I’m still alive

[Whitworth]

Best of luck and a prayer to your wife Cowboy. The big "C" is tough to deal with when you have it, even tougher I'm sure when it's someone you love.

 

[smo]

Prayers sent for you & your Wife, My Friend.

Muzzleloading for me is a way too experience and learn how things were in the days gone bye.
It gives us a chance too meet others who enjoy our passions and I cherish their Friendship.

We are truly a Band of Brothers & Sisters that form a bond like no other group that I’ve ever been associated with.

Keeping y’all in our Prayers,Brother

 

[toot]

OUR PTAYERS GO OUT TOO YOU AND YOUR PARTENER, MAY GOD BLESS BOTH OF YOU!!

 

[Dave Marsh]

My prayers are for you and your wife. I too dread what can come with old age and cannot imagine what you and your wife are going through. God bless.

Dave

 

[Robby]

Bod bless Cowboy, prayers and thoughts headed your way via the Lord.
Robby

 

[Rodd Boyer]

I’ve met the most genuine, honest and real people through traditional muzzleloading. At one time in my life, I shot in modern matches where people often seemed to be plastic, critical and did not offer much help because they were competing against you. I felt like it was worse than junior high school. The blackpowder crowd is totally opposite. They are quick to welcome you, always willing to share advice and secrets, and real enough to let you see the glimpses of their soul to include the struggles. Thank you for sharing; my thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife.

Its the same with trad archery.... I'll give people the best advice I have so they can shoot their best... that way it is a "fair" competition.... them shooting their best and me shooting my best.

My wife went through the cancer scene this year... diagnosed in January, lump-ectomy , then chemo and radiation... tha pretty much took up our spring/summer. Throw in double ear infections, shingles and blood clots in her lungs and you start to see how 2020 was for us.... not to mention Covid19!

My prayers are with you brother!!! 3rd time through this, she must be a real scrapper!

God bless,
Rodd

 

[Dale Lilly]

Best wishes and prayers for both you and your wife. My better half is battling A.L.L (leukemia), and just moved her back home after her bone marrow transplant 3 months ago. May God bless and look after you and your wife.

Praying for you folks as well. Dale

 

[Capnball]

Yup, thats what I like about traditional muzzleloaders!

 

[Atticus69]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still here.

Wife has been battling her 3rd bout with cancer. Everything else has been put on the back burner. Been extremely hard to physically and emotionally deal with what we’ve been going through.

I have been surfing through the forum from time to time to try to keep my mind off things.

Anyway, I put this post under General Muzzleloading so that I could reach both paying and non paying members whom I consider friends. Never met someone on this forum that I wouldn’t consider my friend.

To make this topic legal I’ll only ask? What does traditional muzzleloading mean to you??

God Bless my friends.
Cowboy.

What does muzzloading mean to me? It puts me in touch with a simpler time where people were harder on the outside but their hearts were much bigger and softer. When people took care of each other when they needed help. A good deed, a kind words. Things people laugh at today. My dad grew up in a Catholic boys home with his brother. He served in WW2 in the islands, came home and fathered seven children. Went to work every day and gave us a good home to grow up in. He loved my mother her whole life up to and including her last breath. My mom passed away from Mesothelioma. I feel for you brother. I wish you both well. Stay strong, be that guy.
That's what traditional muzzle loading means to me. Just to keep the topic legal of course.
Neil

Cowboy,
I wish you and your family the comfort and companionship of God as you battle through your wife's illness. I hate cancer! It took my Dad and beloved mother-in-law from us. On the other hand, I just buried my adopted mother a month ago at age 94. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the mid 1960's.
As to traditional muzzleloading, every time I shoot I remember a now gone mentor who introduced me to to the sport, took me to Friendship and also, for a brief period of time I feel like I am living in a different, long gone time in our history.

 

[firestick]

Had stage 4 esophageal cancer 2 years ago. I wasn't much interested in muzzleloaders or any outdoor activity during treatment. Only cared about trying to get food down and sleeping. Hang in there! She needs your support.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Stage 4 pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. Given 6 months to live. That was 9 years ago this coming February. Still fighting. Won’t ever stop. Tell her to stay strong brother. No matter how dark some days get. She IS NOT in this fight alone!!
Walk

 

[Kansas Jake]

I add our thoughts and prayers to the others. Hang in there and be there for her.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

The Boss put up with me ten years ago. She is a saint. My thoughts and prayers go out for you and your wife. Be her Saint.

