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Here's a pretty good hero from the TN flooding: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sky-chopper-pilot-fiancee-saved-17-flood-79673384?cid=clicksource_4380645_3_heads_hero_live_headlines_hed

You don't walk away from the poker table when you're winning

A biophysicist told me that trying to block viruses with a mask is like trying to block mosquitoes with a chain link fence. Size matters!

Where are the memories of the virus ending after the election?

Chopper pilots won my hero rating in 'Nam. Still do.

While it’s an interesting and surprising bit of news, not really seeing this being a fruitful thread.

@Erik88 hoping your Dad's COVID experience is only an inconvenience.

Hope all goes well there for you guys.

I will. Underneath the Fox sensationalism there is the reality that insurance companies cannot bear the expense of covid treatment forever. The best medical care in the world () comes at a cost and that cost is astronomical. And you still have a good chance of dying.

A good first step would be to stop putting these folks back on the streets.

Been a while since I've been on here. Maybe 10 years or more. The older members and Forum owner will remember the event below. This was a t-shirt made for the event that was sold on here. Good to be back.

Ya'll, I went over there today to help out. An old college friend pastors a church there now. I flooded in 2010 in Nashville. . . This is so much worse. Or maybe because I was so focused on my own house in 2010 that I didn't see the big picture then. Shoot....folks were cooking great lunches at the entrance to my neighborhood in 2010 and I didn't know about it until a month later. I was nothing but rear-end and elbows in my house from sunup to midnight for weeks. I know some people in Nashville had a lot of water flowing through their homes, but most of us experienced a slow rise and then fall. These people had a river dropped on them. Houses (real houses...not just mobile homes) lifted off the foundations and sent down the street before hitting something big enough to stop them. Masonry walls blown out the backside of homes and business and churches. Businesses the local community relies on for daily needs, wiped out. The cars stacked up, overturned, and rolled over. Independent local businesses, and thus livelihoods, destroyed alongside the homes of the people who run those businesses. It's hard to find someone who didn't know someone who lost their life in this mess. The whole town is incredibly heartbreaking. They have a crap-ton of supplies. We laughed that they'll have enough bottled water to refill the city swimming pool and enough Huggies for the next 3 generations. What they need is what people always need after disasters . . . people with strong backs willing to get dirty. If you have the ability and willingness to go, PM me and I can connect you with a local church there doing the dirty work. Note that at this point, the water in some of these houses has been standing for a week+ of 90F+ weather. Nasty stuff is starting to grow in the ones that haven't been gutted. Please wear your masks, gloves, and eye-protection inside any home. If you can stand a full Tyvek suit in this heat, it wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't know how much longer they'll be there, but nurses were giving Tetanus and Hepatitis A&B vaccines today at the Waverly First Baptist Church. Get the tetanus shot for sure if you haven't had one in the last 10 years. Hep A&B should only be needed for folks who had contact with flood waters, but sewage backed up into many of these homes so it may not be a bad idea either.

Whatever makes you feel better, homes.

AJ, of all the things someone can do for another prayer is the highest on the list. God's plans are higher than our plans. Isaiah 55:8-9. Glad to hear the good news about your bride. Prayers will continue.

Yep. And now trying to force those very same vaccines on kids. They really don't believe people have memories. I guess some don't.

Skunks are quite harmless and let you know when they are around. The only thing to fear is if your dog gets sprayed. Otherwise, I am very happy with them because they will seek out and destroy yellow jacket nests amongst other positive things. Le Pew

I'm in Biloxi right now at the hospital, Sharon is not quite ready to travel yet. Sunny with cloud cover due south into the gulf (she has a room with a view)

Welcome to 2021. . it pretty much sucks. . .

I've had an original LCP for years. I often carry it as a backup for my primary carry. It has more value as a bug than the few dollars it would sell for.

Shouldn't be a surprise to we TN natives. We prove it time & time again. The Nashville flood was a perfect example of the community helping after a disaster. Tornado damage is another one. This is true for all over the South, IMO.

They will never reach those real results with the second amendment in place. So instead, they are a constant pain in our asses. In my case, they lose my support for EVERY one of their issues. Some would probably gain my support if they hadn't declared themselves my mortal enemy. My goal is to keep ANY of them from getting elected to ANYTHING. They really are trying to shoot the wrong horse.

