America's Night Out

Last night Sweet Daughter and I attended our local "America's Night Out", and as I've done every year we've gone, I open carried. Last year the sheriff asked if I was a LEO. I said no. He asked why I was carrying then, and I pointed at SD who was participating in some activity, and said "To keep her safe. And make your job a little easier." He pretty much grinned and gave me a metaphorical thumbs up. I like our sheriff.

This year the only comment I got was from a boy about 10 years old.

"Is that a gun?"

"Yes."

"Are you an AGENT??"

"No. Agents don't have 'Hello Kitty' stickers on their magazines."

"Then why ...?"

[Pointing at SD] "To keep her safe. And me, too. I can't run as fast as I used to."

And then I told him about some of the guns I shot at NEBS last weekend. I think his poor head was going to explode as he tried to process the concept ... middle aged mom ... pistol ... machine guns ...  And since our county has one middle school, and one high school ... maybe he'll spread the word about SD's crazy mom, and the boys will be less of a problem in another few years .

The fire department did a demo where a pan of bacon was set on a stove on "high" and left to catch fire. There was a good speech on how fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen to burn, and how eliminating one will put the fire out. Then they explained why water was a bad idea for a grease fire, and threw some on the bacon flambé. It made a beautiful cloud of flame ... and then went out. They put out a grease fire with water.

So, they tried again (all the while emphasizing that just getting out of the house in case of a fire was also a very good option). This time was to demonstrate how a grease fire will catch the cabinets on fire. This also failed, but as I pointed out to an EMT standing next to me, this was a new mock-up of a kitchen. That cabinet had not been saturated with cooking grease for the past ten years. We were shown how to put out a fire with wet towels, flour, and/or a fire extinguisher. All good things to see demonstrated, even if our fire department stinks at actually setting things on fire.

Another demo was done with our new K-9. We have two now. This one actually got put to work earlier in the day, when a gentleman walked into the courthouse and asked if there were any warrants out for his arrest. This was checked, and answered in the affirmative, and the dude turned and ran. Ruger got sent after him, and performed admirably.

"Ruger?" I asked the EMT next to me. "Why is it always 'Ruger'? Why isn't it ever 'Hi-Point'?"

The next demonstration was almost watching the removal of Diet Pepsi from the lungs of said EMT. At least he has a sense of humor.