The Natives are Restless

I promise not to dwell on the subject, nor will I bore you with mentioning it every day, but just so you know, it's colder than a witches hoo-ha up in this holler.

Not that I have any personal experience or knowledge of a witches hoo-ha, I'm just sayin'...

Last night, I was on the computer visiting with friends in Second Life working on important stuff, while the Amazon sat across the room watching television and trying to keep the dogs from killing each other when we heard a large BOOM.

"That was a shotgun," I stated.

"And it was close," the Amazon answered. I got up and calmly locked the front door then turned to head toward the back door while motioning to the Amazon to close the kitchen curtains.

I know it's bear season here in the holler and most likely the shot was fired by a hunter up on the ridge above us, but I also know that bear hunters are known to become overly excited at the possibility that they might take down one of the big, hairy critters and can have fleeting moments of insanity.

Aunt Moses, who lives on top of a mountain, talks often of glancing out her kitchen window while doing the evening dishes to see hunters sneaking around in the bushes in front of her double wide.

The scanner has been hopping lately with news of violent outbreaks all over Hee-Haw county, involving knives, guns and whatever else people can get their hands on. I don't know if it's the economy, the changing seasons or folks just letting their crazy out more than usual, but no matter what the cause, every night there's at least one throw down taking place in and around Frog Pond Holler.

So it wasn't unreasonable for me to lock the doors, close the curtains and sit in the living room floor after I heard the shot fired.

I yelled back to Ma's room and asked if she'd heard it.

"Yes! That was a shotgun, probably 12 gauge, sounded like it came from up near the railroad tracks," she said.

"No, it's closer, it didn't echo." I'm a little ashamed that I've lived here long enough that I understand how sound echos off the mountains. Next thing ya know, I'll be driving a big ass truck and living in a trailer.

Oh wait... never mind.

Anywho, time went by and we never heard anyone questioning or reporting the shotgun blast on the scanner, so I reckon it wasn't some gun toting mountain woman catching her bubbahubby with the skank who runs the Grab n' Go  and it really was just a bear hunter.

At least I hope so.

Ya'll have a good one. His Crankiness is on the warpath, so I'm going to go look busy.. but if he slams one more filing cabinet drawer, I may shove his big bald head in it.

Later Taters!