{"id":2165,"date":"2018-12-17T12:59:33","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T17:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=2165"},"modified":"2018-12-17T13:30:28","modified_gmt":"2018-12-17T18:30:28","slug":"why-i-hate-guns-what-a-fool-i-was-alan-skeoch-dec-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=2165","title":{"rendered":"WHY I HATE GUNS!   (WHAT A FOOL I WAS)&#8230;alan skeoch  dec. 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"\">WHY I HATE GUNS<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">alan skeoch<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Dec. 2018<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" id=\"yui_3_5_1_1_1544936161063_2835\" apple-inline=\"yes\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/th-4.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" id=\"yui_3_5_1_1_1544936161063_2420\" apple-inline=\"yes\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/th-5.jpeg\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">My hatred of guns is &nbsp;not a philosophical hatred\u2026not something distant\u2026my hatred is close to the bone. &nbsp; Flesh &nbsp;and &nbsp;blood kind of thing.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Guilt is part of my hatred. &nbsp; It was not always so. &nbsp;As a kid my brother and &nbsp;I played endless games &nbsp;of cowboys and Indians in Dufferin Park.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cEric, you be the Indian &nbsp;this time. &nbsp;No, it\u2019s your turn.\u201d &nbsp;And we would &nbsp;fire imaginary bullets at each other. &nbsp;The cowboys with the gun. The<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Indian with his bow and arrow. &nbsp;All imaginary. &nbsp;I know this sounds sinister today\u2026even racist. &nbsp; But it was not so in the dying days of<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">World &nbsp;War II. &nbsp; Guns fitted Canadian society as tight as hand in a glove. &nbsp;War news was everywhere\u2026newspapers, radio, conversations.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Relatives were overseas in England, Europe, Burma. &nbsp;My &nbsp;cousin George was killed in 1944 when his bomber was &nbsp;strafed &nbsp;by a German night<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">fighter. &nbsp;Plying guns was all &nbsp;imaginary. &nbsp;No guns but lots of acting. &nbsp;I remember coming home with mom in winter from a Bowery Gang movie<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">when the snow was heavy and &nbsp;each lawn had so much &nbsp;they seemed &nbsp;like the canyons and cliffs of the American wild west. &nbsp;I was the Indian<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">on that occasion and Eric &nbsp;shot me just as &nbsp;I scaled &nbsp;a snow heap. &nbsp;What a chance? &nbsp;Shot. &nbsp;I made a spread eagled fall over the brink and my<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">dead body slid to the sidewalk below where a woman passing buy thought i was really dead. &nbsp;She screamed. &nbsp; Eric and I ran to catch up to mom.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Playing guns &nbsp;had consequences. &nbsp;In 1944 or 1945 we were too young to understand that the negative images of both \u2018white\u2019 cowboys and &nbsp;\u201cred\u201d Indians.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">had racist overtones. Today, in 2018, I &nbsp;don\u2019t see any kids playing guns anymore. &nbsp;Should Eric and I apologize? &nbsp;We loved playing guns. Were we racists?<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">I wonder if First Nations kids &nbsp;played &nbsp;Indians and cowboys\u2026war games\u2026imaginary\u2026where he Indians won?<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">No I do not have any long term guilt in this case. &nbsp;In 1944 and 1945, I loved my Wooden tommy gun made by Mr. Samanas, the Polish father of<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">our &nbsp;friend &nbsp;Bobby Samana who lived near us on Sylvan Avenue<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in West Toronto. &nbsp;He made the guns for his own boy and we traded to get one. &nbsp;It was almost an &nbsp;exact replica of the Tommy guns being used<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">by Russian &nbsp;forces &nbsp;on the Eastern Front at the time. &nbsp;We had no idea of any of that. &nbsp; No guilt at the time. &nbsp;Not hatred of guns<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">because everything we did &nbsp;was imaginary. &nbsp;I am not sure if we &nbsp;were even aware a World War was &nbsp;really happening or happened.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"5E5D495B-23B6-4164-B1A4-2A6E444B0BE2\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_1063.jpg\" class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"C9344F57-F0A2-4B59-BEF3-1380EF32EACB\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/9CiIWCEFThWrnhvmOzBlww_thumb_97b0b.jpeg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Eric and I &nbsp;spent a &nbsp;lot of time playing guns in Dufferin Park. &nbsp;I think this was a fort we built in the great snow storm of 1944 but &nbsp;could be 1945 or 1946.