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Not much doing on the Ranger front at the moment, or more accurately, the Tolkien-Medieval Ranger front. All of that is ready to go when Deer season kicks off next month. Sure, there are several projects still ongoing; the pack and whatnot, for one, but I can operate with what I have without a lot of trouble if needs be.

At the moment it is Bear season and I have been cleaning and preparing to bore sight and set my SAFN 49. It is currently in a lot of pieces, completely field stripped for work. It fires 8x57mm Mauser, a good, powerful round. It was made for the Egyptian army back during King Farouk's reign..yeah, long time ago. It is considered a Curio & Relic and collectors are really into them. The last of the elegant Old World battle rifles. Machined, not stamped, in construction.

One reason for this focus is that my sons and my partner are going through the Basic Hunting Safety course...which means they can then join me on the hunt. This year. :) I am enrolled in the course too, but in my case I have to have it so I can go to the instructor's course and then teach it. Ditto the archery, black powder, and trapping, courses.

So my focus on a more modern Mountain Ranger is explained quite readily. I have admired the old German Gebirgsjaeger outfits for a very long time...a fascination that was underlined when I was training with the Corps in Northern Norway. Ski training, snowshoeing, Mountain Warfare...yeah, it nabbed this northern gal's heart in a permanent embrace.

As a result, my Rangering covers a long swathe of time and place, from Tolkien's Middle Earth, to the Medieval Hunter/Ranger, to the Colonial Longhunters & Rangers, right on through sort of modern Recon Ranger stuff..at least how I see it anyway. Mishmash of gear that works for me, just like all the others. The only one in which I am very careful to be absolutely accurate to history is Medieval Hunting; St. Hubert's requires it and I comply. Tolkien was influenced by history, not absolutely part of it, I do not reenact longhunting so much as enjoy using the kit and skills to explore the past, and the modern stuff has more than a little to do with the projected AT thru-hike and possible collapse scenarios. Well, collapse will occur, it is only a matter of when. Preparation is a constant with me.

As I say, if I can do a thing in primitive measure, then if I have access to more modern equivalents I will be doing just fine..far better than most others. My family getting their hunting licenses, FIDs, LTCs and whatnot is one of the few remaining preparatory routines..and that is being addressed.

So yeah, this post hasn't a lot to do with Tolkien's Middle Earth. However, since I deactivated my FB account and some people only see what I post here or on the MERF, I thought a bit of explanation was in order. I have another blog that I post more everyday stuff on a variety of issues, from my Druidry, to the very odd dreams I often have, through to generic stuff. That one is called 'Randiromar', yep, on blogger.

So I am fine, we are fine, but I got fed up with FB, it's spying for various agencies and corporations, its high-handed behavior, and its less than stellar function.

Be well. Ranger posts of the appropriate sort will resume, never fear.

Eledhwen/Siani