Started My New Garden

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Timothy Covington

Thanks to some help from some friends, I built a new 8′ x 4′ vegetable bed:

The PVC pipe going around the edges is a watering system. I used 3/4″ pipe with 1/16″ holes drilled every 8 inches. A very low amount of pressure will cause the water to shoot out past the bed. I have a quick disconnect attached to a T-section. This will  allow me to use the hose for multiple duties and easily drain the pipes.

The hoops with the plastic covering are so that I can turn the bed into a mini-greenhouse and start plants in there. This will also have the advantage of keeping squirrels, birds and feral cats out of the bed until the plants are well established.

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Texas and Concealed Carry On College Campuses

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Timothy Covington

The Texas legislature is once again considering making concealed carry on Texas college campuses legal. I see much wailing and gnashing of teeth by some people about this. I would like to point out some facts:

  1. The minimum age for a concealed carry license in Texas is 21. This means that it will generally be older students and faculty carrying.
  2. Generally speaking, it takes at least $250 to get a concealed handgun license (CHL) in Texas. This means that it will be beyond the financial ability of many students. And, for the students most people seem to be worried about (the ones who do all the drinking and partying), it is doubtful they would be willing to spend the money on a CHL instead of alcohol.
  3. With the instruction given in the CHL class (and the investment in time and money), it will make most students seriously consider when it is appropriate to carry a weapon.
  4. It will still be permissible for the colleges to ban firearms in dorm rooms. Not that those bans really stopped some students in the first place.
  5. If the person is carrying in a legal manner, you won’t know they are carrying unless they tell you. And, you are already around people all of the time who are carrying without your knowledge. Why should this make you feel differently on a college campus.
  6. I remember volunteering to walk women at night to their cars when I was in college. We were given large/heavy flashlights to protect ourselves and the women we were escorting. Why should we deny these women a more effective means of defense?
  7. The bearing of arms is a constitutionally protected right. How many people would be upset about laws guaranteeing freedom of speech on a college campus. They are only extending the same protections to another right.
  8. College campuses in Utah and Colorado do not ban firearms, yet there have been no adverse incidents in those locations.
Posted in 2nd Amendment, CHL | Leave a comment

Urban Homesteading in the Spring

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Timothy Covington

It is time for me to get my garden really going for the spring. I already have some great garlic plants growing, and next weekend, with the help from some friends, I will be setting up a new garden bed to increase production. I am planning on planting:

  • Red Chantenay Carrots
  • Jupiter Sweet Bell Peppers
  • Yellow Squash
  • Amish Paste Tomatoes
  • Brandywine Tomatoes
  • Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
  • Green Arrow Shell Peas
  • Burgundy Amaranth
  • An herb garden among the garlic that is already growing
  • Garlic in the new bed to help repel pests

Also, after watching a couple of videos on YouTube, I’ve been inspired to try my hand at making a drip irrigation system. I will need:

  1. A timer
  2. A manifold to divert to the different garden areas (preferably a 3 way manifold)
  3. 8 3/4″ PVC elbows
  4. Enough 3/4″ PVC pipe to go around the beds.
  5. 2 3/4″ T pieces with a 3/4″ female end. Garden hoses will screw into these pieces

To see what inspired me to do this, watch the following 2 videos. I can even use the rain barrel I have on my back deck to run these irrigation systems.

Home Made Square Foot Garden Irrigation

Home Made Drip Irrigation System

With the way food prices have been rising, I will need the vegetables I grow for my urban homestead.

Posted in Activities, food, freedom, gardening, Hobbies, preparedness, Urban Homesteading | Leave a comment

The BATFE and Their “Interpretations” of the Law

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Timothy Covington

The BATFE has recently released a new study on the whether certain shotguns can be imported. The Gun Control Act of 1968 says that any firearm imported into the USA must have a “sporting purpose.” From reading this article, it appears that they will be going after any shotgun that has “bad” cosmetic features or that can accept an external magazine that holds more than 5 rounds. So, it means that this will no longer be importable:


Meanwhile. this will be:

The only real difference between the two is cosmetics and the fact that one of them has an external magazine. Here is another example. This one most likely won’t be importable:

This one will still be importable:

The really pathetic thing about this example is that they are the exact same shotgun. The only difference is that the non-importable one comes with a heat shield and bayonet attachment point. When has people being bayoneted been a huge crime problem?

The truth is, the problem is the words “sporting purpose” being used in a law. The BATFE has decided that only sporting purposes at the time the law was written were intended only to cover sports that were around at the time the law was written. This means that firearms intended for use in some of the USA’s fastest growing sports are not legal for importation by this interpretation of the law. Think about what it would mean is they applied this same reasoning to other laws and rights. It is not a pretty picture.

Posted in 2nd Amendment, BATFE, civil rights, competition, constitution, Defense, discrimination, firearms, freedom, Government, news, politics, Second Amendment March, Self Defense, shooting, shotguns, weapons | Leave a comment

Lack of Good Ranges Hurts Dallas

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Timothy Covington

Recently, Shot Show was held in Las Vegas. Shot Show is the leading hunting and shooting trade show in the world. It is also the 11th largest trade show in North America. Shot Show requires three things to be held:

  1. A gun friendly location.
  2. A space large enough to hold the show.
  3. A shooting range large enough to hold the media shooting demonstrations which kick off shot show.