Muzzle loading... a back to basics, simpler times, and really good people.

 

[TGJaeger]

Cowboy,
Sorry to hear of you family’s trouble! My wife was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and told there was less than a 5% survival rate. That was 12 years ago and she is sitting on the couch beside me and we are praying for your wife and you!
God is good in all things!

 

[Yewbender]

Prayers for your wife and you.

As you see what i go by Yewbender...and if you shoot traditional archery you mostlikely will get the name. Anyway, all the reasons for traditional archery is what got me into the muzzleloading and glad i did! I got into it for the experience of how people hunted back in the day, to me a more connection to nature, a more enjoyable time spent in the woods, and the best part of all is the truely great people i get to meet! Lots of people ask me about it and it’s just to hard to explain how awesome this group of people are, it’s a different kind and great kind to be around!!!

 

[HotelBravo]

I live in Florida. God's waiting room. I feel lucky so far. Life is wonderful, yet dealing with health issues of those close to you is tough.

I used to shoot modern weapons at the range. My cousin found an old Hawkins kit gun in the back of his gun safe he picked up years ago. The trigger didn't work properly, the front sight is mounted bass ackwards, and the ferrules for the ramrod are missing. He taught me the fundamentals, and I started a new hobby at 76 years of age which I love. I still have to think of every step of the loading process, which is good. When I bring that rifle to my shoulder, the sights just hover nicely when I hold it offhand. Now that I got the double trigger working, I am able to touch off my shots some predictability. There is joy in feeling that push on my shoulder, and the smell and smoke just add icing to the cake. So much more fun than my previous life of pulling a trigger and having the work done for me. Muzzle loading gives my life stability and happiness.

Thanks for making me think about what makes it work for me, and God Bless, Cowboy.

 

[nit wit]

Cowboy:
Peace and friendship to answer your question.I hope you two can stay strong! As you know you have friends here if you need something.
God bless you two
Nit Wit

 

[stevenjay1]

Cowboy, my prayers go out for your wife and you. Like others I have fought the cancer battle and so far, I’m winning but it was not without the help of my wife to make sure I did everything I need to do. Its not easy to be the support person for another It’s a job and a half. My prayers are for your wife’s healing and that God gives you the strength, both physically and mentally to be her caretaker. In His name, Steve

 

[wiksmo]

Cowboy, I'm real glad you are there for your wife in that job and a half. It is that, I know with certainty. I was my wife's caregiver for her 12-year struggle with PD, and this is my fourth holiday season without her by my side. I was blessed that she, as best as she could, always supported me as the days got tougher.

We often looked to God for His help (Psalm 121), and even in the very toughest moments those prayers were answered. So along with the others who have shared here, I pray all you need in all ways will be provided for.

And as far as muzzleloading, for the last 1-1/2 years of our time together, my wife encouraged the new interest I acquired in BP firearms and the history behind it. Interestingly, years earlier during those end-of-day chats we often had, we shared our interests and dreams together. She always wanted to live in the country, I'd choose a log cabin as our home. She wanted to live more simply and said she would like to be a frontier woman. I loved to chop wood and keep either our fireplace or wood stove going. All that said, muzzleloading came easily alongside that earlier lifestyle. Shooting my BP pistol was my "time away" from the caregiver tasks I daily faced. She said "go for it," knowing I needed the diversion, but would be back at her side. Again, I'm glad you are there caring for your wife. Take good care of both of you. ~wiksmo

 

[Stony Broke]

I can totally relate to this whole situation. I lost my wife almost 14 years ago after caring for her in bed for 2 years. This can be a really tough thing to handle, and I am very sympathetic with you. I am like others that did modern competition for years, and eventually ended up in the muzzleloading realm. I can really agree with the folks that have mentioned the differences in the shooters you associate with as I made a lot of friends that were involved in the muzzleloading and rendezvous activities. I have lost some of those very good friends, and in fact I still own one rifle that was given to me by one of those friends, and it will stay with me as long as I'm around.
I have aged to the point that I had to give up competing at the rendezvous, but still shoot matches on a regular basis....and I would be attending them even If I got to the point I couldn't hold a rifle up anymore, as I have many friends there.
I got lucky and remarried 12 years ago, and she is a wonderful wife.....so life is still good for me.
You will be getting a lot of prayers from your friends on here and we all hope things work out well for you and your wife.