Battles in my Backyard

I remember the days when guns were a no-no and even foam swords were discouraged in our home.  Then over time, after watching our boys continually bite their toast into guns and use branches to chop down the 'forest' outside in search of the bad guys, we realized we were being silly. Really, boys were meant to protect, hunt, and battle.  So, over the years our collection of man-stuff has grown.  At our old home, we had a large shelf in the garage just for storing homemade weapons. Broken broom handles, outdated floor lamps, tops of end tables, and scraps of wood found themselves being transformed into something useful.  And cool.  And manly.
This week Sammy invited a few friends over for an air-soft battle.  Air-soft is a gentler form of BB's.  The boys played hard, came in and ate, then played hard again.  Then of course, they wanted more food. And after everyone had gone home, I got to see the welts on their arms and legs from the pellets.  I can't say I like it always, and this day had a bit too much testosterone for me, but they had a great time, and they're still talking about it. And I am not sure I want to know what all of our quiet empty-nester neighbors thought.  Quite a change from the widow who owned this home for 32 years before us!