So, last weekend was kind of a suck-a-roo. Mrs J and I were recovering from some bug that frankly knocked us on our butts. Consequently, when we got an early morning call from our guests things didn't go swimmingly. The conversation went like this.
"Hello, this is juvat"
"Juvat, we have a problem!"
"Oh, what is it?"
"You've got mice"
"Yes, we live in the country."
"Well, when we woke up this morning, there was a mouse eating our leftovers from dinner last night."
"A mouse got in the refrigerator?"
"Of course not, the leftovers were on the counter"
Silence.
"And there's mouse poop all over. It's unsanitary and unhealthy"
Silence
"We're going to leave and we want a full refund."
"Fine, and don't let the door or either of the gates hit you in the ass on your way out."
OK, the latter was spoken only in my head.
They left, we went and checked on the place. Found one small mouse poop in a corner in the kitchen. BTW for those readers interested in Field Mice Scatology, mouse poop is about the size of a grain of salt.
Yes, Beans, these folks went on the official juvat "Do not rent to these idiots ever" list.
On a more pleasant note. Although this picture was taken in February, It was still an accurate picture until a few days ago.
What a difference 1/4" makes.
Yeah, we finally got a little rain. Thank you, Lord!
So, a couple of days ago, Chant Brother Cletus commented that the Confederate Air Force (from days of old) AKA the Commemorative Air Force in this more politically correct age, was holding one of its quarterly training sessions. Evidently, if you're going to fly in an airshow, the gummint would like you to be current on the rules and procedures as well as have practiced recently. Whoda thunk the gummint might actually do something smart? It happens so rarely nowadays.
Back on Target, juvat!
On Target, Aye, Sarge.
In any case, Saturday evening, the guys went off flying. My property is 4.5 miles from the Runway. Close enough to land quickly if needed, but away from the airport and all it's procedures. Yes, I got buzzed a lot. Yes, I wish I'd win the lottery so I could buy an Airplane and join them. Yes, Yes, Yes.
In any case, and just to prove that Cecil B. DeMille I'm not, I videoed them flying by. Unfortunately, I don't have a quality video camera, merely my cell phone, but for your viewing pleasure.
Oh, this Post's Title? All the aircraft in the video are AT-6's. Much like the F-15 is named Eagle, guess what the AT-6's name is.
P.S. There is a silver lining to Little J and DIL's 15 day, very strict, quarantine on their return to Honk Honk. Due date is late October.
There's something about that throb of piston engines up there in the Blue, let's hear it for Texans! Who the $%&@ leaves leftovers out?! Morans, everywhere you look.....morans. Oh, like the vid juvat, thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nylon. Yep, it was nice sitting out the front with a glass of wine, wishing I was up there.
DeleteWhat Nylon12 said!
ReplyDeleteThanks, JiP
DeleteNot to quibble, but it's just T-6, the AT-6 is a different bird altogether. A fun aircraft to fly in.
ReplyDeleteLove the sound of those engines, it's even more impressive if you're sitting directly behind it!
A little bit of rain can make a big difference in a parched landscape.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Interestingly, when I googled AT-6, I got lots of really good pictures of some of the exact aircraft flying overhead. Hence I went with Google instead of my (dimming) memory.
DeleteThe Dogs really loved the sound of the engines, barked in harmony with them. Wonder if they'd go for a ride with me (right after that lottery thing of course).
Yes it does, Still could use a bit more, but I'm not going to get greedy.
Beg to differ, Sarge. Yes, there is another AT-6 in the current inventory but AT-6 is still.proper nomenclature for the WWII "Advanced" Trainer. Unless you want to refer to it as an SNJ or possibly a "Harvard". The training progression in the AAF went from PT-19 to BT-13 to AT-6.
DeleteBoat Guy
I sit corrected. The USAF started calling it the T-6 in 1948, prior to that it was the AT-6 for the reason you state.
DeleteThere is also a T-6 Texan II in the current inventory. But outside of officialdom, I've always heard it called just the T-6, or SNJ. Technically the SNJ is the one I flew in.
Thanks Boat Guy, I bet the transition from AT-6 to, say , P-51 was pretty "interesting". Up until the Eagle, all my flying was done in 2 seaters. First ride in the Eagle was Solo. That was very "interesting". Fortunately, I managed to remain within a couple of miles behind the airplane for the whole ride.
DeleteAh, Spring. When a man's thoughts turn...to mowing. Lots of mowing.
ReplyDeleteI have had my run-around with the mice at The Ranch. It seems - finally - that I have them under control as they have not reappeared in the three months following above my head at night. (And Leftover? Out? Echoing Nylon12.).
And many congratulations to Little J and DIL. Huzzah!
THBB,
DeleteYes, my Hay Guy is happy and relieved.
We do the best we can vis a vis mice and other pests. The pest control guy is on 2 a month visits this time of year. Baits, traps the whole shebang. And yes, he lost my sympathy at the leftovers comment.
