SPEC4
08-20-2011, 16:25
Don't know who wrote this but he has a way with words that makes one
visualize being right there beside him. Good read. Life as a child
growing up in Oklahoma ......
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow
beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land
sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you
know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds
before it goes down? Tough sumbich. That got boring, so being the 10
yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking
strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end
and was sending flaming arrows all over the place
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large
rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and
see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb
went off in my head. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I
thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing
manner. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself,
(Ether), really doesn't "sound" flammable.
So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of pyrodex (black
powder for muzzle loader rifles). At this point, I set the can of
ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My
intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it
all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. pyrodex and 16 oz
(Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know? You
know what? Screw that I'm going back in the house for the other can.
Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're
cookin'.
I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock
to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow
launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my
dad getting out of the truck.... OH SHOOT!
He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that
arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in
slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my
target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can
right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into
the can. Oh shoot.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it
was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk
back from 235 fricking decibels of sound.. I caught a half a
millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I
will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above
the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the
ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or
two..
The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING
DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE. There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate
going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That sumbich got up and
ran off. So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes
with my thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of
the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:
ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN
IT CEASE FIRE!!!!! His hat has blown off and is 30 ft behind him in
the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out
and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our
backyard. There is a Honda 185 3 wheeler parked on the other side of
the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the
tires.
I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I
know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own
head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really
matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something,
felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain,
blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and
you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR.
and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again".
Thanks Mom. One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that
stump again, Mom had been complaining about that thing for years and
dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled
business.. Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have
some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the
beating, or both. I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids
into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can
use later on in life.
visualize being right there beside him. Good read. Life as a child
growing up in Oklahoma ......
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow
beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land
sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you
know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds
before it goes down? Tough sumbich. That got boring, so being the 10
yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking
strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end
and was sending flaming arrows all over the place
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large
rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and
see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb
went off in my head. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I
thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing
manner. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself,
(Ether), really doesn't "sound" flammable.
So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of pyrodex (black
powder for muzzle loader rifles). At this point, I set the can of
ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My
intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it
all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. pyrodex and 16 oz
(Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know? You
know what? Screw that I'm going back in the house for the other can.
Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're
cookin'.
I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock
to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow
launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my
dad getting out of the truck.... OH SHOOT!
He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that
arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in
slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my
target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can
right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into
the can. Oh shoot.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it
was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk
back from 235 fricking decibels of sound.. I caught a half a
millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I
will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above
the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the
ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or
two..
The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING
DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE. There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate
going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That sumbich got up and
ran off. So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes
with my thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of
the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:
ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN
IT CEASE FIRE!!!!! His hat has blown off and is 30 ft behind him in
the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out
and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our
backyard. There is a Honda 185 3 wheeler parked on the other side of
the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the
tires.
I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I
know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own
head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really
matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something,
felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain,
blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and
you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR.
and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again".
Thanks Mom. One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that
stump again, Mom had been complaining about that thing for years and
dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled
business.. Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have
some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the
beating, or both. I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids
into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can
use later on in life.