Thought I'd Stop By....

[mongrel]

Obviously I don't spend near the time on this forum that I used to, but it's cold out, today, and I have really not much going on, so I thought I'd check in and also provide an update on what's going on with me.

As a number of you will know, I was living in semi-happy bachelorhood till a few autumns back, when I met my now-fiancé and soon-to-be wife, Ann. Ann and I are well-suited for one another, mainly because we're among the very few people on Earth who can tolerate us. There is a weeping, furious line of car salesmen, real estate agents, bankers, and various other low-lives who found out the hard way that Ann and I work a tag-team method in dealing with them and that trying to cozy up to (or intimidate) the "quiet one" leads to disaster. We refer to ourselves as "the honey badgers" after seeing a documentary on those cute li'l critters that reputable scientists describe as the fur-clad offspring of a chain saw and a nuclear bomb.

We are currently cooped-up and trying to avoid turning on one another in a tiny two-bedroom apartment in the middle of Rising Sun, IN. We are in the process of buying land and have a house built, with a rough target date of April-ish to be able to move in. There will be a pole barn with a 12x30 shop for me, at one end. My tools and most of my gun work are boxed up and stored in my fiancé's parents' barn, so I'm not working on firearms at the moment and am going predictably stir-crazy.

I have added realtors and several contractors to my list of people who, if it were legal, I could without any ethical qualms remove from the surface of this planet. To date this list includes roughly 99.99992% of the human race, and yes, a number of black powder shooters are on that list (see "Does Not Play Well With Others" beneath my avatar, to the left of this post).

My mood will improve immensely (though don't count on me liking people any better as a result) once we get situated on our own ground, in a house where we aren't tripping over one another, with plenty and more to do outside regardless of the weather. There is a shooting range to build, trees to plant, guns to build, coyotes to ventilate, and all the other day-to-day chores that go with in-the-country land ownership.

If I still owe you a gun -- I know. Believe me, I know. No one wants my promised guns built and sent to their new owners, more than I do.

I will check back in probably within a few weeks, assuming of course that the nation does not find itself transfixed and horrified by a breaking report that a banker in SE Indiana has been brutally mangled and partially eaten, while still technically alive, by a pair of honey badgers....

[Patocazador]

Nice to hear from you even if you are going stir-crazy. That .44/.45 I got from you is a gem and my 11 y.o. granddaughter shoots it well enough for deer hunting purposes. However, her grandfather is a poor guide and didn't get her in range of a deer this year.

Come by more often until the move into your new house. You'll be too busy afterwards.

[Hanshi]

  Mike, it is always great to hear from you and also to give us hope you might once again build those wonderful rifles.  While I really like my "rugrat" .45, I do hanker for a flint LR or jaeger .54 at some future date.  Best wishes on your house and the move.  We're moving to Maine before June; and as a thin blooded, Deep South born and raised, heat tolerant Cracker, I'm going to get a lesson on real winter, which I've never experienced.  Good luck.

[old salt]

Good to hear from you, and to know that you are still above ground.

Old Salt

[Hawken50]

   Great to hear from ya Mike, Keep on keepin on.

[hotfxr]

When Mongrel posts in this forum, it is proof that there is hope for the world. Good to hear from you, missed you brother.

[beowulf]

yup ! been a while ! glad to hear you are still above the turf !

[William]

It's always good to hear from you my friend.  I know that once you and Ann are settled into the new house and have tied the knot then you'll post a little bit more regularly.  I fully expect that once you have filled all outstanding orders that Rugrat rifles will appear again too.  Even if you never build another adult sized custom smoke pole again, I'd rather see more youngsters introduced to the sport so they can pass down one of your creations to their children.

[DandJofAZ]

Glad to hear from you from time to time..  Also glad that at one time you informed me I was in that last .00008% of man kind you can stand to deal with....

Doug

[graybear]

Glad to see your still around. I too, hope to see you back in the gun building business. I've missed seeing those beautiful pictures to droll over.

[Red Badger]

I will echo the sentiments of the rest of those here, and add in the invite - If you and Ann ever venture out Tulsa way and Di hears that you did not check in for a visit and free meal you will find out what a Honey Badger can really be like - even a devil dog mongrel will be shaking in his boots :) - Nuff said - Talk to you soon - my number is still the same if you ever do need to talk!

Jim

[Bulldog lady]

   Just what the old Red Badger said  you and Ann get this way you best stop - my little rifle shoots real good and got me a new hound to track whats left!  Best wishes to the both of you -

[William]

Good to hear from you as well Di.

[padre]

Mike, great to hear you are still above ground,the rifle you
did for me shoots great, looks great and is great. Did I menson
it's great.  Padre AKA cooter