Cooking With LSP - Fish on Friday

Cooking with LSP? That's a great idea. Look, enough of your sarcasm, here's how it's done. Get on a boat and catch some Striper, then watch in awe as your Guide fillets the fish in a fraction of the time it'd take you. Guide magic, but hey, it's his job. Next step?

Take the fillets back home and put 'em in the fridge, only to be taken out later in the day. Behold their piscine glory and as you do, pour an inch or two of oil into some heavy metal (dutch oven), put this on medium/high heat along with a candy thermometer. As the oil does its thing, wash the fish, salt and pepper it, and leave it on a cutting board while you prepare the batter. This is easy.

Put 1 cup of flour into  a mixing bowl, glass or plastic, your call. I use glass, not being Eastern European. Then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt, some cracked pepper and whisk it about. 

Job well done, pour in a bottle of beer or soda water and stir it up. The mixture should end up like thinnish pancake batter. But that's not all, put half a cup of flour in a bowl next to the batter, you'll use this to dredge the fish.

Done? Salute your endeavor with a glass of wine or something else, your call, no rule, but don't take too long, there's oil to be watched. So glance over at your heavy metal and check the oil's temperature. It should be between 365-70 degrees.

This is important. If the oil's too hot it'll ignite and destroy your kitchen like some kind of air bomb, you don't want that. If it's not, whatever's being fried will sit in the unpleasant oil and become a greasy mess. So, make sure it's hot, I recommend 370*, this will fry your fish without it becoming a grease nightmare.

This achieved, take a piece of fish,  dredge it in flour, coat it in batter and place it in the heavy metal. Watch it boil and fry as you add more fillets to the cauldron. You'll know when they're done, crispy, golden brown awesomeness. 

And just for kicks you can do the same thing for a side, I went down the onion ring route, you may choose differently, your choice.

Then fall upon your scoff, like a warrior,

LSP

Lee Speed

 

You may scoff and wag your heads saying "Lsp is a fool," and that's as maybe, but I do have a liking for Lee Enfield rifles. That's partly nostalgia, they were a part of my youth, and partly because they're cool, especially the early sporter Lee Speeds.

Safari sights, elegant wood, hand checkering, the redoubtable and smooth as silk Lee action all combine together to make a beautiful weapon at a fraction of the cost of an equivalent Mauser. And guess what, the rifle has that Edwardian awesomeness we all love. God save the Tzar King. Result.

That in mind, I put in a call to a pal, "Hey, you're kinda in the business. Can you find me a Lee Speed? It must work, not interested in a wall hanger." Which brings us back to art philosophy.

Guns are works of art, good or bad, the Lee Speed being good. But their potential, as such, is only realized in their use, fulfilling the end or τέλος for which they were designed. Parse that as you will.

OK, discussion of matter, potential and act over, I won't be shooting majestic Lions or furious Cape Buffalo with my Speed, more's the pity. But exercising ballistic Edwardiana against paper's no bad thing either, to say nothing of unexpected targets of opportunity.

Don't brake for Communists, readers, all two of you.

Gun rights,

LSP

Tales of Country Life in Texas

It was a day much like any other day, triple digit heat bouncing off Walmart's car park and you could feel the nuttiness as soon as you got inside the store. 

There it was, no sooner through the automatic doors and people were acting weird, off-hand and unbalanced, as though things could spin out of control. Maybe it was the heat.

Random SMLE

I took a cart and pushed on to stock up, milk, bread, wine, cheese and for some reason, root beer. It seemed good to me, I don't know why and it wasn't easy to get, there was too much random motion.

As I pulled the 4 pack of IBC into the cart, a weather-beaten woman slid across the aisle in front of me in dirty socks. No shoes, just socks; I guess it's easier to skate over Walmart's vinyl floor in socks, shoes have too much traction. I dodged out of the way but didn't get far.

Furries

A grinning, white haired giant loomed out of the freezer aisle into my path. "Say," he growled, "What's the only room in the hospital where they'll notice you?" I wasn't feeling quick and told him I didn't know. That satisfied him, after all, this was his joke. "I'll tell you, Emergency. They have a sign, says I... C... U..." 

