1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to This Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves 2 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living. 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: I want you to stay a while as I share 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: my experiences in life lessons. This Country Life is presented 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:23,240 Speaker 1: by Case Knives on Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you 6 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: the best outdoor podcast the airwaves have to offer. All right, friends, 7 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: grab a chair or drop that tailgate. I've got some 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: stories to share. Did it really happen that way? It's 9 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: human nature to sometimes make events better or worse than 10 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: they really were. We fit the narrative of what we're 11 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: telling them to benefit the desired outcome of what we're 12 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: trying to say. Revision is history, misremembering, or just flat 13 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: out line. I don't know. You'll just have to judge 14 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: for yourself, but I'm taking my own memory to task today. 15 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: The first I'm going to tell you a story. This 16 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: story comes from This Country Life listener Jerry Barker. Jerry 17 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: resides in Nancy, Kentucky, about five miles from where this 18 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: story took place seventy years ago, an earlier time when 19 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: the art of swapping was more than a pastime in 20 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: rural America and borderline on community entertainment. So, in Jerry's words, 21 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: in my voice, here we go. When I was a child, 22 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: the old men in our community would gather and swap 23 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:45,919 Speaker 1: not only stories, but various other items such as pocket 24 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: knives and livestock and pretty much anything. I remember stories 25 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: of pride and victory from some who gained the advantage 26 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: of no more than a dollar by out doing their 27 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: opponent on a pocket knife trade. The object of swapping 28 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: was always to get the better end of the deal, 29 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: to outswap the other guy. Story I'm sharing took place 30 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: in the late forties and was told to me by 31 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: one of the principal swapper's relatives, and his name was Charlie. 32 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: I never had the opportunity to meet Charlie, but from 33 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: the stories I heard about him, I know that he 34 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: and I would have been buddies. Charlie's community was at Faubush, Kentucky, 35 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: a spot in rural America that had a country store. 36 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: Charlie was a successful dairy farmer, and after milking chores, 37 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: he'd often venture to the store to swap. There was 38 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: also a locally infamous horse named Bob. Bob was a beautiful, strong, 39 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: well built horse that anyone would have been proud to 40 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: own just from the looks alone. But Bob had an issue, 41 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: a bad habit of swords. Most all horses of this 42 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: time were expected to work in a harness, requiring the 43 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: horse to pull in some kind of capacity. Now Bob 44 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: was no different. It would do okay most of the time, 45 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: but in a difficult pull when the struggle was real 46 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: and a task. When Bob was needed most he'd walk, 47 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: or he'd just hesitate. He'd stop and refused to move 48 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: any further. No matter what persuasion was used, Bob held 49 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: his ground and there was nothing that could be done. 50 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: He'd gone as far as he was willing to go. 51 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: Most of the farmers and swappers had had their turn 52 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: at Bob. Bob was a popular swapping item. Charlie had 53 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: heard about Bob and was ready to accept the challenge. 54 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: One day at the store, Charlie told the crowd that 55 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: they just didn't know how to handle a horse. He 56 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: could do it properly, and he could break Bob from 57 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: this bad habit. It wouldn't be a problem for someone 58 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: that knew how to handle a Bob's current owner quickly 59 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: gave Charlie his turn, and after the swap was made, 60 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: Bob found himself on Charlie's farm. Bob settled in and 61 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: Charlie put him to work. The first few days passed 62 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: without any trouble. Bob and Charlie worked well together. Then 63 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: this happened. The day was hot, it was very human, 64 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: and Charlie and Bob were gathering hate. This was before 65 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: mechanical hay balers, and Charlie would stack the loose hay 66 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: on the wagon and all Bob was supposed to do 67 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: was to pull it to the barn where it'd be 68 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: unloaded and stored for the winter feed for the livestock. 69 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: The hayfield was under a pretty steep long hill. With 70 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: the wagon loaded, Bob started up the hill and about 71 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: halfway up, decided to introduce Charlie to his bad habit, 72 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: and he stopped dead still, and he stood in his tracks. 