Marv scores the targets with some of the youth competition helping out. Reed, in the orange, age 4, missed the target, but learned how to handle a gun at his first shoot. Introducing kids to target shooting teaches them safety and if they later go on to try hunting they will be familiar with safety, aiming, shooting etc. In our rural area, many folks hunt. I used to do it, but hadn't for 12 years until trying it again last year --thinking that venison is inexpensive meat. However, as a MN resident hunting in WI, the license is about $170 and processing a deer is another $70, and the medium sized deer I shot was about 25 lbs of meat. I think in the future I will give up hunting except maybe if Cecil the famous lion shot by the MN dentist this summer on his safari has a brother.
Saturday evening is my 50th HS reunion, the St Croix Falls Class of '65. We plan to go and try to avoid talking about health issues ourselves and listening to others talk about their problems. Most of us have turned 68 now, and that is the time for the first collapse of old age, sort of a test to see if we will go joyfully into our 80s or drearily into our 70s. My health is pretty good after some problems and Margo is recovering from her back surgeries, so it looks like we may have a few good years ahead. I am curious how Gordy's back surgery turned out, if Don's shoulder surgery is scheduled, how George's bypass is coming along; and a few dozen others hip and knee replacements are doing. I also will be on the alert for people whose memories are failing. I don't bother about cosmetic things like weight and hair, although as I was picking some black walnuts on the ground in the orchard, I remembered that the husks were once popular as hair dye....
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