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">We were our own army firing imaginary bullets at imaginary enemies\u2026in this case mom with her camera. &nbsp;How do I know it was mom. Simple.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">We are saluting. &nbsp;We recognized mom as &nbsp;the leader of our family. &nbsp;Respect your officers. &nbsp;Right?<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">The guilt came from a real gun. &nbsp;Eric and &nbsp;I were teen agers when Dad gave us &nbsp;a BB gun for Christmas. &nbsp;We did &nbsp;not ask for it\u2026as &nbsp;a matter of<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">fact we never expected anything from Dad. &nbsp;He did not give Christmas presents. &nbsp;Not because he did not love us. &nbsp;We knew he did love us because of<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">how &nbsp;he described us to his &nbsp;friends or just about anyone that seemed interested. &nbsp;&#8220;I have two sons. &nbsp;One is a gutsy bugger and the other is as<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">stupid as Joe\u2019s dog.\u201d &nbsp; Eric once told &nbsp;dad to stop. &nbsp;\u201cDad, how &nbsp;stupid was &nbsp;Joe\/s dog?\u201d &nbsp;Waited &nbsp;a &nbsp;long tome for you to ask. &nbsp;\u201cJoe\u2019s dog was&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">so stupid he jumped over nine bitches to screw his own shadow.\u201d &nbsp;Doesn\u2019t this sound like love? &nbsp;Dad often spoke in reverses. &nbsp;He &nbsp;wasn\u2019t the<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">huggy&#8211;feely type.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">So that year he gave us the gun was a big surprise. &nbsp;Totally unexpected. &nbsp;Shocked even mom. &nbsp;\u201cRed, do you really think the boys needed a gun?\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cThought it was &nbsp;time for them to have one.\u201d &nbsp;In point of fact he had not really thought the idea through. &nbsp;It was &nbsp;an impulse as were many of his<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">more bizarre actions in a life strewn with halter-skelter adventures. &nbsp; He paid &nbsp;a dollar downpayment and left the rest of the payments up to us.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Us? &nbsp;Nope. &nbsp;Mom would get the bill as usual.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">So we had &nbsp;a gun. &nbsp;Must have been around the year 1953. &nbsp;I remember it clearly. &nbsp;After we got the gun we caught dad firing BB;s at Tom Cats<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">who were on the back fence serenading our very sexy momma cat. &nbsp; We lived on then second floor of 455 Annette street by that time. &nbsp;A small house<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">with a three room apartment on the upper floor and some really poky little rooms below which Mom rented to Mr. and &nbsp;Mrs. &nbsp;Douglas. &nbsp;Nice<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">people. &nbsp;He was a &nbsp;bartender and she was &nbsp;an ex-hooker. &nbsp;They loved &nbsp;us. &nbsp; And were always amused &nbsp;by Dad. &nbsp;So his targeting of Tom Cats<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">met with general approval. &nbsp;Mom was, however, indignant and took the gun away from him once she found Dad in the dark acting as a World<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">War II sniper on the Eastern Front. &nbsp; No cat died. &nbsp;Not sure Dad even hit one of them for they kept yowling their unrequited love songs<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">to get Tinker\u2019s attention. &nbsp;\u201cRed, &nbsp;this gun can only be used &nbsp;at the farm. &nbsp;No put it away.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">This is &nbsp;where my guilt entered.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">We packed up for the farm the day after Christmas as &nbsp;usual. &nbsp;Grandma and Grandpa expected &nbsp;us\u2026loved to see us. &nbsp; They lived &nbsp;in a Victorian red<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">brick farm house with no running water and therefore no toilet except the back house under the walnut tree. &nbsp; Most of the house was like a big ice box&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in winter. &nbsp;Icicles and &nbsp;hoar frost in all t he rooms except for the front room where the big wood &nbsp;stove glowed red as it consumed split maple cordwood.