I love my recoil therapy

So I have to say that I love my #4 Mk1* enfield.  She is so much fun to shoot.  I feel engaged when firing here.  Then she kicks like a mule and I like it.  My type 53 is also fun she kicks like a mule as well and is loud.  A lot of fun to shoot and again I feel connected to the shot I take.
 I recently bought a ruger 10/22 she fires just fine and Is really easy to shoot, but I do not feel as connected to the shot.  There is no kick which is good for my shoulder. I am sure I will come to love my .22 as much as my bolt action once I get to know her.  I wonder if anyone else has this problem with  switching from bolt to semi-automatic?  

MMMMM...Butter

I have found that making your own butter is very easy and satisfying.  My kids love to help so it is a great project for the whole family.

I have found thus far that heavy whipping cream from the store works just fine.  Setting the cream out to come to room temperature is the best and fastest way for it to turn from cream then to whipping cream than to butter.

There are many tools you can use.

Old fashioned churn

Hand mixer

Stand mixer

Electric or manual food processor

I have heard of using a blender but I have not tried it.   To name a few

Now that your cream is to room temperature if using a stand mixer pour it into the bowl and  turn it on at least medium and let it go you can walk at this point I wouldn't go very far tho.  It can turn very fast.  Once it gets to whipped cream (like what you buy in the store) it usually does not take much longer.  At this point I turn my mixer on high and it will start to turn a yellow color and butter milk will start to form and if not careful it will splash.  Once it starts to look like the size of peas .  Stop and let it sit to let the butter milk separate.  5-15 minutes later. Drain off the butter milk to use for cooking.  I get a large measuring cup or bowl and fill it up with ice water to wash the butter.  By washing the butter you it will get the stuff out that spoils the butter. Pour a little ice water in the butter and turn mixer on.  After a minute or so pour it out and continue until water comes out clear.  At this point you can put the butter into containers to use or freeze.  Make sure you squeeze the butter to get as much water out as you can.  My kids love to do this and it makes my hands feel wonderful. 

To freeze it you can put frezzer paper or wax paper in the mold 1st and press the butter into it and wrap and frezze. 

To thaw let it sit on counter for about 15 min and unwrap that will keep the paper from sticking to it.

Dazey Butter Churn  I Started out with my lovely churn that I found at a local antique shop.  Did the Job nicely but she is old and the gears where starting to skip.

Wonderful Kitchen Aid Mixer
My wonderful husband bought me this for Valentines day.  Major brownie points by the way.  It works better then I ever expected for making butter.

I have found that heavy whipping cream is the best I can find in my area for making butter
I do not have a source for local raw milk and I believe it is only for pet consumption in this state.  But I would love to try it out sometime.

Glass jar for Butter Milk.  Butter milk is great for using in baking and cooking. 

Start to form Butter

Yummy Butter Milk

Nice Size container

Ready to store and eat

I started to do this because I wanted to see if I could.  I love knowing I can control what is in it.  I do not add salt but I do add garlic or different herbs to add more flavor.  I hope you try it and enjoy.  

Read the News and Your BP will spike

So once again I am reading the news and Get so mad I have to walk away from the computer.  This happens a lot and thank goodness I do not life in NYC.    Mayor Bloomberg is at it again.   He does not even try to hide the fact that he think it's OK to infringe your rights.  I don't know how in the world anyone can vote for that man much less keep him in power. I don't know about you but I am not going to let someone micromanage my life.  I will not let anyone treat me like a child just because they think they know best.  To have someone like that in power is shameful.  He wants to spend money to run ads on gun control out side of his area of power?  Why not try just doing his job not meddling in affairs above his pay grade.  More people need to read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. 

Please Remember the Families of these Brave men

I would like to take a moment to remember the fallen Marines and families of the tragic training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nevada. My heart and prayers go out the families of the fallen Marines.

R.I.P

Pfc. Josh Martino

Lance Cpl. Joshua C. Taylor

Lance Cpl. David P. Fenn II

Lance Cpl. Roger W. Muchnick Jr.

Lance Cpl. Mason J. Vanderwork

Cpl. Aaron J. Ripperda

Lance Cpl. William Taylor Wild IV

Not what my momma thought when she raised me

Well my newest love is shooting.

Thanks to my dear husband and father-in-law.

This past summer they took me out shooting and bang I loved it.

Lets go back a few years ago uhmmm to when I was a child. When I was about 8 or so I asked my father if I could go out hunting with him.

Well the answer was no. Girls didn't hunt. My husband would do that.  Well I lived under that illision and didn't think about it until I met my wonderful sister-in-law.  

She can hunt and from what I hear from my husband she is a better shot then both of her brothers. 

Now saying this I still have not gone out hunting.  I like to shoot targets. (everyone starts some where) 

Now I started with an M1 Garand and it was love at first shot.  After that day I didn't really think about owning my own gun,  why no why would I do something like that. (ingrained muscle memory from childhood)

 Well my husband looked at me in the fall and said lets go see what is out there that you like.  Well we went to one of the major 5.  I went up there and said I have no clue what I like but I know what I don't like I want peep-sights, wood stock, and I don't want it feel like Matel made it. 

Well the nice man said ok well how about this youth model .22 since you have small arms and your a girl, and this man had the nerve to hand it to my husband to look at 1st.  Well needless to say I have a wondeful husband and he did not take it from him he looked at the man and said it's for her not me. 

So I picked it up and held it put it up to my shoulder and said no this is too light.  It is not a wooden stock and has open sights.  So that right there told me he wasn't listening.  

Well we go through this little dance for a while and I can not find one thing that I like.  As a joke the nice man says well I have this Ruger Scout .308 and he rolls his eyes.  Well I pick it up and I am in love.  Its not to light has a bolt action and has a nice stock.  His mouth hangs open.  

So now I know what I like but well this is right before the Holidays and I have two kids with Christmas and b-days with in 3 weeks, so the price was just not right.  

But I walk out knowing a little bit more about what I like.  

So fast forward to after the holidays and I have gone two a couple more gun shops to see if they had anything better I like.  There are a few I like as much as the 1st one.  So I wait, we finally get the money together and wouldn't you know it the gun rush happened and they didn't have anymore, were not sure when or if they were going to get anymore in stock.  I was near to tears.   But my husband, being a loving man that he is, said "We will find you something you like."  So off we went to our local gun shop and they have a section of military suplus rifles and well I fell deeply in love with my #4Mk1* Enfield in .303 British.  I could not help it.  I picked it and that was it.  

Now little did I know that my husband though alright I have always wanted one.  So we buy it and get a free day at the range.  He is still thinking she will fire it once and then she will give it to me.  Well did I prove him wrong.  I still loved it.  He was wise enough not to say anything to me until we left the range.  

So after we leave the range we go by my parents house so I can show off my new rifle.  I am proud as can be.  My father picks up and looks at it and says what are you going to hunt with it.  I said anyting I want I guess.  But mostly targets.  My mom picks it up and says it look pretty.  (btw it is)  But I can tell they are dumbfounded as to why I would want to shoot.  

My mother told me she is proud and happy I have found something I like to do, but  she simply doesn't understand it.  

She always thought when she had two girls "she would have a debutante not a Annie Oakly"  her words not  mine.   I laughed and said why I love to shoot and still be a lady.