Easy Friendships

I was driving home from choir practice a bit ago, and looking out across barren winter fields as the sun shone, and the thought occurred to me that this is perfect shooting weather.

That's actually one of the things I miss the most about living in the country, but in order to understand my ease with guns, you must first understand the context in which I've used them. I don't hunt. I used to fish (catch & release only) for relaxation, but the last time we went I hooked a little guy in the eye, and it was sad times after that. So now I don't find that amusing anymore.

Growing up on a farm, though, I grew acquainted with two big things I loved: horseback riding and target shooting. My dad taught us all to use a pistol safely when we were little squirts. We would go looking for arrowheads or exploring in caves together as a family, then sit in a field somewhere with a picnic. After lunch, we would set the pop cans on a fencepost, and shoot them down. I'm sure Mom thought he was nuts, but we never questioned his choice of activity for us, and each of us can outshoot any bandit any day.

The other thing, horseback riding, turned out to really be a boon when we moved to the boondocks, Custer, once Dad died. See, when he taught us, it was as sport. But in Custer, it's how people who weren't old enough to drive got around. Pop always had horses, and let us ride any time we wanted. We lived miles away from any neighbors, but we saw friends all the time--we just saddled up and rode on over to each other's houses. Of course, once we arrived at a friends' house, we were too sore from the horse to do much for awhile, so we'd sit out on the porch, usually, and talk politics and religion. Many times, as we were idling, we'd set up cans in the yard to shoot at, and before you knew it, you'd spent an entire afternoon shooting at cans and arguing politics. I have made lifelong bonds with some of my closest friends as results of these times and so many others--working in tobacco, swimming, fighting, making up, playing pranks...

You may wonder what happened to my redneck buddies. Well, there were 6 of us who hung out most frequently this way in the summers. Lesley is an engineer now, and recently moved back from Delaware. Cort is a college professor. Sandy & I are ECS teachers. Shannon's a doctor. And Clayton, my good friend Clayton, is still there in Custer enjoying the life we all hold so dear in our memories.

You know, in all of those years, I never remember planning a "game night," or a theme party to give us something to do, or to get us talking to each other. Friendships were easy then, and I guess I took for granted the natural way we lived & learned together. I won't ever forget, though. And sometimes, on days like today when the sun lingers just a little longer, I wish our time together could have, too.