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">There wasn\u2019t even &nbsp;electricity yet. &nbsp; When we went to bed in the icebox &nbsp;part of the house, Grandma carried &nbsp;hot bricks wrapped in newspaper to get<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">the bed ready for us. &nbsp;Most nights we all slept in the same bed\u2026mom, eric and me. &nbsp;Dad did not come with us often because the other loves of his life, gambling<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">and racehorses drew him away. &nbsp;Mom\u2019s parents liked &nbsp;Dad in spite his idiosyncrasies. &nbsp;A fact that was not true for a lot of people.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">So Boxing Day at the Freeman farm was exciting. &nbsp;Uncle Frank would pick us up at the SilverCreek bus stop or at the corner of the Fifth line. &nbsp;On bad &nbsp;winter days<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">he came down with the team of horses and the big bob sleigh which we run behind &nbsp;to keep warm then hop back on. &nbsp;On good winters days he came down with his Model A Ford. &nbsp;This was a &nbsp;good &nbsp;day. &nbsp;At least it<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">started that way. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Grandma had food ready and \u201cI bought a &nbsp;special bottle of Worcester Sauce for you Alan. &nbsp;I know how much you love it.\u201d &nbsp;Truth was I used great gallops of<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Worcester sauce to kill the tase of some things, particularly the cold slices of fat marbled beef that were cut from a slab of beef hanging in the cold cellar. &nbsp;The same was true of&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">the potatoes &nbsp;that were kept buried &nbsp;in sawdust beside the coal bin in another part of the dirt floor cellar. &nbsp;Carrots sometimes had the tell take marks of summer<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">gnawing by wire worms. &nbsp;Worcester sauce made everything palatable. &nbsp; Sounds disgusting today when all our food is so perfectly presented in super markets,<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; But in those days Grandma and<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Grandpa never left the farm. &nbsp;They had no car and had to rely on others for shopping in town or pay the itinerant bread man and meat man who dropped by<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">just as the mailman does today. &nbsp;Or mail woman. &nbsp;Nor did they have much money. &nbsp;Mom helped them out from her job as a &nbsp;garment maker in various Toronto<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">sweatshops.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Don\u2019t get me wrong, Christmas &nbsp;was &nbsp;a great time. &nbsp;Granddad &nbsp;would tighten the strings on his Stradivarious violin and grandma would get ready on the pump organ and music would fill<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">the heated &nbsp;air of that tiny front room. &nbsp;The Devil\u2019s Dream was my favourite piece of Granddad\u2019s music. &nbsp;All of us in the front room\u2026jammed in around &nbsp;the stove and the<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">pump organ\u2026loving it. &nbsp;And the dog would &nbsp;howl to the music as &nbsp;well. &nbsp; Then that day in 1953 things went wrong.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">We are getting close to the reason I hate guns now. &nbsp;Get ready..<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cCan we use the BB gun, now Mom?\u201d &nbsp;\u201cYes, but be careful.\u201d &nbsp;The word &#8216; careful\u2019 had no meaning. &nbsp;Eric will not like me saying this. &nbsp;And &nbsp;I am not proud of my first acton<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">with the BB gun.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cEric, walk over beside the tree and turn around, I want to see how powerful these BB\u2019s are.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cOWWW! &nbsp;That, really hurt, Alan. &nbsp;Why did you do that.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cJust a test\u201d &nbsp;managed &nbsp;to hit hm square in the ass.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Eric came at me swinging but relented &nbsp;when I gave him a few shots &nbsp;with the gun. &nbsp;He did not shoot me though. &nbsp;I think it was &nbsp;about that time that Eric<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">lost confidence in me as a brother. \u201c Alan, you can &nbsp;be stupid at times,\u201d as &nbsp;dad said. &nbsp;I preferred Dad to see me as &nbsp;a \u2018gutsy bugger\u2019 rather than as \u2019stupid &nbsp;as Joe\u2019s<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">dog\u2019 &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Shooing Eric &nbsp;in the ass was not a good idea. &nbsp;In spite of his heavy breeks a BB came with enough velocity to leave a little red mark on Eric&#8217;s bum. &nbsp;Or so &nbsp;he said &nbsp;later.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Now, almost 65 years later, I do feel guilty about that lapse in judgement. &nbsp; But worse was &nbsp;to come.