No one is blocking virus. They are blocking spit and other things projected out of your mouth and nose with virus in them.

In reality, 1/2 the population wouldn't last 3 months without electricity and bottled water. My wife and I have 5 kids in the house. I'm going to feed them one way or another. I've got about 6 months of food give or take at any given time. My Wife takes care of that. She is also in the medical field and can perform minor surgery. We have spring water on the property and grow food. Two of us are accomplished long range shooters. One is a damn good mid-range shooter (600 and in). One is in training. The problem is meds. I have a Daughter that need them to survive. We only get them once a month. The first thing I'd have to do it hit the pharmacy and the veterinarian. Fighting the guys that want painkillers would be an issue. It would only be a stopgap for her. Once the meds run out her time is up, but I'd have to do it. No choice. Security is the next issue. I have a house on a hill. Everyone has to come up hill from all directions. The house can not be seen from the road, but I do have a long driveway. I have a pretty good way of making that inaccessible though. All the people near by would be helpful at first, but wonder how the road got blocked. I make sure I have multiple ways to make power so i can charge batteries for things that will help keep us safe. For an emp, I keep equipment that will allow me to convert a vehicle. If all else fails,....... I'd be a bad guy. Plan and simple. My family comes first. Everything and everyone else is a resource. No one really says that, but most believe it in the back of their mind. However it would be the last resort for me and we'd have to be starving.

GREAT! That's what saved your least favorite president's bacon. Like Mac said, it's THE thing.

I don't know about including gun control in those topics, xsub. The very word control implies that they want to force something on someone, so I think gun control is in its own pathetic league. Btw, I too miss the political threads.

I started to respond to this when it was first posted but decided to wait and choose my words carefully so I wouldn't get banned ( Also joking ) I too, wish we could just discuss things. But I believe that any serious topic which has two drastically different opinions will eventually lead to put-downs, finger pointing and name calling. I also believe that every person has a right to their opinion and the right to express it ( just my opinion ). My problem is with those who believe that their opinion is the only one that is right or the only one that matters and has this overwhelming compulsion to prove their point. The Covid test/vaccines/masks, abortion and even gun control are examples of these types of topics. Everyone has an opinion and all the pushing, name calling and derogatory remarks are not going to change their minds. Gun control is a good example since most of us, at least I hope so, are on the same side. I don't understand the reasoning of the gun control people but they probably have no doubt that their way of thinking is right. I do though, have respect for their right to their beliefs and long as they don't try to push their way of thinking on me I have no problem with them. The same with any other subject, if your opinion is different than mine, I'm not going to try to change your mind or argue with you but will just let it slide because it's just not that important to me. I just might be the only one here that misses the political threads. Not because of the name calling and all of that but it helped present a picture of a persons personality. Seeing how they responded to different statements or situations said a lot about a person. Just from those threads I could most likely figure out who I could befriend and those I wouldn't trust very far. Well.....if I get banned, it's been fun.

He definitely has COVID and his doc gave him that antibody infusion today thankfully. I didn't even know about this treatment until he mentioned it.

He has heart disease and some other issues that they haven't figured out. He's only 64 though. Young enough to help with drywall. We both hurt the next day.

Ohhhhhhh my........ The hives are in full flow right now! It was too hot to do any real harvesting today, but she collected 4 frames to make some room & harvested 11 pints of honey! We have around 30 more frames to harvest next weekend. VID_86300520_063544_247.mp4

Not gonna lie, .380 is hard to come by. Not sure anyone is making it in the US at the moment. They are too busy cranking out 9mm. I still catch .22 on sale at Walmart. It's usually Federal AutoMatch, for $17.99 for 325 rounds.

Newsom+CA courts = freedom

Short memories we have.

Can someone give me an example of gun violence? I know what violence with a gun is. Someone can be violent with a gun, but gun violence is implying the gun acting on it's own and that I have never seen or heard of.

Maybe they will come up with a vaccine to cure gun violence.

Need to keep those truck windows rolled up, bud, LOL

Lincoln Michigan State Police Car

If y’all would start driving electric cars and stop farting this wouldn’t happen any more.

