The liar's bench

[kiwi Bruce]

Yesterday 11/11 at 11 o'clock, only one hundred years ago...I know where both by Grandfathers were. My Dad's Dad was in Aden in a British NCO's club...My Mum's Dad was in Egypt in a French Bar...both had a cold beer in their hands...and World War One ENDED!

I couldn't think of anywhere else to put this...they were both in their early twenties, they had both been though the hell of Gallipoli, and survived unscathed. I'm proud of them both....Kiwi

[jedneck]

clink click. a toast.

"to those that signed a blank cheque payable with life." Thank You

damned glad i didnt cash mine in

[Truckinbutch]

Clink clink . Here's to all those gone before and those of us that are still among the living .
May ya be in HEAVEN an hour before the DEVIL knows you are dead .

[kiwi Bruce]

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day everyone!

[fizzix]

Yesterday 11/11 at 11 o'clock, only one hundred years ago...I know where both by Grandfathers were. My Dad's Dad was in Aden in a British NCO's club...My Mum's Dad was in Egypt in a French Bar...both had a cold beer in their hands...and World War One ENDED!

I couldn't think of anywhere else to put this...they were both in their early twenties, they had both been though the hell of Gallipoli, and survived unscathed. I'm proud of them both....Kiwi

Heroes.

Clink clink . Here's to all those gone before and those of us that are still among the living .
May ya be in HEAVEN an hour before the DEVIL knows you are dead .

Here, here!

[fizzix]

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day everyone!

And to you, kiwi, and all the new friends I've made here in my nearly 1-year of membership.

[varocketry]

Checking in to say hello and offer a warm Thanksgiving greeting to all friends and colleagues here.

VARocketry

[The Baker]

Well it's the day after your thanksgiving here, now, but maybe not there.
Anyway all the best.

Geoff

[bilgriss]

It's a cold one. But the oven is doing a good job of warming things up!

[thecroweater]

Checking in to say hello and offer a warm Thanksgiving greeting to all friends and colleagues here.
VARocketry

Well how do and where have you been mate, just yesterday I was saying maybe I should track down your number and call to see if all is well.

[corene1]

Well folks I am sitting here at the bench with head in hands. It has been a really crappy week and I believe I will get snockered tonight. Lost a very close friend and my cousin last week and am having a hard time coping right now so I thought I would come here and get it all off my chest and drink some. Last Friday (8 days ago) at 11:30 at night my cousin was murdered in his sleep for no explainable reason by his 29 year old son. On Sunday I saw that My friend George Racz from Las Vegas Distillery had died unexpectedly. My cousin and I had been working in his barn over the last year perfecting a really nice rum recipe. He was really starting to get the hang of distilling. I grew up and spent more time with him and his family than I did with my own . Canal swimming and mud fights , BBQ's and late night stories and drinking around the fire pit at his place, not to mention some fierce horse shoe games for 60 of my 64 years . Stories and family history were shared freely and so many memories, hard to count them all. Think I will have a drink , Thanks for listening .

[Yonder]

Shit, corene, that's a crusher. There just ain't no words that'll ever put it right. Pour a deep one, be at peace, and I'll have a glass with ya in my heart.

[thecroweater]

Jeez Lou wheez Corene that is a dreadful development for you and your family, so sorry to hear it. I'm sure a can't imagine what you guys are going through but I do know what a sudden and meaningless family death feels like, deepest condolences

[Kareltje]

Shit! Do not know what to say. Whish you all the strength you need and all the comfort you can get.

[Manc]

Condolences corene

Thoughts are with you even though I can't find any words

Lee

[kiwi Bruce]

You are in my prayers Corene, you and your family, God bless and comfit you all through this tragedy.

[The Baker]

Thinking of you,

Geoff

[HDNB]

hugz. sending lots of love your way.

[fizzix]

So sorry Corene. It's not fair and there are no words except I feel for your sorrow and loss.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

We love you corene. We cry for you. We now mourne for your loss.

[OtisT]

That sucks Corene. My thoughts are with you and tonight I’ll lift a glass of rum to your friend and cousin. Otis

[Truckinbutch]

Prayers and hugs , Corene . Let us share your pain to lessen it's burden on you .

