Gunnies Helping Gunnies: Kevin Baker

Kevin Baker, of The Smallest Minority blog, has been diagnosed with hereditary liver cirrhosis and has been hospitalized. His daughter Jessica has set up a GoFundMe for his mounting medical needs, and I'll let her tell the story:

So here I am again. The first time Kevin requested that I removed it. At this point I got "the best wife in the world's" blessing. Kevin was admitted back to the hospital last night (8/15/18) after collapsing and having to be taken by ambulance to emergency. He had just gotten out of the hospital on Tuesday. His ammonia level is very high to the point that he is very confused. I am asking people for whatever help they can provide. Whether it be $1.00 or even just a prayer and sharing. This is a hard time for his wife who is his primary caregiver outside the hospital.

A little about my fabulous father. This is a man who took me under his wing when I was 15 years old. I was a troubled teen and he still provided the best care and attention that any teen could ask for. He taught me how to enjoy cars, how to drive, how to change a tire, how to check my tire pressure and gun safety/shooting. A lot of survival skills that many aren't blessed to be taught. All have had a huge impact on my life.

Fast forward to more current times. His health in the past few months started to decline rapidly. He had previously been diagnosed with porphyria. They then found Cirrhosis of the liver (hereditary). Later they found a bleeding ulcer in which he became very anemic. His liver condition is progressing at a high rate of speed to the point that he has now become very confused and cannot even use the technology that he needs in order to perform his work. He has exhausted his paid time off due to this. He keeps saying that he doesn't need help but he is a very stubborn individual who doesn't like burdening others with his problems and is too proud to ask for help. So here I am.

Kevin is well known for the gun matches that he held. He was very active in the NRA. He donated to may charities and had a heart of gold. He would seriously give his shirt off his back to any one who needed help even in his time of need. Some of you may know him through his Smallest Minority web page. He was well known for his publications. Some of you may be previous or current co-workers and know his dedication to his work and his pride.  I want this to reach as many people as possible even if all they can provide is their sincere words.

Sorry that his is so long but I cannot express enough how much this wonderful man has made a difference in my life and his family. He has always been the greatest support for his family and friends amongst many others. Please take a moment of your time to contribute whatever you can. If you can't donate please just say a prayer. These are by far the worst times we have ever seen him in.

Thank you a million! His grateful daughter,

Jessica

I can testify to Kevin's stubbornness. Late last month, he told me that he would need to withdraw his name from the list of Operation Blazing Sword's volunteer instructors due to health problems. He also told me he was selling most of his guns because he didn't expect to ever make it to the range again and because he needed the cash on hand for medical expenses.

At the time, I told him to set up a GoFundMe, but as Jessica testifies above, he's stubborn and refused, saying "I'm not at the point where I need help, I'm still working and pulling down a salary."

I'm happy that Jessica got her mother's blessing to post this. Please help Kevin if you can. Medical bills are awful, and if he's going to need a new liver that will increase his debt by a factor of 10 at the least.

In Memoriam: Christian Jack Scheel 7/7/17 – 3/6/18

Art Scheel, also known as "Anti Tango", suffered a devastating loss this week when his 8 month old son Christian died.

Here's the story in his own words.

I can't even begin to process this. I've never had children, so I don't know what kind of love that is, or what kind of fear a parent has for them. I call it a slippery, spherical tragedy; like trying to pick up a greased bowling ball, it's something I cannot grasp... and yet, I'm still struck ill by this terrible thing, which tells me that what the Scheel family is going through is immeasurably worse.

Like many of you, I have this urgent desire to help, to comfort, to do something, anything, but am frustrated by the separation of distance between them and me and the knowledge that anything I do will be just a bandaid on an amputated limb.

Still, if you're like me you'll want to do something to help. Here's what you can do:

• There's a GoFundMe to pay for the medical bills and the funeral. Funds are always useful at a time like this. 
• If you'd prefer to donate directly, I have been informed by Meghan, the lady who started the GoFundMe, that there is an America First Credit Union for Art and his family and that you'll need the account name and account number to donate:
  • Account name: Arthur Scheel 
  • Account number: 9100280 
• If you're local and want to give direct aid, or if you want to send something physical to the family (such as flowers, toys for the two older boys, etc), please email Brandon Kuhn at Utredneck AT gmail DOT com or message him via Facebook if you're FB friends. Brandon knows the Scheel family, is local, and is active in their church, so he's our Boots On The Ground man. He knows what they need and what they don't, so talk to him before sending anything. 
• Offer sympathy, support and love to the Scheel family on Art's Facebook page. If you find you can't post to that page, write it on my wall and I'll tag him. 
• Pray, if you're the praying type, for peace and healing upon this family. 

