December Barn Update

I realize Christmas is over and you're likely returning gifts instead of buying them. If you're married to one of those guys who's difficult to buy for, consider getting him a barn next year for Christmas or for his upcoming birthday. It's my belief that every man should have at least one barn in his lifetime.

If you're a gal who appreciates a good barn and need a place to keep stuff you don't really need, then maybe you too should have your own barn. If you're married to a generous spouse, maybe they'd be willing to let you hang out in their barn from time to time. There would also be nothing wrong with his 'n' her barns as far as I'm concerned.

I've written about barns a few times in the past and several folks have even written books about them. Should you choose, you can find numerous internet sites with pictures of these cool rural structures. But be prepared: there are some awfully nice ones out there and more than one man has gone astray as a result of coveting his neighbor's barn.

I don't recall where I came across this picture, but it's a good one. If my old friend "Nickademus" saw this barn, he'd probably exclaim something like, "Dang-that's a dandy!": and he'd be correct!

As I come across other barn and shed related information, I'll try to keep you posted....

New Sleep Study

Few things in life are as satisfying as a good nights sleep. I'm no TV doctor, but I'm officially recommending you consider doing whatever it takes to sleep well at night. For your convenience, I've listed a few ideas to get you started:

~Get yourself a pillow(s) that feels like it was custom made for you.

~Procure the most comfortable sheets known to man.

~Procure the most comfortable quilt or cover(s) known to man.

~Install a device for background noise. (A small fan works nicely.)

~Take a sleep-aid that works for you e.g. over-the-counter generic, doctor prescribed, shot of Wild Turkey...whatever it takes.

~If the person sleeping next to you snores like a Pratt & Whitney, make sure you are fast asleep BEFORE they are.

~Don't make the mistake of watching television as a means of lulling yourself to sleep. If you do, you'll likely be lulled into believing whatever it is your watching as you're falling asleep.

~If you live in Chicago under the "L", consider moving to the country where there are no overhead trains.

~If you live in the country, but have no door on your house, get a door. If you can't find a door, try an old sheet of plywood.

~If you live in a trailer that was manufactured prior to 1961, try sleeping under it instead of in it.

~If you're addicted to Sonic, don't eat more than 1 footlong chile-cheese dog after 9 p.m.

~If you don't have enough room to stretch out because your dog sleeps on your bed, consider getting your spouse their own bed.

These are just a few things to consider regarding a good nights sleep. Again, I'm not a TV doctor: not technically.

 

Organic and Free Range Venison

It's a beautiful morning in the Ozark hills of Missouri for bow hunting deer. I'm not-but a couple of young friends of mine are: George and Charlie. I know through text messages that both guys have already seen a few deer this morning. (7:15 a.m. central.) George saw 7 turkeys late yesterday afternoon. I'm sitting in the kitchen at the house drinking coffee while they're both sitting in separate trees on our cabin property in Southwest, Missouri. A great morning to be outside!

I took this picture last Fall. George is hunting in the upper left of this "photo" about 50 yards outside camera shot on top of this hill. Last year on this exact weekend he bow shot a real nice 8 pointer in that same spot. It was fine eating after George's near perfect shot! If the wind's blowing in the right direction today, maybe we'll soon be enjoying more of that fine 100% organic/free range venison. "You cain't go no better!"

Self-Inflicted Monkeys

This old chair has sat out beside my barn for about the past year. Previously it had performed duty as a sitting apparatus on the deck of our cabin. After Doakes the dog drug it about a mile down the road and through the woods tied to the end of his leash it wound up looking like this. My intention has been to fix it by replacing the missing and broken boards before gluing it back together. Every time I looked at this darn chair I got a small knot in my stomach because I realized it was about #97 on my long list of things to do. Then it hit me: this darn chair is a monkey on my back and I'm the one who put it there! Once I realized what I'd done to myself it didn't take long to decide this chair was toast. As a result, it ended up as a Christmas star at the top of a blazing campfire about 2 weeks ago.

On one hand I hated destroying what had previously been such a nice chair, but the good feeling of removing the monkey off my back made up for the bad feeling of the reducing the chair to ashes. An example of having your priorities in the proper order.

I'll keep you posted on an further monkey removals.

House

~Cool Old House...South City St. Louis

 If you haven't tried reworking some old wood that looks like it might make better kindling than building material, you should give it a try. Most folks call it reclaimed or repurposed and it's kind of a fad I suppose. But it really looks nice.

Darn Good Food!

In my experience gourmet food is often overrated. Throw a chicken in a crockpot with a can of your favorite soup, set it on high, and in a couple of hours you're eating like Mike Huckabee at an Arkansas political fund raising event. Better yet, take a can of red beans, mix in the appropriate amount of your favorite summer sausage and a little Worcestershire sauce and BING-BANG-BOOM you're ready for the food network baby!

Note: The key to running a successful food show is to make the peeling of a potato look substantially more difficult than it really is. Also, don't measure anything: just kind of throw stuff in the pan like you own the place.

Unknown Origin

I don't recall the origin of this picture but would be interested in purchasing a copy if the originator can be located. Perhaps Klietus knows the details. I'll keep you posted should I hear anything...

Overpriced Note Cards

After some looking around today on-line and in-store I discovered that the average price for a blank note card runs from a low of about .50 to well over $1. The unofficial average seems to be closer to $1. I consider that an attempt on the part of the consumer product folks to stick it to you and me. So, here's what I did:

I bought a 200 page "Sketchbook" from Barnes and Noble that was marked down to $4.98. Then I stopped by my alma mater (Walmart) and picked up a multi-purpose trimmer (paper cutter) for $9.84. After cutting the pages out of the sketchbook I ended up with 200 perfectly sized note card equivalents. If you run the numbers on that little project, it comes out to about 13.4 cents per card. If I threw the trimmer away right now I've still saved myself a minimum of about $85 for this doggone stack of note cards. If I use the trimmer for future similar projects, I'll save even more.

I don't typically do this kind of thing because stuff just cost what it cost. But I have a hard time paying for something that's priced at 3 or 4 times what it's actually worth. And although I'm not bragging, my old friend Nickademus would be mighty proud of me!

Should I come up with other cost saving ideas or perhaps find a barn full of bats, I'll keep you posted...

Honored!

If you've ever created something from scratch and had even one person admire it then you know the good feeling that goes along with that admiration. I'm guessing it's a similar feeling whether your creation is a cake, a piece of furniture, or something spun on a potter's wheel. To put your heart into crafting a thing and have someone say, "I like it" is a feeling everyone should get to enjoy at least every now and then.

