peejman

The Daisy powerline models at the big box store are perfectly fine for a kid. Plenty accurate. You can move up to competition rifles that'll put 5 shots in the same hole. The 4H teams use the Daisy 499 and 599.

Statistically, you're correct. Much more likely to die in a car wreck, from medical malpractice, or a long list of other things before we get to being shot. Talk with your clergy about the type of folks who they interact with regularly. I'd be really surprised if there's no one who's imbalanced to the point of being a little frightening. Ask them how many couples they're counseling. My previous pastor had some pretty wild stories (no names of course) about folks he tried to help over the years. Crazy people do crazy things. Churches are becoming more common targets. I'm not that hyper vigilant wannabe cop wearing my 511 pants, 9 line hat, and a fishing vest to church. But to Greg's point, I'm not gonna just lay down either. If I've got skills that can defend others, I don’t want to be asked to explain why I didn't try.

Ignorance is bliss. Reality is scary. If you stay willfully ignorant of the scary, it can't get you. Our church of 500-ish people and about 5 acres employs a single off duty cop for services and events. He sits in his car most of the time, walks around inside occasionally. Nice guy, but its just security theater.

I'll take it.

This is Shadow, aka the galloping goober. 100lbs of dumb. He'll be 4 on Valentines day. His dad is a black lab and mom is a boutique big terrier. Their owners (friends from kids' school) didn't think mom was old enough yet and went on vacation. He has 12 siblings.

Do they still have inventory? Stories were that CMP had mostly dried up, which was the reason why prices jumped 50% or more in the last few years.

In...

They winter at the Hiawassee wildlife refuge near Cleveland.

Photog bags are like bugout bags and hiking packs. People get one that's way too big then think they need to fill it up. It ends up so dang heavy that you're exhausted after the first mile. Depends a lot on what you plan to do, but a body, 2 lenses, flash, and pocket or two for cards batteries, and tools is probably enough.

I've used those cerakote kits from Walmart on both cars. For best results, sand it first. I wet sand with 400, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, then plastic polish with a drill buffing pad. Takes maybe 20 minutes per light by hand. Then I use the chemical wipe kit. And I still see some oxidation removed with the wipe. If you don't sand first, they'll re-glaze over in less than a year. That's what happened with my wife's car anyway. After sanding, it's been several years and they're still clear.

Find a used one or build it from parts. Get a fully assembled upper and build the rest. Took me an hour for my first rifle, and that includes 3 tries to get the trigger right. There's really nothing that can't be fixed or changed to suit your fancy.

Try rucking... walk fast wearing a weighted pack. No need to get crazy with the weight, 30lbs is plenty to start with. I cut up some cardboard to keep my dumbells from wearing holes in my pack. I should probably get back to doing that more often...

I didn't say it very well, but this is mostly what meant. Level out your daily calories and dial back the cardio. The cheat day or even 1 meal is good for your soul. Keep at the weight training but understand you're not 19 anymore and big weights can lead to big pains. I decided I needed to improve my bench. A couple over-enthusiastic workouts later, it took a year for my shoulder to heal. Being the smart guy I am, I then decided I should get better at pull-ups. It took another year for the tendinitis to stop feeling like a knife in my forearm every time I shook hands. Time under tension is the thing.

Your calorie requirements drop as you lose weight. The lighter you get, the lower your maintenance calories are. I'd dial back the cardio a bit and reduce a couple hundred calories per day. That said, I sure wish I could lose 20 lbs. My excuses are too much stress and not enough time.

Still is for my boys.

If he goes along regularly, probably should get him a helmet that fits. That one is way too big.

Jesus said it very similarly...

I agree with blackjack oak. Maybe sassafras.

Y'all have suggestions? Our house could use some levity these days. My wife would likely say I'm the least funny person she knows.

If Jack or Dickel were the only choices, I'd drink rum. Dickel is better than Jack, but that's a pretty low hurdle. There's so much reasonably priced and good tasting whisky available now, I don't know why anyone drinks Jack Daniels. Gentleman Jack is fine, but regular Jack just isn't good. Knob Creek, Elijah Craig, Bushmills, Makers Mark, Angels Envy, 4 Roses, etc.. You don't even have to get into to more boutique stuff like Bulliet or Blantons. Heck, even Turkey or Crown is better than Jack.

To the range rental counter....

I really enjoy golf but don't get to play much these days. I played competitively in high school. We had a membership at Creeks Bend in Chattanooga. I'd play 90 holes/week in the summer, got my handicap down around 4. That was a long time ago. Now with 2 boys who want to come along, makes it an expensive hobby. My budget can't handle $150 for an afternoon very often. The utter lack of reasonable youth rates is very disappointing. The par 3 courses are the only ones I've found that are affordable. I tried to play 9 holes about once a month with a few guys at my old job. Haven't found anyone at the new job yet. The dog likes it when I hit the tennis ball across the yard with my 7 iron.

Double tap

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/10/18/dead-body-mistaken-for-halloween-prop-north-carolina