A brief musical interlude this morning, because we have guests staying with us, and I have to run off and make food appear for a hungry six-year-old who doesn't do very well with the concept of "Wait!"
Last week, courtesy of a reader who sent me the link, I came across a Tom Lehrer comedy song that I hadn't heard before. Given that it's currently hunting season for several species, it seems appropriate for this time of year.
That certainly reminds me of the casual attitude of far too many hunters. When I first came to this country, and was appointed pastor of a rural parish in Louisiana, I was installed on the first Sunday in October - the opening day of squirrel season. I was wondering why at least half the male congregants came to service wearing camouflaged overalls, with shotguns in the rear windows of their pickup trucks. Was it in case I preached a poor sermon? No - they were going hunting after church, while their long-suffering wives took the kids home.
A few weeks later, on the opening day of deer season, a rifle bullet struck my (small, flimsy) rectory. Nobody came to apologize, or inquire after damage or casualties. I immediately put the church grounds (including the woods behind our buildings) off-limits to hunters. There were lots of complaints, but after I showed people the hole in my building, they stopped arguing. From then on, every year as long as I stayed there, our woods filled up with squirrels and deer at the start of every hunting season, and stayed full until it ended. I had fanciful visions of rows of now-protected deer thumbing their noses at every passing car with a rifle in the rear window!
Ah, yes. Hunting season in America - one of the sacred seasons in the calendar, ranking above Advent and Lent, and pretty much on a level with Eastertide!
Peter
4 comments:
When I was a young man, there was no "Black Friday". That day was known as "Opening Day" for deer season. Now, you couldn't get me into the woods or stores on a bet. I knew a farmer who spray painted "COW" on the sides of his cattle with neon orange spray paint. Or or two of them would still get shot. Not to mention the woman who was killed on her back porch because she was wearing a white oven mitt. Mind you, our state was shotgun slugs only back then, so you can imagine how close hunters needed to get.
Oh my you've been missing out for ages then. One of my favorites from him!
In a similar vein, "Second Week of Deer Camp" comes highly recommended.
I sorta remember going deer hunting one year with my dad after Thanksgiving and wearing a red hat. I was too young to actually do any shooting. That was before the safety color changed to orange.
We have squirrel season year round. I trap them and "relocate" them.
My definition of "relocate" may vary from a vegans definition of "relocate".
Post a Comment