I looked at the recent readership stats and was surprised to discover that 81 people viewed "Old and Ridiculous" yesterday. Or maybe one person viewed it 81 times. Either way I consider 81 a very nice compliment. Thanks to everyone or 'the one" for staying tuned. I'll try to do a better job of keeping you posted.

As a note, the fall colors will begin soon here in Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri. I plan to get some good pics as the leaves change and will share some of them here. Also, a group of bats have taken up residency in the west end of the barn. (In the wall at the top of this picture.) They found a piece of roof trim that came loose and Boom they're in. I plan on making some bat houses and hanging them around the barn in hopes of offering them an alternative housing option. Once they've had a chance to find their new home I'll tack the piece of trim back in place. I hope they all make it out beforehand.
I'll keep you posted on this and other bat related activities...

Update To The Update

As of this morning "Leading Regular Folks" is also available on Amazon.com
We were under the impression it would be several more days but I woke up this morning and "BOOM" there it was!
In a strange turn of events, please keep me posted regarding what you think about the book. I'll stop writing about it now and get back to the ridiculous and random topics you've come so accustomed to at Old and Ridiculous!

Leading Regular Folks Update

Well, as of today September 3, 2015, Leading Regular Folks is available on CreateSpace.com
Once you're on the site, look over at the right side of the blue tool bar for the little gray box with a drop down arrow. Click the arrow and then click on "Store". Once you're in the Store, key "Leading Regular Folks" in the search box. It will take you to the book and you can place your order from there.

This is the actual publishing site, but the book will be available on Amazon.com on or about September 8. The eBook will be available on Amazon.com a few days after the book. Unfortunately, the book will take several days to ship since it's print on demand. That means the book doesn't actually go to the printer until it's ordered. That could change in the future, but for now that's how it works. I apologize for the inconvenience and I'm very grateful for your consideration. Thanks for your support and I'll keep you posted!

Note: LRF is also available on Amazon.com and soon on Walmart.com

Book Update

Turns out "Leading Regular Folks" won't be available until around September 10, 2015. It will be available in paperback, Kindle edition and eBook download (for your iPad, notebook computer, smart phone etc). Thanks for staying tuned. I'll keep you posted...

"Leading Regular Folks"

Once again my apologizes to the readers of "Old and Ridiculous!" for not keeping you very posted. I have been headlong involved in the final publishing details of my "1st" Book. The eBook version will be available on Amazon.com September 10, 2015. The physical book will also be available on Amazon.com a day or two earlier. That's a day or 6 later then planned, but when you consider I pulled the September 1 date out of thin air back in June, not too bad.

I started writing "Leading Regular Folks" this past January 5th and it's been quite a journey. If you choose to read my work, I hope you'll drop me an email and give me your constructive feedback. (My email is in the back of the book.) Good or otherwise I can take it. Unless of course, a negative review comes in from my Mom, my Ain't Monie, or Ain't Dee Dee. Dang--that would sting!
I'll do my best to keep you posted...

Boys of Summer

~Close friends since 1968 and 1973 (The word friend is used here in it's literal sense.)

47 years is a longtime to have known someone, especially when you're both only 56. The same could be said for having known someone for 42 years.

That's how long I've known these two Goomers (middle and right). And a close friendship that goes back to your cartoon days is difficult to beat.

You can make a new friend everyday, but you can never go back and make an old one. Old friendships by nature of the title take a long time to develop. Which brings me to my point: The word "friend" in my not so humble opinion, is quite often overused. Often times the word friend is unintentionally spoken as a misnomer. I've heard people refer to someone as friend when all indications are they are in truth merely acquainted. There's nothing wrong with that.

Although I don't necessarily consider myself an expert on friendship, to me it seems somewhat of a stretch to think two individuals can become "dear friends" after having only spent a handful of hours in each others company. I suppose you could develop a dear friendship over the course of maybe a few months, providing that time was spent stranded together on a desert island while depending on one another for your very survival. Even under those circumstances, it would seem likely only if you spent each evening around a campfire, divulging the details of your respective lives, including what you believe, what you stand for, the things you'd be willing to die over, your fears, likes, weaknesses, passions and dreams; along with your general view of the world. But that's just how I see it.

I've shared some thoughts on this subject before, but felt it was worthy of additional consideration. No hidden message and no ulterior motive. I was just recently thinking about it when a prominent TV correspondent referred to a retiring Army General as "My dear friend". I immediately wondered how much time these two gentlemen had spent together outside to world of news stories. I'm guessing not a lot.

As you go through life, consider the reality of the different relational categories the people in your life actually fit into. Is someone a casual acquaintance, a good acquaintance, a casual friend, a good friend, or a dear & close friend. To me, "dear & close friend" is the pinnacle of friendship. I'm fortunate to have a few and over the course of watching those friendships grow, have found that the best way to develop a dear close friend, is to first focus your energies on trying to be one.  

The title you choose to give the various individuals you've met up to this point in your life is up to each of us and you might want to consider keeping it to yourself. Unless that title is in fact "friend". It probably would not go over real well if you introduced two individuals by saying, "Bart, I'd like you to meet my dear close friend, Bob! Bob this is my casual acquaintance, Bart."

I'll keep you posted....

Critical Thoughts

As I contemplated a number of knife thoughts this morning over a cup of community coffee acquired at the NorthWalton Blvd Neighborhood Market, I recalled a particular knife I had lost for a second time about a year ago. That led me to considering the purchase of a replacement knife once I realized the re-found knife was likely lost for good. Of course, I also lost that knife, but fortunately, found it again. It's at my in-laws house where I lost it. Thankfully, the replacement knife and I will soon be re-united.

Before discovering that I'd left the replacement knife in eastern Missouri, I considered the various routes I might take in an effort to put a new daily cutting instrument in my pocket. It was then that I remembered the knife in this picture.

This Made in the USA Hogue was given to me by my good friend Major J. Richard Blickstead, who resides in the beautiful and eclectic city of Toronto, Ontario. Corresponding with his penchant for only the finest single barrel malt scotch, Cuban cigars, and cuff links, this knife is fittingly sold at an equally fine price. It's fun to have friends with discerning taste when it comes to gift giving; or should I say, gift receiving:)

Aware that if I carried the gift knife around in my pocket, it might eventually end up in the middle of a brush pile, inside an old raggedy stump, or somewhere at the bottom a of ravine, I decided to keep it  in a protected environment but where I could still use it from time to time. With that, I settled on stowing it in my leather tool pouch hanging safely in the barn. That way, there's almost no chance of loosing it, unless I also loose my tool belt.

