I swear......
 

Sometimes you wonder what can be next.

Lost my dear friend Roger Giles a few months back.

My Grandfather passed away just over a month ago.

A real close friend, Jeff Milliken, is very ill right now with an undiagnosed disease.

Russ Bickel, another very close friend and the best gunsmith I know, is currently in an induced coma suffering complications from a triple bypass.

And now I get word that one of my oldest duck hunting friends from Southern Illinois, Tom Horn, is suffering with cancer.

All are hunting / shooting friends which seems to make it even worse for some reason. I swear boys, this fall / winter is the worst I ever spent.


DLH

Whew! I know Jeff and Russ pretty well and I'm saddened to learn of their poor health... and of course Roger - they broke the mold after him.
Good men all, to be sure.

The older we grow the more we endure this kind of news.

I guess life has seasons. We are in the season of life that has a lot of funerals in it. Wish the people and the dogs lasted as long as the guns.

Best,

Mike

Mike, wouldn't that be great, Wonder what it would be like to hunt when you are 140, and the dog, heck I guess both at that age could not hear or see much at all, so much for day dreams, turn, turn, turn Gary

destrey one good thing you can look forward to is the memories they have left you....some of my friends are gone too but i tell and think about them often....a good friend anddie hard quail hunter use to say THERE WAS 12 OF US BOYS AND WE ALL WENT TO WORLD WAR TWO AND WE ALL RETURNED.... NAME HEARSHAL SWINDLE.....GOT TO BE A BRITER TOMMORROW.... charlie

I don't know how old you are Destry, I can only say this situation gets worse for each of us as we age. Enjoy your life and the people in it while you have both.

D,

I am very sorry to hear of all of that. It seems to be going around here as well. Hard times are falling on alot of folks in many different ways. Keep the faith. Try to stay strong.
All my best,

John

Could be worse, could be raining.

Sure I've lost the use of one eye and the left side of my face is paralized. But it's not my shooting eye.

If anyone wants to read about what the the Dr's suspect, look up Guillian Barre syndrome....which was followed some time later by a small stroke.

If things do go south Destry has promised to bring one of his fabled redheads to the wake. I wish I could be there.....well....you know what I mean.

I am really sorry to hear of these misfortunes. My own physical problems just got put into proper perspective.I still mourn my good friend,Leroy,gone almost 11 years. I hope I am as brave as he was when my end looms.

C'mon, Destry. You've been around as many have not. You know happiness is made up of struggling, enduring hard times you describe, always saved by hope, the expectation of something better. We learn to rid ourselves of useless torment, by the memories as charlie said, not melancholy. And loving more those still with us as others go.