[corene1]

Just want to thank you all for all the thoughts and kind words. As I said I am having a had time wrapping my head around what has happened. Seems like this is the stuff you only see in movies. Spent the day up in the mountains today walking and thinking of all the things we did as kids and through our life. Yes sir we did get in a bit of trouble a few times. It started when I was about 7 or 8. This is a great story of two young kids trying to do the right thing. Kenny still lived in town and we lived a bit out of town. The two of us were out at the canal looking for frogs and crawdads and such when we came across some power poles that were down . In school they taught us to leave them alone and notify an adult. We it just so happens that Kenny's dad was a pole man for pacific bell so we headed out to Kenny's house to tell uncle Kenny about the lines. Well it was probably a 4 or 5 mile trip by foot and as thing would happen we got side tracked a bit. On the way we found a squirrel and Kenny dared me to catch it. Well I did and it bit the heck out of me, they are feisty little devils I tell you. Any ways just about dark we get to Uncle Kenny's house and tell him about the down line. My parents are there as well and we get in big trouble for not letting anyone know where we were. We get our backsides paddled then Kenny tells them the story of the squirrel. Well everyone goes to the field to try and find the squirrel, it is just an old ground squirrel but nobody finds it so the next day I am at the Doctors starting the Rabies shot vaccinations. I got him back though. The next weekend I was over at there house for the whole weekend and I dared him and bet him 25 cents he couldn't put a whole apple in his mouth. Now remember that a quarter back then would buy 2 packs of BB's and some Bazooka Joe bubble gum so the bet was on. Well he got it in there but couldn't get it out. It got stuck behind his teeth so we had to go to his mother, my aunt Jean , and she had to cut it out piece by piece until it would come out.
I spent my whole child hood spending weekends at his house, guess I didn't fit into my family to well. 2 blond haired and blue eyed sisters that loved dressing up and curled hair and a brother that was always trying to attract the girls. I was the youngest, auburn hair and brown eyes, so I spent my time over there and with my dad. Yea I came out a bit different so to speak. The 2 of us have been close for our entire life. He was a good man and great father, worked hard to make a great life for his family and was generous to all that he came in contact with. We have hunted together, fished together and spent a lot of time just talking about life in general. He didn't deserve to die that way. Should have been in the mountains hunting something. That's him in the rocking chair, my nephew in the couch and me with my back to the camera. I will miss him greatly.

[fizzix]

You're adorable, corene.
Beautiful tale, and I bet you have plenty more.
Hang in there, kid!

[Kareltje]

Your story made me think of:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVTcJHO89W0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[kiwi Bruce]

It's hard to sit back down on the bench again and spin a yarn, after someone shares a truly terrible heartache like Corene's...
So I'll just sit down and purse my lips and whistle, that the thing
"and always look on the bright side of life..."

[corene1]

Well just to get things back on track let me tell you about the first brewing experience he and I had. My dad was a bootlegger and a bit of a shiner , when we were young he would tell us stories but never told us how to make shine but he made the mistake of telling us about beer. Well I was about 13 and Kenny was 15 and had a liscense. One day we put our pennies together and figured we could come up with something close to what my Dad had described . So we got this big ol 5 gallon crock from out back and put it in the shed. Filled it with water then added 5 pounds of sugar some chopped up potatoes and apricots from the tree. Went down to the health food store and got a 3 pound can of liquid malt and some hops tea in a box and some yeast went home and stirred that concoction into one big pot of, well something. Believe it or not this stuff started working off it was summer so the shed was warm. Everyday we would go out there and lift the cheesecloth cover and scrape the goo off. After a couple of weeks this stuff was getting pretty strong so we figured it was time to bottle it. Well we had no money for bottles so we borrowed his parents car and went down to skid row area and found a bunch of old wine bottles . We were in luck , they still had caps on them , took them home and washed them up and started filling them with an old funnel and a paint strainer my dad had. He took half and I took half and we hid the bottles in a dark cool spot. Well my dad was right they cleared up real good and the settleings were on the bottom. Ha! We had beer , sort of. Well we finally got caught. Kenny hid his in his closet. Back then he lived in an old oilfield shack but it was home and this day it was probably 120 outside and the beer started getting hot and some of it exploded in his closet. His mom called my mom and the rest is history . Got our backsides warmed up real good by our moms but I saw this little smile from my dad and a little head shake. He and I had so many adventures it would take a hundred pages to write them all down. I am sure he would enjoy a toast with all you out there as well as all us here on the bench. Here's to ya my friend!

