"It's easy - just pull this back, point & shoot."

Those were the words Scott left me with.
Those are my Glock shooting instructions.

So, he is back in Wisconsin right now for several days and this is the first time I have ever been alone here.  In the mountains.  Far away from all the people.  Now there are certain just regular things to worry about, like the water or the batteries not charging if it's cloudy the whole time he is gone, a squirrel coming in the back door (because it does not close properly and the dog can open and close it on her own), someone getting hurt, etc.

And then there are all the ADDITIONAL things that I - and probably only I -worry about, like having a heart attack up here in the mountains and my kids being stranded up here surviving on Ritz crackers until Scott returns.  (ok, so we had another little "this is how you dial 911" lesson yesterday.) OR then there is the wild animal fear, lately this has been a rattle snake in my bed.  (ok - there was this one time I was watching this one show about someone camping and they said you should always check your sleeping bag because the mountain snakes are always looking for a warm place to snuggle.  This is what I think about when I get into bed.) And then there is, of course, the crazy mountain man scenario.... thus, the shooting lesson.

Now, I think I have shot a gun maybe twice.  And I probably should have had a lesson on this before I needed to know and have actually done it.  Ya know, practiced a little.  Even this young mom at the pool was telling me that if we live up here in the mountains I should know how to shoot.  And then she started to tell me about bears, which was something I had not considered before, so now I have an addition to add of things to fear in the mountains....rattlesnakes, mountain lions, rabid coyotes and now bears too!!!  Oh, and add wildfires too!

The night before Scott was going to leave, we are sitting in the bedroom and he pulls out his gun (which he usually carries in his truck in case HE is attacked by the crazy mountain man I speak of).  He says he is going to leave this gun with me and I am looking at him funny wondering if this is actually going to make me feel any safer or not.  I just make this weird face, start to sweat and tell him I have no idea how to use THAT, so he walks over and says "It's easy - just pull this back, point & shoot."  (Ok, so there was a little more instruction than just that.  I gotta tell ya though, he believes in me so much more that I believe in myself!!)

Maybe that is easy if you have ever shot a gun before, but having never really done that I am visualizing this terrible scenario of the crazy mountain man quietly sneaks into the cabin at night while we are all asleep, I wake up and he is standing over me, with cat-like reflexes I punch him in the privates and dive over to my underwear drawer -this is where the gun is - I think to myself, remembering Scott's words,  "ok, this is easy", pull this back - I pull back - bullet in chamber, I point and shoot - and knowing my luck the whole thing gets jammed and I get raped and murdered thinking about how this was NOT the way things were suppose to go.

So, on my list of things to learn and conquer out here in my new Utah life is to shoot a gun - that way there ain't gonna be no crazy mountain man that stands a chance!! I will be like the rabid coyote or the mother bear protecting her cubs or the really hungry mountain lion....FEAR ME, CRAZY MAN!