In and Around Dickson City, 8.9.08

[jahwarrior72]

another lazy saturday with the family. we have this routine, where, on most saturdays, we hit the flea market in the old sugerman's in Eynon. been going there for years, and every encounter i've had there has been positive. they very few that i've had, i should mention. most folks are content to let me go my way.

afterwards, we decided to have lunch at KFC. i normally don't go eat there, but i was outvoted. i left my family there, and took a walk on over to Carbondale Guns, which is less than 100' from KFC. it's smallish shop; not too many handguns, but plenty of rifles and shotguns. like most shops, whatever they don't have, they'll order for you. the proprieter, john tidd, was really friendly, and we chatted a bit. i bought a can of OC, and headed back to KFC.

there was an older gentleman, i'd guess in his 70's, sitting with his wife next to us. at one point, he leaned over and asked, "excuse me, young man, why do you carry that gun on your hip?"

i thought of the simplest answer i could. i motioned to all my kids, and said, "for them."

"well, ya better be careful, they'll pick ya up fer that, the cops 'round here."

"well, it is legal for me to do..."

"oh, i know that. but the cops here don't like. i'd hate to see you get picked up like those guys at the old country buffet, especially in front of dem angels ya got..."

anna started laughing immediately. "he was one of those guys!"

"that's a shame. just be careful, young man."

he chatted quietly with his wife for a few minutes, then leaned over, and said, "you know, i don't blame you, though, with the way the world is these days, especially 'round here. it seems that's the only smart thing to do, these days. good job."

i thanked him, and my family finished up their meal. on our way out, he grabbed my hand, shaking it, and said, "ya got some beautiful angels there, young man. you keep up the good work."

"thank you, sir." is it gay that i got choked up?

there are a couple of different pet stores in Dickson City. anna was curious about one, the DC Pet Center. she'd never been in there, and wanted to compare prices for rat-related stuff. as i approached, i spied, with my little eye, a curious sign on the door.




really? i laughed, and told anna to go on; i'd wait outside. i called up the store, and asked them about it. "i noticed the sign on your door, about concealed weapons. does that mean i can go in with a weapon in plain view, for everyone to see?"

the girl on the other end sounded like she choked on something. "we don't allow any weapons in here. what kind of question is that?"

"i almost walked in with an unconcealed weapon. the sign says 'concealed', so i thought i was in the clear."

"no, no weapons."

"ah, okay."

anna came out, disgusted. "we are never buying anything in that store, ever! the rats they have? they're all feeders! they won't even let you handle them, to check their temperament. they won't let you handle any of the animals. the puppies? they're in glass tanks. what the f*ck is up with that? they said they don't handle the animals, except for moving them and general maintainence. and the fish tanks look like crap."

we went down to our usual pet shop, pet palace, right across from the viewmont mall.



that's anna with the red hair.

never had an issue carrying in there. i think the first time, the girls who worked there were a little wary, but they're used to me now. i like that they screen their rats for temperement. when they get new litters, they separate the sweet ones from the aggressive ones, and use the aggressive ones as feeders. kind of like eugenics, on a smaller scale. in fact, the first time i bought a rat there, they asked, "you're buying this for a pet, right?" they wanted to be sure i wasn't gonna throw them into a snake tank.

one the guys who worked there did ask about the gun, and the legalities of OC, and other gun stuff. i referred him here, gave him a flier, and told him about different gun shops in the area, not including gander mountain.

"oh really? 'cuz a buddy of mine told me they had, like, a crazy amount of guns in there."

"yeah, but you're pay a crazy amount of money for them. they're a rip off."

"cool. thanks, dude."

we increased our rat family to 4 members. we named her maya. so, i guess you can call it a good day.

[normanvin]

Sounds like a good day. Have you been to the circle flea market lately?

[Jailkeeper]

Sounds like a good day to me Sir!

[jahwarrior72]

we went 2 weeks ago. i hate going there, but anna prefers it to sugerman's. the parking's nightmare.

[normanvin]

I haven't been there this year yet. I don't think they like dogs there. Thats more the reason I go. We hit the Hunlocks flea market on sundays. People know my dogs name there.

[XD40coyote]

Eww I don't like pet stores that sell puppies, unless they are clearly from some local shelter trying to find homes for them. PA is suppossed to be the state with the most puppy mills, and my parents once got a German Shepherd puppy direct from an Amish one, not realizing the farm was a puppy mill until after the fact. The dog was also totally mixed up, obvious very bad breeding. Had bad hips from the beginning, and was afraid of strangers- now tell me, when are German Shepherds supposed to be afraid of strangers and run and hide instead of standing up and barking and defending? The dog was also the stupidest dog, the previous 2 GS's we had were very smart dogs.

So the DC Pet Center can take their no guns policy and... well you know.

[jahwarrior72]

that's ther great part about pet palace: none of their dogs come from puppy mills. they get them from small, local breeders, and private sales. the owner of the store goes personally to the breeders, to make sure the dogs are well bred, and not just pumped out for profit. all the animals they sell, not just the dogs, are guaranteed. they're one of those few businesses that stand by their product.

and they don't have a problem with guns.

[CommonHighrise]

Sir, it is never gay* to be proud and thankful of your family.

It is gay* to be stopped by a 'no CC' sign, and call the store from outside for permission. Cowboy up.

Damn shame they still have so called "pet" stores like that in buisness. For every sheeple that sees OC and says "there oughta be a law", I see stores like that and say the same thing. Probably why they have a no video/photo policy as well, to keep people from compiling evidence for a animal abuse complaint.

*CommonHighrise is not homophobic, nor does he condone homophobia, or any other degregation of alternative lifestyles. Homosexuals are as protected under our base freedoms as anyone else. Go freedom.

[jahwarrior72]

Sir, it is never gay* to be proud and thankful of your family.

It is gay* to be stopped by a 'no CC' sign, and call the store from outside for permission. Cowboy up.

i wasn't calling for permission, really; i was calling to be a ball buster, over the stupidness of the sign. a "no weapons" sign would have made more sense, and i would've just ignored it, or not gone in.

Damn shame they still have so called "pet" stores like that in buisness. For every sheeple that sees OC and says "there oughta be a law", I see stores like that and say the same thing. Probably why they have a no video/photo policy as well, to keep people from compiling evidence for a animal abuse complaint.

*CommonHighrise is not homophobic, nor does he condone homophobia, or any other degregation of alternative lifestyles. Homosexuals are as protected under our base freedoms as anyone else. Go freedom.

"go freedom!"

[BlownNitroPontiac]

"thank you, sir." is it gay that i got choked up?.

No.

But, on the other hand: those white shorts in the photo above are sort of, well....