Our Youth Leave Too Early.....

How do you ever go about writing about something that is truly sad,yet, still needs to be told?
This is such a story and I will try and keep it short here, I will not mention names..

I first met his Mom, we started dating. She has a 13yr old son. This story is more about him than us.

He exemplified potential, bright, handsome, world class athlete but there was an obvious dark side. Behind the smile you could feel the anger.
At first I had no idea while I was getting this feeling, as time went on, it all became much to apparent. Drugs, this very young man, was already at a very young age, under the lure of the mystique the drug world projects. Now, I am not talking about, the social drugs, such as marijuana, no, extasy,heroin, meth and  the much too accessible prescription pills.

I had no idea that our schoolchildren had such easy access to these drugs.

Last Saturday night, 12yrs of knowing and observing this young man all came to an end. During these last 12yrs I had come to the point, that he was unofficially, my adopted son. This is why it has been a very hard week for me, he is dead at 25yrs old, suddenly, no warning, just dead.

He had gone into a local convenient store, to sell the owner a sawed off shotgun. One that he had, "found". He was inebriated, pulling the gun from the case, he fumbled, hit the trigger, the gun went off, removing his head and face.

Dead. Dead at 25yrs. Two children, a 4yr old daughter and 3yr old son, are left without a father. Too often I have read about these type of events but never experiencing it first hand, it is heart wrenching to know, that this indeed is a reality.

After the memorial service, family members all gathered, pictures taken, hugs and tears are shared.
I noticed or observed, that same strange, dark glare, on the face of that small boy, that had just lost his father, the same anger that I had recognized in his fathers face, 12yrs ago. Sadness welled up inside of me that I can not describe.

When, these buyers, of "found" articles, are discovered, maybe then, I will have at least a small bit of piece.

Sorry that I have been away for so long, only to return with a sad story but felt I had to write some of my thoughts down, so as to clear my head and cleanse my emotions.....thank you.....Bob

Moles.....MOLES.......IN MY YARD !!!! MOLE WAR ON !!!!!!!!

Man I ain't never seen nuthin like this afore, pesky little critters in my yard, I don't believe my eyes.

Sittin on the front porch, drinkin my coffee, readin the paper, waitin on Clem to stop by with the mail.Wavin at all them busy people headed to work.

I am lookin aroun survayin this here yard of mine, when I notices sumthin I ain't never seen afore. A damned hole in my perifk lawn. I wonder had them kids been out here diggin holes an such.

Bout this time Clem shows up with the mail.

I ask Clem, had he ever in his life seen anythin as bad as this afore, hell you walk crost my yard, ain't nothin funny bout it. The lawn sinks in when you step on it an ever thing, little holes ever whar, I don't like it, gonna have a talk with them kids.

Clem, now he started a laffin. Ain't nuthin them kids is a doin, them thar is mole hills, you got moles in your yard, Mr. Bob, an ya better do sumthin bout it purty damn quick like. They'll  take over your whole damn yard, en ever thin gonna die there.

Well hell, I don't know nuthin bout these critters, they like coons or possums, how you git rid of the damned things no way?

Well you go down to Lowes, go to their lawn n garden department an ask Lerlene, what you need to do to get rid of em, they got all the stuff there.

Hell, Lerlene, she couldn't find a grocery store, lessen Lester drew her a map on how to get there an back home, what good will that woman  do fer me. 

Well hell, she's smarter then you, least wize she knows whut a mole is.

Well, I'm a thinkin, I ain't goin to Lowes for sure now, Lerlene ain't a gonna make no fool outta me.

I git in my truck, an head out to to Petes Seed and Feed, they got all thet stuff thar an I won't havta deal with Lerlene. I git to Petes, go inside, see that Petes there. Hey pete, whatcha got to git rid of them damned moles, hell, I got em all in my yard.

Ain't nuthin to it Mr.Bob, we got all the stuff right here. Got them pellets, that you spread aroun the hole, got the little trap thet ketches em, got the little werm bait, what they eat, and got the spray, what you can spray  the odor they don't like, an runs em off.

