rachels.haven's Journal

[Bruce]

That is why the boys have to work together. One pushes the pedals, the other steers!

As much fun as strep throat is NOT, I'm really glad it is that and not Lyme Disease.

@Bruce you drive a prius, right? That's impressive.

Yeah but I have to get new pads for the new Prius. Different generation (I skipped Gen III) so different roof shape. On one trip I had a 12' pipe gate & 6 cattle panels on the roof, 13 6"x8' posts inside and a 330' roll of fence on the cargo tray. That was in the '09 Prius. I'd probably not be able to get quite as many posts inside the '18.

 

[CntryBoy777]

I have used minivans for years and love the versatility of them and comfort.....I've had town & country, grand caravan...both are chrysler products.....be sure ya get at least a 6cy engine, especially if ya are planning on hauling stuff in it....there are sliding doors on both sides and the rear seat pops in & out for more storage....here is a pic of us bringing the goats home in the caravan....yes, that is a kiddie pool...that turned into a duck pool....
....we only have had used ones, because if ya use it, it is gonna get scratched, torn, or gauged....so no need for a new one....we had a chevy astro van too.....I liked it because it had swinging doors...but, not as easy an access as with the others and we had teens at home when we began getting them....they are very comfortable and have driven many long miles in them....sorry to run on and on...but, just wanted to share my experience with them....sure hope ya get to feeling better....seasonal issues are irritating to deal with.....

 

[greybeard]

Miss Rachel,

Maybe this is something you should consider:

That particular FLIR and same zoom optics will cost only $2100 + tax and shipping from Amazon..OOPS!! Sorry I was looking at the wrong one. the one in the video is only
Price: $7,499.00 & FREE Shipping
https://www.amazon.com/Trijicon-Electro-Optics-Hunter-Mark-35mm/dp/B06XH11RGF

 

[rachels.haven]

Luckily I don't think I'd need a special scope. I just have to let out the chickens and sit by the window in the house waiting, during the day of course...and fire a gun from in the house, through the window, which is probably not what DH would like, but hey, I'd get my coyote. That's all that counts, right? It would probably come if I were on the porch too, so I guess I could always move the party outside.

And yes @CntryBoy777 , that is exactly why I want a mini van. You can haul hay in the rain too. My parents haul feed and plants in theirs. DH can also use it to get to work when it's going to snow. Our car can't handle more than about 4" before slipping around like a toy and him driving that little car to work on ice worries me. Mini vans do slightly better. We could have really, really used it last time we went camping, however. We had room for everything, the hyundai sonata was all filled up to the brim with all our stuff and bikes, then we realized we didn't pack a cooler of food. So we decided, "who needs food? we can get it on the way", and left for michigan/ohio's irish hills anyway (we're very stubborn, slightly dumb people apparently). Turns out the town near the campsite was not that towny. There was only a golf course. No other grocery stores or restaurants. The golf course food was good, but there's a limit on how much pizza and wings you should stuff into a kid. We didn't know it, but the weather was planning on turning terrible, so I see our packing up and leaving then as a wonderful blessing. So we gave up due to lack of food and went to a larger small town about an hour away and checked into a hotel and bought food at a grocery store (in a torrential downpour). I'm so glad we left home without food that time because that evening and into the night it rained so much that it flooded and they closed most of the roads until the water went down and I'm not sure what would have happened to us if we'd stayed at the campsite in the tent in that very heavy rain and wind by low area by the lake. I think our bad planning and irresponsible actions paid off that time, but next time I'd like to have the option to give up on camping properly, without being starved out.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Sometimes watching or checking the weather forecast for an unfamiliar area can save a tough experience like that....

 

[rachels.haven]

I think we did before we left, believe it or not. Nobody expected it to rain like that. But we didn't exactly have smart phones at that point, so "before we left" may have been a day or so before and forecasts change.

 

[CntryBoy777]

I've known people that traveled to Florida for vacation and never check....when they arrived they found out that they were preparing for a hurricane....right where they thought they were gonna be on the beach.........while they traveled down they thought it was great....hardly any traffic on their side of the road....but it was bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see on the otherside.....they were sooo thankful they weren't caught in all that traffic....and didn't realize they were rushing to be the back of the line....

 

[Bruce]

and fire a gun from in the house, through the window, which is probably not what DH would like, but hey, I'd get my coyote.

Remember to open the window and take out the screen! The window sill will make a great stable platform for shooting.

 

[greybeard]

Luckily I don't think I'd need a special scope. I just have to let out the chickens and sit by the window in the house waiting, during the day of course...and fire a gun from in the house, through the window, which is probably not what DH would like, but hey, I'd get my coyote. That's all that counts, right? It would probably come if I were on the porch too, so I guess I could always move the party outside.

Why limit yourself to daylight?

I have several of these, just to keep from having to switch them around and resighting them in on to different weapons. I have one on a 20ga Mossberg, one on my .270 Weatherby and one on my SKS.

On the accessory rail, mount a cheap red dot:
$12 at academy.

A different kind of clamp, but it looks a lot like this on my 20 ga:

I have less than $100 each in all 3 of mine and I've killed a lot of beaver with the same setup.

 

[rachels.haven]

This forum is bad for me. I like it. But it's not the only bad influence in my life.

My mom thought the hurricanes in St. Pete were the best time for skateboarding with a bedsheet with her brothers. She would probably check the weather and head down there anyway if she hadn't been living there in the first place. But that lady is tough. And a little crazy. She's been waging war with raccoons down in tennessee in the dark with my little brother. When she sends me texts with play by play texts telling me how she killed a racoon carrying off a bantam hen while she was "yelling like warf" and her racoon scores vs her bird hit points it reminds me that I will never be as slightly crazy as my mom. But she's also always smiling, cheerful, and quiet spoken with lovely curly red hair. And she's gone back to work as a plant stocking contractor for the premium hardware plants which has certain perks, so while she's running around the backyard in the dark shooting up raccoons with my mellow littlest brother, she's surrounded by blooming hibiscus, jasmine, pomegranate other tropical novelties they sell for summer display that came out of cracked pots that were destined for the dumpster because they weren't up to par. If I were her I'd probably already have a coyote tail up on my coop. But I'm not her, so I'm not gunning down murderous raccoons all night in Tennessee. Nothing gets her darling baby goose dragons and muscovy without getting a "bullet surprise". Maybe someday I'll get to be slightly crazy like her.

Her journal would be fun.