For almost everyone, bugging in is going to be better than bugging out. Even city-dwellers are usually going to be better off staying put. You know the area and have some semblance of a support structure through neighbors. Plus survival gear and all the crap you get stored up is hard to move and harder to defend on the move. That's not to say that the time to "git out" wouldn't come, but it probably shouldn't be most folk's first option. Remember that those hills and mountains everyone plans to run to already have people living there who likely won't take too kindly to a horde of newcomers. For bugging in plans - the best place to start is in your own home and pantry. Also start small. Don't try to plan for the end of the world if you can't get through 3 days without electricity. This is a gun forum, so I'll assume you have security covered. For food, the trick is to get a rotation going. Storing 500 cans of SPAM when you don't eat SPAM is just going to end up with 500 old cans of SPAM when disaster never strikes. Likewise 500 cans of hard red winter wheat from the local LDS cannery won't do you any good if you don't know how to prepare it. Instead look at what you actually eat, especially shelf-stable items like canned & jarred goods and pasta. Then start building up that supply. e.g. Instead of having 2 or 3 boxes of spaghetti on hand, maybe you get 10 or 20 to start with. As you use a few boxes, buy some to replace them and put the new ones at the back of the pile. A vacuum sealer (like FoodSaver) is also a good thing to get started with. You can buy some items in bulk like rice and divide it into smaller bags you seal up. That's a good place to start. Then you can start looking at the more extreme things like MREs, mylar bags with O2 absorbers, and those cans of hard red winter wheat. For non-food, think about what you'd need for an extended camping trip and start there. Proper clothing and footwear for everyone. Tools and skills to make a fire. A good first aid kit and knowledge of how to use it (you probably don't need an AED, but something more than Band-Aids is a good idea) Some emergency "space" blankets. Street and topography maps of the area, a compass, and knowing how to use them. Flashlights/headlamps and extra batteries. Maybe a solar charger for small electronics like one from GoalZero. A hand-cranked water filter or something like the Sawyer mini filters. A camp stove and fuel. Or if you have a propane grill, keep an extra tank on hand. An extra bag or two of charcoal. Do some thinking about bugging out too if the time comes. Ask questions like where would you go? Would you be welcomed there? How would you get there? Are there bridges or other features that make a funnel for thieves or worse? Can you avoid those points? Can you plan multiple routes? How much fuel do you need to make the journey? As for your questions: Canning: Yes, a pressure canner can be used for pretty much anything. A water bath process should only be used for high-acid foods like fruits and some veg but never for meat. Most (all?) the info in the Ball canning book is also on their website: https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning.html Hunting: TWRA Hunter ed site: https://www.tn.gov/twra/hunting/hunter-education.html Water: Water is going to be a challenge for most of us. Few people have the ability to store large quantities safely. Instead, look at what you need to get through a normal disruption for a few days or a week, then plan on a way to replenish the supply. Again, start small. I always have a few cases of bottled water on hand that we cycle through, plus I have a couple of Aquatainers for camping that I keep full year-round at the house. That's enough for just me and my wife for any normal disruption to service, plus we'll have the water heater and toilet tanks too for anything a little longer if we can't drive out to get more. For a true TEOTWAWKI, we'll have to make it up a bit as we go along. I'm a camper so I have water filtration and UV devices and there's a river 1/4 mile from the house. Schlepping water up from there won't be fun, but it's doable. A hand truck or wagon will help. If you can have a well dug, that's the best long-term supply. A pump can be solar powered or you can get a hand pump. Another option some people do a rain water catchment system using rain barrels or the big plastic cubes. This water MUST be filtered/treated. Generator: For sizing a generator you need to decide what you want to power with it, how long you want to run it, where you'll be running it, and what kind of fuel you want to store. Start with sizing. Kw Size: A small 2Kw generator is plenty for a few lights (esp. LED bulbs), a TV, computer, and a fridge. You'll need bigger if you plan to power your HVAC, microwave, electric stove, electric water heater, clothes dryer, etc. Look at the labels on each one and it will show you the power required. Add up all the ones you'd want to run AT THE SAME TIME and that's your requirement. Note that generators are sold with labels of their peak output, not running steady output. Physical size: Portability and storage should be considered. They'll range from ~25lbs and the size of a large cantaloupe for a 1Kw up to tractor-trailer-sized for the big industrial ones. I have a Honda EU6500 that's easy to wheel around the garage, but at 253 lbs. without fuel, it's a struggle for 2 capable men to put in a pickup truck if I have to take it anywhere. If I had it to do over (and I may still do it) I'd get a ~50 lb. 2Kw set like a Generac iQ or Honda EU2000 or EU2200 and maybe get a second one capable of being tethered together to do ~4Kw. Noise: May or may not be a concern for you. If you're on a 100 acre farm, you can worry about the noise less than if you're in a tightly packed neighborhood. Inverter generators are quieter and safer for sensitive electronics. Honda's EU series has been the gold standard for a very long time, but gennys from Yamaha and the new iQ line from Generac are every bit their equal at a lower cost. You'll find more support for Honda though because there are so many. Fuel: Gasoline is the easiest, especially on the smaller-sized gennys but it's harder to store a lot of it without it going bad. If you have natural gas or propane at your house, you can find tri-fuel gennys or conversion kits for the most popular brands like Honda. Propane and natural gas burn cleaner than gasoline so less maintenance/gummed up carbs, but they're also hotter and some gennys can't take it. You'll find lots of genny advice on RV forums. The big gennys usually run on diesel. I haven't seen any small home-owner grade ones running on diesel. Don't forget to have a heavy chain and good lock to secure it. Get some of those basics down, then you'll start thinking about longer term stuff like gardening, coordinating with nearby like-minded friends & neighbors, and communications (HAM radio is still a thing . . . It's kind of like hunting - no license needed if there ain't no government left ). Then you may or may not move on to the more dedicated prepper world like bunkers, hydroponics, aquaculture, etc. But that's only for kooks . . . . until it isn't. Something often overlooked in our consumer-driven world is skills vs. supplies. If King Monkeylizard the Great of Fortress Apocalypto has to choose between letting in an empty handed but skilled engineer or letting in a doofus with a truck load toilet paper, well....let's just say I'll have a good engineer and a lot of toilet paper. We like to think we can buy a bucket of food from Wise, stick it in the closet, and "hooray! we're safe from Zombies!". Think about the kinds of skills that would be useful and start trying to learn them, and use them as a way of life if possible. It doesn't have to be the end of mankind for those skills to payoff. Maybe learn to reload ammo. Canning is a good skill and you get to have healthier food for your family year round. Knowing how to wire up solar panels and batteries is useful and something you may be able to use on a mission trip or something. Make some new friends in the amateur radio world. Know how to repair a car. Medical skills are always useful.

