Better than nothing

When I got my permit to carry concealed, I worried about how little practice I had, and wondered if I should even be carrying a gun.

I don’t have much confidence in my ability to draw quickly, but if I wait until I’m flawless, I’ll never have my gun with me.

I may still be practicing on how sights work, but if I wait until I can consistently drill two rounds through the same hole, I’ll never have my gun with me.

I may not ever be tacti-cool enough to keep moving while reloading and firing but if I wait to carry until I am, I’ll never have my gun with me.

I may not be as aware of my surroundings as I should be, but if I wait until I’m free of other distractions, I’ll never have my gun with me.

I may never have the time to train to reach any of the above goals, much less all of them, but if I wait until I do, I’ll never have my gun with me.

Some say having a gun makes you a target. Some say having a gun serves as a deterrent. If I waited until that debate was settled (including my internal one), I’d never have my gun with me. 

And don’t even get me started on the caliber wars.

Some of us come late to the realization that the only ones we can count on to keep us safe are ourselves. So we open our eyes, and we travel that road – all with different starting places, and going at difference paces. But as long as I’m making progress, however slow, I’ll keep plodding along. Because no matter how much I have to learn, or how much I need to improve, I’ll keep carrying my gun. Because something is better than nothing.

Liebster (not Bieber) Award

A Girl and Her Gun has nominated me for an award!

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on our blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award.
3. Pick our five favorite blogs with fewer than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

I've got to start with my buddy Michael W. (a.k.a. "Cutler to the Stars") at Doin' the Time Warp. I've known him through our reenacting unit for 10 years, and longer than that through the hobby. He doesn't post very often, but if you ever get a chance to meet him in person, he's very entertaining. And he makes the finest rum punch I've ever had. (And that's saying something.)

Next is the Adaptive Curmudgeon. Smart. Useful. Snarky and funny as hell.

My Muse Shanked Me. Also snarky and funny as hell. Stunning writer. And somebody that I don't ever want angry with me.

Mike W. at Another Gun Blog. He's no poseur. He walks the walk. Everything else I want to say makes me sound ancient. Like I wish I had half as much of a clue as he does when I was his age. Or that he's such a nice young man. Check him out if for some reason you don't already. Oh, and he likes big butts.

And bluesun at Dead Man Dance if for nothing else than the complete randomness of his musical selections. He also carries a Springfield XD so he can't be all bad. *grin*

So, tag. Y'all are it ...

Interpretive Dance

Unfortunately, the memory card filled before the finale which involved backs to the audience and ruffles being shaken. I hope to have better footage courtesy of another mom later.

Presented without further ado, the can-can as performed by Sweet Daugher's Daisy Troop.

Disclaimer: this was taken with a hand-me-down camera that I don't yet know how to use.

Dress rehearsal

Tonight I watched twelve 5 to 7-year-olds "practice" the can-can while wearing taffeta and tulle. It was like watching a roomful of cats mainlining catnip. It was loud and disorganized and there was lots and lots of spinning. I'll try to get pictures this weekend.

What in blue blazes

... was I thinking?

I have 33 yards of 45" wide (that's over 371 square feet) hot pink taffeta sitting there waiting to be made into can-can skirts for a baker's dozen of 5- to 7-year-olds. It didn't seem too terrible when I thought it was only going to be for eight or so. And when I thought I could get the fabric in town. And before I had the great idea to put a 4" x 50' strip of netting gathered into a ruffle on the bottom.

Since I couldn't find 33 yards of coordinating (much less matching) fabric at the Big Name fabric stores (even on-line!), I turned to eBay. The fabric arrived today. I've got the netting already cut and in a corner of the dining room. I made up a prototype tonight and figured out what changes I have to make. Thankfully the design was spot-on, I just need to tweak the execution a bit. And get them all done in a week. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

One project done.

Two down, one to go. But that one doesn't have to be done until September.

If the two recipients ever wear these at the same time in the same place ... I'll have to start calling them the Glimmer Twins. Or something.

These are en route to their new homes. Pretty close to the one below. Maybe the pom-poms could be a little bigger. Or not.

I don't remember where I found this picture. Sorry.

Derby

On Saturday, Sweet Daughter and Shorter Half participated in the local Powder Puff Derby (think Pinewood Derby for the Girl Scouts). The Boy Scouts had their Pinewood Derby two weeks earlier, and someone said they had 17 entries. The girls? Close to 80. Yeah. They weren’t prepared for that.

It's hard to focus when your subject is bouncing around like a squirrel on meth.

It was a single elimination tournament, and SD won her first heat, and came in second in her second heat. While she didn't place in the racing, she did win the medal for the “Most Patriotic” design. A flag in the front, and butterflies and flowers in the back – we called it “America the Beautiful”. But her favorite part? She insisted on a little round orange sticker on the back, with “Guns Save Lives” written on it.  Yup. Just like those on the family cars.