1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to this country Life. I'm your host, Brent Rieves 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: I want you to stay a while as I share 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: my stories and the country skills that will help you 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: beat the system. This Country Life is proudly presented as 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: outdoor podcast the airways have to offer. All right, friends, 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: pull you up a chair or drop that tail gate. 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: I think I got a thing or two, and teach 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: you the season of giving. The season of giving is 11 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: upon us. This time of year is my favorite. It 12 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: coincides with hunting season. It's not my favorite because of 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: the physical items I received during Christmas, but for the 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: intangible items I get from seeing friends, relatives and from 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: giving too. Now that hasn't always been case. And I'm 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: going to tell you about one president that I longed 17 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: for and I finally received, how I lost it, and 18 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: what I learned from it. But first, I'm going to 19 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: tell you a story. A few nights ago, I was 20 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: coon hunting in a large expanse of public land here 21 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: in Arkansas, and I was hunting with my friends Randall 22 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: Whitmore and Brad Clark now they're lifelong friends of each 23 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: other's and partners and a young tree and walker and 24 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: hunt a lot with me and Michael Roseman. Randall's a 25 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: descendant of Coon Hunting Royalty. His dad, Dick Whitmore, is 26 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: a legendary coonhound man from Memphis, Tennessee. You're gonna hear 27 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: more about him in the very near future when the 28 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: project Clay Newcomb and I worked on last Winter is released. Anyway, Randall, 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: Brad and I cut their dog and my dog waiting loose. Now, 30 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: we were really there to observe and train their hound. 31 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: He's learning the ropes and they're learning him and his style. 32 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: And these these dogs aren't machines that you wind up 33 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: and cut loose. They're all individuals and have different styles 34 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: of hunting, and those styles and tendencies appeal to different 35 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: kinds of hunters, the same reason they make Fords and 36 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: Cheves different folks. They like different things. It was a 37 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: bad night to be going in the first place, and 38 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: the hour long drive to the spot we were going 39 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: to cut loose gave me plenty of time to plan 40 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: my strategy of how I was going to help them 41 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: with their dog. Just thinking of different scenarios and things 42 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: to look for in different situations. The more info that 43 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: you have on the little things that a dog does 44 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 1: over a period of time, especially in similar situations, they 45 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: can give you a pretty good idea of how he 46 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: hunts and maybe even how much potential he has down 47 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: the road. And that's what you're after. You want to 48 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: know if the time you're investing is being in invested 49 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: in something that you can count on to be fruitful 50 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 1: in the future, or if not, you need to cut 51 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: your losses, find him another home and start looking again 52 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: for what you want. Well, it had rained over an 53 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: inchid afternoon, and it's normally not beneficial to hunt right 54 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: after a big rain. The rain washes all the scent away. 55 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: And most times coons are like we are. They don't 56 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: ramble around a lot when it's coming a downpour. They 57 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: lay up in a den where it's warm and dry. 58 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: But that ain't always the case. And it was on 59 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: that remote chance that we could find one stirring around 60 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: that we were banking on. And one thing's for sure, 61 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: you can't train them in the dog pin. You got 62 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: to go when you have the opportunity. Also, it's a 63 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: good excuse to get together and have a good time. 64 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: Both Randall and Brad live across the Big River in 65 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: Tennessee and Mississippi, so we don't get to hunt together, 66 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: but usually one or two nights a week when they 67 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: come over to stay at the legendary Whitmore Camp on 68 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: the White River here in Arkansas. The other times we're 69 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: sharing pictures and videos back and forth across the Big 70 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: Muddy about what each other's dog is doing. There are 71 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: also the clowns that invited me to go duck hunting 72 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: again a couple of weeks ago and re lit that 73 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: fire that I thought had been put out a long time. 74 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: We always have a good time together regardless of the 75 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: focus of the visit, but tonight the focus