Thank you. 

Gunnies Helping Gunnies: Athena Burkhead

Hi. I’m Athena Burkhead, the daughter of David Burkhead, the Writer In Black.

My parents are going through a divorce right now. My father wants to keep custody of me, and I want to stay with him for very good reasons that I cannot legally talk about.  Due to the lawyer’s fees involved, my father and I are financially struggling.

Our family of two needs money in order to be able to support itself, which is why I’m starting this fundraiser. $6,000 ought to cover the costs of the custody and divorce.

We need help immediately. My father has gone into debt to keep custody of me. I love him and don’t want him to go bankrupt , but I don’t want to live with my mother, either.

I don't want to be taken away from my father. Please help us.

I don't know all the details (it's none of my business), but what I do know of the situation has convinced me that Athena needs to be with her father instead of her mother.

Tell you what, I'll just quote the other people who know more.


Key words: Rescue Operation. 


Key words: Athena needs to stay with her father, at all costs.


Key words: The mother is best described as a monster.


Please help keep a teenage girl with her loving father. You can do this in the following ways:

• Donate to their GoFundMe campaign. 
• Give directly via PayPal to dburkhuad@yahoo.com (the misspelling of his last name is intentional; this is David's earmarked PayPal account set up expressly for legal fees). 
• Buy David's books on Amazon. He gets money and you get a book! 
• David's books* are also available on Kindle Unlimited. That means if you have a KU account, you can read them for fee. (Don't worry, he still gets paid.)
• Share this fundraiser so that other people see it!

In only 48 hours we've managed to raise half of our goal! I'm certain that we can raise the other half over the weekend. 

Plus, if you donate $100 or more, you get to pick an 8x10 print from Oleg Volk's gallery to be drop-shipped to you (where available - Oleg can't drop ship to every country).

If you donate $200 or more, you get to pick a 16x20 print from Oleg's gallery!

So please, donate and share today! Thank you!




 *All of the ebooks over which he has control, that is. The Sword & Sorceress anthology is the only one not available in KU because it's the only one over which he has no control.

Update on the Onstotts

Sabra has written about her experience here.

Big thanks to everyone who has donated to their fundraiser!

Here's an updated needs list:

• curtains
• flatware
• pots & pans (pref. stainless steel, but they aren't going to be picky)
• school supplies (not much, but Sabra does homeschool Marie year-round pretty much)
• books; a fire hose went in through the window where the book case was, and there was heavy smoke damage there as well (Sabra & the kids read mostly sci-fi/fantasy; anything used is great -- adult level or stuff along the lines of Dork Diaries for Esther and super simple beginner books for Marie)
• stuffed puppies, kitties, and bunnies (just a few)
• yarn 
• cloth diapers (probably definitely a need at this point)

They've had several offers of clothes and they think everyone but Lewis and maybe Erik are taken care of.

The McThag Legal Defense Fund

For those who may not have heard, gunblogger McThag was embroiled in a bit of legal drama this past month. The good news is that everything worked out all right in the end; the bad news is that he had to hire a lawyer and the various legal fees became pretty hefty. 

He's managed to pay a lot of it back, but he's still about $800 in the hole. Go read his story, and if you feel sufficiently moved, click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. 

Final Reminder for the Amy Dillon Benefit Raffle

I mentioned the Amy Dillon Benefit Raffle last month, but in case you missed it -- or in case you meant to enter, but forgot about it -- or in case you didn't have funds because you were saving for Christmas -- or maybe you just want to enter again to get another shot at winning this sweet rifle...

... I want to remind you that you have only 24 hours left to enter the drawing. The deadline for entry is noon tomorrow (Dec 29), Mountain Standard Time.

To enter, all you have to do is go to Amy's GoFundMe page, donate $25 or more, and forward your receipt email to ADillonBenefitRaffle AT gmail DOT com. Each $25 counts as one entry. 

And even if you don't win the rifle, there are still other great prizes to be won, including signed books by such noted authors as Larry Correia, Sarah Hoyt, Michael Z. Williamson and Andrew Branca. 

Donate to help a firearms instructor and fierce 2nd Amendment advocate! You might just win something really neat for your trouble!