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Cousin Ted Freeman arrived at the farm in the early afternoon. &nbsp;He came in style. &nbsp;George Johnson drove down in a decrepit Model T Ford whose next owner would be<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">the scrap man. &nbsp;On that winter day in 1953, however, the Model T was running. &nbsp;\u201cHow about a ride around the concession boys?\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Mom nodded approval and we piled in the back seat. &nbsp;\u201cCan I take the gun?\u201d &nbsp;No comment from anyone. &nbsp;Not approval or disapproval. &nbsp;In retrospect, I wish someone<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">had taken the gun away from me. &nbsp; &nbsp;Once we got rolling down past McEcherns and MacLeans, I got the great idea that the Model T could &nbsp;be a moving gun platform<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">and I began firing BB\u2019s at will. &nbsp;I aimed at barn windows for the most part\u2026or machine shop windows. &nbsp;Down &nbsp;we went. &nbsp;The Kerrs had farms on both sides of the road<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">which meant jumping across Eric to get shots at both barns and &nbsp;drive sheds. &nbsp;Then there were the Saunders and the old Boyd Farm. &nbsp; We were really rolling. &nbsp;I was<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">not sure if the BB\u2019s hit the windows or not. &nbsp;Some did, for sure. &nbsp;That was one powerful gun. &nbsp;We stopped &nbsp;for a &nbsp;leak at one point and Angus McEchern drove by<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in his old red truck. &nbsp;Ronnie sat beside him. &nbsp;After they got a hundred yards down the road I took a couple of pot shots at them. &nbsp;Angus braked the truck and backed up fast.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cWho did that?\u201d &nbsp;And he pointed to one little round hole in the back window of his truck. &nbsp;All heads &nbsp;swivelled my way. &nbsp; This was not good. As &nbsp;God is my witness &nbsp;I &nbsp;did<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">not believe a BB gun was that powerful. &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Guilt? &nbsp;You betcha. &nbsp;I still feel guilty about that day. &nbsp;And for the next few weeks I seem to remember paying local farmers &nbsp;for smashed windows. &nbsp; Tough to make the payments because &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Eric and I only made half a cent profit from each Star on our Fairview Avenue paper route. &nbsp;Eric\u2019s share had to be subtracted. &nbsp;He was not a sniper on that fateful day.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">I carried &nbsp;all the guilt. &nbsp;For months afterwards I was afraid to even go to the farm. &nbsp;People looked &nbsp;at me as if I was an assassin. &nbsp;I don\u2019t think I hit all the windows targeted that day. &nbsp;Of that I &nbsp;was fairly sure&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">because for most it was a long distance &nbsp;from the road to drivesheds . &nbsp;No matter, mom offered to pay for the damages. &nbsp; Now, so many years later, I am not sure if I even paid for the windows. &nbsp; But I still feel the guilt. &nbsp;And &nbsp;I did see that<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">little round hole in Angus McEchern\u2019s truck. &nbsp;Luckily that hole was in the middle. &nbsp; I &nbsp;missed both Angus &nbsp;and Ronnie. &nbsp;Not a bad shot. &nbsp;I remember taking careful<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">aim to insure I hit the windshield dead in the middle. &nbsp;And I did. &nbsp;Stupid is as &nbsp;stupid does, as Tom Hanks &nbsp;said in the movie. &nbsp;I really did not believe a BB gun was that powerful which &nbsp;is<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">no excuse. &nbsp;But I &nbsp;do remember the sinking feeling when Angus McEchern looked at me. &nbsp;He was then about 60 years old and one of my rural heroes. &nbsp;I fell a couple of notches<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in his opinion that day but he still seemed to like me. &nbsp;Perhaps he was thinking \u201cthe kid is just like me, prone to stupid &nbsp;errors like the time I tried to scare Laddie away from my sheep<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">with a quick &nbsp;rifle shot aimed at the gravel road but it hit Laddie square in the head.\u201d &nbsp;Grandma and Grandad loved that dog. &nbsp;Angus did &nbsp;not mean to kill him just as I did not mean<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">to put a BB through his truck window.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">The gun? &nbsp; I think Dad was &nbsp;told when we got back to the city and I believe he smashed the gun on the Manitoba Maple trunk in our backyard. &nbsp;Not sure what really&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">happened. &nbsp;Maybe he took the gun back to the store and got his dollar back. Eric and &nbsp;I &nbsp;had been gun owners for two days. &nbsp;Long enough to make me hate guns.