was training 76 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: a dog and treeing a coon, and hopefully at the 77 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: same time, we tracked whaling and their dog Cash is 78 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: progress as they made their way together for a while, 79 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: then as they separated and hunted in different directions. That's 80 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: not uncommon and it's a desired trade amongst coon hunters, 81 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: especially competition coon hunters. They breed their dogs for independence 82 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: and to do their own thing, because regardless of how 83 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: many dogs tree on the same tree, there's only first 84 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: place points for one of them. So the idea of 85 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: independent dog versus a pack mentality is a better way 86 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: to secre were more points. Now we'll cover that on 87 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 1: a future episode of This Country Life, but right now 88 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 1: I just wanted to explain to the folks that aren't 89 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: familiar with the process that the dog's being separated that 90 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: ain't a bad thing at all. The hounds had eventually 91 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: gotten over a mile apart. Rad suggested we relocate and 92 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,159 Speaker 1: get a better fix on Whaling after Randall caught cash, 93 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: so that's why we did. We drove for quite a 94 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: ways and the road eventually got within a half a 95 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: mile of where Whaling was. Now, when I got out 96 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: of the truck, I could hear him and another dog 97 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 1: deep in the bottoms and both in the same direction. Now, 98 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: Whaling wasn't treading, but he was bumping around enough that 99 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: I could tell he was on a coon track. But 100 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 1: it was probably pretty cold or the rain had washed 101 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: it out because he wasn't doing much with it. The 102 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,119 Speaker 1: Whaling is trained to come back to the last place 103 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: he saw me when I activated his garment tracking collar 104 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: with an audible tone. Since I wasn't still at that spot, 105 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: I thought I'd just walk in closer to where he 106 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: was and wait for him to a treat. Now, Randal 107 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: and Brad had recast Cash and he was moving off 108 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: in the direction that was different from I needed to go, 109 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,840 Speaker 1: and we were fixing to have to split up. I 110 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: gave Random my keys and told him when they got 111 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: back to the road after checking on Cash, to just 112 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: pull my truck around to where they saw Whalen's tracking 113 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: icon on their garment tracker. That's a that's a pretty 114 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: cool feature to be able to track all the dogs 115 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: you're hunting with, to see where everyone's hounds are, and 116 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,679 Speaker 1: you can even track the other handheld device. A great 117 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: safety feature to be able to keep up with each 118 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: other if you know you need to separate, just like 119 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: we were fixing to do. My plan was to go 120 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: straight to Whaling and lead him over to the road 121 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: that I could see on my garment. That was a 122 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: lot closer than going back the way we'd all walked in. 123 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: Whaling had gone northeast and Cash had gone northwest. Now 124 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,479 Speaker 1: I know that the theme of this episode is the 125 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: season of Given, and so far this story has been 126 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: nothing but a play play of a mediocre coon hunt. 127 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: But y'all hang with me. I'm fixing to get to 128 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: the good part. I found myself in a thicket trying 129 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: to cut across and get to where Whaling was hunting. 130 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: It was so bad that at one point, if I 131 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: could have found a place big enough for me to 132 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: lay down in, I would have and just stayed there 133 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: until I retired from living. Now, I could have called 134 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: him to me and he would have come to me. 135 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: But by calling out loud to him, I risked having 136 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: cash come to me, which that wouldn't have been a 137 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: big problem. But remember, there was somebody else's dog in 138 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: there barking, and I didn't want to mess up their 139 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: hunt or get their dog going in the direction that 140 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: they didn't want it to go. Plus, a little exercise 141 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: never hurt anyone, especially me. So with me a half 142 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: a mile from where I parked my truck and still 143 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: a half mile from the bend in the road I 144 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 1: planned on walking out to, I finally caught up with 145 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: my hound. I looked at the map, and I checked 146 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: my compass and took a beeline for the road. I'd 147 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: gone about halfway when I walked up on two and 148 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: a half coon hunters in the middle of the woods. 