It may not seem like much to anyone, but I had a personal triumph yesterday. It is something I planned well before starting Chemo. It was a close run operation, but I did it. I managed to procure 3 pounds of black powder. How I got it was the challenge.

Friendship, Indiana is less than 50 miles from the house. Back when I was an unfettered bachelor, I used to attend the National Muzzleloading Rifle Association (NMLRA )events twice a year. I had not been in 35 years, and I had it on my retirement bucket list to join up and start going again. Over last winter, I procured a Brown Bess musket. The only thing lacking in all this is that I was short on black powder. NMLRA sells black powder at a discount to members. I only had to get to an event to purchase it.

Honorable #2 son, Moose, has also recently been bitten by the black powder bug. He was in for the trip, as was #3 son, Angus, and my best shooting buddy, SuperCore. I missed the Spring shoot back in June due to the Chemo. However, I figured I could make it to the fall event that started 10 September.

I had not been to Friendship in 35 years. The last time I went, I was a fellow in his mid-twenties– about Angus’ age. I was a tall, fit fellow with a 42-inch stride. I was a backpacker and a canoeist. I showed up at the event this time a bald, Diabetic, tottering Cancer patient. I was walking on a cane, because peripheral neuropathy from the bug juice hhas recently robbed me of the feeling in my feet.

If I had been able to remember the layout of the place, I might have put us within 50 yards of the powder sales, but we parked in the first lot we came to, down by the flea market. It took a half-mile walk just to get into the NMLRA part of the shindig, and then a bit more to find the registration office and pay up our dues. The shed where they were selling powder was another ¼ mile away and we had an hour and a half to kill before they opened for business.

The stalls at Friendship are great if you love custom-built muzzleloading firearms. There are also all manner of stalls for all manner of kit. I wore myself out going up and down the rows and finally found a bench in the shade. The guys scouted around and found the way to the powder sales, and off we went. I got up the hill okay, but decided to sit down and rest in the shade of one of the buildings. That was my mistake. In retrospect, I should have found the cafeteria and gotten a bite to eat. I had figured that it would not take too long, and I wanted to be there when the powder sales opened up. When it came time to get off the ground, I just couldn’t do it. It took my guys and a helpful onlooker to hoist me off the ground. Luckily a staffer saw the hoo-haw going on and offered me a ride in his UTV up to the top of the hill. Moose stood in line, and they gave me a chair next to the sales desk until it was our turn. Yikes! You should have seen the mass of powder they had in that little shed. There was easily enough to blow off the side of the hill. I bought 3 pounds of Shuetzen 3F. Moose bought that and some 4F primer for his squirrel gun.

Angus took off and went back to the parking lot and retrieved his car and drove it to within 50 yards of the picnic bench I had found at the bottom of the hill. He ferried Supercore and me back to SuperCore’s car back at the flea market. Angus and Moose carried on with their adventure. SuperCore and I drove back to town. SuperCore is 80 and recovering from a bunch of stuff as well. He was ready to depart.

I’ve still got 9 weeks to get myself ready for the KY Rifle Opener. My plan is to be in my treestand and ready to bag a deer. Now that I have powder, I may also be able to get the Brown Bess proved out and try for Early Muzzleloader season in mid-October.

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