Nobody Asked Me…

This is one to think about… Especially in this day and age of PCism and the aging of the baby boomers (like me)…

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.  The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.  The family ate together at the table.  But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult.  Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.  When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

“We must do something about father,” said the son.

“I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor..”

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.  There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.  When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.  Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.  One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.  He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.”  The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless.  Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.  Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done..  That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.  For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family…  And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

~~~~~~~~~

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:  a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life..”

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.  You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you.

But, if you focus on God, your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

• I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.  Thanks for taking the time to read…

I’m passing this on as  I did not want to be the only old fart receiving it… Sigh…

Actually, it’s  not a bad thing to be called, as you will see. Old Farts are easy to  spot at sporting events; during the playing of the Star Spangled  Banner, Old Farts remove their caps and stand at attention and sing  without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in  them.

Old Farts remember World War II, Pearl Harbor,  Guadalcanal , Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the  Korean War, The Cold War , the Jet Age and the Moon Landing. They  remember the 50 plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, not to  mention Vietnam and the FIRST Gulf War.

If you bump into an Old Fart on the sidewalk  he will apologize. If you pass an Old Fart on the street, he will nod  or tip his cap to a lady. Old Farts trust strangers and are courtly to  women.

Old Farts hold the door for the next person and always,  when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for  protection.

Old Farts get embarrassed if someone curses in  front of women and children and they don’t like any filth or dirty  language on TV or in movies.

Old Farts have moral courage and  personal integrity. They seldom brag unless it’s about their children or grandchildren.

It’s the Old Farts who know our great country is protected, not by politician’s, but by the young men and women in  the military serving their country.

This country needs Old Farts with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride in their  country, decent values, and most of all their faith in God.

We need them now more than ever.

Thank God for Old Farts!

Well, I finally got to the range with the ‘new’ Uberti I picked up and this time I even got it to shoot!  Sigh…

Obligatory pretty picture-

Now a bit about the ‘safety’ that caught me off guard, and yes it IS in fact buried in the instruction manual…

Note the position of the cylinder pin and how much it protrudes here…

And this is where the hammer lands (it will actually contact the primer)

Now note the position of the cylinder pin and how little it protrudes here…

And this is where the hammer lands (it will not touch the primer, e.g. a defacto safety)

And the obvious question is… How well does it shoot?

Well, it’s like picking up an old friend when you go back to the first gun you learned how to shoot…  It just feels good in the hand, and the hands to to a familiar place, the sights come naturally into focus, and it’s like stepping back 50 years…

These were at 10 yards, the upper group is 12 shots, the bottom is 6 shots.  Minus the flyer (called), the upper group is 2.5 inches, and the bottom 4 are 2.5 inches.

It does seem to shoot a ‘tad’ low, but I think Grandpa’s SAA might have had the front blade shaved a little bit, so I’ll take the hit for that particular sight picture…

I’m  extremely happy with the way it shoots, and the accuracy!!! And since I was talking to Snigs on the way to the range, I’m going to give her credit for the flyer… New gun and all… 😀

One funny that did happen yesterday, there was a very ‘intense’ young lady shooting steels on the next set of lanes, and she was heavy into it, proper stance, competition mentality, not smiling, grumbling under her breath when she missed one (and pretty damn quick too)!

She stepped off the line for a break, so I asked if I could shoot one round, and she obliged me.  I stepped up and went 6 for 6 (not as quickly as her by any means). I looked around and could see her curiosity, and showed her the pistol.

Apparently she’d never even handled a SAA, so I loaded up another cylinder and gave her the 30 second tutorial and passed her the pistol.  She fingered it for a minute or two figuring out how to grip it; brought it up to the ready a couple of times, and then proceeded to go six for six!  She turned to me with a BIG smile on her face and said, “THAT was fun!”

Then she asked if she could do it again… So I showed her how to unload it, and she reloaded and went 6 for 6 again!  Her boyfriend, hubby or what ever was doing a facepalm at the back of the range when she handed it back, still smiling and she said she REALLY liked it!

Maybe there is a SAA in her future…