Your Good Deed of the Season

I received this via Facebook message, and you know how much of a sucker I am for helping good people:

Erin I have a favor to ask of you, a small one.

I have a friend who lives in SC, she's a retired Marine Drill Instructor, currently a full time firearms instructor for Palmetto State Armory. Does metric tons of volunteer work with DC project, SC carry, GA carry, etc.

She was out of town working when Hurricane Matthew hit. Her house was flooded and she lost damn near everything she owned. No flood insurance because she didn't live in a "flood zone".

She lost most of her clothes, personal possessions, even her service uniforms were all ruined, appliances, every piece of furniture, all the flooring, trim, doors, and even the drywall had to come off from the floor up 4 ft.

In order to help raise funds for her GoFundMe campaign I have gone through friends and we're putting together a sweet custom AR-15 package that is being raffled. I'll include the link to the FB page with all the info on it.

Would you please help me get the word out and direct people to the page so we can start getting donations in for her? Each raffle entry is $25.

https://www.facebook.com/AmyDillonBenefitRaffle/

So not only do you get to do a good deed by helping someone who was a victim of a natural disaster AND who is gun owner, but you also get a chance to win a cool gun while so doing!

What kind of cool gun, you ask?

• Spike's Tactical forged Mil Spec receiver set
• 16" Mid length gas barrel from Palmetto State Armory
• Primary Weapons Systems Muzzle Brake
• 15" Free Float Handguard
• Low Profile Gas Block
• Mil Spec Bolt Carrier Group
• CMC 3.5# Single Stage Trigger
• Seekins Precision Magazine release, Ambi Safety Selector, and Bolt Catch 
• Magpul Carbine Stock and Pistol Grip
• Warne SKEL Scope Mount
• Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x Scope
• Custom Cerakote by Vigilante Arms of South Jordan UT

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Go to Amy's GoFundMe page and make a donation. Each $25 donated will be one raffle ticket. Donate more to get more entries.
2. Forward your receipt from GoFundMe to this email address. You will receive a confirmation email from the prize coordinator.
3. Watch this page for updates and the announcement of when the drawing will take place.

I asked the person who sent me this when the drawing would be, and he responded "No exact date as it depends on people's travel schedules. Between Christmas and New Years though."  So that gives you a solid month and a half to donate to this raffle, help make a Marine's Christmas come true, and maybe even pick up a nice big of swag for yourself!

Gunnies Helping Gunnies: Let's Beat Cancer a Third Time

The gun community is no friend to cancer.

Between Kilted to Kick Cancer and the various friends and family members we have lost to it, I believe the general consensus toward it (as elucidated by Barron) is "Fuck cancer sideways with a rusty chainsaw."

If you feel that way as well -- congratulations! Now's your chance to do something about it!

Help Dawn Faust Bibby Beat Cancer

Not only is this woman one of us (as is her husband, John), but she's already beaten cancer twice. Won't you please help her beat it a third time?

Photo by Oleg Volk; gun is Kel-Tec CMR-30. 

In 2009, I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. I beat it -- but it cost my 401k plan, my job, my home and a husband of 6 months. His parting words were, "This cancer thing is not what I signed up for. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be gone when I get home”.

In 2014, an MRI found 22 metastatic tumors in my brain. My local doctors gave me 6 months to live. Thankfully, I found Dr. Aizik Wolf in Miami who is a magician with Gamma Knife. He destroyed every tumor in my brain and 18 months later there is no cancer in my brain nor any cognitive impairment.

Now in 2016, I need your help to beat cancer a third time. I have been diagnosed with advanced tumors in my lungs, bones and liver. Again, the local doctors have written me off. Another physician in Miami, Dr. Beatriz Amendola , has the ability to beat this with a procedure called Varian Edge . This machine combined with drug therapy is greatly effective. However, my insurance company has denied coverage, If I want to live, I must pay CASH. The Varian Edge alone will cost at least $150,000. There will be CT scans, PET scans, MRIs, the drug regimen, co-pays and of course transportation and time away from work for my husband.

This is why you are so important. By donating to this fund and by sharing my message you inspire me to fight even harder and you will make the finances of what needs to be done possible. With your help I can beat this disease again. I am a survivor. I have a great husband who has been my champion through this entire cancer journey. Please help me have more time to enjoy with this great man and the love we spent a lifetime to find. I have a caring support structure, four amazing kids, fabulous friends and a tremendous will to live. What I need today, is your help raising money and getting the word out. Please help if you can, no amount is unappreciated or too small.

