Do you remember the TV sitcom titled The Beverly Hillbillies? Do you remember the song that was playing during the intro? "...and then one day he was shootin' fer some food..."
That's the way I think of guns. As tools of subsistence. That's how it was around my hometown in rural Indiana back in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. I grew up with guns. Using shotguns to shoot birds: quail and pheasant and ducks, and such. A .22 rifle for wild rabbits tracked through winter snow, and for squirrels crouched on boughs in Autumn trees.
They probably don't remember, but my four kids spent their early childhoods eating a great array of wild game and various critters provided by the use of guns.
My dad, being the long-time custodian of the County Courthouse, often was required by the County Commissioners to do the shooting of pigeons up on the courthouse roof. The roosting birds made a terrible mess on the sidewalks and strollers below. They had to be culled. And a .22 rifle was the most economical method for doing that.
Pigeons. I remember my mom plucking them, eviscerating them, cutting them into portions, and then cooking them, all of us eating them, and we shared them with less fortunate families of folks who were grateful to get them.
Punishment for carelessness with guns in those days was swift and sure: spankings with willow switches, belts, straps, and huge flat boards. We learned at an early age to treat guns with respect and care.
Yep, that's my memory of guns, and what they were for. They were for subsistence, not for mass murder.
Is there a lesson in the above revelation? About responsibility? About the meaning of and reasons for certain seemingly harsh punishments?
Probably not.
But that's the way it used to be.
That's the way it was.
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While walking West on the sidewalk that runs along Speedway Boulevard at just before noon yesterday (Sunday) I noticed that some of the Catalina Mountain peaks had accumulated a portion of the snow that had fallen during the winter storm that swept over Tucson Friday night and and most of Saturday. Down here in the lower elevation we enjoyed a deluge of rain instead of mountain snow. Which is fine. We need the water.
Snow On The Mountain Peaks
December 16, 2012
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WORD FOR TODAY
subsistence
noun
- The action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself at a minimum level.
- The means of doing this.
Synonyms
existence - living - livelihood - being - life
Born Dec 17, 1945
Age: 66 years old
Age: 66 years old
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz. Recently, Hudson has had a recurring role as Jay's friend Miles on the American comedy TV series Modern Family.
Born Dec. 17, 1928
Died: May 6, 2012
Died: May 6, 2012
George Smith Lindsey was an American character actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D. and his subsequent tenure on Hee-Haw.
Born Dec 17, 1945
Age: 66 years old
Age: 66 years old
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and liberal political commentator known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC. On weekends he hosts the syndicated NBC News–produced panel discussion program The Chris Matthews Show. Matthews makes frequent appearances on many other NBC and MSNBC programs. On March 22, 2009, Matthews renewed the contract for Hardball with Chris Matthews through 2012.
Born Dec 17, 1953
Age: 58 years old
Age: 58 years old
William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper, and While You Were Sleeping.
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Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you.
--Aldous Huxley
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