Helicopters over the house, again...

Friday night in Murray. Quiet place. But ever since they opened the new hospital, we have helicopters and ambulances using 5400 south as their route to it. It's not that big a deal, but it can get loud if the fireplace is in use, as the sound comes right down the chimney and into my living room.

But tonight, the helicopter STAYED. Back and forth, up and down the Jordan River. This is a bad sign. I've lived her almost nine years now, and the only times that this happens, someone has gotten shot on the Parkway (once about two years ago), or someone, usually a kid, has fallen into the river this time of year and been swept away in the heavy run off (almost every spring). But that only happens in the daytime, not at eleven o'clock at night.

I'm not paranoid, but I did spend 23 years in, "Cop World", so I'm thinking this is not a drowning, it's a man hunt. After about 25 minutes, I called VECC, used the, "non-emergency" number, not 911. They have enough to deal with as it is.

I told the nice, dispatcher who answered where I lived, and what was going on, and asked her if this was a, someone is in the river flyover, or a, man hunt flyover? She said it's the Cops looking for someone, but it was nothing important, and I shouldn't worry about it.

Now, I've gone to the gun safe, and I'm at my computer desk with a loaded, .357 sitting next to me. Because I know better. If they have called out the helicopters, it IS something I should worry about! They don't waste expensive air time on anything that shouldn't be worried about!

My son's down here playing video games on line with his friends, and hasn't heard the helicopters, so I explain to him why I got a gun out of the safe. His only response? "Sometimes you're scary, Dad." I retired when he was 10. If he only KNEW the shit I was into when he was really little, and had no idea? He would have been REALLY scared. This is nothing.

I know retired Cops who keep a loaded gun hidden on every floor of their house. I keep my guns locked up.

Todd Snider does a song about, "Helicopters over the house again..." and he's singing about his East Nashville home. And from what he says, it's more like LA than Tennessee. He's singing about people stealing his jeans off the clothes lines and getting caught in his back yard. THAT'S scary! I was feeling a little like that tonight.

But by midnight, the helicopters were gone, so I put the gun back in the safe. Between the alarm system, video camera, and large dog I have, this might be the LAST place someone looking to hide would try to get into, but still, better safe than sorry!