I had to be over at my mother's home and oldest son and I went out to the small barn and were in the office looking for some old seed / garden records and such I wanted to reference. he was looking around and spotted a m1 carbine with some web gear over in the corner between the file cabinet and wall. Thing had so much dust on it almost looked like a dust bunny gone wild. It was my Dad's old m1 carbine. He has been gone a long time, but that rifle drug tears out of my eyes (still miss ya daddy) Anyway he asked me if meema would mind if he cleaned it up and took it with him. Told him since all Dad's guns are mine now just to put it in the truck. The grin on that kids face (well he is 21 now) but priceless. He is cleaning it up this afternoon and we are going shooting. (dad had a case of 30 carbine ball on the floor under it that I had him grab also.) I had almost forgotten it was there because I don't like going into dad's old barn office because it was his and I don't like the sad memories that I cannot talk with him for a time, at least not till I get called home too. It is now a treasured item of my son and will continue to live and serve the family. Makes me happy and give him a tie to his past. just wanted to share. Thad
Now that's a treasure..I don't have much that belonged to my ancestors except the memories of them.Good for you.
Great story, thanks for sharing. It seems we live on through our firearms. The anti's will never understand this, they are heirlooms passed down generation to generation. I have my grandfather's Luger, my dad's rifles and shotguns. They will never be sold, but passed down through my family as many of my firearms will. I hope they will never have to fired in anger, but they will be ready to serve generations of my family for years to come.
Meeemaw Watch the Big Bang Theory....all will be explained The Big Bang Theory - Meemaw did the nasty - YouTube
Southron for grandmother, a nickname given her by my first born when he had trouble stringing words together. (one of many names for same) ETA: If you have ever seen or bought one of those swiss mil surplus C&R ffl rifles they sometimes have a slip of paper under the buttplate that has the name of the fellow it was issued to. I'm thinking I may pull the buttplates and use a engraving pen to put the name of each owner of my firearms so the kids or gran kids etc can pull em and add theirs as it gets passed on and have a record of the thing from my dad to them.
My Gandpa had several smith and colts along with a few riffles and shot guns. For some reason his favorit was this little 25 auto raven arms he carried it in his pocket til the day he was called home. He would shoot it with us and never had a problem out of it I always would tell him that he might want to carry one of his others. He never would when he passed I got first choice being the oldest grandson and I chose it. The others never understood why I picked the $50.00 gun out of all the rest but I knew. Where he use to keep his hands in his pockets when standing around he had worn a thumb grove in the wood grips. It now rests in a small display case with a pic of him and still my most treasured on out of all of my others. Until one of my daghter get it when my time has come. I liked the story Thad and didnt meen to add my story but you just brought back a world of good memories.
WE all have memories like that alphadog, No need to not share yours here on this thread. I found it touching, and I "get it". Reminds me of a hundred similar. I never get tired of hearing how we honor those who have gone before us. (perhaps because i'm getting closer to my own journey all the time.) They all tie us to our family , clan n history. I believe we all make our own path, but I also know that a lot of what we are is shaped from those who we knew that came before us. *** I will try to get a Pic of the carbine up later. I just bought me a old camera (it still thinks it is 2003) and am trying to learn how to use it better. Prior to this I only used .35 mm, and that is getting expensive. after I master this digital one, I may look into a better one. *** In my mind passing on a weapon is as old as history, once it was the pointed stick, then spears and swords and axes etc. Now it is firearms. In the southern Appalachian mountains there is a strong legacy of independence and warriorhood. Some say it goes back to the fact that the scot n irish and others who chose the mtns. had a different culture from those who choose the bottom lands. Not sure about that, but things like honor, keeping one's word, and manners is the mark of a civilized southron around these parts. When you have a poor area, it is this self integrity that adds value to the simple things like sharing food with those who visit, and teaching young boys to be men, and young girls to be women. Anyway thanks to everyone for the kind words, and such, I have a habit I try to keep up to always count the good stuff more than the bad. It is way to easy to point out all the bad and dwell on it. That is a stinky way to live. have fun out there n keep grinning, it makes em worry about ya. Thad
I currently have my Grandfather's .30-30 that one of my 1st cousins inherited from his dad. When he got it some time after my uncle's death, I went out to help him clean up everything and get things into working condition. Good hearted fellow that he is, he lent it to my son and I each to kill a deer with. No luck this last year, but he is cool with us keeping it until we've accomplished our goal. I think of this when I hear of families fighting all the time over nothing. How cool is that? jim
Very cool indeed, jim! My dad asked what I wanted. I told him that, since I'm not one to fight over "things", he can decide what comes my way. But to know that if it's to cause a fight, whomever can just have it. "Things" aren't worth fighting over.
When my parents were alive, and moved from their Home, to a condo that they could take care of, they gathered the children (4 of us, and all Adults, with spouses & children of our own) for a Family Conference, and stated that each child should make a LIST of the things that we wanted from the Home we all grew up in. Then Dad & Mom would make the choices, of who got what, when the Lists were in conflict. The Distribution was then written into the Family Trust, with Me, and my Brother, being CoTrusties once both were gone. The Distribution was in two parts. First part was when they sold the House and moved. Those items that they were NOT taking to the condo, were distributed to each family, as they were listed, and anything that was NOT listed, and not going to the condo, was up for grabs, First Come, First Serve. The second distribution was done, after the death of my Mother, about a year after Dad past on. As we cleaned out the condo, each family got what was on their Approved List in the Trust, and anything not listed was First Come, First Serve. Over the years, from when we first made our original Lists to the final distribution, many of the items on our Approved Lists, turned out to be NOT what we wanted later, as our families had grown and changed, so We negotiated "Trades" between families, and it was all settled, with NO Family Drama, at all. Momma and I have done the same with our children, and have the Lists in hand, for each of the three Children's Families. We are in the process of making that decisions, on the distributions, that will be entered into the Family Trust, with our Son as Trustee, when we both are gone. ....... YMMV.....
Thanks for sharing Thad, Alpha, BT. My step--thing so called "mother" sold all my Father's guns and most anything else of value w/o letting us children have a chance at them. Have given several of my shooters to my kids already and will continue to do so all along. I want them to enjoy hunting/shooting and I have ample firepower left "laying around". So glad you were able to have your parents firearms and very happy that you have them to remember the fine times together.
What a greedy swine she is. You are more than completely justified in cutting off all help to her for something like that. Bridge burners should pay the consequences for their actions. jim
Thank you for sharing. Most kids today would have seen dollar signs....your son saw a treasure of another kind.
