Another day, tennis again BUT

Do you think that deer on the back with its head tied up was on purpose?  Nice rack
This picture was perhaps 5 or so years after the story

November 1, 1958

It is a wonderful weather day.  It is Saturday and Ronald is home for the day.  We will be going (NOT me as I was only 11 and too young to hunt) to the Badlands to hunt in six days.  Ronald has come home as he and Dad are going to sight the rifles in for hunting.  John and Janet got married almost a year ago and Dad wanted in the worse way for John and Janet to come home as well but John said Janet had a job and could not get out of work so they could not come.  I know Dad felt John should have come anyway!  What the heck they are practical newly weds so I under stand now but of course at the age of 11 I had no idea!!!  Dad brought out two small sacks of oats that he kept in the barn.  They would be used to rest the gun on as they shot at a target near the mailbox.  Why the mailbox?  Dad has stepped it off and the bags of oats will be set up 100 yards from the target near the mailbox.  He said in his reading that if you sight a rifle in at 100 yards it will also be good at 300.  I think to myself, "Why are they doing this as I am sure the rifles have not gone any place so they should be as good as last year!  Dad says that they need to sight the rifles in as he just finished loading a new batch of shells and they may not be the same as the last ones.  Dad has two guns that need sighting in.  He has a 30-06 and a 264 and I am guessing they are Winchester as that was Dad's gun of choice after his Remington shotgun froze up as he crawled on his stomach to get close to those geese a couple of years ago!  Dad takes the first turn at sighting.  He fires 5 shots at the target and then we walk out to see what he did.  I stare at the target as ALL 5 shots are in the black of the bulls eye.  I guess that gun is ready!  Ronald takes the 264 and settles down behind the oats filled bags.  After 5 shots we again walk out to see.  There is a group of 5 shots within about 3 inches of each other but they are a bit off to the right.  After we walk back Dad adjusts the sights and Ronald again fires 5 shots.  Another walk tells us Dad made the correct adjustments as Ronald now has a group just a bit to the right but well within the black bulls eye.  Sighting in is finished.  As we walk back from the mailbox where the target was Dad turns to me and asks if I would like to try shooting.  Of course, any blue blooded country boy who is into his Dad and big brother would never say NO.  Dad hands over the 30-06 and say to give it a shot.  Mind you, NO instructions of any kind!!!  

Now here is the REAL story.  In my mind I try to recall everything Dad and Ronald did when they shot.  They put themselves prone on the ground, carefully set the barrel of the rifle on the first oats sack and then the stock on the second sack.  I did that and rested my right cheek on the wooden stock so that I could look through the scope.  With the cross-hair on the black bulls eye I pulled the trigger.  What Dad failed to tell me is I should grip tightly on the gun as it had somewhat of a kick! Well kick it did.  The scope of the gun shot back about 4 inches so that the top of it neatly cut a half moon on my right eye brow.  There I was on the ground, gun in hand and blood dripping from my right eye down onto my shirt.  My right eye lid sadly hung over my eye!  Dad simply took the gun and told me to go into the house so Mom could take care of it.  By the time I got into the house I had a headache like no other ever and a right eye that was badly cut and swollen.  Mom, the nurse and doctor of the family calmly took me over to the sink.  She washed it out, put a bandaide over it and that was it!  I thought my head would explode right on the spot.  That was it for me for the day. Not only did I not get to be there as I heard more shots fired but I missed out on the rest of Ronalds visit as he headed out as the sun set.  

So went my first lesson of gun safety!

No plans for the rest of the day.  I did play tennis at 7:30 this morning.  Greg and I played Karl and Rich.  We gave them a good fight but lost both sets.  I keep thinking that tennis is going to be cancelled anytime but as of yet it is still on.  There are less people playing.  Last year at this time of the year the courts would have been filled 7:30, 9:00 and 10:30.  Today 7:30 had 3 courts full, 9:00 had 4 and I am not sure what 10:30 looked like.  Some people have gone back already because of this darn virus.  

Terry and I have not talked about when we should head north.  

No I had my breakfast after tennis today.  I had something different.  I used our dicer to do half of a sweet potato and then when it was pretty much done I poured two beat up eggs into the pan.  I complimented it with 2 sausage links and I was good to go.  As I finish writing here I am also finishing my FP so now I need to decide what to do.   Oh, I did get in a short swim after tennis as that is a nice cool down.  

On to the rest of the day.