Dallas definitely has 1, probably has 2, but does not have 3. This does not just affect Dallas’ ability to attract Shot Show. It also affects Dallas’ ability to attract shooting competitions. Some of the fastest growing sports in the USA are cowboy action shooting, International Defensive Pistol Association competitions and three gun tactical shooting. As far as I know, there are no ranges where anyone can even practice for these competitions in the Dallas area (with 30-45 minutes drive), much less host one. I would love to see such facilities in the immediate Dallas area, but doubt I ever will.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some decent ranges in the Dallas area. They are fine if you are wanting to sight in a firearm, practice bench-rest shooting and work on your accuracy by shooting slowly and methodically. But, there is very few locations that allow you to practice any of the action oriented shooting sports. And, these ranges are generally very small. I can think of one range open to the public that even has steel plates for pistol shooters (www.elmfork.com). I would like to see more ranges with reactive targets. For a new shooter, there is nothing like a target making a sound or moving because they hit it.

Posted in Activities, competition, shooting | Leave a comment

Working With Limitations

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Timothy Covington

I injured my left arm the other day and it is practically useless right now. This has made me think about what would happen if I did not have anyone here to help me.

I can barely dress myself. What if you don’t have shoes that you can put on one handed? Can you fix meals for yourself one handed? How easily can you go through your day-to-day life one handed?

I discovered that I really don’t have shoes that I can put on one handed. Getting ready to go to the doctor this morning was extremely painful. This has made me realize I need to get at least one pair of shoes that can be either slipped on, has Velcro closures or zips up. I can not tie a pair of shoe laces right now. And, slipping on a pair of boots one handed is a challenge.

Posted in preparedness | Tagged | 2 Comments

This is what I mean by enforce the laws on the books

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Timothy Covington

Dallas Police Arrest Two Adults In the Wake of Child’s Shotgun Death

Summary: An 8 year old was shot by an 11 year old with a shotgun he found. It turns out the 11 year old found the shotgun in a closet in his home.

The 11-year-old’s mother — Stacy Lee Maloney — is charged with making a firearm accessible to a child, a Class A misdemeanor.
…
Maloney is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. She was convicted of robbery in Bryan County in 2008.
Maloney’s live-in boyfriend, Adrian Keith Robinson, is charged with the same crime. He had been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

I also hope they are investigating where these two obtained the weapons from (there was also a 9mm pistol). These two obtained these firearms illegally. Now, did they use fake ID to purchase them from a dealer, was it a straw purchase or did they purchase them from somone who did not they could not legally possess the weapons. If the person(s) they obtained these weapons from can be proven to have known that they could not legally possess them, throw that person in jail too.

As an aside, this tragedy could possibly have been prevented if one or both children had been through the NRA’s Eddie Eagle program. This program does not teach children how to handle firearms. It teaches children to stay away from firearms without an adult present. Please, if you are a parent (whether you have firearms or not), put your child through this program if it is not offered in your schools.

Posted in crime, death, education, shooting | Leave a comment

Test from new iPad

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Timothy Covington

My employer had a year that was so good that they bought everyone iPads (16gb). I just downloaded an app that publishes to WordPress, and I am testing it out.

Posted in Blogging, computers | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Thought On Defensive Weapons

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Timothy Covington

Having the latest gee-whiz super uber-duper weapon may be fun and cool. However, when talking about a go to defensive weapon, something tried and true is your best bet. If you are buying a new weapon to use for your defense every month, you will find yourself not being completely familiar with it. Where is it if it is concealed (pocket, hip, shoulder holster, cross draw or an ankle) and where are the controls on it. Compare this with the person who always uses a 1911 or revolver and practices with the weapon regularly. The person may have fewer rounds and the weapon may weigh more than the latest plastic wonder pistol, but he knows where it is and how to use it.

Edit: This is the reason I have chosen the 1911 and the AR15 as my defensive weapons. I was introduced to the 1911 over 25 years ago and the same goes for the AR15 platform. I know both of these platforms intimately. My AR15 I built from parts. It is reliable and, if something goes wrong, I know how to handle it. Except for building it myself, the same goes for 1911.

Posted in CHL, Defense | Leave a comment

Some Preparedness/Self Sufficiency Thoughts On Clothing

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Timothy Covington

In a long term personal disaster (unemployment or worse), what do you do for clothing? Can you repair a rip/hole in clothing? Can you even sew on a button? Can you make yourself a simple pair of pants and/or shirt if you have the fabric? What about shoes, socks, and/or underwear? Can you weave cloth? Can you spin fiber to make thread and/or yarn? Can you tan leather? What can you make by hand?

Believe it or not, people make a living with these skills today. Even more people make extra money using these skills and selling goods on the internet. Don’t look at these things as just hobby/primitive/survival skills. Also look at them as ways to save and/or make money. If you can make a simple repair to a pair of jeans, that saves you the $20 to replace them. If you can take $10-$20 of materials and turn them into something someone is willing to pay $50+ for, isn’t it worth your time?

Posted in Activities, Hobbies, preparedness | Leave a comment