73 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: Charlie tried to persuade to move on, but Bob wasn't 74 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: going anywhere. Then Charlie had an idea, and he went 75 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: to the wagon and he gathered an arm load of hay. 76 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: He placed that hay under Bob's back legs and Bob 77 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: didn't move. Charlie had given Bob every opportunity to do 78 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: his part in this new partnership. Bob refused, and Charlie 79 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: set the hay on fire. Bob decided that maybe pulling 80 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: that wagon wasn't such a bad idea after all, and 81 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: he quickly moved forward and then he stopped, placing the 82 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,479 Speaker 1: wagon load of hay directly above the flames. The hay 83 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: ignited like a fuse and burst into flames. Charlie had 84 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 1: to hustle to get the fire put out and almost 85 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: lost the whole load and the wagon along with it. 86 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: No idea if Charlie was still proud of his trade 87 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: for Bob, and I don't know how their relationship went 88 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:03,119 Speaker 1: after that incident hardly won the war. Who knows well, Bob, 89 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,160 Speaker 1: he definitely won that back. And according to Jerry Barker 90 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: of Nazy, Kentucky, that's just how that happened. Well, Jerry, 91 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: I appreciate you sending that in to share it with 92 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: the rest of us. I'll always try to pick out 93 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 1: the obvious lessons that come from these stories y'all send in, 94 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: And I guess this one is Sometimes the best trades 95 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: are the ones that are never made. Thanks thanks a lot, 96 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,679 Speaker 1: lightning bugs were for the taking. Their soft yellow glow 97 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: floated and pulsated on and off like a million little 98 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: neon lights with loose connections. A mason jar with holes 99 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: poked in the lid from an ice pick would be 100 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: where the ones I would catch would spend some time 101 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: as I ran around in the manicured Saint Augustine grass 102 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: that fell cool on my bare feet while the thick, 103 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: humid Arkansas evening hung like moss in the air. My 104 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 1: grandparents sat on the back patio of their home in 105 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: lawn chairs, each with a hand fan, pushing the muggy 106 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: evening around them, while I made laps in the yard, 107 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: running back and forth to where they sat watching me. 108 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: After I added more lightning bugs to the jar so 109 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: we could count them and watch the magic glow. I 110 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: could still see the reflection of lighting their glasses as 111 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: they smiled and marveled at what I thought was the 112 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: amazing job I'd done and catching all those bugs. I 113 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: know now they were smiling because they loved me, and 114 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: I'm not sure why, in summertime more than any other, 115 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: and maybe it's not. Maybe, As I sit here reminiscing 116 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: about a gentle memory of a summer evening, that my 117 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: grandparents from long ago. It just felt that way, remembering 118 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: a simpler time, at a slower pace, and a time 119 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: that I thought would last forever. There's no doubt in 120 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: my mind that I do that all the time, not 121 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: just now but now. This time of year, anyway, is 122 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: when I would spend a lot of my time at 123 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: my maternal grandparents' house, Finess and Beaulish Sly. They lived 124 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: in town, and my grandmother, Mama's sly ran the day 125 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: to day operations at the front of the store at 126 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: the egg prossing plant we owned in Warren, and I 127 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: could go with her to the store, or she'd dropped 128 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: me off at the YMCA for me to go swimming 129 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: with my friends that lived in town. Or or I'd 130 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: get up at the crack of dawn and ride to 131 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 1: the farm with Papaw, the farm where I lived, a 132 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: trip that might have us first going by Johnson's Hardware 133 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: or the Farmer's co Oper or Southern Lumber Company. There 134 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: were always projects and repairs to be made at the 135 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,319 Speaker 1: farming at the eggplant, that's what we called that facility. 136 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: And no Grandpa I know of liked having a grandkid 137 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: running around him. Always in the way anymore than mine did. 138 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: I didn't have to mess with school in the summer, 139 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: and at the age of seven to ten, my farm 140 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 1: chore workload wasn't near as crucial as both of my 141 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: older brothers were. I was the baby, and I did 142 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: what I wanted and just about whatever I could get 143 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: away with. Staying at Mama's lying Papaw's house removes me 144 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: from the dooty roster, and I was glad to be there. 