If any excess funds are raised, they will be donated to St. Baldricks Children's Cancer charity. Because cancer in kids is inconceivable!!

Please donate if you can. I have.

Boosting the Signal

I shall leave it to Oleg to get into the specifics, but here is the short version:

Alexis Nicole is an 8 year old competitive shooter.

On Friday, 11 March, her grandfather Tryce (and the male role model in her life -- no father is present) was driving her to practice when there was an accident. He was killed at the scene, but Alexis suffered only minor cuts and bruises.

There is a donation page to help this family. All money will go to Alexis' family (via her mother, Stephanie), and will help with the burial, memorial services, medical expenses and whatever else they need to get through this harrowing time.

I have donated. Please find it in your heart to donate as well, if you can.

That day arrived far too soon. 

Gunnies Helping Gunnies: Mark Alger

The Smallest Minority has the details, but the short version is that fellow gunnie and friend of the blog Mark Alger was laid off two weeks before Christmas and needs an emergency cash infusion that can tide him over until the royalties from his second novel come in.

He's a good guy. Slip him some dosh. Or buy his first novel, The High T Shebang, on Kindle for just $2.99!

Following Up on Nicki Kenyon

About 2 weeks ago I posted that fellow gunnie Nicki Kenyon needed financial assistance to help her evict two squatters (one of them a convicted child molester) from her house.  I am pleased to report that, as of this writing, Nicki is over halfway to her goal.

Nicki is all out of bubblegum. 

In order to sweeten the pot, my brother-from-another-mother Oleg Volk has announced that between May 18 and June 1, the highest contributor will get a poster print of their choice. All you need to is:

1. Donate to the fundraiser. 
2. Email Oleg with your amount and date of donation. 
3. Indicate which photo you wish to have posterized. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, any money which Nicki does not need for legal fees or other expenses (I have a feeling the squatters are going to trash the place before they're evicted) will be donated to a charity for homeless veterans. So no matter what happens, you know it will be used for a good cause! 

Gunnies Helping Gunnies: Nicki Kenyon

Nicki Kenyon is the dynamite gal who blogs at The Liberty Zone and contributes the Foreign Policy for Grownups segment on the Gun Blog Variety Cast.  If you've read the one, you know that she's incredibly sharp-witted (in both senses of the word -- she's so inventive with her invective that she's managed to make me blush on occasion), and if you've listened to the other, you know that she's incredibly smart and on-point. She's also managed to raise a daughter who has since become a Marine, and in her copious amounts of free time (when she's not working two jobs) she also rescues Saint Bernard dogs.

Basically, I'm proud to call Nicki a friend, and I want to be exactly like her when I grow up.

The thing is, though, she's been the victim of exceptionally crappy luck as of late, and so she needs our help. I encourage you to read about it in her own words...

• The Virginia “Justice” System
• On Losing Hope
• On Theft

... but here's the TL;DR version:  Nicki has a house that she's trying to sell, but the people who were renting it from her have 1) Stopped paying rent, 2) are actively sabotaging her attempts to sell it, and 3) have lied in court in order to keep staying there (without paying rent) until a trial can, hopefully, force them out. 

Oh, and most importantly, the husband is a convicted child molester (which Nicki didn't know at the time she let them rent, obviously). 

So now Nicki has to raise funds in order to retain a lawyer so that she can force the squatters out, all while continuing to pay a mortgage on a house she can't sell until this is over. Since she clearly needs financial assistance, a friend started a GoFundMe fundraiser on her behalf. 

Here is what's in it for you to contribute:

• The satisfaction of helping a sister gunnie, an Army veteran, and strong pro-gun voice on the internet. That's both "voting your politics" and good karma all at once. 
• The good clean fun of kicking thieving, child-molesting scum square in the nuts. Who knows, if Nicki wins the trial decisively he might even go back to jail for fraud and perjury. 
• The knowledge that if she gets more money than she needs. she will donate the excess money to charity for homeless veterans. 
• The personal gratitude of Nicki, her husband Rob, and myself. 

But wait! There's more!

Maybe you don't want to just give money away. Maybe you want to get yourself a little something, too? Well, say no more! How would you like the chance to win a fabulous prize?  How would you like TWO chances??

 Dennis Badurina, of Dragon Leatherworks, is auctioning off these handsome 1911 holsters individually, with ALL PROCEEDS being donated to Nicki's defense fund.

