Out of the doghouse, Part Deux

So, Poppy's birthday a couple of weeks ago. remember? Barbeque and Gander Mountain fishing-palooza? Yeah? Well, I promised we'd go back and actually make it all the way back to guns this time. What I didn't count on was mom. She wanted to go too. They decided that the 53rd Wedding Anniversary was lead, and they were both looking for gifts for each other. Cue sentimental "awwwwws".

I've been thinking about this for a while. Mom's not handling her 9mm as well, losing strength in her hands to work the slide and pull the trigger comfortably. She's losing confidence in her ability to fire it safely. So we went looking for something more her size and speed.What we found was a cute little S&W M&P Bodyguard .38 WITH red dot laser sight. In under 15 minutes, she was handling it like a pro, giggling and completely taken with the laser. Happy, happy wife.

Poppy was playing hardball. He made a beeline to the prominently displayed Barrett 82A1 Centerfire rifle with stand and scope for a cool $12,999.99. "Oh, is that all?!" sarcasm dripping from his beloved's lips. Wiley man that he is, he dropped his sights ever so slightly, and wandered over to the shotguns. He tried on several pump action Mossbergs and Winchesters when the salesman handed him the first semi-automatic shotgun he'd ever held. It was love at first sight. Or lust. He's my Poppy, I don't want to go there. But it was definite permanent attachment. Mom only slightly flinched at the price, looked at the man she's loved for over half a century, and sighed. 53 years of wedded bliss teaches one the value of picking one's battles and giving gifts openly and happily. So Poppy got his Winchester Super X3 Black Shadow semi-automatic .12 gauge shotgun.

What did I get? A headache, more ammo and a Green Chili Willy's Green Chili Bacon Cheeseburger with fries and sweet tea.