1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to This Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves. 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,720 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 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: outdoor podcast the airways have to offer. All right, friends, 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: pull you up a chair or drop that tailgate. I 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: think I got a thing or two. The teacher working 10 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: with my dad. I spent a lot of time with 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: my dad throughout the year, hunting and fishing. It goes 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: without saying that there are tons of memories from those 13 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: outings and adventures and plenty of tales to tell. But 14 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: I also went to work with him a lot on 15 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: his job. We're going to talk about that today, but 16 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: first I'm going to tell you a story. Every summer, 17 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: when I was out of school, I spent as much 18 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: time with my dad as possible. We were always fishing, 19 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: hunting his hounds on the nights. It wasn't just blistering hot. 20 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: My dad was a cold hunter. And I've talked about 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: how you do that, at least how he and his 22 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,119 Speaker 1: friends did it down here, But for those that may 23 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: be new to the podcast, here's a recap. Seldom did 24 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 1: we ever see the cold. Rarely did the cold suffer 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: any damage. We just listened to the dogs run until 26 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: he got away, or got close to the highway private 27 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: land that we couldn't hunt on, or we got ready 28 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: to go home. Then we just caught the dogs and 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: went home. But this story ended about one of those 30 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: times we stayed out all night listening to and trying 31 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: to keep up with a pack of walker hounds. It's 32 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: not about catching a mess of fishing, cooking them up 33 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: on the bank of the Slain River, our river, or 34 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: shooting a sack of the squirrels, only to give most 35 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: of them away because my dad wouldn't have had one 36 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: of them had he been starving slapped to death. He 37 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: would keep a few and fix them for me. But 38 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: even then he didn't like doing that. He hated skinning them. 39 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: He really didn't like touching them. They looked too much 40 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: like a rat to him. And if one fell in 41 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: the water, one shot out of a tree and got 42 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: his tail wet, he wouldn't touch it. But he loved 43 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: hunting them. Weird, I know, but he liked to give 44 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: him away the folks that did eat them. There was 45 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: an old man that lived down the road that favored 46 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: squirrels as much as I did. My Dad would trade 47 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: them to him for once a good family term. I know, 48 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: snake bite medicine. One mess of squirrels equaled one pint 49 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: jar of snake bite medicine. Even enough about squirrels right now. 50 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: In the summer, I would go to work with my dad. 51 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: My dad retired as a serviceman for Tyson Foods. The 52 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: serviceman was someone who went around to area fall they 53 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: were under contract to raise chickens for the company. It 54 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: was my dad's job to check on each individual grower. 55 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: When I was a baby, he first worked for England 56 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: Farms and Mister Jack England and Rise in Arkansas. Over 57 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: time he would work for Valmac Industries, Tasty Bird, and 58 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: then the Northwest Arkansas based Tyson Foods. He basically did 59 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: the same job for all of them, and according to 60 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: the Pharmsy Service, he was good at it. Unfortunately, the 61 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 1: same couldn't be said for all his farmers. Some of 62 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: them Dad would brag about to me. He was proud 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: of how they farmed and raised the chickens. After all, 64 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: the better their chickens did, the more money they made. 65 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: The more money they made, the bigger Dad's bonus was. 66 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: Now Dad equated to dogs, horses, hooks and bullets for me. 67 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: So it was in my best interest that when I 68 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: was helping him, that I was really helping him. Now. 69 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: Dad had a weekly schedule that he made out himself, 70 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: regulated around the age of the chickens at each farm. 71 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: He worked from home, and unless he needed supplies from 72 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: the office in Rising where the hatchery was located, or 73 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: had to deliver feed samples to the meal and pine bluff, 74 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: he would work like a man possessed, traveling to area farms, 75 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 1: inspecting the houses and talking to the farmers, and just 76 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: in general being the representative for the company to the 77 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 1: farmer and the farmers representative to the company of trying 78 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: to maintain a good working relationship between both. He may 79 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: have been an employee of the company, but he always 80 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: worked on the farmer's behalf. They were folks just like us, 81 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: country people working hard and trying to make a living, 82 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: raised chickens, cattle, and crops. My grandfather on my mother's 83 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: side was an independent egg farmer that raised, processed, and 84 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: sold his own eggstra stores. I say that to say 85 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,480 Speaker 1: the poultry industry was big in our area and very 86 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: important economically to a lot of families. It still is, 87 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 1: but just like other things, some oaks are better at 88 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: it than others. My dad had an inspection book that 89 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: resembled a policeman's ticket book. It was itemized with boxes 90 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: to check on cleanliness of the house. I know you're thinking, 91 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: how could a chicken house be cleaned with chickens in