My father weathered a fire when my brother and I were young teens and he was going through a divorce. He never let on to us how much he was hurting but he kept telling us he was the luckiest guy in the world because Ralph and I were ok. I had befriended an amatuer gunsmith and I immediately told him dads favorite shotgun had been damaged and he worked diligently to restore it. I still remember the thrill I got knowing I had made him happy. Still it taught me what truly made him happy, that his first love and concern was for us, not his fathers hand me down shotgun.

 

That's gotta be an awful experience. Yeah, too much accumulates over the years. I'm swapping rooms for the puter stuf, lots of stuf in boxes and on shelves I'm just tossing in the garbage instead of the other room. You know you might use something some day that you hang onto, but I'm getting into the "if you need it again, just buy it" frame of mind, getting rid of most of what was boxed up. Be different if I had a barn, mebbe, but I don't.

 

Not much consolation, I know, but good that you both didn't do it at the same time. Sorry you're having so much grief, about time for you to win a lottery I'd think.

 

I've had my own fire dept come to my house and put out a fire. Bastards wouldn't let me suit up either. Hahaha

 

Wouldn't have been much of a father, otherwise. Kids come first, everything else if/when you have time and money. Doesn't mean you can't get attached to other things, but they'll always take a back seat to the kids.

 

Yup he was the best, lots of memories from the fire. Tough time but we all did OK. Big haired blond with great ***** glommed on to him shortly after and bought him a sport fisherman. Kinda felt like a Monty Python skit "Look On the Bright Side of Life" and of course we moved to sunny PENSACOLA, home of an unlimited supply of freckled Southern Belles and white sand beaches. LOL. Yup he taught us how to act and be survivors!

 

Jesus! Sorry to hear that Ken. I am starting to think that I might have to reconsider July. It appears that you guys are jinxed and being around you might be bad for ones health?

 

Same here they say, too emotionally involved

 

Don't worry Ken those injuries were common in my field of work and more often then not there was a positive outcome from the surgery. I'm sure he's watched you deal with adversity and you've certainly seen your share. He'll handle this just fine and eventually things will turn around!

 

stuff don't mean nothing anymore to us , well not like it used to anyways , I'll never have another house full of guns , as bad as I want a house full of guns .. You don't want a barn , ours is so full of wifes and step daughters junk ya cant even get in it hardly ..