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Guilt is &nbsp;a &nbsp;terrible thing. &nbsp;Mom made me feel a &nbsp;little better when she gently castigated &nbsp;Dad for setting a poor example by targeting those Tom cats on Christmas &nbsp;day.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Did I imagine that dad shared my guilt? &nbsp;Probably.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">alan skeoch<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Dec. &nbsp;2018<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">P.S. &nbsp;Just a slightly irrelevant post script lest you think Eric was Lilly white in those days. &nbsp;He got into trouble as well. &nbsp;Perhaps not as much as &nbsp;me since he was &nbsp;never&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">brought home in squad car as &nbsp;I was after the Mineral Bath fiasco. &nbsp; But Eric committed a real blunder one day on our paper route. &nbsp;We figured &nbsp;speed was important&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">for we had many other things to do other than deliver Toronto Daily Star papers to our 60 to 70 homes on Fairview Avenue. &nbsp;So we developed a mobile system. &nbsp;if the<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">papers were rolled tight and one end slipped into the other end, the paper could &nbsp;be thrown. &nbsp;That speeded &nbsp;up things a bit. &nbsp;But then Eric made the job really mobile<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">by jamming 20 or so papers into the black iron strap carrier on his bike. &nbsp;He could drive and throw. &nbsp;Speed. &nbsp; That seemed to work until Eric made a monumental mistake.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">He threw the paper with too much force and instead of landing on the verandah of one house, it sailed through the window. Smashed &nbsp;it\u2026shattered. &nbsp;Worse still, that<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">was a bathroom window and a woman was having a bath at the time\u2026or so she said. &nbsp;I don\u2019t believe that last part was true. &nbsp;She was &nbsp;irate however and came&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">to our house with all kinds of threats. &nbsp;Foaming at the mouth threats of law suits and police. &nbsp;Dad was great in these attacks. &nbsp;Any attack on his boys was &nbsp;an &nbsp;attack<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">on him. &nbsp;Eric and &nbsp;I were upstairs on the landing unseen but listening. &nbsp;Part way through the ladies yelling Dad &nbsp;intervened with his &nbsp;usual &nbsp;remark. &nbsp;\u201cYou old bag, get the<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">hell of our verandah.\u201d &nbsp; Scared &nbsp;her I think. &nbsp;She expected an &nbsp;apology at least. &nbsp; Later Eric &nbsp;and &nbsp;I &nbsp;did &nbsp;apologize to her which was accepted. &nbsp;The reason I do not think<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">anyone was &nbsp;in the bathtub was that she remained &nbsp;a customer. &nbsp;I think we paid for the window. &nbsp;Maybe. &nbsp;Memory fails.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">P.P,S,. &nbsp;Another somewhat amusing incident happened on her front lawn. &nbsp; She had a bunch of squirrels that she fed. &nbsp;Black squirrels. &nbsp;Sort of tame squirrels. &nbsp;Sort of tame<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">is a misnomer. &nbsp;They were wild &nbsp;things. &nbsp;\u201cEric, I\u2019ll give you a &nbsp;quarter if you grab one of those squirrels by the tale.\u201d &nbsp;And he did. &nbsp;Moved &nbsp;cautiously up behind &nbsp;one and<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">then snapped &nbsp;his hand on the tail like an alligator grabbing a duck. &nbsp;This was not a good idea. &nbsp;The quarrel quickly reversed itself and tore gashes in Eric\u2019s arm\u2026bad&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">gashes. &nbsp;Bloody gashes. &nbsp;Mom was &nbsp;not amused. &nbsp;\u201cSquirrels &nbsp;have worms and all &nbsp;kinds of nasty things living on them\u2026dangerous. &nbsp;Don\u2019t ever do that again.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">I felt badly. &nbsp;Really did. &nbsp;I gave Eric the quarter which was a lot of money in 1953. &nbsp; For a quarter I could get a huge ice cold overflowing milk shake at the Dairy at<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Annette and Runnymede. &nbsp; So parting with the &nbsp;quarter was a big event. &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Over the years Eric began to lose confidence in me as his big brother. &nbsp;And &nbsp;he got stronger than me. &nbsp;I am not a fighter and learned &nbsp;from the school of hard knocks &nbsp;that<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">it is better to roll over like a &nbsp;dog in submission than to trade punches. &nbsp;That message Eric and I both got by watching the Beanery and junction gangs try to kill each<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in battles in Dufferin Park when we were very small. &nbsp; I remember one of the Beanery guys &nbsp;trying to defend a girl and a Junction gang member came up behind him and<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">whacked him with what looked like a iron pipe. &nbsp;It may have been a wooden club. &nbsp;No matter, the guy went down. &nbsp;Better to run than stick around defending girls. &nbsp;That&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">conclusion occurred &nbsp;before I reached puberty. &nbsp;In the same situation after puberty I might have played the hero. &nbsp;Might have.