Epiphany

We celebrate the great Feast of the Epiphany today and with it look to the Magi, the Wise Men, who in turn point to Christ and reveal his nature in their gifts. Gold for Kingship, frankincense for divinity and myrrh for embalming and death. The Christ child is our divine king whose throne is the cross. But what of the Magi themselves?

They were astronomers who followed a star, and some argue this was a supernova, a conjunction of planets or something else again, a miraculous event. Perhaps it was all of these, but the Wise Men were more than  astral calculators, they were "wise," they looked for the truth and they found it, Incarnate, lying in a manger.

I was struck by this, from Pope Benedict XVI:

They were "wise." They represent the inner dynamic of religion toward self-transcendence, which involves a search for truth, a search for the true God and hence "philosophy" in the original sense of the word. Wisdom, then, serves to purify the message of "science": the rationality of that message does not remain at the level of intellectual knowledge, but seeks understanding in its fullness, and so raises reason to its loftiest possibilities.

Loftiest possibilities? Heaven itself and the throne of glory, all to be found in the baby lying under a star in a manger.

God bless you all,

LSP

Greta Awesome - Not So Hot For Quds

Back in Texas and 2020's off to a good start, unless you're boss of the Quds Force & Co.

Stars save the planet.

Rods from God & MAGA 2020,

LSP

Happy New Year!

Here we are on the dawn of a whole new year and I can't complain about the closing days of the last. A pub lunch and darts at the Swan with the boys, an uplifting Solemn High Mass on Sunday, Ordinariate style, and I have to say it was good to see the old place so full of young families and children.

And what trip to Calgary and Inglewood would be complete without visiting Crown Surplus and the militaria shop? The Crown's changed things up a bit and now devotes most of its space to tactical gear, which is great if you're an operator or looking for neat backpacks, knives and tactical accessories for your Glock/Sig. I like the other side of the store more, genuine surplus at OK prices.

The militaria place is alright too, though not as good as it once was before it moved down the street 5 years ago. Still, if you're desperate for a Grenadier Guards tunic or a bust of Hitler it's your shop. I took a couple of pictures and got in trouble, they're afraid of memorabila thieves.

Walking Holly was fun too, she's a rescue dog from the rez, not sure which one, and we get on well. She's vastly excited to go on trips through the frozen wastes and alleyways of this part of Alberta's onetime cow town. And there it is for now, more reflections on the Great White North as they come to mind.

In the meanwhile,

Happy New Year!

LSP

Boxing Day And On To Canada

Christmas day was great, feasting and fun with friends and family, then it was Boxing Day. I strolled over to a diner with the Private for a late and large portioned breakfast, tasty.  And after a well needed re-org we headed to the airport, objective? The Land of The Ice And Snow, aka Canada.

As everyone knows, flying's pretty miserable but our flight worked out well thanks to not one but two upgrades on account of the Private being active military traveling with orders. Good work AA, USO didn't hurt either.

So we ended up in the first two seats of the plane with a bizarre amount of legroom, comp drinks in real glasses, a meal with metal cutlery and all laid on, thank you very much. A bit like flying in the olden days and I tell you, it made the trip to Calgary most congenial.

And there we were, as if faster than you could say Justine Blackface Beta Socks Trudeau, landed at YYC. 

It was good to be back in the Great White North; I like Canada and I especially like Calgary. Stay tuned as this snowy mountain town adventure unfolds.

Merry Christmas,

LSP

Christmas Presents

Via ZZ, hope you've had a beautiful and blessed day,

LSP

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is upon us like a Trump train steaming down the track to a 2020 landslide. So here's a couple of prayers to ground us in the mysterious joy and glory of the day:

O GOD, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the Birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ: grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge. Who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

O GOD, who hast enlightened this most holy night with the beams of thy one true light: grant, we beseech thee; that we, who have known the mystery of his light on earth, may also attain to the fruition of his joys in heaven. [Who.]

