Wondering why I count things

I count things, like the number of gun shots I hear or the number of seconds from a flash of lightning until the thunder is head. I suppose I would like to count money, too, if I had any. But the first two listed are my favorite and almost do it automatically. I don’t know why, except that numbers have been a big thing in my life and in the work I do.



Let’s start with the number of gun shots heard. When I was young teenager, I loved to go dear hunting with my Dad and Uncles. Since at that time I was living in Pennsylvania, you went into the woods and hunted along with over half the population of that state. There was only a two week season and no hunting on Sundays, so you only had 12 days to go buck hunting. You had to pay attention to where the other hunters were located and where the action was.


The number and rhythm of the gun shots told a story. A single shot could either be a kill or a miss without another chance of shooting. A single shot and then another after a long pause usually meant the first one put the deer down and the second one finished it off. A buck running through thick woods is a very hard shot to make. When you hear 4 to 6 shots in one direction and then 4 to 6 shots just a little to the side of the last and the same or similar thing repeated a few more time, you know that a buck is running through the woods and inexperienced (I will not call them dumb) hunters are just wasting ammo. If they would happen to get in a lucky shot, it would just wound the animal and that is inhumane. A hunting partner would ask if I had heard the 4 or 6 shots a while ago and of course I would have to correct him and tell him there were exactly 5 shots fired.


I also count seconds between a flash of lightning and the thunder. That way I know how far away the lightning was and after a few flashes I have a good idea if the storm is heading my way or not. The speed of sound is around 760 mph down here close to sea level. So it takes roughly 5 seconds for the sound to reach me after I see the flash of lightning. So you see, counting things can be helpful.


Let’s hope I get a chance real soon to count seconds after lightning flashes. That would mean that just possibly rain would be headed this way, or not.


You all have a good day now you hear? The weekend is coming up.