What's more, these are special edition holsters!  You will notice the special "Sad Puppy" debossing done to the leather, meaning that not only will the winning bid be donated to Nicki, but you will also   make whiny SJWs cry just for bidding.

I believe the proper expression is "Shut up and take my money"?  Well, here's where you go to shove money:

• Right Holster
• Left Holster

These holsters are for 5" 1911s, and the auction ends in 6 days.  Bid now, bid often, and bid knowing that doing so pisses off all the correct people and the money goes to a great cause!

And once again, here is the GoFundMe URL.  Please contribute!

Catching up with the Gunnies

Let's check in with some friends and see how they're doing, eh?  Don't worry: I won't be hitting you up for any donations. 

This time.

1)  The Onstott Family

I am pleased to report that Erik and Sabra Onstott are doing about as well as can be expected, given that their daughter with Limb Wall Body Complex died 90 minutes after she born. As her parents said, "She knew nothing but love her entire life", and that's not a bad way to go.

Yeah, I'm sorry about all the dust in here. Go get a tissue, I'll wait.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you all -- give you all the largest, sincerest, most heartfelt expression of gratitude possible -- for everything you've done for this family. Thanks to YOU, and people like you, the Onstotts have had all of their solvable problems fixed as they happened since the moment they asked for help:  their van was repaired, they found a new place, and they moved into it. Sabra's medical expenses, Psalm-Angel's funeral, all of that has been taken care of; and in the wake of her birth and death, more donations came in to their YouCaring site to help cover the shortfall that came about because Erik was missing work to be with his family. Again, thanks to you, this family didn't suffer a single late bill... and all of this was during Kilted to Kick Cancer's month.

(Psalm-Angel's memorial service is on the 21st of October.) 

2) Tin Can Assassin

Mentioned at the same time as the Onstotts, I am pleased to report that things are looking good for TCA:  for the first time in four months, he was able to hug his beloved daughter.  In addition, his wife has dropped the TRO she filed against him (purely for legal leverage if you ask me), and the two of them are moving towards reconciliation. So another big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to his legal fund or otherwise helped TCA out during those harrowing four months.

3) Squeaky Wheel

She's doing pretty well these days. She continues to have issues with Lyme and its related indignities upon her body, but her quality of life is so much better since she had her hysterectomy last year.  Oh, and she has purple hair now!

4) Borepatch

Yeah, this is a recent thing:  As of yesterday morning, Borepatch had a nasty motorcycle accident where he broke a collarbone and 7 ribs, and also bruised a lung. He's doing okay, as these things go: nothing permanently damaged, he's out of the ICU, and nothing appears broken on the bike except for the windscreen.  So go over to his page and wish him a speedy recovery, willya?

In Memoriam: Psalm-Angel Onstott, 9/24/2014

Let's all take a moment out of our schedules to offer prayers and support to Sabra and Erik Onstott, whose little girl Psalm-Angel was born on Thursday and who died 90 minutes later.

This was Thursday's devotional entry, and it seems appropriate:

Erik posted on Facebook:

Been resting most of the afternoon and spending time with the baby, but...

Psalm-Angel Guadalupe lived about an hour and a half before she went home to the Lord. She got to spend time with Mama and me, as well as her sisters and brother. She knew nothing but love her whole life. It was the absolute best we could have hoped for. I'll be a grown-up and admit I was scared to watch them clean her up and dress her, but even with all the abnormalities she was still the most beautiful and perfect baby that I have ever seen. It was at that moment that I learned down to the fibers of my being what love truly is.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for being there for us. Going to rest now...

I first wrote about the Onstotts back in June, and I've been impressed by the amount of love and support they've been given.  Thanks to you folks, they were able to get their car fixed and find an afforable place to live.

They aren't out of the woods yet, though.  Between medical bills and funeral expenses, things are awfully tight for them right now. Will you please donate some money to help them make it through the month? I have.

Gunnies Helping Gunnies -- 2 for 1 special

This is one of those posts that I don't like writing, because I hate it when members of my tribe end up in terrible situations. On the other hand, this is another opportunity for us to come together as a community and help out our brethren and sistren in their time of need.

In other words:  Yes, Erin is going to shake you down for money to help gunnies in need.

I'm a bit late in writing about this due to my own already-mentioned family medical issues, but hopefully I can help boost the signal to those who wouldn't ordinarily see it.