With the beams of thy one true light. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Wishing you the most joyful and merry Christmas,

LSP

The Shoot Before Christmas

"Up for a shoot, old chap?" The Private didn't need much prompting and sprang out of bed, eager to show off his skills. "I reckon I'll smoke you on the AR," he quipped in a merry two days before Christmas kind of way. 

"I reckon there'd be something wrong if you didn't," I replied in the famously understated way of irregular cavalry, "But first I have to walk the Blue." The Blue being a dog, obviously.

That done, off we went to the range with a couple of .45s, an AR, a 20 SxS, and a big box of bullets courtesy of CheapAmmo.com; thanks, guys, great result. And what a good day for it, the sun shone, the ground was firm, the air clean in a big Texan sky, and all was well. 

CZ 20

First things first, we set up a silhouette along with a few playing cards and warmed up on the .45s. I kicked off with a Glock 21 and pounded five rounds into an approximation of the X Ring. OK, for a rusty shooter. The kid followed on and did well with a PX4 Storm, the green terr was definitely down. We moved onto playing cards at 10 yards.

Hmmm. Rusty.

I know, nothing outrageously skilled, unless you're out of practice like me, but we put the paper beast back in its box and had plenty of fun to boot. Nice. Then onto the 20 and a box of skeet, which we hurled redneck style into the sky. They mostly got smoked. 

Go Army

Next up? AR, and disaster struck. The battery'd died and the helpful red dot was no more. Good thing the weapon had back up iron sights. We blasted away like good 'uns, mostly against steel plates which swang like fury at the impact of the small but forceful 5.56. 

Did the kid "smoke me on the AR"? No, but I feel he would've if the shoot had gone on much longer and he got the feel of weapon. More training, you see. But what a neat little beast, Hipertouch trigger, Bison barrel and lightweight furniture. Far better, thought the Private, than issue. Such, perhaps, is the value of being irregular.

Boom!

We finished off with .45s against steel plates and had a blast knocking the adversary about. Boom, off you go. And then it was time to head for home, mission accomplished.

I love shooting, I scorn the DNC. And thanks, CheapAmmo for making the whole day possible. Great result, and your bullets worked too, like fury. Result.

Gun Rights, 

LSP

PS. Look, they helped the Compound out so I want to return the favor. Check out CheapAmmo, they support our troops. Good, right?

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Still recovering from solstice hi-jinx? Perhaps this will help.

God bless,

LSP

WINTER SOLSTICE!

Yes readers, it's that time of year again, the WINTER SOLSTICE. You heard that right, time to get down to the Stones and party down. Or not, but hey, your call.

Maybe you don't want to get down and dirty with a crew of thieving hippies in the English countryside, maybe you don't want to worship the Moon Goddess with a cocktail of cheap red wine, fake hallucinogens and Special Brew. Then again, maybe you do.

Here at the Compound we don't judge, knock yourselves out, just don't be surprised when you wake up in a ditch and your wallet's been ripped off by an unwashed emissary of Giaia.

Selene,

LSP

Because Awesome

Who gave AJ the truck?

Cheers,

LSP

Welcome Home!

The Private flew in from the Army in Georgia today, where he's doing AIT at Fort Gordon. He likes the Army a lot and finds it better than being a bassist in a Scandinavian Death Metal band, awesome as that is.

On the way from the airport to an RV with fast food, the youthful defender of the nation's freedom regaled me with tales of training and poured scorn on our country's enemies in Congress. Seems like the Army's for 45, unsurprisingly.

Then, multiple dollar menu items later we fell back to Ma LSP's redoubt and the kid took a well deserved sleep. The Blue guarded.

I tell you, I'm proud of my eldest son, he's come a very long way. We'll be flying to the land of the ice and snow, Canada, on Boxing Day.

Go Army,

LSP

Impeachment!

Whaaa?!? Trump's still President even though he's impeached?!? That's right, goonshow, 45's still President and I'll wager the fighting monkey he'll win by a massive landslide, 2020.

If you were a conspiracy theorist you might believe the Democrats were bought and paid for shills of Brad Parscale and the GOP.

Cheers,

LSP