Concealed Carry License
For those of you newcomers who wish to obtain an Illinois Conceal Carry License, JW’s Shooting Parlor, 207 N. State St, Geneseo, IL, will be conducting classes on January 27-28, 2024. You will need to attend both classes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. One of those days you will need to bring your handgun or maybe they can loan you one for the firing range. I took the classes almost 5 years ago and they were excellent.
The license is good for 5 years. For you individuals, like myself that need to reapply they will offer a one day, three hour refresher course. At this time, I don’t have the dates the refresher courses will be held, but you can always call them at 1-309-944-4174.
Hunting & Fishing Licenses
This is a reminder that the 2023 Iowa H & F licenses expire on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. The cost for a non-resident Iowa fishing license is $48.00. If you care to fish with 3 lines add $14.00 and if you wish to fish for trout add an additional $17.50. The Illinois 2023 resident fishing license will expire March 9, 2024. If you wish to trout fish you need a trout stamp. It is a small fee. Both Illinois and Iowa have excellent trout locations.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
The iconic 1939 film, the Wizard of Oz premiered at a cinema in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Booo, Packers). The Hollywood premiere did not take place until 5 days later. It was first shown on television in 1956. Dorothy’s slippers were originally silver, but were changed to a ruby color because they would show up better in Technicolor. Somewhere Over The Rainbow was the last song written for the film. The Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, suffered burns to her face and hand during a scene using pyrotechnics. The sparks ignited the green powder used in her makeup.
Ice Fishing
More anglers fish in more moderate, warm temperatures rather than freezing their backside. However, if you dress warm, hot packs for the feet, a good warm winter coat with a hood, and of course, gloves, it’s not bad. An ice hut is nice, especially on windy days. It will be interesting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us during the next two months. She sure gave us some nice warm days for December. Between the three of us old anglers we caught some dandy fish. Ha! It’s doubtful she’ll dish out warm days for some time, but that’s were ice fishing can take up the slack!!
Carbon Cliff Bait & Tackle
It is open until September, 2024, which is good news for fishermen and hunters. It will be a sad day when it closes, but all good things must come to an end. The Pankeys’ have put a ton of hours into their business for many years including Jay’s parents and Jay’s wife, Deb.
Master of the Sea
I received a neat book from our son at Christmas. It’s entitled, “Guinness World Records 2024.” The book covers a host of information on different animals and humans. One animal I always find interesting is the octopus. One time myself and some fellow Navy buddies dropped anchor in Barcelona in 1963. Keeping with the old tradition of drunken sailors (not all sailors), we spent a fair amount of time in a local bar & restaurant. On the menu the restaurant served octopus. We all ordered a large size octopus, like you’d order a pizza.
It was nicely presented, but “yuk” for taste! An octopus does not have tentacles. It has “legs” and two arms which is used for hunting and swimming.
The octopus is a master of disguise. Not only that, but it can spew an ink like substance to confuse its enemies. It can release toxic chemicals that irritate its enemy’s eyes. They are also “boneless” and have a “beak” that they use to break up their food. Lastly, they have “jet propulsion” and can move up to 25 mph for short bursts.
Humor
A duck walks into a drugstore and asks for a tube of lipstick. The cashier says, “That will be $1.49,” and the duck replies, “Just put it on my bill.”
What do you say when someone throws a goose at a duck? “Duck, goose!”
Why was the bird arrested? He was robin!
Why did the chicken cross the road? Ans: “To get the New York Times, get it?”
“No, I get the Geneseo Current.com.”