Pulled the last of my honey frames on Wednesday. Got another 72ish lbs (6 gal). This honey is darker with less of a floral tone, more “full bodied”.

I didn't mean you. But I would reconcile with what TGO David's doc told him. If that immunity is gonna wane, I would rather get a booster shot than die of this nasty stuff. There is a huge bunch of folks in your boat.

And TWRA will arrest him and confiscate his truck if they catch him doing that. Transporting wildlife without a permit is illegal.

Welcome back. That was a fun day.

It has been the existing policy to deny gun purchase if any alcohol related conviction has occurred in the last year, like PD or DUI. This has been a fairly long standing policy based on TCA 39-17-1316(a)(1), and to my knowledge has not changed. Still in the TBI Guide for FFLs publication, page 5: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjLnaeL58fxAhUem2oFHXgGBPkQFnoECAYQAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tn.gov%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Ftn%2Ftbi%2Fdocuments%2FFFL_TN_Guide_2016.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0jVNBiW3WJv96fbhGNenjl - OS

The extractor is a funny story. About 2.5 years ago, my dad and a couple friends went in on a 9-frame motor driven extractor instead of the old hand crank 4-frame they were using. I don’t recall where they were getting it, but when my dad went to pick it up, they could not find the 9-frame unit (that was on sale). The guy let them grab get a 15-frame unit instead. When they got home and unpacked it, it was a 21-frame unit. Deal of the century. I think they paid like $600.