Forums59
Topics1,040,142
Posts13,976,282
Members144,228
|
Most Online39,925 Dec 30th, 2023
|
|
Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
#13454807
02/28/20 07:00 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,471
Zipster
OP
TFF Team Angler
|
OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,471 |
I posted this about 6 years ago for Hop. I think it is fitting to post it again since we had the "what dumb things did you do as a kid" thread recently.
Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma.
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little bada$$ compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich.
That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place.
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb went off in my head . I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself, (Ether), really doesn't "sound" flammable.
So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).
At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. pyrodex and 16 oz (Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know?
You know what? Screw that I'm going back in the house for the other can.
Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'.
I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck... OH SH*T! He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can. Oh Sh*t.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.
The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.
There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That sumbich got up and ran off.
So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback: ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAM IT CEASE FIRE!!!!!
His hat has blown off and is 30 ft behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard. There is a Honda 185 3 wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires.
I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR. and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again". Thanks Mom.
One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again, Mom had been bitching about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.
Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454813
02/28/20 07:06 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 50,973
Trickster
Super Freak
|
Super Freak
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 50,973 |
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454814
02/28/20 07:07 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 38,366
Kattelyn
Little Psycho Coffee
|
Little Psycho Coffee
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 38,366 |
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454816
02/28/20 07:09 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 95,926
Bigbob_FTW
Big Sprocket Bob
|
Big Sprocket Bob
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 95,926 |
FJB
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454822
02/28/20 07:20 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,190
fishslime
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,190 |
Young Okies and flammables don't mix. I caught a couple of things on fire down in Idabel when a kid including one involving calling the fire department. Mostly volunteer group back in the fifties, and it took a while for them to get out of the beer joint and get there.
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454824
02/28/20 07:22 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,655
Samsonsworld
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,655 |
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454829
02/28/20 07:25 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 41,252
CCTX
mapquest
|
mapquest
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 41,252 |
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454836
02/28/20 07:29 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 12,112
BCBassCat
TFF Guru
|
TFF Guru
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 12,112 |
Thank you sir for making my day. Great story!!
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454851
02/28/20 07:44 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,439
Gamblinman
TFF Team Angler
|
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,439 |
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454854
02/28/20 07:46 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,058
Gungle
TFF Team Angler
|
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,058 |
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454879
02/28/20 08:09 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 5,256
kennerdude
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 5,256 |
Awesome
NIL CARBORUNDUM
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454891
02/28/20 08:20 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,413
bassfishinglawyer
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,413 |
Experimenting with Coleman fuel, gunpowder, and flames in our small town Oklahoma class play in the early 80s = good memories
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: fishslime]
#13454915
02/28/20 08:57 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 25,753
elcoyote, esq.
TFF Guru
|
TFF Guru
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 25,753 |
Young Okies and flammables don't mix. I caught a couple of things on fire down in Idabel when a kid including one involving calling the fire department. Mostly volunteer group back in the fifties, and it took a while for them to get out of the beer joint and get there. Aren’t most of the ingredients in meth flammable?
Team wolfs I had to perform. It took a minute to get it all in my mouth and another five to swallow it all.
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: elcoyote, esq.]
#13454920
02/28/20 09:00 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 95,926
Bigbob_FTW
Big Sprocket Bob
|
Big Sprocket Bob
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 95,926 |
Young Okies and flammables don't mix. I caught a couple of things on fire down in Idabel when a kid including one involving calling the fire department. Mostly volunteer group back in the fifties, and it took a while for them to get out of the beer joint and get there. Aren’t most of the ingredients in meth flammable? you have to be a citizen to get the recipe.
FJB
|
|
Re: Life as a child growing up in Oklahoma
[Re: Zipster]
#13454924
02/28/20 09:05 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 120,035
TexDawg
Top Dawg
|
Top Dawg
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 120,035 |
|
|
Moderated by banker-always fishing, chickenman, Derek 🐝, Duck_Hunter, Fish Killer, J-2, Jacob, Jons3825, JustWingem, Nocona Brian, Toon-Troller, Uncle Zeek, Weekender1
|