We locked eyes and a grin creased his already lined, tan face. I told him that was pretty funny and he nodded. A moment of understanding. In the meanwhile, sock-skater had disappeared into the depths of the store and I checked out, passing the old men sitting on the bench outside the hair salon, looking brown as nuts under their veterans hats and not doing much at all except regarding the spectacle of the place unfold. This was their afternoon; I noticed one had been in Korea, but don't stare, it's rude.

Note The 12

I loaded my groceries into the rig and there, across the melting asphalt, were two young guys playing show-and-tell with a pump action twelve gauge outside their truck. Hey, why not, it's Walmart in August, there's no rule. 

Back home, Eduardo and Maria were slaughtering chickens in the back yard and getting it on to some Mexican music. They're good people and I like them; sometimes they bring me fresh eggs, which taste better than the things you buy in stores.

And that's country life.

In Texas,

LSP

Lighten Up!

Readers of this small kebob-stand on the information superhighway, all six of you, are saying, "C'mon, LSP, lighten up! Less Great Russian Art and more God." With the proviso that Great Russian art is both uplifting and educational, let's reflect.

Why is there something rather than nothing? Good question. Because necessity undergirds contingency or, to put it another way, that self-subsistent being, ipsum esse subsistens, the "sheer act of to be itself," causes it.

God articulates this to Moses, speaking out of the unquenchable fire of the burning bush, I AM THAT I AM. He who is is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega of all that is. But His nature is unknowable, existing in the absolute simplicity of pure act from all timeless eternity.

How fortunate, then, that He has revealed Himself as sacrificial love incarnate, in the person of His Son and more than that, has extended his salvific being in the Mystical Body of His Church, which draws all men towards their eternal home. And what awaits there?

Judgement, for sure, but remember, with the repentant thief, this day you will be with me in paradise.

Mind how you go,

LSP

Hands up Don't Shoot!

On second thoughts, no, shoot a lot. Today that meant taking a sporterized SMLE and a Remington 700, 30-06, down to the range for a quick dial-in before next week's hog hunt in West Texas.

100 Year Old (almost) Lee & Younger Shooter

We started with the venerable Lee, which was made in 1917 and saw several "refits" before ending up as a porch project at the Compound. It shot well, for a rifle that's nearly 100 years old, and I like to imagine its history, as indicated by a cacophany of stampings on the receiver. Hopefully it'll bring down a pig or two.

Shoot That Gun

The Remington 700 was next up and performed flawlessly, a far more accurate rifle than I am and a lot of fun to shoot. It's topped off with an old Redfield scope with a built in range finder, which I always forget how to use. Youtube, come to the rescue!

Plinkers

Satisfied that both rifles were on to minute of hog, we finished off with some gentle .22 plinking against steel plates and a couple of ice tea cans. Take that, plate, and you too, can. We have your measure.

Kindly Old LSP

Then, parched by an afternoon with guns in the fierce Texan sun, the team fell back to base for some refreshing drinks of Global Cooling and the satisfaction of a successful evolution.

Blue Congressman

Well done, HQ Troop. I'll pretend I didn't hear you teasing Blue Congressman with a squirrel call...

Round in the chamber,

LSP

Go to The Gunshop And Get a Haircut

A visit to Calgary isn't complete, for me at least, without a visit to the city's world famous Gun Shop Barber. That's right, a gun shop that's also a barber; you'll find it in Inglewood on 9th Avenue, and it's called Proline Shooters. I went there yesterday to browse the guns and get a cut.

Proline has a good, if smallish selection of firearms, and I cast a covetous eye at their burnished Sakos, gleaming behind the counter. Their pistol selection featured Glocks, Berettas and, I think, Sigs, plus a variety of I want one large revolvers. I may be wrong, but it seems that Canada bought into Beretta's PX4 Storm to a greater extent than the U.S. Whatever, Proline carries several variants. 

Then, after looking at a couple of sporterized Lees in the 2nd hand rack, I paid a visit to Dan the barber.

Dan, Photo by Jared Sych

We reminisced about his predecessor, Doug, who died of pancreatic cancer some years back. I liked Doug and was always curious about his socialism. Calgary's Red Barber, in a gun shop, that was him. May he rest in peace.

Haircut over, I headed out into the winter wonderland of 9th Avenue, and that, readers, was that.

Go to Proline, they're alright, and so's their barber, Dan.

Shoot straight,

LSP

And so it Begins...

A Small Gar

I've always enjoyed fishing, a lot, but haven't made the time to do much of it. I've been correcting that bad omission in a concerted effort to become a better all 'round sportsman.