Yep, we're pretty excited, thanks.
...Once for an air sampling program at work, I was to spend a week alone nursing the instruments and quartered in the usually unoccupied "hunting shack" of a colleague (a 1960s farmhouse). Walked in. On the kitchen counter were a dozen mousetraps. Another ring of traps round the fridge. Six more traps (one occupied for some time) under the sink. Two in the stove and three more in the oven. My thought was "at least I won't be lonely"...
DeleteDon,
DeleteNow that's funny! Although I'd be afraid to do much wandering around in the dark.
...A tip for intermittent mouse problems at home is to place a half dozen kernels of popped popcorn (mice love it for some reason) in an inconspicuous spot. If the popcorn disappears, the trap line comes out. My mouse problem pretty much ended when I acquired my furry self-propelled mousetrap...
DeleteDon,
DeleteThat sounds like a good tip. We've got bait down regularly, but, we don't know it there are mice or not. Which might lead us into not checking all the time. Which would be a bad thing. That tip might help us to put it down when needed and take it up when not.
Thanks
Stopped by Gillespie Cty. Airport Saturday around on the way to lunch and counted 22 T-6's on the ground and we saw several in the air as we crossed Tivydale Rd. Also, there was a biplane trainer which I think was a Stearman PT-13.
ReplyDeleteCletus
Cletus, We probably passed on the road, Mrs. J and I did the same. We've been through this iteration quite a few times, I starting to recognize the planes from their paint schemes. You are right about the PT-13. It's also a regular. I didn't see the DC-4 on the ramp though, did you?
DeleteDidn't see the DC-4 either. But as I mentioned, there were some T-6's in the air when we pulled up, so he could have been out with some of them. Several years ago I got a shot of a DC-3, 4 or C-47 in the air in formation with several planes. Guess they have to get their certification just like everyone else for formation flying.
DeleteCletus
He might have been in a hangar getting worked on, or left early for some reason. Who knows. But, it was cool when he came over the house. The four radials were quite audible inside the house, I ran out to see what was what, but forgot my phone, so no pics. I bet he wasn't higher than 1000' AGL, he was huge!
DeleteLive mice! In rural America! Who knew? Good grief. It may have come with them, and his family and friends departed with them.
ReplyDeleteHTom,
DeleteOne can only hope.
Great Video! Good Pictures, What a difference a little high quality DiHydrogenOxide makes!!!
ReplyDeleteI guess that is the only bright side of 15 days of strict quarantine! That is Amazing News!
SoJ84...
DeleteThanks,
Since they couldn't leave the hotel room and had to wait until the food delivery person departed before opening the door to the hall to get it, I'd say they got a little bored, maybe even needed a little "exercise". In any case, my second Granddaughter is on her way. Yes, we're ecstatic.
I think I've been Punked! I thought those pseudonyms looked familiar.
DeleteDon't let the door hit them, indeed. Sounds like those kind of people that find something wrong in order to get out of paying. You were too generous if you did allow that, but then you do have to worry about the negative reviews and how that affects your business.
ReplyDeleteTuna,
DeleteMy thought's exactly. AirBnB had a pretty good response to the situation. They just made the reservation disappear. That gave the guests (and us) no opportunity to say bad things. I also suspect that AirBnB made a little note in their files just to keep track and see if there's a trend. I certainly would. I also know that my better half has their name and profile picture saved for future reference.
You probably have good reviews that would outweigh any bad one, and since it's passive income, no real harm in losing a potential reservation because of one. Most guests probably don't hang their vacation on a few obviously disgruntled guests.
DeleteTuna,
DeleteYeah, sorta. We're rated as "SuperHost" which means guests can search for that status (5 star ratings, great reviews, etc) when they are looking for a place to stay. Since AirBnB made this guys reservation disappear, he didn't have an opportunity to trash us. Nor did we, don't forget the owners get to review the guests. Trashing the place would be bad for your future ability to rent from anybody.. So, it really wasn't any skin of our back, more the irritation factor and as you said earlier, this might be their modus operandi to get free stays.
Ruh-roh, juvat went stealth.
DeleteYeah, in the heat of the moment, I forgot to switch from my secure browser to firefox so Google can track our every thought. May there be a special place in hell for them in the afterlife.
DeletePests are abundant in Texas. We adapt by not enticing them with food, destroying their habitats when possible, and understanding they'll chew through inches of wood to find shelter. Leaving leftovers on the counter is never a good idea, and if the pests don't find it, various gastric bacteria will thrive in the warm air.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, while out in my yard, the deep hum of large radial engines caught my attention in the distance. Soon, I was rewarded with the sight of a WW2 bomber and two fighter aircraft passing off toward the horizon. I don't what they were, but since it was early Fall, I knew it was members of the Confederate Air Force making their way to the air show in Lake Charles. It was a sight to behold, and a memory to keep.