As Nickademus might say, this seemed, overall, a satisfactory plan in my view. Which brings me to my point: Although I've never "officially" been in charge of running a think tank, this is probably how the think tank folks do it. They intentionally start thinking about something and continue thinking about it until they come up with a workable solution. Wow: that's nearly unbelievable! I may have to ask Kleitus to do some critical thinking on the subject of think tanks, which in my view should be more appropriately named "thought tanks".

Should any other earth-shattering findings arise in the area of thought, I'll keep you posted....

New Restaurant Report

A new restaurant pops up somewhere just about every hour of every day. The part of the world I call home has produced at least it's fair share over the past several years and this little place is one of them.

As my old friend Nickademus often says, you might want to run a test pattern on this place at your earliest convenience. The 3rd Street Eatery & Bakery is located in Bentonville, Arkansas just off "The Square", behind the splash park and catty-corner to the 21c Museum Hotel.

The proprietors took a somewhat raggedy out of date building and converted it into what you see here. As Nickademus would say, they have a menu of "sundry" food offerings and assorted beverages from which to choose.

Based on my personal experience, this little place is sure to please to average pallet. The setting is comfortable, the fair is fresh, and service is efficient. The average menu item is of course priced a little higher than a fish sandwich and fries at the McDonald's just down the street. As is usually the case, however, you get what you pay for. As a bonus, you can walk right out their front door and in about 6 seconds be on your way down the trail and through the woods to Alice's place aka: The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. And that's something to think about!

All that said, give 'er a shot and tell them some guy you've never met sent you. Also, tell them I'll keep the world posted on how they're doing.

Appreciated

In the not too distant future I hope to improve substantially in the general area of keeping you posted on important random topics. To both my faithful followers, thank you for your patience. It's much appreciated!

Glad I checked the stats prior to signing off. Unless the gal at blogger who's responsible for stats is letting down on the job, exactly 100 folks tuned in yesterday to see what was up on Old and Ridiculous. That's a little more pressure than I had been expecting. Now, I feel like I should come up with something respectable, if not down right compelling. If compelling is the new expectation, then I might have to go learn some new stuff. Which reminds me of a friend who used to say he thought he knew a lot of stuff when he was in his 30's. Then, after turning 40, he realized he didn't know squat. Now that he's in his 60's, I'm betting he actually does know some stuff, but wouldn't admit it openly. Funny how that works.  

First Things First

If you woke up this morning and found a raccoon in your kitchen, you might ought to take a look around to try and find out how he got in. I have an old friend named Nick who would call that a "perimeter check".

As I become aware of other important home security measures, I'll keep you posted...

Vacation Invention

There are at least several million regular folks around the world who are at work right now and dreaming about being someplace more like this. It's my guess that in an effort to offset the affects of lost productivity that eventually result from being at work all the time, the person who invented the fist job is likely the same person who, about one year later, invented the first vacation. That's only a guess, but I'd lay down at least enough cash to purchase a fish sandwich at McDonald's that I'm pretty close to being right regarding how vacations originated.

When you think about it, if people didn't spend so much of their personal time working, why in the snot would they need a vacation to get away from it? As my Granddad would have said, "Now that's somethin' to think about!"

I'll keep you posted in the event I come up with any other work related epiphanies.

Edit Update

These darn things are everywhere and come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Just like the people I used to work with!

Thanks to anyone who has continued tuning in to Old and Ridiculous to receive much needed updates on the world of randomness and related topics. Although I, and regular folks like me, learned how to read when we were in the 1st grade, I'm just now learning how to write. There's more to it than meets the eye. Previous to this 1st book writing experience, which I'm still going through, I would have guessed that most of the stuff I've read would have taken only a few days to throw together-2 weeks tops. But, now I know differently.

The first stage of the edit process will be complete sometime later today and back in the hands of "The World's Best Editor", who is none other than,-soon to be-famous, Ron Lee, from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I better get back to work before Ron logs on and finds out I'm writing another random blog. Dang: Ron runs a tight ship in the book department!

As things progress, I'll keep you posted....

Failure To Keep You Posted!

Well, I've been doing a terrible job of keeping you posted. I just received an email from a good old friend from my home town, Steve "Franks", as coach Molzen used to call him during Jr. High football practice. You could spot Steve all the way across the field, almost with your eyes closed, because of his very recognizable football helmet. The coaches called it a "monkey eared helmet", and Steve was one of the few guys who had one. I don't recall for sure, but I'm guessing the monkey eared helmets were the last of an assortment of football equipment held over from the days way back before our coaches even played football. Steve's helmet probably first saw action shortly after that one guy invented the football helmet face bar. I wonder how many poor kids had to get their nose driven through the back of their heads before someone decided some kind of protection for the face might be a good idea?

I may be somewhat sporadic over the next few weeks in the area of keeping you posted, although keeping you posted is in fact the plan. I'll also include more book details, as soon as a few specific items are buttoned up. Then Kady bar the door baby: I'm in the book writing business!

• NOTE: In truth, and although I certainly didn't spend 6 months of my life planning to bomb out with my first official book effort, I'm not naive about the likelihood of becoming a best selling author on my first book: it could take as long as the second book! 

So He Thinks He's a Writer

Since January 5, 2015, I've been somewhat inconsistent with "keeping you posted". There's a reason for that and for the most part I've kept quiet regarding the reason, until recently. That reason is, I've been writing what I hope will eventually become known as my "1st book". The manuscript is currently in the hands of a highly experienced and purportedly very good editor who lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado and goes by the name Ron Lee. He goes by that name because, when he was born, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lee, thought Ron was a nice name and decided to give it to their new son. Thus, Ron Lee.

Anyway, after Ron and I both did a fare amount of vetting one another, I told 

Ron that if he was agreeable, I'd like to start referring to him as "my editor". Ron agreed, and I assume he now refers to me as his newest "future best selling author". That would be fun, but more likely, he refers to me as some guy from Arkansas who thinks he's a book writer and is paying me to edit and publish his book". But that's OK: first things first! 

For now I'll share that the planned "release" date is September 1. I say "release" because the book is being self-published as apposed to going through a full-line book publisher, so Ron and I have control of when the book actually becomes available, and can change the date at the last minute, should we decide to for any reason.

Since the book is not being marketed through a full-line publisher, the responsibility for getting the word out (that's what marketing is) falls 100% in my lap. My thought is, if the content of the book is in fact worthy of being read by more folks than my Mom, "Ain't" Monie and "Ain't" Dee Dee, then word will eventually spread and book sales will ultimately be inline with the quality of the material, and that's the way it should be in my view. If it turns out that a bunch of people who I don't personally know, want to read the book because they heard through the grapevine that it might be worth a couple hours of their time, then that will be something to celebrate! But, all this remains to be seen.

