Bunnies and bullets

It rained much of the day, dreary, cold and wet.   I had a pitiful bunny hanging out in my back yard in the rain, first under a tree and later just sitting in the yard, something I've never seen before when it is raining.    I don't know why he didn't take cover, and hope he isn't ill.   Maybe he was trying to impress someone with the depth of his sadness, which I can remember doing (in different ways) when I was younger.    All I know for sure is that he was eating and able to move, so maybe he will recover his senses.   As I have.

I went to the firing range again today.   I really like it!    I am consistently shooting at the "okay"  level.    I can regularly hit a nine-inch target, usually firing 50 to 64 rounds in my half-hour range time, at distances of 15, 30, and 50 feet.  

It turns out that shooting is a dangerous sport.   Before I begin to shoot, I need to staple a paper target to a cardboard backing that I move on an automated pulley until it is as far away as I choose.     Because the cardboard is stapled so often throughout the day, the back of it is studded with little metal spikes.    The last time I went to the range, I ripped the skin on my finger on one of those staples.    I thought I noticed when it started to bleed, and thought I handled the situation.    But when I turned in my (rented) gun, I saw that it had blood all over the grip.    I was so embarrassed, I mean really.    But then someone pointed out that it would have been more embarrassing to shoot myself in the foot,  which I did not do, and that put things into perspective.    But, having learned that I can't handle staples, that may be why they gave me a new backboard for my target today.   (I forgot to take a photo while the target was still attached, but you can see from the target backing that my shots are pretty much clustered - the white dot that appears a couple inches higher is a remnant of my paper target.)   As I told one of the gun shop employees, when he asked about my progress, I think of myself as an excellent rank beginner.   With a little direction and a lot of practice, I think I can become competent.