Random Lee

Good goal, eh? I like getting out on the water and seeing the fish glide by like submarines, or exploding up like fierce missiles. Then there's the prehistoric, living fossil Gars who surge up, inspect your bait, roll sideways to give you the beady pleistocene eye and surge off again in search of less threatening things. 

Rare Catch at the Tailrace

That's all good, it's even better when you actually catch something, and bask in that oddly self-satisfied "I've caught a fish!" sort of feeling. Well, it is very satisfying.

More on that later and with it, the mysterious Trinity river that flows through Dallas and North America's largest hardwood forest.

No Wedding Bells For Chelsea

In other news, a wedding photographer has been told by the state that she can't refuse to work a lesbian wedding. All in the name of tolerance. Nice. 

Fish on,

LSP

And They're Back!!

mindless freaks

There I was, all innocent, standing on the runway of YYC waiting for take-off, then it was touchdown at DFW and... I lost all inclination to post. Perhaps it was because of the endless stream of Piers "Oh What A Total Loser" Morgan PR on the TV. Maybe it was because of the depressing effect of NO AMMO to be had, but whatever the reason, the mood has passed and Team LSP is back online. And back with a vengeance.

the Boss

Expect God.

just an old Lee

Expect Guns.

getting it right

Expect Church.

ride more, all of you

Expect Country Life.

Bear Cav

And maybe some Bear Cav shots, perhaps the odd food review, and who knows, even the odd side-swipe against the New World Order and their elitist dupe sycophants. All that to say nothing of our ongoing struggle to expose the space creature alien takeover of tiny little ACoC (Anglican Church of Canada) and their wealthy patron, TEC (The Episcopal Church).

demented space creature

So stay tuned and keep squeezing the trigger if you're fortunate enough to have any bullets.

Cheers,

LSP

An Army Of One

Spurred on by SBW's urging to "shoot the Lee" I filled the truck with guns and headed off to a parishioner's range. It was beautiful, just me, the guns and miles of misty countryside. I set up a silhouette and my ancient adversary, a Marlboro Light box.

After a brisk .22 warm up I moved on to the more serious business of SMLE firepower and was surprised to shoot my best groups with that rifle. Shot less well with an AR, oddly. Probably due to a lack of concentration. Neat little rifle though.

Finished off with a blast of the .45. Ferocious fun to see the flaming flash of the shot. Then the heavens opened and I began to wish, and not for the first time, for something in the 4x4 line. Hopefully that will arrive before the impending 2012 apocalypse.

But the Eschaton and lack of four wheel drive aside, I love shooting. Good for mind, body and soul. What did they used to say about America being a "nation of riflemen"? I like that, even if it's no longer true. 

Keep pulling the trigger,

LSP

Deep Sea Lee

Visited a gunsmith yesterday in Waco to pick up my venerable .22 JC Higgins. The 'smith had replaced several springs, a pin and built up the lifter, all for the remarkably sane price of $35. 

So we fell to talking about Lee Enfields.

Putin - get rid of that old Mosin Nagant.

My friend thought they were OK, but only as "boat guns". Boat guns? Yes. For killing sharks. 

Now we know.

Result.

LSP

Posh Guns

A gun I can't afford

Interesting visit to a member of the legal profession in Dallas viz. probating a will - interesting because he had an immaculate collection of Lee Enfields, Mausers and the odd American .30 in his office. A Texan variant, I suppose, of magazines in the dentist's waiting room and altogether more enjoyable - to me, anyway. After that it was a trip to the Beretta Gallery in Highland Park and a gaze at shotgun's I'll never be able to afford; beautiful bits of kit for the wealthy shooter and, at the 'doable' end of the spectrum, lots of Tikka/Sako variants. Didn't buy anything but it was uplifting to be in the proximity.

Then of course there's Climategate; ten out of ten Soylent Green points for fraudulent 'science' and a terrifying vision of, er, present day reality.

Don't eat those wafers, chaps - eat BBQ instead, better for you.

LSP

Ranging About

Kragg - not dissimilar to the Lee in feel & action.

Extremely enjoyable day at the range thanks to Tom, of Boomers & BS, who kindly let me sample a portion of his significant arsenal. I enjoyed it all - Garand v. Lee Enfield shoot off, .458 Lott, .557 Snider, Encore, Contender and more besides.