One thing that doesn't remain to be seen, however, is that on June 1 when I felt the manuscript was complete and ready for professional editing, tears streamed down my face as I realized the personal significance of the moment. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction I felt after having spent 6 full months of my life, thinking and writing about something that I'd spent nearly 3 decades of my life learning, was overwhelming! Throughout this entire experience, I learned a number of things, one of them being: if you want to find out how you really feel about something, put it in writing and send it out in a form that can't be taken back. When you prepare to do that, it causes you to really think things through, before hitting "save as..." for the last time. 

If Granddad would have lived until the day my book actually shows up, I'm guessing he would have picked up a copy, jumped in his old truck and headed down to the "The Bobber Cafe". He would have probably sat down at his favorite table with a cup of extra hot and extra black coffee, and strategically placed his copy of my book in front of his coffee cup, and waited for someone to notice it. When the first person did notice it and asked about it, he would have probably tugged at his belt, looked over his left then right shoulder, sniffed, cocked his head to the right, and proudly said something very close to, "My grandson wrote that book: he's a writer!" And that's something to think about....  

Note: As it gets closer to September 1st, I'll share all the book related details. In the meantime, thanks for reading "Old and Ridiculous"!  

Conspiracy Theory

When I was in the 3rd grade, rumors circulated around school that one of our 3rd grade teachers, Miss Komaroff, was a Russian spy. It made good sense at the time, considering that, in 1968, we were in the throes of a cold war with her home country and Miss Komaroff was, in fact, the only Russian speaking teacher in our entire school. Given that her class was all the way down at the end of the hall and around the corner from both Mrs. Shackleford and Miss VanBibber's 3rd grade classes, was, of course, further proof that she must in fact be up to something. What other possible reason could Principal Roberts have had for putting the only Russian teacher in our school in the classroom that was located, not only right next to the library (we were also suspicious of the Dewey Decimal System), but so doggone close to the principal's office as well: he too must have suspected something wasn't right.

Anyway, for the past 47 years, I've been trying like heck to solve the mystery of who started that rumor. For a while, I considered that it might have been Harvey Moreland, but gave up on that theory once I remembered that Harvey was the school champion in both the standing broad jump and in paper wad making. I decided there was no way that anyone who spent that much time handcrafting paper wads and practicing their jumping, could possibly have had enough time left over for rumor starting. But, as fate would have it, a break in the case recently surfaced, and when I was least expecting it.

In a recent conversation, the man in this picture, my long time friend "Randell", said something that suggested he might in fact have been the young lad who initiated what, over time, would become the most storied rumor in Wyman Elementary School history. Of course, he didn't just come right out and say it; it was more of an inference. There was something suspicious, if not outright sinister, in the way he said "Kom-roff" that tipped his hand. There was a slight air of contempt in the way he said her name, and it was the same air of contempt he had in his voice the summer day before 8th grade, when he informed all the Rolla Boys that Mr. Swiss had raised the price of their milk shakes by 10 cents.  

Anyway, if not for the fact that nearly a half century has passed since myself and several other Wyman school boys (and knowing what we know now, probably at least 7% of the girls) spent so much time keeping one eye on Gretchen Finley, while keeping the other eye on Miss Komaroff, I probably wouldn't be sharing this information even now, but after some light research (sorry Klietus, I know that's your area of expertise), I found out that the statute of limitations on Missouri school yard shenanigans, is actually your 14th birthday (17 in Arkansas and Mississippi). Since Randy and I both blew by that long ago, I thought it would be safe to share with the world, the details of the "Miss Komaroff Spy Conspiracy Theory". Randell, I hope you understand buddy; I'm not sayin'....I'm just sayin'.

Should any further details surface on the Kamaroff case, I'll of course keep you posted. But for now, we'll just considered this one....case closed.  

Bible Picking and Choosing

I don't often write about serious matters on this site and have intentionally stayed away from political and social issues for the most part. I'm just one person and my view on any subject matter that I'm less than expert on (which would be most) is no more valid or important than Elmer Fudd's personal view of the world. That said, here goes:

If a person who believes that the Bible is the sovereign word of God but decides to pick and choose which parts they believe and which parts they don't, they might be well served to closely consider where they actually stand on matters relating to the soul.

If I find myself "picking and choosing" on topics relating to the Bible, I'm faced with the potential life-altering decision of questioning the authenticity of the very doctrine on which I say my faith is based. When we do that, the basis for our faith goes out the window, considering that Christianity is in fact based exclusively and entirely on the belief that every word in the Bible is "God-breathed", NIV/"inspired by God", NLT  i.e. II Timothy 3:16.  Put another way, each and every word comes directly from God Himself via the various guys who wrote down His words.

The subject of Bible picking and choosing brings to mind the following questions:

1)  Why does a person continue following a faith that is based solely on a doctrine they believe to be at least somewhat flawed?

2)  Why are so many of us who identify spiritually as Christian excessively judgmental about certain behaviors deemed by God's word as sinful, while turning our heads to our own sinful behaviors?  After-all, the doctrine we say we believe in clearly states that sin is sin and we're saved by God's Grace: Not of our own efforts or behaviors.

I'm going to spend some additional time thinking about this critical soul-matter. I won't likely keep you posted on this subject (there are however a plethora of people who can).  For some reason, I just felt compelled this morning to attempt a thought provoking post that every human being has in common: a soul.

Do you believe the Bible is authentic or do you believe it is something less than that?  I will of course try to keep you posted on substantially less critical topics....



    

1 Million Goal

The man you see here is one of the very few human beings who's ever driven my Chevy Tahoe. Aside from my son, son-in-law, my smoking-hot bride, and of course, the Dunning Boys (before Henry became a teenager and while George was still in his 10's), your's truly has put nearly all of the 275,000 plus miles on this well traveled machine. To have a realistic chance of reaching my goal of becoming the first American to put 1 million miles on a Tahoe, I may need to consider loaning it out to friends (from time to time) who are planning cross country driving trips. Now that I think about that might disqualify me for the highly coveted title of "First". We Americans take great pride in being first and in just about any category you can think of (somewhere, some American probably has a trophy for being the first American ever to load a PEZ dispenser with alternating flavors of cherry, orange, and grape).