First off, Erik and Sabra (yes, THAT Sabra) Onstott are in a bad place right now.  Sabra is pregnant and their baby has been diagnosed with a truly awful disorder called Limb-Body Wall Complex. I'm not going to go into graphic detail, but yes, it's as horrible as you imagine it is; official medical literature describes the condition as "incompatible with life."  More information can be found in Erik's post here,  or if you really want your heart to break you can read their pregnancy blog, but the short version is that they're going to bring their child (whom they have given the gender-neutral name Psalm-Angel) to term so that, hopefully, they can hold their baby in their arms and say goodbye.

Sabra is due to deliver sometime between mid-August and September, and instead of getting ready to celebrate a birth, they're having to plan a funeral for a baby.

Is it suddenly dusty around your computer? Yeah, mine too.

But wait, it gets WORSE:  their landlord has given them 30 days notice and is kicking them out of their home, so now they have to find a new place to live by July 7.

Oh, and their car needs repairs as well. Erik has the parts, he just doesn't know how to install them so he can have a functioning car for this whole "moving and a funeral thing."

So here is how you can help:

• If you live in or near San Antonio, or have contacts there, please help the Onstotts with 
• finding a place to live,
• repairing their car,
• planning Psalm-Angel's funeral. 
• If you have the skills to help them directly (such as by being a mechanic, a real estate agent, or a funeral director), so much the better. 
• If possible, please donate at their YouCaring page. They have set a very modest goal of $3,500 (too modest, if you ask me) -- I call upon all gunnies to blow the fuck out of that total by giving at least twice that. Personally, I think we can give them an easy $10k. 
• Boost this signal wherever you can:  On your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter.  Wherever you have social media presence, you talk about their situation and you link to their YouCaring page. 
• Pray for them. I have specifically asked and, yes, non-Christian prayers are just as welcome. 
• If you would like to contact Erik directly (to help out, offer moral support, etc), you can email him at Erik dot onstott at sbcglobal dot net.

Now that I've gotten you in the spirit of giving, will you also consider helping out Tin Can Assassin as well? Fortunately no one is dying, but his wife has taken his daughter and fled to another state.

TCA needs help with legal fees, as not only does he need to fight a TRO (no doubt filed as leverage), he also needs to hire a good divorce lawyer so that his daughter isn't removed from his life.  (For more details go here; I can also corroborate the fact that if you send him an email, he will answer any questions you have.)

TCA doesn't have a GoFundMe or YouCaring page because, in his own words, "I don't want to shame my wife the way she's shamed me."  So far he's managed to raise $558 for his legal fees, and will need somewhere between an estimated $1300 and $2900 to pay the legal fees.

How you can help:

• If you have any money left over, please donate via PayPal to donovan_dion_oblsb AT yahoo DOT com, so that a wrongly accused man can get his life back in order and continue to see his daughter. 
• Prayers and well-wishes are also welcome. 

I thank you all, in advance, for all the help you're going to give to these two deserving causes. And no, you don't have to be a gunnie to help (It's not my  intention to exclude anyone!) -- I just thought that "Gunnies Helping Gunnies" was catchy. 

Boosting the Signal Again

A few odds & sods to start off the week:

1. 
Remember my SHTFriday idea?  It's turned into a spin-off blog called Blue Collar Prepping. Unlike this blog, BCP is a collaborative effort among like-minded preppers (one of whom is my good friend Evelyn Hively). We currently have 3 people who have committed to being regular contributors, but I'd like at least another one; that way we can each write one article a week and have 5 full days of content (everyone deserves a weekend off). However, if we get more, all the better!  We also accept guest articles as well (guidelines here).  Head on over and have a look!


2.
Speaking of Evelyn, her project to raise $800 by the end of the month to help out her older siblings has stalled at around $470.  I encourage all of you to look at her catalog of goodies (Etsy store here, photo album of crocheted work here) and see if there's something you'd like for her to make for you.

Doctor Who scarves
1- There's a hundred dollar one made with better yarn at six feet long and a more more manageable size. (Takes 1.5 months to make)
2- A full sized at 12, very accurate reproduction of season 12 is available (it's $425 but that covers everything, takes 3 months to make.)

Shawls
1- I have mutiple patterns for these and currently have black and turqoise available as color choices. These are $50.00 and take roughly 2-4 weeks to make.

Bags
Take your pick of small hand bags, neck purses, messenger bags and tote bags.

Dolls
I can do a very broad range of hair colors, skin colors and dress colors. These are $35.

Traditional hats and scarves:
Any color or combinations.