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Always plan an escape route became a &nbsp;reflex action with me. &nbsp; One escape failed though. &nbsp;Like the time &nbsp;I snatched Eric\u2019s share of the icing on Mom\u2019s cakes. &nbsp;Eric would eat the cake first<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">and leave the icing to the last. &nbsp;Neatly placed on his plate. &nbsp;I planned to get that icing. &nbsp;Snatch and grab and run. &nbsp;Run for the back stairs with the icing in my mouth. &nbsp;That escape did not work<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">because Eric figured I would do &nbsp;the snatch and grab. &nbsp; So he had locked the door to the old &nbsp;stairway. &nbsp;He got me and gave me the \u2018what for\u2019 a couple of times. &nbsp;He was really mad<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">but not in killing mood because his trap had &nbsp;worked so well. He laughed.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">P.P.S. &nbsp; I suppose that squad car incident should be explained &nbsp;a bit. &nbsp;Lest you think I was &nbsp;becoming a hardened criminal. &nbsp; We were in the locker room at Minnies, a big private swimming pool<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">on Bloor Street across &nbsp;from High Park. &nbsp;Swam there often. &nbsp;As often as &nbsp;we could &nbsp;afford. &nbsp;Minnies was great. &nbsp;It had a high tower with three levels. &nbsp;The top level was &nbsp;so high that<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">it was &nbsp;dangerous to take a running jump. &nbsp;\u201cSome guy did that and got impaled on spears of the fence on the opposite side. &nbsp;So Minnies &nbsp;was a place of adventure. &nbsp;The locker room had<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">long rows of wooden lockers for our clothes and valuables. &nbsp;Each swimmer was given a key to his locker. &nbsp;A very simple key. &nbsp;\u201cEric, I bet these keys are the same for every locker.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cBet you a &nbsp;dime they are not.\u201d &nbsp;\u201cWatch this.\u201d So I took my key and tried it on the next locker. &nbsp;It did not work. &nbsp;But there was no time to get my key out. &nbsp;\u201cKid rifling lockers &nbsp;in Row 3\u2026saw him<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">doing it.\u201d &nbsp;And all hell broke loose. &nbsp;I was grabbed &nbsp;by a couple of goons and dragged to Minnies office where the owner looked at me and &nbsp;said, \u201cThe police are on the way, sit down, you are<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in real &nbsp;trouble.\u201d &nbsp;Now how could &nbsp;I get out of that one? &nbsp;Who would believe I was testing the keys? &nbsp;Who would believe there was &nbsp;a dime bet involved? &nbsp; Eric went home while I waited for the<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">police\u2026shaking\u2026but not crying. &nbsp;Stunned. &nbsp;The policeman took me by the shoulder and talked to me. &nbsp;Nicely. &nbsp;I said\u2026stuttered\u2026and said \u201cI was just testing the keys\u2026thought they were all the same.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">No mention of the dime\u2026no need to. &nbsp;\u201cCome on son, get in the car\u2026I\u2019ll drive you home.\u201d &nbsp;Yikes! &nbsp;This could &nbsp;be worse that going to jail. &nbsp;Grandma &nbsp;was visiting us and she was likely on<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">the front verandah looking for cigarette butts. &nbsp; She liked to chew tobacco and found &nbsp;a treasure trove at the Annette Street trolley bus stop. &nbsp;As we approached our house I said in a trembling voice,<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cMy grandma is on the verandah\u2026could &nbsp;you drop me off down the street a bit?\u201d &nbsp;What a &nbsp;nice cop. &nbsp;\u201cSure son, don\u2019t do &nbsp;anything stupid again.\u201d &nbsp;Really good guy. &nbsp;I slipped out of the squad car<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">and sauntered &nbsp;home. &nbsp;\u201cEric &nbsp;got home ahead of you Alan, he\u2019s &nbsp;upstairs.\u201d &nbsp; What a narrow escape? &nbsp;Grandma still had a high opinion me.