I acquired it for always going possum hunting with my grandfather. I lived for a time with my grandparents in a very rural area while my parents were adjusting after a divorce.
I can still vividly remember going out in the night (one hunts possums at night) with my carbide lamp attached to my cap (we couldn't afford flashlight batteries), so we used what coal miners used in that time, a lamp which involved mixing carbide and water; this mixture came out of an orifice which could be ignited with a match; there was a bright steel (or was it aluminum?) cone to magnify and direct the light outward.
We had a cadre of hound dogs who did the real hunting and would tree possums for us. I had my .22 rifle to dispatch the poor critters with.
One time I got so far ahead of my grandfather that I arrived on the treeing scene and despite my grand-dad's calls to "Wait, wait until I get there," I fired away (and this time I missed). But it was enough to infuriate the skunk up in the tree. Just as my grandfather got there the skunk unloaded. The dogs disappeared, not to be seen for several days. When we returned, grandma ordered the immediate destruction of our clothing. It took a while to get rid of the odor, which up close, is unbelievable. I doubt that my grandpa ever truly forgave me.
Why hunt possums? It was a rural recreation. Once my mother remarried and I moved back to the city, I never hunted again.
Anyway, I'm indeed old now and that explains my name of OldPossum.
What a wonderful story OldPossum,thanks for sharing(((Hugs)))
Yer lucky they didnt call you “Stinky” L0L
BTW those calcium carbide lamps are worth some money nowadays