Dennis1209

It was a very shiny deep black, as if it just shed its skin. It had opaque whitish markings along its sides and back that would be hard to describe the pattern. I have a pretty good wild life book to identify snakes but, you just about have to pick up the critter to positively identify it from belly markings, etc. Best I can say is, I know what it's not, so that leaves open about three species it could be. This year I've seen some pretty neat snakes on my property that I did identify. A ring neck snake, a rough scale green snake and a racer.

I don't know how else to say it but, you are responsible for your own immediate protection. Do everything possible to protect you and yours.

This evening I was barbecuing by myself in the gravel driveway. I was constantly going in and outdoors for this and that. One of the times I went out to check on it, I was about 6 feets from the grill checking to see if it needed turned over. Out of the corner of my eye I see something. It is slithering by me about two feet away. It is stopping every six inches or so and looking at me, as to say, "Howdy neighbor"? It was a snake about three feet long. I immediately identified it as a non-poisonous snake, as it's head was not a big triangle and it's eyes were round and not slitted. I have never seen a pattern on the back of a snake like this, it was beautiful. Not being a snake expert, my best guess it is a Rat Snake or Chicken snake? Being new to the country, my wife wants me to kill every single snake around here. She is very afraid of them. Well, I can understand her fear of snakes, as many people fear them and consider them vermin. I have talked to her many times about the benefit of snakes, and they are not of the "Adam & Eve" variety. Snakes play a very important role in our ecology eating mice, rats and lizards. If it were not for the snakes, we might be over run with vermin and disease. If you remember your history, the "Black Plague" was caused by mice and rats harboring fleas with disease that bit humans and caused tens of millions of deaths. I've even ran across a few Water Moccasin's (Cotton Mouths) and Copper Heads the last few years on my property. They seen me and beat feet and were no danger. So... I left them be. However, had they been aggressive and not fled, I'd consider dispatching them as a threat to myself and family. I guess my point to this post is; next time you run across a snake on your property, please reconsider dispatching it. Mice and rats can and will generate disease, will cause you home and vehicle destruction as they will gnaw through anything including electrical wiring, I know about that first hand. Snakes serve a purpose in our environment as God intended. Please don't ever consider the phrase, "a good snake is a dead snake". Just my .02 cents guys and your mileage will vary.

Well, I sure have to agree with you on Tennessee! That's why I moved here a few years ago. Like you, I spent 3 years active Army, seventeen years in the active reserves. I've been to 11 other countries and 35 U.S. States including Alaska and Hawaii. But... Here's where I have you. I spent 38 years in "The Peoples Republic of Illinois" due to my former employment and family. I've had my shackles and chains removed and bear the bruises and scares of such brutal treatment. Due to much less taxes, we now can eat beanies and weenies and hamburger instead of oatmeal and cheese & mac daily! I didn't know how to act when driving in the country and pass by people on the road and they "waved" and didn't give you the middle finger. People hear are totally different homo sapien's than the Peoples Republic. My last year in active service in 1973 at Ft. Campbell, KY, I thought to myself, "this would be an excellent place to retire to". In 2009 "SURPRISE", now you're stuck with me folks! I love it here, and the Great State of Tennessee!

Being an old HVAC/R retired person myself, it depends what you need? HVAC/R parts counters are all normally closed on Sundays. Your best chance of getting something like a condenser fan motor or what ever, is call a local HVAC company that has 24/7 service and plead your case to them for the part. No doubt you will pay a premium price, but if it can't wait until tomorrow? Good luck.

In Henry county, it's $45.00 per car, but I had a surprise when I moved here a few years ago and went to register my vehicles. Before I could get my Tennessee license plates, I had to have the original "title" for each of the vehicles. Fortunately, all my vehicles are paid for and I have them. I came from "The Peoples Republic of Illinois" and if you financed your vehicle, the lending institution(s) keep the titles until they're paid off. Maybe TN lending institutions don't hang on to the original titles and let the borrower keep them? Or maybe it's a county thing? Oh yea, wait until you go to get your TN drivers license... All the documentation you'll need is bazaar. Even had to have our marriage license with wife's maiden name 32 years ago.

Those moments are what's life is all about. It does a father proud.

I'm sure glad you asked! In 1977 I won a raffle for a 12" black & white TV. It must have been fixed! In 2010 my wife won a $50.00 scratch off I gave her $2.00 to buy, and didn't even get my $2.00 back! It's a historical fact some people have all the luck. Then there is me? No! I take it all back... I've won more free two and three day vacations for TWO in the mail than I can shake a stick at. Dick Clark and Ed McMahon still promises to knock on my front door. I've entered 1,532,702 give aways advertised on TV and in the mail, and I'm out $5,320.00 in postage. Still WAITING!