I'm guessing we've all been first at something at least one time in our lives. Ol' Victor has now become first in one more category (with a PG13 rating) that he can add to his long list of first: the first person to show up on this site driving my old Tahoe! Wait a minute, wait a minute: now that I've thought that through, the Dunning boys may have been previously recognized on Old and Ridiculous for being the youngest human beings to ever drive my dog hauling rig, back when it registered well under 200,000 miles. I'll have to check in with Klietus and see if he recalls anything of that nature. I'll let you know what I find out and will of course try to keep you posted as things heat up....

Mother's Day 2016

I took this picture last week outside Steamboat Springs and wanted to send it out as an early 2016 Mother's Day appreciation for all the mom's who may have accidentally stumbled on this site. I considered picking the purple flowers and sending each of you a petal or two, but the shipping and handling charges were cost prohibitive. I hope you'll understand!

As an update on the barn, I've made no headway in months. Should that change, I'll of course keep you posted....

Oyster Nightmare

This is an oyster lover's worst nightmare. (It is also an oyster's worst nightmare.)

On this and other oyster related issues, I'll keep you posted...

River Ives

~Rolla Boys Randy, Victor and "Old and Ridiculous" in Steamboat Springs, Colorado 

Once the Huckberry folks see this, they'll probably want to do a feature article on the 3 guys in the picture. But who cold blame them: those are 3 pretty darn sexy old dudes, if I say so myself! Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For now, we should just agree that there are 3 late middle aged gentlemen standing on a bridge that spans across a river the author can't remember the name of. Pooney comes to mind, but then again, it might be the Jack's Fork or the Burl Ives. Now that I think about it, I'm not aware that Burl ever had a River named after him. "The Burl Ives River" has a nice ring to it: a very nice ring indeed. If any of the Rolla Boys runs completely out of things to do, I'm going to suggest he work on getting a River named after our late friend Burl. I know he had that one Christmas special, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and that's certainly nothing to sneeze at, as he played a major role. But a river would be much more fitting for the only man I can think of who was ever named Burl. I wonder if Burl had a brother named Hunk or Large? I'll have to track down Kleitus and ask if he'd be willing to do some research on that and get back with us. I hate to keep readers in a lurch when it comes to important issues. Lurch: now that would have been a good name for one of the Ives brothers...Lurch Ives. Upon further consideration, Bill might have been a better choice.

I'll keep you posted should I hear back from Klietus.

Steamboat Behavior

The guy to my right/your left, who looks like Michael Douglas but sports a wardrobe more like Louis Vuitton, is my long-time friend, Randy, whom I've known since we were 8 years old.  Randy achieved hometown fame for a number of reasons, some of which are still classified.

The lad to your right is my good friend Victor, who I've known since 8th grade. Victor is a guy who acquired Rolla Fame for running through brick walls and not stopping until the ref screamed, "Come on son the game was over 30 minutes ago!"

Initially, Randy became famous at Wyman Elementary for being the second biggest kid in the entire school, while still in the 2nd grade. That may be a little bit of a stretch, but he was the only kid in Miss McCutcheon's 4th grade class who had to shave at least every other day to stay within the boundaries of the Wyman "No Beard Rule" and that's no lie (ok, maybe that too is a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get the gist).

Several Rolla Boys spent the entire second half of the 6th grade running around during recess trying to avoid Randy's round house kicks. That occurred after Randy saw the movie "Billy Jack" and quickly became a 12 year old version of the man, known at that time, as the world's best all-around kicker. Among many other talents, Randy became darn good at kicking and some of us still have bruises to prove it!

Victor showed up from Springfield, Mo in the summer of 1973 and quickly became one of the best running backs Rolla Junior High had ever known. Although he went on to a stellar high school and college football career, he is perhaps best known for being Marie's son-in-law. He also became Rolla Famous at the age of 15 for being the absolute best at sneaking his mom's car out of the garage while she was trustingly asleep directly above it and with her bedroom window open. He was so good at this (and I might add brazen) that he once showed up at the home of a well known Missouri State Highway Patrolman's house to take 1 of his 4 daughter's out for an evening of illegal Phelps County cruising. His backup plan, in the event this career highwayman asked to see his license, was..."I forgot my wallet", which is just further proof of my longtime friend's teenage brilliance!

Anyway, we had a great time in Colorado and managed to save "Michigan-John" from becoming known as perhaps the worst decision maker in the recent history of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Which brings me to my point:

Dear men,

If your wife passes out while on vacation and eating at Double Z's BBQ in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, don't assume "she'll be fine if we can just get her to the car": that is not a good plan of action.

Sincerely,
The Rolla Boys

I'll keep do my best to keep you posted on travel matters and such as that....  

Blackberries

Whle mowing last weekend at the rock and squirrel ranch, I ran across a big patch of these right in front of the cabin. I've never noticed them in that particular area before, but as I looked around, they're everywhere! I'm guessing the early crop may have something to do with all the rain we've had the past number of weeks, but that's a guess: I'm not a blackberry expert, which I know Klietus may have a difficult time believing. Usually, the blackberries around here aren't ready for picking until the first part of July. Or, maybe I heard that somewhere along the way and just assumed the gal who wrote it knew what she was talking about. That information could have came from a guy, but since the guys already get more than enough credit in the "misinformation category", I thought I'd spread the wealth a little bit this morning. In any event, I'll have to check with "Almost Uncle Tom" and see what he thinks. I wonder if he'll be doing any black or blueberry picking this year on his Missouri river-bottom farm, or will he just leave that to the bluejays? That's a small sampling of the type things I wonder about.

Of late, I've done a poor job of keeping you posted, and will try to adjust that part of my behavior. Expect a Rocky Mountain Recap later today regarding a recent trip to Steamboat Springs with Victor and Ran'dell: two great old buddies from our days growing up in Rolla. Laughter seems to follow me around as it is, but I think I darn near busted a gut a few times while hanging out with those two Goomers and sharing new and old war stories, along with other ridiculous behavior. What a couple of originals they are!

May 2015 Rocky Mountain Update

This would be a great week to be hiking in the Rocky Mountains-especially if you live in Houston, Texas. The fine folks down there are covered up with water and as a result are having a heck of a time with things, according to George Stephanopoulos. Hang in there Texas!

I snapped this shot a few years ago while hanging out with some old friends and hiking around the Estes park, Colorado area. This picture probably won't make the Huckberry site, but I like it anyway. If any of the Huckberry folks show up here while perusing the web for posting material, feel free to copy this picture for commercial use. That would only be fair considering I've used a few of yours.

If you decide to go for a drive this Sunday afternoon, you might head up intestate 25 North out of Denver. As you pass by Fort Collins, stick your head out the window and give my good friends Randy and Jami (of Rolla High fame) a shout. If they hear you, they might invite you over to share a cup of coffee at Mugs Coffee Lounge on College Ave. It's more likely they'd say, "Who the snot is that and why are they hanging out the window yelling our names?", but you never know: it's always worth a try when a good cup of coffee is involved.