Crocheted jackets, afghans, etc.

3.
Squeaky is having financial problems again.  I'm at my wit's end about what to do, as I know folks are all fundraisered-out from last year, recovering from Christmas bills, a recession going on, etc. I don't know how to help her and this is freaking me out. If anyone can think of ANYTHING that would help, please let me know, okay?

On a related note, if there is anyone in the Memphis area who is willing to donate 10 square feet of storage for little to no rent, OR is willing to donate a yard shed of roughly that volume, please let me know immediately!  This is quite important.


Don't make me break out the gif of Pinkie Pie giving sad puppy-dog eyes, because you all should know by now that I am totally willing to fight dirty when it comes to helping my friends.  ;)

Palette's Product Review: Echo Sling

Back in October, when I was scrambling for donations to my Squeak or Treat raffle, I was contacted by Matt Rogers of Echo Sling. He quite generously gave two slings to be raffled off (and this was in addition to the sling he donated months earlier for Jennifer's Evict Lyme raffle.

So in addition to being a gunnie, Matt is genuinely a nice guy. Because of this, and because I wanted a sling of my own, I've been proudly hosting an advertisement for Echo Slings on this blog.

As it turns out, Matt is struggling to make ends meet (aren't most folks these days?), and so because he's one of the tribe and makes an excellent product, I'm going to review his sling here. He didn't ask me to do this; I'm doing it because repaying kindness with kindness is the right thing to do.

Echo Sling ($18.99 + $3 shipping)  

Before I begin my review, I want to lead with an excerpt from Pat Cascio's review at SurvivalBlog. Some of you may call this laziness, but the results are so damn impressive that this testimonial needs to be the centerpoint of Echo Sling's advertising:

[...] one of my German Shepherds, "Sarge" showed me a method for testing the sling. Sarge isn't quite a year and a half old, and he loves to chew-up cardboard boxes that FedEx and UPS bring me almost daily - he honestly believes UPS and FedEx come to bring him new toys to destroy - and destroy them he does. While examining the sling, Sarge decided it looked like a new chew toy and grabbed an end, and the tug-o-war was on - he loves playing this game with "Arro" one of my other German Shepherds. (We have four in our house right now, but we've had more than that in the past.)

Sarge and Arro - and even Fanja, our little female, got into a three-way tug-o-war with the Echo Sling - my older main male doesn't much get into this game - he's Schutzhund 1 trained and certified, and he likes to bite - not play tug-o-war. So, over the course of a month, I let Sarge and Arro play with the Echo Sling - and these boys can really pull - they've destroyed a number of pull tug ropes in the past year. Over the course of this "test" the polymer buckles were chewed on pretty well - but still functioned, though they had teeth marks on them. The Echo Sling was looking worse for wear, but the dogs never did break it - and these boys can really pull and pull hard against each other. There was some fraying, on the ends of the sling, where the boys usually grabbed it in their mouths, but the sling didn't fail. Now, if a high-quality Nylon sling can take this kind of abuse, over a month, and still function - I'm impressed. I never let the boys chew on the sling - I know it wouldn't last but a day if they did - but I let them play tug-o-war several times a day with the Echo Sling.

I have lesser-quality Nylon slings and I know, if I had given them to my German Shepherds, they would have made quick work of them - they'd be destroyed inside of a day or two.

I'm going to repeat that: three German Shepherds played tug-o-war with an Echo Sling for a month and they couldn't destroy it.  I can't think of any endurance test tougher than this that isn't a deliberate destruction of the product.  Matt calls it the "Hundred Year Sling," and while I don't know that it will last that long, it's certainly tough enough to handle whatever abuse you can throw at it while out hunting.

Other reviewers (including McThag) have commented about the quality of the stitching, or how easy it is to adjust, or how it could really stand to be padded at the shoulder or a little wider than 1" across. I agree with pretty much all of these thoughts. However, there are two qualities to this sling that so far no one has commented about, and I want to address.

First off, you'd think that a sling as tough as this would be made of rough material, right?  Nope. The nylon feels light, smooth, and soft to the touch. It's not silky by any stretch of the imagination, but neither is it so excessively manly that it rubs you raw. This is an important consideration in any sling that you plan to wrap around your forearm in a hasty sling shooting technique. It may start to rub after carrying it across your shoulder for several hours, but it won't rash up your skin after an afternoon at the range.