Another consideration would be the two million convicts in our prison system. That doesn't even count those arrested in jail awaiting trial or those on parole. Would you go to work in a total collapse? What if our fiat currency becomes worthless, would you work for little or nothing? What would they do with the convicts?

^^^^^ The best free legal advice you're ever going to get!

Good point. If you had the insurance and the DA found out, I guess they could paint you like you were preparing to shoot someone. Never considered that.

Yea, I just recently found that out! Bought allot of stuff from them when I lived in Illinois. Started ordering some stuff from them the other day and the "do not sell to" eventually caught my eye. Bummer.

I'm hoping to get a call shortly from the gunsmith telling me my XS Big Dots are installed on my Kimber CDPII. So I can try them out on my monthly IDPA match this Saturday. I'd hate to order a set for my Glock 26 right now and find out they're not for me.

I guess the tight tolerance and cement used in the dove tail? I've read in a number of places that sight pushers won't work on them (and was told that too by the first place I took it to). Evidently you have to use some hefty punches and sledge hammer to get them off, and no one wanted to take the chance of damaging the expensive slide. Me included! If I like them, I'll order a set for my G-26 and install them myself. Plenty of videos out there showing how and it seems easy. Try finding a You Tube video showing how to change out a set of Kimber sights. I found dozens of makes and models, but no Kimbers?

If you can afford it, it's certainly worth it provided you read the fine print and do your home work. Before I selected a company I did my home work. Some organizations pay your attorney X amount of dollars for a retainer up front. Some you won't see a dime until your adjudicated justified. Some will pay your lawyer all the way through the grand jury, some won't. Allot of SD products to choose from. Anyone ever heard of "Defense Shield"?

Reading these posts reminds me of some programs I saw on TV. Big bad gang-bangers trying to turn their life around and getting gang affiliated tats laser removed for free. Tough guys almost crying like school children. One convict had most his face covered in tattoo's and they had to put the wussie to sleep. Seen a couple guys on the "Locked Up Boston" programs on MSNBC who had their eye balls tattooed, one red and one blue. Talk about scary looking. Good luck not going blind and getting those removed. Now THAT's a public statement!

Sounds like you've answered your own questions very well. I personally will do everything I can to retreat and avoid having to use a weapon. The odds are very, very slim you will ever have to fire at someone in your life time. I carried the sort of pre-paid legal fees from CHP for a year and decided to drop it because of the odds ($135.00 a year). The NRA and others offer this "insurance" for a yearly fee. You should at least have a business card in your wallet / purse and by your home phone of a good criminal lawyer who specializes in self defense, just in case. Even if it's on your own dime. Just my .02 cents.

Yea, you have that right! How times have changed. In my day, you best have the same respect for your teachers as you did for your parents. Back talking, disrespect, acting up, not paying attention were not tolerated. That was my first introduction to military rank, "corporal punishment". Try that now! In my day, you aspired for a honorable profession such as; a teacher, policeman or fireman. Now days in the urban environment the role model is the corner drug dealer and/or the gang bangers for many children. I have always had a deep respect and appreciation for teachers. In my educational years a public school teacher had to have a minimum of a bachelors degree to teach. I believe the educational requirements are the same today. That time and money spent to get that sheep skin could have been spent for personal gain for a better career and much more money. Teachers should not be the work week step parents and baby sitters. I personally have mixed opinions about funding public education with forced tax dollars. It has benefits and draw backs. I'm turning into a professional ranter God bless our teachers.

Ah! My kids are grown and flew the nest. It does the heart good for me to hear what fellow parents are just now experiencing I didn't care for the "fees", money for stupid field trips to watch the rocks grow and all the other incidentals, but... What I really hated, no, that's not a strong enough word, despised, no let's try again, LOATH. Was when the kids came home with the paper work to sell junk people don't want, and be expected to sell X amount to fund a project or something. Of course the kids were not interested in selling one item but, the expected us parents to do their job. If memory serves, I believe I sold 1,648,289 candy bars to co-workers, friends, relatives and homeless street people! I remember my wife making a few sales, stealing a candy bar now and then and making me replace the funds. Naturally you don't want to make your kids look bad to their teachers and peers by not selling many. When they came home to solicit funds selling frozen pizza, garlic bread and other frozen items, I soiled myself. We had to go buy several coolers to store our items we had in the chest freezer to store all the frozen items for the school that came in, until we had the time to "DELIVER" them. Talk about an under paid pizza driver! Those days are over fellow TGO guys! I'm going to sit back and take pleasure in your community service P.S. Let's vote for another property tax increase to do away with those pesky fees, after all, no child should be Left Behind with Fee Fee's \rant off