Somewhat indifferent marksmanship on my part at 100 yrds, shooting low with the Lee (oddly) and to the right with a scoped Mauser 7mm - which Tom shot with deadly accuracy. Still, we were in it for the fun and, for me, a chance to try out new weaponry.

Enormous Huge Great Rifle!

Shot better with the pistols, in particular Tom's custom 1911 Dan Wesson; I'm a complete convert, not that I was unwilling... Seriously - what an excellent pistol. Go out and buy one if you can. Today.

Just a lot of pistols.

Then, just as we'd finished firing the larger hand guns and were about to settle into shooting some relaxing Ruger & assorted .22 pistols, the rain came down in sheets and it was back to the range office to take shelter from the storm.

Despite the last portion of the shoot getting rained off, a great day was had by all:

Huge respect to the authour of Boomers & BS for sharing part of his exciting and powerful collection of fire arms.

The 1911 is "right on" - certainly as customised by Tom.

"Astro" range near Florence, Texas, is friendly and was happily empty - on Friday.

Garand seems easier to shoot than the Lee - but a very different rifle.

Winchester 70 Featherweight (30-06) looks beautiful, kicks like fury.

Evil Nazi sporterised rifle can be dead on target.

Ancient Rhodie Cavalry Carbine (?) might not hit much these days but is mighty fun to shoot.

You can shoot EXTREMELY LARGE ROUNDS through pistols single handed and hit the target.

And just in case you were wondering, the .410 through a rifled pistol barrel is no use whatsoever as a self defense round at 15 yards - perhaps much less (thx. Tom for the demo). At least that's the way I see it.

Looking forward to the next shoot.

Cheers,

LSP

Jack Rabbit

Feeling a bit of a sad loser after failing to slay pigs, I figured some remedial shooting practice was in order, so I went down to my Treasurer's ranch for some target shooting and the off chance that I could get some crows that sometimes roost along the treelines.

A dirt road or so later I arrived and talked church for a bit before moving off with the instruction, "If you see any rabbits, kill 'em. Take as long as you like." They'd been devouring vegetables and generally being a pest; I moved off in pursuit.

Sure enough, there were plenty of Jack Rabbits and after a few missed long shots I took down seven with an old JC Higgins bolt action .22. A scope might have helped with the long distance runners, but I was content with the shots and felt somewhat redeemed after yesterday's hesitation & miss against the pigs.

LSP melting with cheap as you like Mossberg

Rabbits done, I shot at some flying things with a 12 guage and practiced on the Lee - nothing spectacular but reasonable groups. I was pleased to see the rounds coming in a little high, as they should, with the battle sight calibrated at 300 yards and the peep sight at a minimum of 150 - I was shooting at around 50-60 yards.

Heat was a challenge (98* in the shade) but all in all, a great day's shoot.

LSP

Shoot the Lee!

I've been saving a couple of boxes of .303 British thinking, for some reason, that they were hard to come by, which they're not. This foolishness had stopped me firing my Lee Enfield for the last month or so until today, when the scales fell from my eyes. "Don't be stupid, LSP,'" I thought to myself, "take the SMLE out for a spin, you can always get more ammo."

Struck by this ammunition epiphany, I loaded up some weapons and drove off to my Treasurer's farm for a shoot. First off I stalked the acreage with a .22 looking for rabbits - no joy, doubtless because they were 1/2 a mile away gorging on vegetables in the plot behind the barn.

Nothing daunted I set up a target by some hay bales and fired off a box of .45 ACP to decent effect, somewhere in the region of 3 inch groups at around 20 yards. Shot lower left of target initially but got things together after a time and pulled up close to the center.

Then it was off to the combine harvester with the Lee. The advantage of the CH being that you can sit up high on the machine and shoot safely down on the target from appx. 60/70 yards.

Despite ammo paranoia induced lack of practice, the rounds grouped well, albeit a little low. Used battle instead of peep sights - perhaps an error. But that was less important to me than the sheer enjoyment of the action of the rifle, which I find robust and well engineered.

Shoot over, it was back to church for Vespers and a conflab with parishioners who were setting the hall up for a Father's Day reception after Sunday Mass. They figured it should have a theme and chose "On the Beach." I don't know why and didn't ask, but did congratulate their ingenuity.

Have a great Father's Day.

LSP