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">I &nbsp;wondered one thing though. &nbsp;Suppose dad had been home? &nbsp;Would &nbsp;he tell the policeman to \u201cGet the hell off our verandah\u201d? &nbsp; Dad could do some stupid things too. &nbsp;Luckily the horses<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">were running a Woodbine track and Dad was &nbsp;distracted by his first love\u2026gambling on racehorses. &nbsp; &nbsp;I know what you are thinking. &nbsp;Thinking the same ting myself. &nbsp;I do not think<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Eric ever gave me that dime.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">alan skeoch<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Dec. 2018<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"904FDD03-641C-4EA0-BBA3-3E1EF0E349F4\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_511bd.jpeg\" class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"7081CCAE-C35C-4C7F-806D-5A054B85636B\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3e3b5.jpeg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Dad, speaking to anyone about his sons. &nbsp;\u201cWe have two sons, one is &nbsp;a &nbsp;gutsy bugger and the other is as stupid &nbsp;as &nbsp;Joe\u2019s dog.\u201d &nbsp;Your job? &nbsp;Which &nbsp;one is the&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">gutsy bugger and which is as stupid as &nbsp;Joe\u2019s &nbsp;dog? &nbsp; Or are the terms fitting both?<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"45CBC939-DEAE-4113-8062-835EF9DF8217\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4ca4e.jpeg\" class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"48686CF0-3F43-4768-9FD3-75214FB4D6C5\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3e3b6.jpeg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Assortment of pictures that show our total innocence I think.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Eric and I coached &nbsp;football at Parkdale Collegiate for a few years. &nbsp;We enjoyed &nbsp;it very much. &nbsp;Why show this &nbsp;picture. &nbsp;Because in spite of<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">all the dumb things &nbsp;we did in our lives, &nbsp;we still got along very well. &nbsp;Still do.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"0B3580D8-661F-4BF1-94B8-E9E6BFE5D95F\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1ffce.jpeg\" class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"6B566A32-6312-441A-9888-4253F8BD55B7\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_95706.jpeg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Guns? &nbsp;In later years &nbsp;while &nbsp;doing a mining exploration job in water Alaska on the edge of the Bering Sea, our crew of five Canadianswere each<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">armed with big 30-06 rifles. &nbsp;Elephant guns in case we were attacked &nbsp;by &nbsp;Kodiak &nbsp;Bears. &nbsp;The pictures &nbsp;above make me look like a hunter.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Not so. &nbsp;When dropped &nbsp;by helicopter at an exploration point we stacked our rifles. &nbsp;Too heavy to carry. &nbsp;Never fired a &nbsp;shot all &nbsp;summer long.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">No bear came very close. &nbsp;Bears &nbsp;do not like people much. &nbsp;We stink. &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"A0C95A68-8028-4D9B-97EC-BA698521C662\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_1065.jpg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"260964D7-1D06-4C6C-AF57-6058F9563578\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_1064.jpg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"B4BF33AD-8F75-48C4-90BF-98B041C427A7\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Obb0UzRoTkGS42tRUhEpHA_thumb_3e3b7.jpeg\" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">And here is Dad\u2026striding purposefully up at the farm\u2026hammer in one hand, his boots in the other.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">God, we were lucky to have him as a &nbsp;playmate and &nbsp;protector and source of &nbsp;so much &nbsp;humour.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-left: 0px;\" class=\"\" id=\"yui_3_5_1_1_1544936161063_2401\" apple-inline=\"yes\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/th-6.jpeg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">And &nbsp;finally the bullet hole\u2026<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Well, BB gun hole.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">alan skeoch<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Dec. &nbsp;2018<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WHY I HATE GUNS alan skeoch Dec. 2018 My hatred of guns is &nbsp;not a philosophical hatred\u2026not something distant\u2026my hatred is close to the bone. &nbsp; Flesh &nbsp;and &nbsp;blood kind of thing. Guilt is part of my hatred. &nbsp; It was not always so. &nbsp;As a kid my brother and &nbsp;I played endless games &nbsp;of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}