Precious Memories

Today I went to a gun show. My first ever. There was more testosterone in that room than at a Razorback game! It wasn't a huge room and there was a horse auction going on in the next room/arena. Yep, I said horse auction. You could smell it. Enough said.

I was amazed at the number of people who paid $8 to get into this show, amazed that I paid $8 to get in this show, amazed at the sheer number of guns, the kinds of ammo, and the other toys displayed. I saw a sign that said girl knives so I stopped to look. I thought "I didn't know they made knives just for girls!" Except it wasn't exactly what I thought. It was really just knives with pictures of scantily dressed women painted on them. Oh my. I'm sure I blushed.

There were big guns, little guns, old guns, new guns, knives that looked deadly, knives that looked decorative, brass knuckles, stun guns...I could go on. But that's not what I want to tell you about.

I came upon an exhibitor who had small cedar boxes, like for keeping jewelry, or old letters, or keepsakes in. I opened one up and the smell nearly took me to my knees. When I was about 10 years old (and my sister would have been 7) Daddy gave us cedar jewelry boxes for Christmas. They were a little larger than these and had a rounded top with a picture on the top. My sister still has hers but mine isn't with me any more. I have no idea where it is. I could have thrown it away or perhaps one of my daughters has it. I stood there and smelled the cedar and cried. And the exhibitor stood and patiently waited. He was a smart man - he knew not to question or to try to comfort me. He just waited. I bought two. Just for the smell. And the memories.

Farther down at another booth I found an old program that must have come from the Roy Rogers Museum. About the same age as above I was totally, completely, head-over-heels in love with Roy Rogers. My cousin, Carol, was in love with Gene Autry although I'm sure she couldn't possibly have loved Gene as much as I loved Roy. My grandmother used to give us quilts and send us to the front yard to play. Each quilt was a "house" for one of us. We had our dolls and we played for hours. I was Mrs. Roy Rogers and she was Mrs. Gene Autry. I left the program there because somewhere along the way the love of my life changed and Roy was just an old boyfriend. Thank goodness.

And for those of you interested I didn't buy a gun. Or a girl knife.