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on Rocky Mountain developments and will of course let you know if I receive any updates on Klietus's latest research project: he loves his research!

Robin Update

In an effort to keep you posted, I'm reporting that the Robin has in fact returned to the nest. In a previous post I mentioned that once the baby Robins leave the nest the mother doesn't return. Turns out I was wrong, and now there are 3 new eggs in the window ledge nest. The second batch of eggs also dispels the long held belief (held for about 2 weeks) that a Robin lays only one batch of eggs per year: who knew.

We'll see where this goes. At this rate, I may be able to give my friend John (of SR71 fame) a run for his money in the area of raising fowl. I'll keep you posted...

Interesting Character

I've been fortunate so far to know a number of unique individuals: even more fortunate to become friends with a few of them. In my view, it doesn't require a resume' that might impress the likes of Bill Gates or Colin Powell to be worthy of the title "Interesting Character". That said, the guy in this picture is not only worthy of that moniker, but numerous others, including; down to earth, outstanding leader, and patriot to name just a few.

I first met John Murphy in 1997 when he and I were contemporaries with our former company. At that time we each had operational responsibilities for groups of company stores and we spent a fair amount of our time flying around adjacent geographical areas fulfilling our then corporate duties. Interesting how two guys with completely different backgrounds would wind up as contemporaries in the same organization with the same responsibilities. It actually seems highly unlikely when you consider that while one of these guys was in grade school and junior high dreaming of some day getting his driver's license so he could legally drive his parents car around town, the other guy was risking his life flying B52's and F4 Fighter jets all over North Vietnam. About the time the former was learning how to drive his parents 1973 Plymouth, the latter was learning how to fly the Air Force's SR71 Spy Plane: something that only 86 other individuals in the history of the USAF can lay claim to. Like granddad would have said, "Now that's something to think about!"

From Air Force bomber/fighter/spy pilot, John would go on to perform in other significant roles during his military tenure. In fact, in my opinion his life so far is worthy of at least a 275 page hard back biography, written by world class author Stephen Ambrose. But since Mr. Ambrose is no longer with us, you'll have to stay tuned to "Old and Ridiculous" if you're interested in finding out more about John. For now, I'll just share that he's hung up his wings, both military and corporate, and is more than content tending the livestock on his secluded Madison County, Arkansas farm. Although John runs mostly free range chickens and geese, he also has several ducks, 2 formerly wild turkeys and a bunch of cows. I wasn't able to confirm with 100% certainty, but I think somebody may have slipped an orangoutang or two in that mix, which brings me to my point: if you're still eating store-bought and so-called USDA chicken eggs, do yourself a favor and stop doing that! Take a tip from John and myself and upgrade to free range eggs; trust us...you'll be glad you did.

Anyway, I'll share more about my friend John and his Madison County exploits in the near future. In the meantime, I'll be researching wheat and shopping for a mule. I'll of course keep you posted...

Robin's Nest

This Spring the Robin you see in this picture built a nest on a north facing window ledge on our house (facing Marsha and Daisy's place). She then laid 3 blue eggs and sat on them for several days until they hatched. From the time the birds where new borns until they flew the nest, the mother and her mate, apparently a male, fed the 3 baby birds from sun-up to sun-down. The 2 adults fed the babies an assortment of worms and bugs including some black insects and several green ones; but mostly regular old earth worms. The adult birds didn't venture far from the nest and spent most of their time in our front yard searching for and gathering food. Numerous times we observed these birds fly to various spots in the yard, stand motionless for a few seconds before cocking their head to one side-apparently to hone in on the exact spot they heard or sensed a worm or insect-and with rare exception, quickly take a hop or two and bing-ba-da-bing...snack time!

From this experience I learned several things first hand:

-Robin's eggs are blue (I actually already knew that)
-Both the female and male Robin feed and tend to the baby birds
-Once the babies have feathers and are big enough to fill the nest, the mother no longer sits on them
-A Robin obviously has either tremendous eye site and/or hearing
-Large amounts of rainfall does not bother baby birds as long as they stay in the nest
-Baby birds spend a lot of time sitting with their beaks open waiting for food to be dropped in it
-It only takes about 3 weeks to go from hatchling to full fledged flying bird
-Once the babies are gone, the adults apparently do not return to the nest

It remains to be seen whether or not a Robin returns each Spring to build a nest in the same spot it did the previous year. If so, I'll set the GoPro to time lapsed photography and put it on the nest to catch the action in more detail. Either way, I'll keep you posted...

Old Rocking Chair

This old rocking chair that for years belonged to Aunt Katherine, may not seem all that interesting at first glance, but when you consider all the people who may have sat in it over the coarse of it's lifetime, it brings into focus a different picture. I'm guessing numerous babies were fed and rocked to sleep in this old chair by their mothers, grandmothers and maybe even a great grandma or two. This old rocking chair may have even provided a comfortable resting place for a soldier returning from the war or maybe a place to sit and rest a bit after an all night coon hunt in the rugged hills of Missouri, back in the 1930's and 40's. And I'm betting that at least a time or two it got "drug out" to the back yard for a comfortable sitting place for Uncle Pat while he turned the crank on a nice batch of homemade strawberry ice-cream. Or, maybe it just sat in the corner most of the time waiting to to be used for the purpose it was originally intended. I guess there's really no way of knowing for sure, but that's one reason God gave some of us imaginations.

In any event, it's hard to beat a good rocking chair if you find yourself looking around for a comfortable place to sit. I think from now on, anytime someone offers me a seat in a decent looking rocking chair, I'm going to take them up on it without hesitation. Which now that I think about it, is also a good way to run your overall coffee program.

As I run across other interesting old chairs or family artifacts, I'll of course try to keep you posted.

Tree Strategy

Unfortunately, about the only way I know for sure how to tell whether or not a big Ol' oak tree is hollow, is to cut it down and take a look at the inside (yes, I know).
For the past 22 years, we've had a huge red oak hanging over the north end of our home that was big enough to literally take out half the house if it fell, and it seemed to be getting a little bigger with each passing year (kind of like a lot of us). It was leaning far enough south that it could only fall one way, which would have been directly in the center of our home. It also appeared to be in it's declining years and looked like it was in the process of getting hollowed out by those pesky boring beetles (the insects, not the guys who sang Hey Jude). So, after a few years of hunkering down and puckering up every time the wind blew hard, I decided to play it safe and have it taken out. Turned out, it was perfect on the inside; dang-it!
I felt bad for having cut down such a stately and aged oak tree that may have had many more years of life left in it, but you can rarely go wrong when playing it safe; especially if you're trying to avoid having your head pounded down through your butt by an oak tree that weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-12 tons.

