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I'm sitting outside this evening as the heat is quite bearable and as I write two hummingbirds who decided to stay here for the summer are busy chasing each other around the feeder. They look like females but I'm not sure. Seems odd that they are still here when I do believe most of the hummers are up North somewhere. I had a good afternoon learning how to load a 22 target pistol and shooting off about five clips. I've been wanting to target practice for a long time but the last time I tried was in Connecticut when I let the Big Kiddo take the 22 rifle and do some target practice in the yard behind the house. When P&D's Pop heard about it, he was at the apartment in Vermont, he was very unhappy with me. It seems I was breaking the law and even though I was brought up shooting a 22 right in the same place when I was a kid I guess I didn't even consider I was doing anything wrong. My instructor today taught me how to handle the gun safely (always treat any weapon as if it were loaded) how to make sure the safety is on unless I plan to shoot. I'm sure he must have been surprised when I tried to sight in on it by bring the sights up towards my shoulder like I used to sight the rifle. The safety was on and I did not have my finger on the trigger but he probably expected me to know a little bit as I had shot a gun before! So I learned how to grip the target pistol properly and line up the little red ball at the end of the barrel with the white line somewhere above the trigger before I undid the safety and made my first shot. It's a good thing I had a good set of earmuffs because the sound is astoundingly loud. I was consistently low on the target so I certainly need a lot more practice. I will take more lessons and expect to go to a shooting range on a regular basis just to try to be a good shot. I used to love target practice when I was a kid with the 22 rifle but also with a bow and arrow. I even had bales of hay on Highland Extension so I wouldn't be shooting into the neighbor's yard and we shot the 22 rifle and Pa's shotgun out behind the shed at MaTante Rose and Mon Oncle Joe's house, the house Grampa and I bought in 1969.
I spent a good part of the day Friday helping out in the office at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. I was amazed at the amount of work there is to do in that office. It is a big parish and I spent time filling in the Mass Calendar for all of the people who pay for masses for their loved ones, deceased or living. It's really a tricky business because there are only so many masses on weekends and only one daily so the calendar fills quickly. There are so many requests that Sunday masses can have numerous people people listed and you have to be sure to list if they are living or deceased. Then you have to address and prepare a Mass Card to be sent to the family of the deceased to tell them about the dates and times and who paid for the masses; then the Pastor has to sign the card. I had to be very careful to write in my best script or printing and no mistakes! Must say I had to use some white out because if someone paid for five masses for a friend you had to make sure not to schedule all at once or too soon. Pretty wild day. I also met the teachers for Summer Bible School next week. They asked me if I would help out so I'll be there most of the week from 9 to 12. Then the following week I'll start what I hope will be my regular volunteer job on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm helping out in the Early Learning Center. I believe it is a preschool program so we'll see if this is going to work out okay. I'm looking forward to it.
Quote: Remembrance is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away. ______Richter
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