Good give me plenty of all of em.This heres an all out war, ginst them mole critters.

That'll be 129.87 with tax an all Mr.Bob, an I sure hope you get rid of all of em.

So, I go home, spay the yard, spread them pellets round them holes, put out, and set all them traps, and bury all them werm bait things. Real proud of my self now, got all this mole chasin, killin, stuff put out in the yard, maybe now I kin git my yard back, to its beutiful self agin.

Next mornin, headed to the front porch with my paper  and coffee, I notice the yard has even more holes then it did yestereday. I walk out ther on the lawn an notices them damned critters had dug holes all aroun the holes what were already ther. Them pellets still layin on top of the groun, the danged werms wern't even touched, and that odor smell spay, had my yard smellin like rotten eggs.

I got in my truck,  headed down to have a little talk with Pete. Got ther, yelled hey Pete, I gotta bone to pick with you. I spent 130.00 dollars here yesterday, to git rid of them damned moles, hell, all they did was party down on my yard.

Pete says calm down there now Mr.Bob, thers more ways to get rid of them damned critters, you just lost the first battle thats all. You need more up to date ammo sounds like to me. We'll  try these latest electronical devices on em. Them little critters hear this sounds and they scatters faster than ole ladies when they hear the dollar stores havin a sale on Tom Jones Records, fer half off. 

Now your talkin Pete, load me up, I wantta get em in the groun and run them rascals off.

That'll be $147.50 Mr. bob, an I sure hope you git rid of all of em this time.

I went home and put these little solar powered, electronic noise makers ever 20 feet aroun my yard. Hell, that oughta make em nervous as hell, run em off somewheres else. It makes a reall high pitched sound .

Next mornin, headed to the front porch with my paper  and coffee, I look out there in the yard, an have even  more holes, cept now they go in circles an all over the place.

Git in my truck and head back to see Pete. Git to Petes, yell out hey pete, them damned elctronic noise makers didn;t nuthin, not a damned thing, cept keep my dogs a barkin all night long. I done spent. almost 3 hunert dollars, an all i got is fat, crazy, moles , diggin even more holes than I had before. Hell, my front yard looks like target practice for beginner bomb practice. I guess I'll just haveta, tuck tail an go see Lerlene at Lowes an see whut they suggest, cause I ain't a given you no more money here. Then I stomped out.

Found Lerlene, out in the garden shop, now I didn't wanta arm her with no gossip, so I didn't tell her nuthin bout my rounds with these dang moles an all the money I had done spent at Petes.

What cha got to git rid of these here moles. I'm a willin to try anything, I just wantta git em outta my yard.

Well, Mr.Bob, you don't wanna waste no money on no pellets or electronic noise makers, or none of this other stuff for that matter. Now Lester, he just goes out and pees in the yard where they are. They smell it, an they think some ones aroun, that'll git em, an they skedaddle. Try that, Lester swears by it. Hope it does the trick fer you Mr.Bob, stop by the house and ask Lester, he knows ever thing bout gettin rid of them critters.

I figured, what the hell, sounds like a great idea to me.Went down and bought a couple  cases of beer and got started.

A couple of days later, went to see Lester.

Lester, when he saw me, he just broke out in the biggest laffin spell you ever did see. Howdy Mr. Bob, heard you had a war a goin with them damned moles.

Oh already heard about it I see, I said.

Yep, funny as hell too. When Lerlene tole you I got rid of them moles by pissin in the yard, she forgot to tell you we live way out here with trees and such hidin our place, You shoulda come here first, hell, now everone knows what you did and are havin a laffin party. 

Mr.Bob, you are one crazy ole rednck, standin out in your front yard, right by that hiway ther, drinkin beer and pissin on your lawn. Hell, I heard when the state police  got there and arrested you, you was drunk as a skunk. Tellin them boys to draw their guns and shoot them damned moles, damned wish I had been ther, had to be one of the funiest things I never saw.

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