Additionally, given that women are becoming shooters in ever-increasing numbers, and the fact that Matt offers slings in lots of colors  -- two shades of pink in stock, and custom colors are also available (McThag got his in purple for no additional charge) -- this is an ideal sling to give to the gun-toting lady in your life. You're welcome, gentlemen.

Second, this is the only sling that I've seen which could also be turned into a belt (instructions for belt-ification are included with the sling, and can also be found here). While some folks might regard this as an odd feature of questionable merit -- how many times has someone had a belt malfunction while hunting? -- they are missing a key point in all this:  You can also use a belt as a first-aid device. 

• As a tourniquet
• As an arm sling
• As a way to immobilize or splint a limb
• As a tow strap for an emergency litter

Less ridiculous now, right?  Put this sucker on your hunting rifle/shotgun and you have a multi-purpose first aid device. Let's see that piece of padded neoprene you bought at Wal-Mart do that!

In short, Buy this sling.  It's made by a gunnie, for gunnies, and Matt is a generous and decent human being besides. 

My Rating:  A

If Matt were to offer his sling in a 1.25" size, then it would be a perfect A+. 

Obligatory FTC comment:  I was not paid for this review. Go away. 

Boosting the Signal

I'm echoing a post from Evelyn Hively, the lovely lady who donated the Jayne hats for my Squeak or Treat raffle, as she has some family members who are in financial trouble and she's trying to raise money by selling pre-orders of her stuff:

Okay folks so I got handed a challenge by the Universe in the form of my big brother and big sister. They fell on hard times recently, complete with a job loss and the need to pay for their storage unit (which has a large chunk probably 80% of their belongings) by Febraury 1st. I am going to try to come with 800 by the 28th of this month in order to get it to them by 31st hopefully.

Here's what I'm doing as part of what will be hopefully a mutiple pronged attack.

I am offering Dr. Who Scarves (there's a 100 dollar version and a 425 version which is a very accurate one, as per several hours of research), they are both full sized but take 2.5 months to make. I am offering Ma Cobb hats (these are usually 30), Tardis themed hats (30), dolls, shawls, bags, afghans, normal scarves, baby gift sets, custom coats etc.

This is not a donation, but a loan that I am paying you back with knit and crocheted goods as fast as I can make them. There's two ways to get ahold of me:

1) On Facebook I am Jade Rose Zen.
2) Etsy located here.

I can whip up a custom order listing in under a few minutes. Please and thank you.

Please consider buying something from her, she's really quite talented.

Well Done, Flying Monkey Legion

A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my last minutes "Make a Christmas Miracle Happen" post. Thanks to you, my generous and kind readers  (whom I have affectionately named my Flying Monkeys), we were able to help out three cash-strapped single moms by helping them buy presents for their children along with Christmas dinner for all!  In addition we helped a gent pay his rent for the month, so that he and his dog weren't evicted in the middle of winter.

You're all wonderful and I'd like to give each of you a hug for making these miracles possible.

I seem to have a gift for getting people to donate money. I take that as a huge compliment, because you are effectively saying "We trust your judgement that these people need help, and we trust you to get this money to them."  That might not seem like much to you guys, but that's a huge deal for me, so thank you very much for the trust you've placed in me.

I don't know how it could be done, but I would love to be able to administer/maintain a small cash reserve (say, $1000 or so) that could be held in reserve and donated to good folks who need it. It would really make me feel like I was accomplishing something with my life if I could solve some of life's small crises for decent folks by just saying "Here, some cash ought to fix that for you," and BAM! Problem solved like a bullseye.

If anyone has experience with this sort of thing, please let me know.

Two quick updates

1.  My shooting range, which was supposed to reopen "sometime mid-November," is now saying "We hope to reopen Tuesday Nov. 26."  Kindly note the use of the word "hope".  Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I firmly believe that hope has no place in any kind of logistical planning:  If you have to resort to "hoping" you will open at such-and-such a date, clearly you're being run by incompetents. Either get it done on time, or admit that you have no clue and just leave it open-ended by saying "It gets done when it gets done."  Continually pushing back the date does not fill me with confidence.

As an aside, who wants to bet that this will be done before Christmas?  I've got even money that it won't be finished before the first of the year.


2.  All the raffle winners have been matched up with all the donors. While I cannot state with authority that everything is in the mail (heck, I still have to get down to the P.O. to mail out the three prizes I have in my possession), I think it's safe to say that all winners should receive their prizes before the end of the month.  If December rolls around and you haven't received your winnings, please contact me and I will immediately work to fix it.