145 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,559 Speaker 1: I was thinking about those times early this morning at 146 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: the dog pin as I freshened up the water in 147 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: Jesse's bucket. It wasn't yet seven o'clock in the water 148 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: in the hose was already hot and took a minute 149 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: to cool off as I stood there, spreading the dirt 150 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: around the pen to knock down some of the dust, 151 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: and just thinking. I sept with my Papaw as he 152 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: watch the evening news and weather, and then we'd have supper. Afterwards, 153 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: we'd help Mama sly clean the kitchen and watch a 154 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: little TV. My grandpa read every night western novels and 155 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: national geographic magazines. He liked history and learning about things 156 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: in places he'd never seen or been, and would never go. 157 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: Mom sly would have my bed fixed next to theirs, 158 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 1: and when bedtime came, I'd lay on top of the 159 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 1: cotton sheets. Both windows raised and the metal window screens 160 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: the only things separating us from the outside. There was 161 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: no central air and the only window unit air conditioners 162 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: went the other end of the house. But regardless of 163 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: the time or the steamy temperatures, you'd be scratching for 164 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,719 Speaker 1: the covers before you got to sleep good. They had 165 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: an attic fan in the hallway ceiling that was so 166 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: strong it would pull the coke money out of your 167 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: pocket if you walked under it. When it was running. 168 00:10:56,679 --> 00:11:00,040 Speaker 1: It didn't take very long to cool you off. It 169 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 1: ain't on top of the covers, especially if you were 170 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: still damp from taking your night in the bath. The 171 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 1: fan drawn air across you at a volume unmatched by 172 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,680 Speaker 1: anything outside of a tornado. It was loud, but the 173 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 1: steady drone was white noised. That would have me in 174 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: a coma by the time one of them would be 175 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: getting me up the next morning. Breakfast came early, and 176 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: if I was going to the farm with Papa, it 177 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: came real early. The sound of meat frying in a 178 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: cast iron skillet and the kitchen radio tuned the KrF, 179 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: the local radio station, and warn would greet me. As 180 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,559 Speaker 1: I turned the corner from the living room into the kitchen, 181 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: the aroma of coffee and bacon hung in the air, 182 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,200 Speaker 1: and to this day, more times than not, when I 183 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: smell either, I can see my Mama Slice standing at 184 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: the stove in her in the dress that she'd be 185 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: wearing to the store that day, her hair fixed, earrings, 186 00:11:54,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: pearl necklace, kitchen apron, and house shoes. She'd say good morning, 187 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: lazy bones, hug me and asked me how I wanted 188 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: my eggs cook? Fried was always my response, and she'd 189 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:09,439 Speaker 1: dropped two in the hot grease. She just took the 190 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: bacon out of I prefer my eggs over easy, but 191 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: my Mama Slide had two versions of eggs, fried or scramble. 192 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: There was no other choice, and her fried eggs would 193 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: be heat treated until the very edges formed a brittle 194 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: lace that would break when I smashed them with my fork. 195 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: If ham was the meat of the morning, you could 196 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: count on red eyed gravy as being on the menu 197 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: as well. If you've never had it, you should try it. 198 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: She'd fry the skillet full of salt cured ham, remove 199 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: the meat and leave all the rendered fat, and then 200 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: she'd pour black coffee in the skillet and let it simmer, 201 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: rendering that concoction into a gravy worthy of what was 202 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: coming next. Biscuits. She could whip up a pan of 203 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: biscuits before Quick could get ready. They were always the same, 204 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: always good, and always on the breakfast table. They'd hit 205 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: the table last, and when they did, it was time 206 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: to prey and commence to eating. You know, a fella 207 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,679 Speaker 1: can conjure up quite an appetite just sleeping, because I 208 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: would absolutely wreck my side of the table while Papa 209 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: waited for me to finish polishing breakfast off with a 210 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:19,840 Speaker 1: big glass of sweet milk that was so cold it 211 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: would hurt your teeth, and I'd find my shoes and 212 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: we'd hit the door. Papaull told and two biscuits with 213 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: ham wrapped in a waxed paper that Mama's slide fixed 214 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: for us to take with us, one for each of 215 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: us to have later that morning, and I'd have them 216 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: both eating not long after we got where we were going. 217 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:43,720 Speaker 1: Regardless of where it was, sometimes we'd stop and visit 218 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:45,960 Speaker 1: with neighbors that were out in their yard or near 219 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,440 Speaker 1: the gravel road as we passed by their farms. Meeting 220 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: someone on the one lane county road required you to 221 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,160 Speaker 1: slow down, and if it was someone that Papa wanted 222 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: to visit with, he'd just stopped and we'd set talking 223 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: from truck win a the truck win too much rain, 224 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: not enough rain. They never seemed to be the required amount. 225 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: Cattle prices, egg price is cutting, hay. There was always 226 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: something to talk about, one thing for sure. If we 227 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: didn't have time to stop and talk, the wave was automatic. 