The 90 year old tree I'm talking about was about 36 inches in diameter at the base of the tree. One small section of it is shown in the above picture under the round I was in the process of splitting, which by the way came out of another oak I also had taken out by Chino and his tree crew. The other tree wasn't in danger of falling, but it was an ugly tree that in my opinion was not providing any useful service, other than dumping mass quantities of assorted oak droppings all over our yard every time the wind blew and sometimes when it didn't. Red oak trees are nice to have in your yard about 6 weeks out of the year. The rest of the time, they're a major nuisance and the primary cause of the vast majority of my cussing.

On a positive note, we now have a boat load of some of the best red oak firewood I've ever seen in my life (including the wood Dad used to saw with his big Ol' yellow chain saw back when Mom and Dad were raising my brothers and I on the family farm a few miles east of Rolla: before they sold the farm, which is another story). After the wood drys out for the appropriate length of time, or as the Old Timers might say, "cures", it will make some very fine fuel for an assortment of indoor and outdoor venues, including fuel for the side smoker box on our new Oklahoma Joe's smoker grill, that sits on the back deck of the cabin....which brings me to my point: if it's been a while since you've grilled on an actual charcoal grill versus a propane grill, you've likely forgotten just how much better a hamburger,  chicken breast, or just about anything you might choose to grill, taste when grilled over charcoal briquets: it's substantial. And if you really want a treat, throw a little red oak or hickory wood/chips onto the coals and close the grill lid for a while. Trust me, the result might best be described by former Sherriff Andy Taylor, who would have said to his good friend and cousin Barney Fife: "Mm-Mm-Mm Barn, that's goooooood: that's a miiiiighty fine hamburger---mighty fine!"

PS. You don't necessarily have to go to Walton-Mart and spend 7 or 8 of your hard earned dollars on a bag of oak or hickory chips in order to spice up your next grilling adventure. Just walk out into your yard, or for that matter, your neighbors yard if they're away on vacation, and choose from the wide assortment of oak limbs and twigs that are either on the tree waiting to fall off, or that did fall off last night while you were tucked snugly into your bed dreaming of one day owning your very own Gransfors Bruks hand forged large splitting maul. Trust me; that'll do the trick!

On related matters, occurrences and uprisings....I'll keep you posted.

Moniteau County Log Structures

These two old hand hewn log structures can be found just off Brush Creek Road about 3 miles north of California, Missouri. There's a decent chance they were built by one or more of my ancestors, considering they sit on or near farm land originally purchased in the mid 1800's by my great-great-great grandparents as well as by their siblings, cousins and offspring. If so, I guess Grandpap Fred would have spent many an hour swinging the snot out of his old adze in order to get all those oak timbers flattened out. He would have employed an axe or hatchet to notch the corners and touch up any imperfections he was less than fond of. 

I'm also guessing he would have had some help from his boys and maybe other family members and friends who were also homesteading the area. Back in those days it was pretty standard for folks to chip in and help their neighbors build their home, barns, assorted outbuildings and so on. I doubt if anyone had invented general contracting in 1850 middle America and even if they had, most folks wouldn't have had the money to pay them. I'm also guessing that when it came to constructing a foundation, it didn't necessarily take a highly skilled stone mason to stack rocks up straight. But it would have taken several strong backs to pick up and haul all the rocks, not to mention chopping down the trees and getting all the building materials to the work site. Grand-Pap would most certainly have owned at least a mule or two or maybe a big Ol' plow horse named Ruth or Annabelle to assist with all the hauling and toting involved with building a home or barn in the 1800's. 

In any event and regardless of the level of log and stone skill on the part of my ancestors, it's pretty safe to assume they (or whomever built these buildings) did a pretty decent job considering they're still standing after getting pummeled all these years by the wind and rain; not to mention the hail, sleet and snow. 

I wonder if Fred and Margaret had any idea that someday their great-great nephews (Abe and his brothers and assorted offspring) would be maintaining the cemetery that they and most members of their family would eventually be laid to rest in, or that they'd be the subject of a brief story written by one of their many great-great-great grandchildren? I'm guessing no on the latter and maybe on the former. 

I'll have to do a little more research on this entire subject and will of course report back at some point.  I find myself somewhat fascinated that 160 plus years ago, a group of people I'm directly related to decided to just up and move from a well established area, to essentially the middle of nowhere and "put down roots" as they say. Even more amazing is that their parents loaded up their kids and whatever they owned at the time in Switzerland, onto a boat and set sail for the relatively unknowns of a land called America: fascinating! 

I'll keep you posted as information develops....

Backyard Militia

You might be well served to recognize this pattern before the snake wearing it recognizes the heat from your foot or hand and mistakes it for a meal or potential threat. Copperheads are so well camouflaged that, depending on it's immediate habitat, it's possible you could look right at one at close range and not notice it. With this in mind, if you're doing yard work or cleaning up around your house or cabin, you should always look before you reach under a bush or into some kind of hole or crevice, and as I recently experienced, before you reach down and gather up a nice clump of yard stuff. Had this guy/gal not moved a little bit when I blew the leaves off it's back, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have seen it; which might have resulted in my stepping on it or grabbing it when I scooped up the yard paraphernalia it was under.

Now, I know there are a lot of well intentioned nature lovers (like myself) who would have a problem with "eliminating" anything that draws a breath, even when it has the potential to do you harm, or worse. Some light web-research (sorry Klietus, but you weren't around to ask) pulled up 3 different sites that all suggest the Copperhead is one of the "least venomous snakes of all venomous snakes", which is kind of like saying the .22 is one of the least lethal firearms of all lethal firearms. Even with that in mind, had I encountered this particular "not all that venomous of a venomous snake" out in the woods and well off the beaten path, he/she would likely still be crawling around looking for it's next monthly meal. But since I encountered this "not really all that venomous of a snake" in my back yard about 15' from our backdoor and within easy striking distance of my granddaughter or grandson, or for that matter, any number of neighborhood little folks e.g.: look Mr. Man; see the pretty OOOOOOOW!...well you get the picture.