149 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: The half a coon hunter, was ten years old, I 150 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: would come to find out, and he was dressed apart 151 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: from head to toe. I introduced myself and asked if 152 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: they minded if I walked out to the road with them. 153 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: They were training a couple of walker dogs, and one 154 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: of them was the one i'd heard in there barking 155 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: with whaling. For the quarter of my walk, I talked 156 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: to coon hunting with the little fellow. I remember what 157 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: it was like being his age and wanting to be 158 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: like my dad and do the things that he and 159 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: his friends did. Now, they didn't coddle him, just like 160 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: my dad didn't coddle me. He had a hound half 161 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: the size. He was on the lead and was making 162 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: every step We were back out to their truck. He 163 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: told me he liked to drive the truck around on 164 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 1: the farm feeding cows. And I've already told you all 165 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: about how I drove at an early age, one of 166 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: the stories. Anyway. He also told me that he liked 167 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: a deer hunt and he'd already got himself a buck, 168 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: but coon hunting man that was his favorite. And as 169 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: we walked and visited, I couldn't help but see all 170 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: the parallels between me and him. I badgered him with 171 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: questions and mistakenly called him by the wrong name a 172 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: half a dozen times until his dad politely corrected me. 173 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: When Randal and Brad drove up to where we'd walked 174 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,320 Speaker 1: out and I introduced him by the wrong name, I 175 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: apologized to him, but he didn't seem to care. He 176 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: was enjoying the conversation and talking about our dogs and 177 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: how they'd been doing that night. And let me tell you, 178 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: I was enjoying it too. And just when I thought 179 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: our chance meeting in the middle of thousands of acres 180 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: of river Bottom wilderness couldn't get any better, my little 181 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: friend all of a sudden said, hey, let me show 182 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: you what I got from a birthday. He reached deep 183 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: down in his right front pocket and pulled out a 184 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: case trapper pocket knife. It had a coonhound inscribed on it, 185 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: chasing a coon, My heart, My hearts gift to beat, 186 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: And I told him stand right there. I walked over 187 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,439 Speaker 1: to my truck and I brought out the exact same 188 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: knife that my brother Tim had given me for Christmas 189 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: a couple of years ago, that I had hidden in there. 190 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: Now I know y'all have thinking, don't you already carry two? 191 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: That's right, I do, but you know what's better than two? Three? 192 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 1: Randall took our picture with our knives, and after visiting 193 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,680 Speaker 1: a little longer my little friend and his dad and 194 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: their hunting companion, they left. We called it a night too, 195 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,439 Speaker 1: and I haded back home on that one hour drive, 196 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: having not treat a single coon or had any real 197 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: opportunities to work with cash. Now, normally i'd have been 198 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: a little disappointed in the lack of opportunity, but the 199 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: chance meeting I had with that little boy who reminded 200 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 1: me so much of myself at his age, made every 201 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: turn of the wheel worth His dad let me take 202 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: a picture with him, and you can see him his 203 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: birthday pocket knife and mine on my Instagram page. I'm 204 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: telling you this story, and Christmas was four days ago 205 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: as you're listening, but when it happened, Christmas was still 206 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: two weeks away, and outside of seeing my family and friends, 207 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 1: the chance meeting I had with a little boy, in 208 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: the flood of memories and feelings I would get from 209 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: it would be the best gift I would get all year. 210 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 1: And that's just how that happened. When I was a kid, 211 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: Christmas was an anticipated resupply and upgrade for hunting equipment 212 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 1: and clothing. I'd get a game or two, or maybe 213 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: a toy of some kind, but what I wished for 214 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: and asked for from an early age was traps, guns, ammo, 215 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: pocket knives, anything related to me being able to have 216 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: a better time outside. That still holds true to today, 217 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: except today, when I want something, I usually go get 218 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: it myself, and this aggravates Alexis to no end, and 219 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: she'll say, now, why did you buy that? It's too 220 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: close to Christmas. My response is something