[Truckinbutch]

You're makin my memory water , Gal .
1961 : I was 11 and had a pony that I raised and broke that became the best friend I ever had for 21 years . If I could get it in my mind , he would help me make it happen . 50" pony and a 4 rail fence : we trusted each other and cleared it with daylight under his hooves .
Anyhow (AK Tom), my Grampaw tole me and 3 of my mouthbreathin 10/11 year old buddies that the best way to make cider was in a 55 gallon oak barrel with about 4 inches of wheat in the bottom and let it set for several weeks . claimed that if you sucked some out with a wheat straw it would get you 'swimmy headed' enough to try to milk a dry cow .
A neighbor at the head of the next valley had a cider mill and press we could use . We had a barrel . An abandoned 10 acre hillside orchard had a bumper crop of apples .
The stage was set for juvenile deliquentcy .
A TO30 Ferguson with a 4x8 trailer with 4' side racks got me and my pony/pack horse to the orchard .After filling the trailer with apples me and him had to ride 3 miles to the cider mill , which was hand cranked ,
Kids and ponies got lots of energy . Didn't take us but just over a week to fill 2 barrels .
Two months later we siphoned several gallon vinegar jugs out of the first barrel and did some generous sampling during the decanting . I tied 4 jugs to my saddle and my pony found our way home .
My Daddy found me laying in the yard where my pony shook me off when he got us home . The jugs were intact .
My friends , who didn't have ponies , were found by their parents ; semi comatose by the first barrel where they had been passing the siphon hose around until they passed out . Thank goodness we hadn't shoved the hose to
the bottom of the barrel and wasted all of it .
That ended our cider makin .
Note to y'all : Gettin your legs strapped until you are better is not a hangover cure I recommend .

[corene1]

Several years ago my cousin was going to go bear hunting on Kodiak Island, BIG bears there, and bought a new rifle for the trip. He has always loved Weatherby rifles so he went and bought a .378 Weatherby Magnum and got the scope mounted and asked if I would go help him sight it in, sure no problem. Well we went out and set up a blanket on the hood of the truck and started shooting. He shot a couple of rounds then said that I should shoot a couple as well. No Problem. Let me tell you that thing kicked like a mule and he just sat there and laughed. He quickly decided it needed a muzzle brake . After a few weeks it came back from the gunsmith with a brand new muzzle brake so off to the field we went. Set the blanket on the hood of the truck , set up the target and he sent the first round downrange. Well folks we never shot anything with a muzzle brake before and guess what was the first kill for that rifle. You got it, the front windshield of the truck was completely shattered by the muzzle blast. Guess who was laughing then?

[Truckinbutch]

Several years ago my cousin was going to go bear hunting on Kodiak Island, BIG bears there, and bought a new rifle for the trip. He has always loved Weatherby rifles so he went and bought a .378 Weatherby Magnum and got the scope mounted and asked if I would go help him sight it in, sure no problem. Well we went out and set up a blanket on the hood of the truck and started shooting. He shot a couple of rounds then said that I should shoot a couple as well. No Problem. Let me tell you that thing kicked like a mule and he just sat there and laughed. He quickly decided it needed a muzzle brake . After a few weeks it came back from the gunsmith with a brand new muzzle brake so off to the field we went. Set the blanket on the hood of the truck , set up the target and he sent the first round downrange. Well folks we never shot anything with a muzzle brake before and guess what was the first kill for that rifle. You got it, the front windshield of the truck was completely shattered by the muzzle blast. Guess who was laughing then?

Did the same thing to a Chevy Blazed windshield with the same caliber . That side blast is devastating .