Bottom line: I don't personally have an issue with L.A. gang-bangers, as long as they stay in L.A. I'll leave it up to the L.A. folks to figure out specifically how to deal with that problem. But if an L.A. gang-banger starts slithering around my yard just outside my back door, or hiding behind our shrubs, that's a completely different situation and calls for completely different action. Situations like gang-bangers and venomous reptiles are just a couple of the many reasons why God gave us common sense, and why Tom Jefferson and the gang gave us the second amendment.
Thank you Lord for giving us common sense, and thank you Tommy J. for giving us the right to a "well regulated militia": which is sometimes necessary to deploy right in your own backyard!

Fish Records

Earlier this week I took a short respite at Aunt Dee's and "Almost Uncle" Tom's place in Cole County,  Missouri after motoring around the back roads of Moniteau County with Uncle Raymond, looking for ancestral burial sites and old family school houses: more on that later. Aunt Monie provided room and board at her establishment and was kind enough to wash up 2 newly acquired long sleeve shirts I procured from Walton-Mart in Camdenton, after relizing a hundred miles out I'd left home without any shirts. As a side note, the next time you find yourself in California or the metropolitan McGirk area, I'd recommend you stop by the "Burger Haus" for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Ask for Mike and tell him cousin Russ sent you. Back to the story...

As Max and I sat on Tom and Dee's back porch enjoying a stellar Cole County afternoon, I found myself thinking about dinner, which I was hoping would include some of Tom's fresh caught crappie. Luckily it did, along with a mess of freshly picked mushrooms that Tom and Darin discovered that afternoon on his Missouri River bottom farm. It was good eating (restaurant quality that I'd estimate would run in the range of $23.99 or better). Sitting there wondering whether or not supper would include a mess of Tom's famous fried crappie, resulted in me thinking back on an overnight fishing trip several years ago with my good friend Nickademus. We didn't break the Beaver Lake striper record that night, but we did end up with enough striper filets to open a nice little fish place just outside downtown Hiwasse. We didn't, but we could have.
Anyway, that's my old friend, Nick-Nick-Nick, there on the right in the hat, which I'm guessing he procured for somewhere around less than $1. Which brings me to the point: if you're in the market for just about anything you can think of (legal merchandise) and would like to get it at the best deal on the planet, contact Nick or Aunt Dee...they can point you in the right direction.

Update: I forgot to ask "The Duster Man" this past Tuesday over lunch at Steve's Family Diner in Lohman, along with his dad D-Wayne, whether or not he has any near term plans to catch that darn Missouri state record flathead. If he does, he'll have to also break the World Record, because according to the fine folks at the santeecoopercats website, the world record Flat was caught near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. That darn thing weighed in at 130 pounds, which is about 90 pounds more than all those stripers Nickademus and I caught the only time I've ever gone striper fishing. If Duster Man breaks the Flat record, Nickadimus and I may have to go back out in search of the Arkansas state record Striper. If so, the darn thing will have to weigh at least 64 lbs and 9 oz., which will be good enough to move Jeff Fletcher to 2nd place in the Arkansas record books. If that happens, I'll buy Nick a brand new $20 hat to celebrate our achievement!

On fish and mushroom related matters, I'll keep you posted.....

Olives, Douglas & Budder

Just a quick pictorial update on Olives and Douglas. Olives is obviously having a ball while Douglas seems to be saying, "Seriously?". Meanwhile, The Budder Man is happy to just have something to chew on as long as his mommy insist on strapping him down in the stroller and rolling him around the mall.
I'll keep you posted as things develop....

Classic Coat

Turns out there's a number of ways to hang up a coat. I discovered this while looking for the perfect spot to hang up a newly acquired family heirloom. It was given to me by "Almost Uncle Tom", who purchased it for his late father a number of years ago while on a Minnesota backcountry fishing excursion that turned unseasonably cold. If you're a coat buff, you're well aware you won't find a coat like this at Walton World, Dollar General, or even Target. Fine outerwear like this can only be newly purchased at high end outfitters like Orvis or White River. After-all, this is not your basic run-of-the-mill coat; it's a Filson! Better yet, it's made from 100% virgin wool (I'm guessing about the virgin part, but I think it's a safe bet that the fine folks at Filson wouldn't use anything less in their coat making division).
As you are likely already aware, fabric made from sheep's wool-especially wool that came from the Scottish Highland genre of sheep (ancestral home of The Robertson Clan), won't loose it's ability to hold heat just because it gets wet, unlike cotton and cotton blends. It also breathes nicely which allows you to wear it throughout the day, even when the temperature fluctuates substantially from sunup to sunset. As a bonus, this fine coat was made with the timeless red and black checked pattern, made famous back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by men with names like Charlie, Layfayette, and "Brush Creek" Fred. Now that I think about it, I could picture Uncle Marvin walking around the Moniteua County deer woods back in the 1940's and 50's wearing a coat just like this: maybe even in the 60's when he was teaching his son Wayne the finer points of deer hunting. I could also picture Uncle Jim walking the streets of Greybull, Wyoming in a coat just like this with his Smith .38 tucked neatly inside, in the event it became necessary to dispatch some unfortunate marauder, unlucky enough to have picked the wrong man to jack with.

Yes, this coat is destined to become a family classic and I'll be happy someday to pass it down to the next family member who'll have the honor of carrying on the tradition that began with Tom and his Dad, David Jones: a worthy effort.

I'll keep you posted.....

~goes well next to the Ruger Single 6 and fox hide

~hanging next to the cow hide given to me by my good friend Nick and under Dad's old .22

~hanging on Aunt Katherine's antique family rocking chair

Doggone Armadillos!

Although the prospects of getting overrun by marauders at our Barry County cabin are fairly low, the boys were ready yesterday for come what may. Cousin Darin (Iraq veteran of Damon, Damon & Damon fame) and Stinger (famed Texas attorney and daddy to "The Budder Man") had enough ammo to hold off a small battalion of bad guys, with enough left over to resupply at least one pretty good sized all-female swat team. At one point, the folks who were trout fishing Roaring River, probably thought they were in the middle of a Quentin Tarantino movie shoot and a remake of John Ford's 1942 classic, The Battle of Midway. In any event, it was a fun time had by all and Big D's new Mossberg bolt action .223 is reasonably sited in and ready for armadillo whacking. I'm not advocating random critter popping just for the heck of it, but the armadillo needs to be dealt with. Had they stayed in Texas, where they belong, I'd be the first to say, "Hey, they're not bothering anyone: why not just let them root around and carry on like all the other pachyderms...", or something close to that. But once they decided to migrate north to our Missouri "Rock and Squirrel Ranch", competing with the opossum for room and board, well that makes them open game in my view. And after-all, if Big D and Stinger don't look out for the opossum, who will!

On armadillo and opossum related issues....I'll keep you posted.