Jess,
DeleteExactly.
When the School first started using our airport, there were a wider variety of airplanes in attendance, to include fighters and bombers. The last few years however it seems to be almost 100% T-6's. Not sure what changed.
I guess you left the space out: A_T-6.... ;) Congrats on the next of the clan! I, too, remember the days before we had a tv.....
ReplyDeleteI measured the rain we got last night a little bit ago. We just hit 1 inch total for the year. Yikes. That's dry even by our standards... As for the 'tards, I'd have charged them an undeclared pet fee, and the associated excrement patrol surcharge.
"undeclared pet fee, and the associated excrement patrol surcharge".....now THAT"S thinking outside the box STxAR.
DeleteSTxAR,
DeleteYep, that's EXACTLY what happened. My space bar has been a little touchy lately.
I don't think we've hit an inch yet, but it has rained a bit more since I took that picture and it's in the forecast for the next few days. One hopes they're accurate.
I'll discuss your suggestion with the management. I think she'll like your suggestions.
Nylon,
DeleteHe does at that, doesn't he?
Have I mentioned that there are occasional flyovers of formations returning to Mather (the former AFB).
ReplyDeleteIt’s even more fun when there’s an air show.
When I still lived up north, it was a ringside seat for the jet team demonstrations because I was les than four miles due south of the runway.
It got really loud.
Skip,
DeleteI didn't realize Mather was closed. I wonder where Nav's get trained nowadays. Back in the Day when Dad was an IP and Vietnam was going on. UPT graduations always had lot's of aircraft fly-in. The fighters would try and out do each other as they took off to RTB. Low and Very Fast was the order of the day. Fortunately, I never witnessed a TOO low, but there were several that went TOO Fast. I thought it was great. I don't think the Base Civil Engineer (who had to replace all the glass) thought too highly of the practice.
I believe all nav training is at NAS Pensacola and surrounding bases
DeleteCome to think of it, my daughter (LUSH) was a Super Hornet backseater, she went through training at Pensacola. There were quite a few USAF guys down there going through Nav training, couple in her class. Might be all "joint" these days, and probably has been since before 2008, when she was winged.
DeleteNon,
DeleteNow that I think of it, I think you're right. Thanks
Sarge,
DeleteI guess navigation is navigation, but frankly I preferred to navigate using hills, road intersections, rivers etc rather than waves. But...That's just me.
Well, it is easier, innit?
DeleteWhen we deployed from Moody to Taegu in the early 80's in the F-4, I remember a deep sense of gratitude each time the TACAN locked on to the next station. Sometimes there were literally hours between that event. Yes, I like Maps better.
DeleteBad idiots. Mice exist. Good answer. Great planes. Miss the Confederate Air Force...
ReplyDeleteBeans, Yeah, based on a lot of things that were said and done in that episode, I'm pretty sure that's their method of getting Free Stays. I really hope AirBnB does have a way to track that. "Hey, we've just noticed that of your last five reservations, you've left early and demanded a refund on all. WTFO"
DeleteLots of farrel cats around me in Wheat Country. No mice even get into the house!
ReplyDeleteBBC, All the Ferrel cats around me have mooched their way into our house and are quite happy with the arrangements. Needless to say we don't USUALLY have a problem in our house, although...well, that may be a story for another day.
DeleteOccasionally, up north here at Addison Airport, there are some WWII warbirds flying.
ReplyDeleteSaw a Grumman TBF Avenger and it was LOUD!!
SL,
DeleteYeah, that TBF has been here a few times also. And, you're right, it is LOUD!
Congrats on the next grandkiddo!! Talk about a souvenir!!!
ReplyDeleteVery cool video. I live about 2 miles west of Stratton Air National Guard base as a crow flies. I think that it's C-4's that live over there...they are the ones that fly to Antarctica whenever needed to transport folks in or out as well as when needed to go to other places. There were definitely engines spooling up over there on Sunday morning. Sounds pretty neat. Can always tell when they are doing touch and go's as they come right over the house. It is a BIG plane.
Suz,
DeleteThanks, we're looking forward to her (both of them) arrival. DIL will arrive sometime in August before the "no more flying, you pregnant person" rule kicks in and will stay until the "you're old enough now to fly" rule kicks in for the grand daughter. Little J will be her for the "Push" part and then will return to HK a bit later. We're definitely looking forward to the whole adventure.
There are always going to be a few of 'those' folks that are in the program... Enjoy the 'airshow'!!!
ReplyDeleteOld NFO,
DeleteYeah you're right and when they're spread out over time rather than bunched together like these last three have been it's not too bad. Hopefully we're back on track with the good guys. The last few certainly have been.
Yep, can't wait until the next one.
Congratulations to Little J and DIL!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary, We're all very excited.
Delete