228 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: Whether you knew the person or you were meeting on 229 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: the road, you waved at him, and not like you 230 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: were standing on the dock waving goodbye to the troops 231 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: as they shift off the war. It was more of 232 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 1: a courtesy how to do as we passed, usually with 233 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: the hand that was on the steering wheel one or 234 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: two fingers, and eye contact as you passed, always eye contact. 235 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: I'm not sure when that tradition stopped where I lived, 236 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: but it did, the world is a little a little 237 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: worse off because of it. I never heard of road 238 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: rage back then. And if you met someone you didn't like, 239 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: you just didn't wave at him. You didn't try to 240 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: run them off the road or challenge them to a 241 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: wrestling mas you had an intersection. Ignoring their presence was 242 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 1: the ultimate disrespect. Waving at an oncoming vehicle got to 243 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: be a habit. Every car you met on the county 244 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: road or the highway got a wave out of you, 245 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: and they waved back. Sometimes even the guy you didn't 246 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: like got awave because you weren't paying attention, or they 247 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: were driving in a different car. When that happened, you 248 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: got mad at yourself, not them. You got mad because 249 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: you know they saw you do it, because of the 250 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: eye contact thing. Dang, that was Dennis. I can't stand 251 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: Dennis now. Dennis thinks I want to be friends. But 252 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: inevitably Dennis would realize the mistake because the next time 253 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: you met, he'd wave and you wouldn't. Not even the 254 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: score got you, Dennis. But the dentists were few and 255 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: far between. Our real community was small, and we operated 256 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: in familiar circles of family and friends. Folks that sat 257 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: behind us in church were the ones I saw when 258 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: we walked into the store on Main Street. My Sunday 259 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: school teacher delivered me as well as most of the 260 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: kids in my class. It was an ideal childhood and raising. 261 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,200 Speaker 1: The way I remembered. How accurate my memory is is 262 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: one thing I always called into question. Even though I 263 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 1: know the events of what took place and what the 264 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: eventual outcome of what came to be, I knew what 265 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: that was, but the middle part. Was it as good 266 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: or bad as I remember? Or am I subconsciously fudging 267 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: my memory with emotion and nostalgia? Now that's a question 268 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: I asked myself a lot as I way deeper into life. 269 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: I see things differently now, or at least I try to, 270 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: and it reminds me of how I must have saw 271 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: things back then as a child, when the wonderment of 272 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: a jar of lightning buds was enough to focus my 273 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: attention and secure the feeling I got sitting at a 274 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: table with folks two generations ahead of me and not 275 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: wanting to be anywhere else. Right there a place and 276 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,719 Speaker 1: people I wish I could wake up and sit with 277 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: in the morning. In my mind, I go back there, 278 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: to that table, to that farm and with that community often, 279 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 1: and it's a great place. But was it as great 280 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:22,439 Speaker 1: as I remember? I don't know for sure. Probably not. 281 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: But there's a there's a quote from a movie, a 282 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 1: movie that came out in two thousand and three called 283 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: second Hand Lines. You've probably seen. It's a It's a 284 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 1: great family movie with some good lessons. In my opinion. 285 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:38,159 Speaker 1: I don't have to tell you anything about it. You 286 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: can look it up and decide for yourself if you 287 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: want to want to watch it or share it with 288 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,879 Speaker 1: your kids. But in that movie, there's a line that 289 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 1: has stuck with me for twenty two years, and it 290 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: sums up my feelings on how well my memories are 291 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: played out when I think about them and I share 292 00:17:53,880 --> 00:18:00,119 Speaker 1: them with you. Here's the quote. Sometimes the things that 293 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,199 Speaker 1: may or may not be true are the things a 294 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:09,639 Speaker 1: man needs to believe in the most. These stories I 295 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: tell help shape who I am. Helped me identify my 296 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: values and strengthen my courage and resolve to live with 297 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: a purpose, even when the world will try to harden 298 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: my feelings against it. The world will try that and 299 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:30,239 Speaker 1: will succeed only if we let it. It's all up 300 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: to us how we make today a good memory for tomorrow. 301 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: Thank y'all so much for listening to all of us 302 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,560 Speaker 1: here on the Beggary's channel. If you meet someone on 303 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: the highway and they wave at you wave back, it 304 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: might be me until next week. This is Brent Reeves 305 00:18:48,640 --> 00:19:07,400 Speaker 1: signing off. Y'all be careful.