Shake, Rattle And Roll

Jeff's grandfather (Pawpaw) was apparently quite the singer/songwriter back in the day. He passed away a few years ago, and Jeff, suspecting that no one was using it, recently asked if he could have his old guitar. My in-laws brought it over today, and we are absolutely thrilled to have it. It's in great shape, and inside the case we found some old songs Pawpaw had been working on, written down in his own handwriting and a chord book published in 1919. Such a treasure, for sure! What we didn't know was that we would also be getting a surprising bonus. When Jeff first lifted the guitar out of the case, there was an awful rattling on the inside. Upon further inspection, he found the cause of the rattling to be...what? Any guesses? No, I'm sorry, you're all wrong. What we found inside were rattlesnake rattles--38 of them to be exact, some of them very large! We aren't quite sure why Pawpaw decided to keep them in the guitar, but guessing on that has kept us entertained all evening. I didn't know Pawpaw all that well, but he was clearly a unique man. Seriously, though, it's so neat to have such a family treasure--surprises and all.