retired and moved down here…but many of us are still trying to raise a family and they seem to have forgotten all about how hard that can be on your finances. I’m really starting to lose my patience over it. I’m waiting for them to try and tell me to take down the Stars and Bars….that ain’t going to happen.

I just love those big, meaty Colts! Look at it this way, should you happen to miss (an actual snake, not the 2 legged variety), you will have at the very least created a new home for the snake to live inside…..that is, until a family of bears decided to move in! What a beauty you have, sir! I have always wanted one, but can never save the money long enough to get one as I invariably seem to end up buying something else once I have half the money for the Colt! Yours looks well taken care of, I might add.

Amen to that! Certainly a much smaller risk of encountering gang violence there, although I have encountered quite a bit of crack in the deep woods…just about every time I have to hike behind my Uncle Fatty. I’ve begged him to wear suspenders. I grew up on a farm over in Morgan County, and, although it was seriously lacking in the aesthetics department, I found that carrying around a simple over/under .22/.410 combo very handy as a critter gun. I’m not going to profess this will dispatch a wild boar, but it’ll make enough noise to discourage it from hanging around for very long. Ya know, it takes all kinds to make the world go ‘round. I see good points everywhere I look on this forum. Y’all’s some very good folk and I’m just happy to be amongst my fellow Tennesseans. I really can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be!

So that by the act of killing said snakes, they are then rendered into a state of no longer possessing life, thusly transforming them into creatures that, being once alive, are now in all actuality, deceased. Speaking only for myself, one man, yep, that’s really the best I can come up with…I need to kill a snake because that’s the most efficient way to make them dead. With it dead and all, I no longer have to worry about coming up on it…well, you know, alive. Now I realize that snakes keep the mice and the rats killed off, and that’s great…but so do cats. My wife took our kids and stayed with her folks for a whole week back in our fifth year of marriage (many moons ago), and all because she saw a snake in our basement. Big ol sucker too! Now, guess how she reacted when this hungry momma cat showed up at our door? Yep, took it in and fed her - she became part of the family for nearly a decade. We never saw another critter after we got her, either. So, speaking only for me: snake=unhappy wife & unhappy wife=miserable me; whereas: no snake=happy wife & happy wife=very happy me PS I was just having fun there at the first, I really hope it’s as obvious for those who read it as it was to me when I wrote it, but this doesn’t always manifest itself as clearly as I would like sometimes, due both to my overall lack of skill as a writer and the loss of inflection and tone that can change everything when speaking. I was going for a laugh there…the rest was the complete truth as I lived it.

I would part with some from my tub o’ backup mags (unopened) of my backup mags (opened). Thing is, I ain’t really close to ya… I’m on break so check you back later if interested friend.

Thank you AJ, sir, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to be among so many like-minded individuals. I wish I had acknowledged this kind welcome message much sooner than now, as it truly is an encouragement and a delight to receive them! Please understand that I’ve become a victim of my own overzealousness with trying to get underway as a participant - haha as a result I find that I can’t remember which places I’ve made posts!