like, oh, I'm sorry, 221 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: I didn't know you were planning on buying me a 222 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: brick of twenty two shells and an old carbide light 223 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: off of eBay. And when she looks at me like 224 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: a calf looking at a new gate, wondering what both 225 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: of those items are, I tell her that's why I 226 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: bought it. Now, you could just about bed on a 227 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,559 Speaker 1: couple of pair of good wool socks, a new union suit. 228 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: If you don't know what a union suit is, let 229 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: me explain. Sometimes it's called long underwear. But the ones 230 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: we routinely received were red and they fit like a baby. 231 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: One's that that buttoned up the front like a shirt 232 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 1: with a button flap in the back for convenience when 233 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: nature called. Now they help keep you warm, and with 234 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: just a click or two on the old interwebs, I 235 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: found the same ones available that we were all wearing 236 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 1: way back then. About every other year I'd get a 237 00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: dozen traps that I'd put to good use. But one year, 238 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: after many requests and prayers, I finally got a pair 239 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: of genuine heavy ducks back hunting breeches from my dad, 240 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: and that I absolutely cherished. They were danging their bulletproof, 241 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: and after several years of wanting them, he found a 242 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: pair to fit my frame. When I was in the 243 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: fifth grade, I was so proud of them breeches that 244 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to wear them to school, but my Mama 245 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: wouldn't let me and the closet they went, stiff as 246 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: a board and able to stand up on their own. 247 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 1: It seemed like forever, but finally we went squirrel hunting 248 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: and I got to wear them on multiple hunts. The 249 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: one squirrel hunt turned into a hog band and I 250 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 1: helped my dad and Jerry Huston catch and cut a 251 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 1: big boar hog. Now turning the boarhog into a bar 252 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: hog was often a precarious event for everyone, especially for 253 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 1: the hog, but for everyone not for me. If you're 254 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: not familiar with this operation, it's pretty simple. All of 255 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 1: our squirrel dogs would bay hogs too, and that means 256 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: they'd surround the boarhog and keep him in one spot 257 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 1: till we could get there. Then we'd either rope him 258 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: or grab his hind legs and flip him over and 259 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: hold him down until somebody took a pocket knife and 260 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: cut out both of the items that made a boar 261 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 1: hog a boy hog. And after all the walling around 262 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: and the mud and the blood, it could get kind 263 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: of messy, and I didn't shy away from any of it. 264 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: It was probably more of a hindrance of help, but 265 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: I was all in on learning and my dad was 266 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: always in on teaching. After we cut the hog loose, 267 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: minus his pride and couple other things, we went on 268 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: about our hunt. Now. Once it was over, my dad 269 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: dropped me off at my maternal grandma and grandpa's house 270 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: in town. I was spending the night there to go 271 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: to school the next morning, and when my grandma saw 272 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: me walk up on the porch with my muddy boots 273 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: covered with the same as well as dried blood from 274 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 1: head to toe. She made me take off all my 275 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 1: clothes in the washroom. I peeled off layer after the 276 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: layer of mud and caked and blood soaked clothing, and 277 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: arranged them purposely like little badges of honor from our hunt. 278 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: Those breeches I stood in the corner. Literally, the legs 279 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: of them were like little stove pipes of thick canvas 280 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: duck material that was more brown and deep red from 281 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: the hog grassling cutting and the olive draft color they 282 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: looked when I opened them up. At Christmas, she had 283 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: our supper fixed and me, her and Papa had a 284 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: good meal, and they listened to me tell how we'd 285 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: kill some squirrels and castrated that hog while we ate. 286 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: My grandpa was smiling, while my Grandpa kept saying, that's 287 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: nice about a hundred times, and I'm sure wishing I 288 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 1: talk about something else. I talked as much about those 289 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,760 Speaker 1: breeches as as I did anything, and how I loved 290 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: them and wanted to wear them school, but Mama wouldn't 291 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: let me. Those ain't school breeches. They're hunting breeches, she 292 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: would say, and she was right. Not only were they 293 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: blood stained from skinning animals, but they they smelled like squirrel, dogs, horses, hogs, 294 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 1: and the most malodorous of all, a little boy. My 295 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: mam had sent a whole batch of school clothes for 296 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: me to wear the next day. I was all set 297 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: for clothes. But the next morning my grandma Buless Sly. 298 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 1: We called her Mama Sly. She woke me up to 299 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: come eat breakfast. Papa had already gone to the farm. 300 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: I sat up on the edge of the bed and 301 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: I nudged my right shoe and I heard a jingle. 