Not all gun owners are like this but, to many of us, guns are kind of sacred. We all have one or two favorite guns that we use regularly, and the rest are called "wall hangers", although not everybody hangs them on the wall, many people keep their extra guns in a closet or locked safe. A wall hanger is just a gun that you don't use anymore but can't bear to part with it. There may be memories associated with it, or it may be a family heirloom, passed down from father to son for generations. It's kind of like the way many homes used to contain an old piano that hadn't been played in years. It might be relegated to the attic or the basement, but nobody would think of getting rid of it. Somebody in the family must have played in the past, and that old piano might be all that was left of Grandma or Uncle Joe, so it was kept forever.
I never was a horse person, but I have known people, and still know people, who are, my sister Sue among them. She gave up riding a long time ago, I think for health reasons but, last I heard, she still kept her old horse, although it may have died by now. A gun or a musical instrument may be kept in storage for generations, not so with horses. A horse is a living thing, and you have to take care of it. A horse requires a lot more care than a dog or a cat, and you shouldn't get one if you're not prepared for the commitment it involves. They're not allowed to send them to the glue factory or grind them up for pet food anymore, at least in the U.S. When an old horse dies or has to be put down, about the only thing you can do with it now is dig a big hole out in the back forty and bury it. My own grandfather had a horse for 20 years, a big old draft horse that he used on his little farm in Stevensville, Michigan. Most farmers had switched to tractors by then, buy Grandpa didn't buy a tractor until his old horse died. The only reason he replaced the horse with a tractor instead of another horse was that he didn't want to go through the grieving process again in his lifetime. After Grandpa died, Grandma sold the tractor and the pickup truck and bought a little Nash Rambler with an automatic transmission. It lasted longer than she did.
I had only lived in Cheboygan for a few months, in a rented trailer, when the battery in my car died. My landlord gave me a jump and told me to hurry over to Fochman's Auto Parts because they were having a sale on batteries. They were closing an a half hour and, if I didn't get there in time, I would be faced with a long holiday weekend without a working battery in my car. I pulled into Fochman's parking lot with minutes to spare but, before I could get out of my car, this skinny old guy came running out, waving his arms and hollering at me. I said, "I'm sorry, are you closed already?" "No", he shouted, "but you can't park there!" "I'm sorry", said I, "Where do you want me to park?"
"I don't care where you park, but not anywhere in my lot."
"Okay, why can't I park in your lot?"
"This lot is reserved for my customers."
"What the hell do you think I am?"
"You're not one of my customers, I don't know you."
Do you sell car batteries here?"
"Yes, I do."
Okay, I came here to buy a battery, so that makes me a customer."
"Well, how do I know if I have the right size?"
"I suggest we look under the hood and measure my battery, then we go inside and see if you have the same size in your inventory."
"I can't hear you, turn off your engine."
"If I turn off my engine, I won't be able to start it again because my battery is shot."
"Turn it off, turn it off!"
(Turns off engine) "Okay, now you have to sell me a battery, give me a jump, or help me push my car out into the street, where I'm sure somebody will stop and help me."
"I've got nothing here to jump you with, and I'm not helping you push your car."
"Then you have to sell me a battery or my car will sit here till I can hitch hike home and get some help."
"You can't park here, this lot is for my customers!"
"Then sell me a battery."
"I'll call the police and have you towed!"
"Good! I'd like to hear what the police will have to say about this."
"Well, I suppose I could sell you a battery."
"Thank you very much!"
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