Since the old eyes are going South and my IDPA scores are reflecting it, I bought me a set of XS Big Dot sights off the web to try out on my Kimber Ultra CDP II. If they work out like I hope they do, I'll install a set on all my carry gun. I've heard changing the dove tail sights on a Kimber can be risky doing it yourself, so decided to have them installed. I called the only three places locally that install sights, I should name them but I won't. All three said sure, bring it on in. So I drove the twenty minutes to the first gun store and presented my slide and XS sights for installation. The guy looks at the slide and sights briefly and says, "I didn't know you were talking about a Kimber, I don't think we can do it without damaging it". Great! Went back home and called the other two gun stores and verified they could install them on a Kimber CDP II, so I didn't waste anymore time and money on diesel. Ah, no, we rather not because blah, blah, blah. Finally got a few more gunsmith's to call and finally found one 90 minutes away in Humboldt, TN., the closest one. He says he can do it? I didn't realize the Kimbers are a pain to do anything with. And replacing the recoil springs in the CDP II is a real pain, torch, gloves, two sets pliers, locktite. Now the really bad part. While I was in the gun shop in Humboldt, like any kid in a candy store, I got to looking around and fell in love again. There in the glass display case is a brand new Ruger GP100, .357 mag. Sir, may I see that there Ruger, YEA, that one. I'm here to tell you, that thing was custom made for my hand and nice looking. I had my heart set on a Ruger SP101 until I fondled the GP100. She whispered in my ear what she would do for me if I took her home. I said, "OK honey, Sugar Daddy's here". They were asking a premium price of $675.00 and I thought that was a bit steep. Still, the GP100 was whispering to me, "don't leave me here, I'm lonely". OK babe, your Sugar Daddy will be right with you. Pulled out the old debit card to get my new girl out of jail, and the bad man said there was a 4% surcharge using a debit / credit card. I had to turn around and tell my new gal, "sorry you're just not worth it"! On the bright side, when they call me and say my slide is ready to be picked up... Maybe I'll take my S&W 686+ seven shot revolver, 6 inch barrel and CT laser sights and see if I can get her out on parole.

Thanks for the post. You do realize the ONE big mistake you made right off the bat don't you? How many of us would get the chance to go out and have breakfast with Tiger McKee, and didn't? I'm a fan of him and his monotone voice also. Question: I've seen him a number of times on gun shows (TV) showing how to do this and that. Each training episode he was using his old customized for him full size Colt 1911. I mean, to look at it you would think it was worn out decades ago. Did he wear it during your training?

I'm relatively new to Tennessee and Tennessee political incumbents and their stance on issues and voting records. Unfortunately, like many people I don't have the time to research the incumbents / candidates records and platforms on issues. Since I moved here, and in my opinion, the local Nashville television news stations seem to have a political agenda as well as most media outlets. Not knowing most of the incumbents / candidates stances on major issues of concern to me, the 2nd Amendment being one of them, I vote straight Republican. Knowing there maybe independent or other party candidates on the ballot that more closely aligns with my views, it would get my goat to not vote for them. It's probably easy enough to go to the NRA website or their monthly magazine to find who they support but, this last primary I didn't see anything for my county. And the 2nd Amendment isn't my sole reason for selecting a candidate to support anyway. Being relatively new to TN. and TGO, and running a site search here, I didn't find a single source / poll of who and why this membership supports, but many independent TGO members stating their choice of candidates and who needs to go and why. In case I've missed it, would someone direct me to a TGO membership voting poll taken prior to elections. If there isn't one, it would simplify the selection process on 2nd Amendment issues for me anyway if there were, as we all have the same horse in the race. I get the gist on all the incumbents / candidates on the national level, but lack sufficient information to make the best choice for state and county elections. And like I briefly mentioned, TGO members will sway my vote more than the NRA anyway, because we are residents of this great state and have to bear the election results.

Funny you brought this subject up. I just posted for sale Zeiss binoculars are few days ago. Back in the 80's I wanted to buy the best pair of optics money could buy, IMO, that would only include Steriner and Zeiss. I compared them side by side, did my home work, and looked through both endlessly. The quality of the optics on both of them were outstanding. Look through a pair of Nikon or any other brand and you will immediately see the difference in quality and light gathering. The price between the two were about the same ($1,150.00 back in the 80's if I remember correctly). So, I chose the Zeiss 7x42 WP black rubber armored binoculars based on, they look better to me.

I saw the carnage on the evening news and couldn't help from chuckling. Chuckling at what some people will do when they get angry, it was out of the ordinary. But the reasonable side of me though how selfish that was of the idiot. Didn't he consider the potential consequences of a life or death emergency happening and the police can't respond? Not to mention the good chunk of change the local tax payer is going to fork over to maintain police protection until if / when they can claim restitution from this one sandwich short of a picnic dude.

I appreciate their hard work and attitude myself. Though our opinions very from individual to individual, it's nice to civilly discuss our questions and what's on our minds without a bunch of restrictions. It's especially nice to have a forum dedicated to the discussions of Tennessee specific matters.