The Gorilla Glue Gun

Of all my boys, Bubbie is without a doubt the most rugged. He is all "snakes and snails and puppy dog tails", and has worn a coonskin cap or cowboy hat, gun, and boots every minute of the day (and often the night) since he could walk. He is a man of few words, but tons of sound effects (gun shots, explosions, swift arrows). He can make a gun out of a PopTart, a sandwich, and even a green bean. He drags his toy horse around the house all alone, shooting and fighting off pretend Indians, then suddenly he'll gasp, grimace with fake pain, stagger all around the room, and dramatically fall on the floor. He'll lie there a minute, then raise up and say, "I'm dead, Mama. The Injuns shooted me." It's great entertainment.
Here he is early this morning, sleeping with his gun.

He has always loved toy guns and pistols, but there is one special gun to him. I have never seen a boy love a gun so much, and yet a gun that was so doomed from the very day that he got it. It is a lightweight, battery operated gun that makes shooting sounds, that his Nanna and PawPaw bought for him. It was just the perfect size, and he loved it dearly from the start. The gun has been broken several times by other children, though Bubbie has never once broken it himself. Each time, he has cried "Mama, fix it. Batteries." until I could get it glued back together. Superglue didn't hold, so finally I turned to gorilla glue. You can see a close up of the "gorilla glue" gun below.
The first time I was using the gorilla glue, I had the gun propped up on the countertop, and it tipped over into my hair. It took me weeks to get all that stuff out! Well, the gorilla glue held off and on for several months, but it has finally reached a point to where it will no longer hold. We have bought him other guns, but he always asks for "MY gun, Mama", meaning the gorilla glue gun. Once, he threw it into a swimming pool. The sound did not work for a couple of weeks. He was so upset, and one day just picked it up outside and pressed the trigger. It made a shooting sound, and he starts running to me, "Mama, Jesus fixed it!"

Since it is no longer repairable, Bubbie has cried and cried, so I decided last night that I will have to retire the famous "gorilla glue gun". It will go in my closet, in the box labeled "Sentimental", along with the other children's treasures from days gone by. It's been fun watching him love something so much, and I can't wait to see what he latches onto next. Little boys are such a delight!

Farewell, gorilla glue gun....it's been fun.