What is what Buffallo Bill Cody might say? Wrong Blogbuster! It's what Sam Naylor said to the Codgerman back in 82--that would be 1982-----
Sam may he rest in peace was one hell of a guy--a large man,tall baby face younger than me--coal dark hair--He was our landlord up in West by God Virginia--rented us the neatest little farm of 125 acres-on a creek called big Sandy. The farm house was over hundred years old--two story--Sam rented it to us for a fair price but ask to keep a room for himself on the back side of the house--one with its own bathroom and sink and stove--for when he was out on the place working. We were up from Florida and new to the country--and Sam made it his personal goal to teach us country ways. We agreed to rent the farm and he said his first order of business was to plow us a garden with his new tractor. The story of that famous garden is a full story unto itself--as are many others regarding Sam--like the time he taught me about dynamite fuses--with a live demonstration that almost ended up a dead demo! Sam had an old gun he said I could use on the place--it was a single shot 22--kinda scratched up and rusty and--he said maybe I could kill the crow lookout when the garden came in. I shot the gun a few times and was convinced it had a bent sight or a bent barrel Sam assured me it shot just fine. Our first weekend there a big storm came up and the skys opened up and the rain came down in torrents--the creek water rose and debris was flowing down the creek in the fast current.I sat on the front porch and shot at bottles and cans milk jugs flying by--we had no neighbors across from us just the steep side of a mountain -- Yes we were not in the city any more--shootin at cans not drive-byes. I reported in to my job in Charleston--but when I came home that monday--there was ole Sam---the sun was out and he had been busy-plowin our garden--he must have loved that little Kubota Tractor cause he plowed us a garden bigger than a football field and a second one by the house he said was for taters and onions and carrots and pumpkins. I think ole Sam got a bit carried away but I said beautiful job sir and he said outta make a great garden, nothin has been planted in this river bottom in 15 years. Sam asked me how the gun was shooting--I told him about shooting at debris floating down the river--and that it shot pretty good but I still thought it had a bent sight--he said nagh---go get it I'll show ya something. I got the gun and Sam walked out into the freshly turned garden and picked up some tiny pebbles and said here--handing them to me--saying toss these in the air one at a time. I said no way you can hit these little things with a rifle--he just laughed as I tossed the first tiny pebble into the air above his head---pow went the rifle and that tiny pebble blew to pieces--I could not believe what I had just seen!Five pebbles later Sam was 5 and 0--and I just shook my head--Buffallo Bill I said-Calamity Jane---unbelieveable I said--and he said--nothin to it,it's a trick--you can do it too! I said no way man--he said way--here he said handing me the gun--He gathered some small pebbles--and said here's what ya do Rick--when I toss the pebble in the air you follow its flight in the sight and when it stops its climb-shoot--right at the point it stops--He said the target will look big to you. He tossed the pebble and I shot--and missed saying--see I told ya--he said it was still climbing when you shot--wait for it to stop. He tossed the pepple again and I shot and blew it to pieces--I could not believe what I had just done.I did it three more times--wow--thanks Sam I said-I'm going to amaze some friends one day. The Codgerman
| | Posted by codger at 11:36 PM - | |
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