302 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: My Grandpa always stuck a couple of fifty cent pieces 303 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: in my shoe for what he called walking around money. 304 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: It was our secret. We didn't tell anybody. I could 305 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: smell goodness coming from the kitchen. Sausage, bacon, grits, biscuits, gravy, 306 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: and eggs fried like Robert Ruark so perfectly described in 307 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: one of the greatest books I've ever read, The Old 308 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: Man and the Boy. Let me read his description for you. 309 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,199 Speaker 1: I have never liked an egg in any form in 310 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 1: a restaurant, but a fried egg in the woods, sizzled 311 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: and bacon fat until its white edges turned to fine 312 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: Belgian lace. Grating up to brown is a noble thing. 313 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: And if it is accompanied by fried sowbell and busted 314 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: into a plate of fine ground homnegrits and the whole 315 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: mess flavored up with grease, there might be indigestion around 316 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 1: the corner, but it's not worthy of worry. Well, mister Ruark, 317 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 1: you just described breakfast at my mama slaice house every day, 318 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 1: not in the wilderness. But I walked into the kitchen 319 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: and my drawers and a T shirt. The washroom was 320 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 1: on through past Papa's bathroom. I washed all your hune closed. 321 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: Mama Slaie said, they're all folded on. The dry your 322 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: breeches was a chore, but I think I got most 323 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: of the blood out. I had to wash them twice 324 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 1: to get all that mud off, and they should be 325 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: dry by now. If you want to check them before 326 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: you eat. You can wear them to school if you 327 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: want to. Suddenly, I had lost my appetite at the 328 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: tender age of eleven. Even I knew the repercussions of 329 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 1: washing and drying a pair of ducks backed breeches of 330 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 1: folly that my Mama Sly would soon learn as well, 331 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:28,119 Speaker 1: and her grand attempt to make me happy. Hot water 332 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 1: and dryers will shrink cotton duct material to the point 333 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: of no return. I ran to the dryer, snatched open 334 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:36,120 Speaker 1: the door, and pulled out a pair of smoldered hot 335 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: hunting pats that would have been too small for totten. 336 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: I commenced a choking back tears while saying out loud, 337 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 1: oh no, oh no. When my mama's sly. I came 338 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:48,880 Speaker 1: running there to see what was wrong, and I held 339 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: them up, and when she came in, she said, well, 340 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 1: lost one. What happened to them, breeches. I eventually got 341 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: another pair, but at that moment in time, I just 342 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: wanted to jump in the trash bear with those pants. 343 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: She was so upset that she'd ruined them and that 344 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: they bought me another pairent. She was trying to do 345 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: something nice for me. There's no telling how early she 346 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: got up to work on getting clean enough for me 347 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: to wear at school, regardless of what my mama said, 348 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: and in doing so, she'd ruined them. But at the 349 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: same time, she showed me, without saying it, how much 350 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 1: she loved me that she was willing to go the 351 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 1: extra mile and work extra hard on top of everything 352 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 1: else she had to do just to make me happy, 353 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: and that that was better than any Christmas present or 354 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 1: pair of bridges that I could ever get. That's enough 355 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 1: for me. I appreciate y'all listening, but turn this thing 356 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,439 Speaker 1: off and gather up with the folks you love, and 357 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: y'all tell some stories or just visit. A special memory 358 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be something spectacular. It can be something 359 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: as simple as a result of not reading the washing 360 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:07,679 Speaker 1: instructions or is my Mama's life, I would say the 361 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: washing and raging instructions. Please be safe, look out for 362 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:15,199 Speaker 1: one another, and be kind and enjoy the time that 363 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: you spend together until next week. This is Brent Reeves, 364 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,919 Speaker 1: sign it off. Y'all be careful.