it, 92 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: But trust me, it can be and it can sure 93 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: be dirty. He monitored the overall condition of the house, 94 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: water in the feed systems, and the apparent health of 95 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: the flock. Had a space where Dad could write in 96 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: suggestions to correct deficiencies and a copy of that report 97 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: which stayed with my dad and get turned in with 98 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: his activity reports for the month. It was my job 99 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: to fill those reports out according to Dad's observations. They 100 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: never dinged anyone though on those reports. If he could 101 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: keep from it, he'd talked to the farmer and tell 102 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: them what they needed to do differently to keep from 103 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: shining a bad light on them. Some of the chicken 104 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: houses were old, but well taken care of and for 105 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: a chicken house clean. Some were newer and not. Some 106 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: of the conditions were due to just not knowing or 107 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,479 Speaker 1: having a grasp on the new techniques and equipment that 108 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: helped maintain a more proficient chicken house, and others one 109 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: in particular, was due to just plain laziness. I went 110 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: to that farm several times one summer. Now you could 111 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: kind of see what was coming when you turned off 112 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: the county road and headed down the drive past the 113 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: old junkie house that the farmer lived in and pulled 114 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: up in front of his new junkie chicken house. Dad 115 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: didn't give him on paper any of the times, but 116 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: he talked to him one on one with me acting 117 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:42,559 Speaker 1: like I wasn't listening. Weekly. On the second to last 118 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: trip I made to that farm that summer, I could 119 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: tell my dad had had his fill of the sub 120 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: par conditions of that house and the poor health of 121 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: the chickens. He told him over and over that if 122 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: he didn't start showing some signs of improvement, that the 123 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 1: company wouldn't renew his contract to raise chickens. Now, I 124 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: didn't know it at the time, but had that happened, 125 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: he'd have had no way of making the mortgage on 126 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: that new chicken house. He was letting fall in decline, 127 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: and he would have lost the land that sat on 128 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: and he put up for clatteral when he built it. Now, 129 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: I grabbed the inspection book and pen and started to 130 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: bail out of the truck to get to work checking 131 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: the boxes when Dad told me to check on our 132 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: second to last trip there, and Dad said, you stay 133 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: in the truck I need to talk to mister Bob alone. 134 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: Now here's a disclaimer. His name was his name wasn't Bob. 135 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: But I shut the door and I rolled the window 136 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: down as Dad walked around in front of the truck 137 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: toward the chicken house door, reaching for the handle, about 138 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: the same time mister Bob opened it up and stepped 139 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: out of it. I heard it all, Bob, this place 140 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: looks like a junkyard. The outside, while it doesn't look good, 141 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: ain't as bad as the inside. And I've done all 142 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: I can do for you. You're a good man, but 143 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: you have got to do something, and you got to 144 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 1: do it before next week when I come back. I've 145 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: run out of excuses for you, Bob, and you've got 146 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: me in a bind. They know I'm covering for you, 147 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: and your last two batches of chickens have been terrible. 148 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: Mister Bob looked at the ground the whole time my 149 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: dad was talking to him. I didn't want to be there. 150 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: I was just a kid, but I could see the 151 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: embarrassment on his face, and I felt bad for him. 152 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: It was always so nice to me, if you'd give 153 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 1: me a quarter, nearly every time he saw me. I 154 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:47,319 Speaker 1: remember that when he brought his hand out of his pocket. 155 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: I never saw more than one, and Dad and I 156 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: talked about that years later, and he said, son, he'd 157 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:57,319 Speaker 1: probably gave you the only one he had. Well that day, 158 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: mister Bob looked at my dad for the first time 159 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: since we got there, and he told him this batch 160 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: of chickens will be different. Buddy, you got my word. Now. 161 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: Next week we went back and things started getting better. 162 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: The chickens were being tended to, and some of the 163 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: junk around the outside was gone. What wasn't gone had 164 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: been neatly stacked and organized. Even the grass had been mowed. 165 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,319 Speaker 1: A month or so later, that batch of chickens went out. 166 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: Dad said he was still the worst chicken grower he had, 167 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: but it was the best batch that mister Bob had 168 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: ever grown. I went back with Dad for the last 169 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: time that summer to see mister Bob's farm. He was 170 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,439 Speaker 1: busy cleaning the old shavens and the chicken litter out 171 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: of his house with his tractor and getting ready for 172 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: a new batch of chickens that would arrive in a 173 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: few days. He seemed happier, I know my dad was. 174 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,199 Speaker 1: I climbed up on that tractor and sat in the 175 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: seat that mister Bob had just crawled out of, and 176 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: while he and Dad talked, I was listening. He said. 177 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 1: My Dad said, Bob, you've done good. That's the best 178 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: batch of chickens you ever raised. Mister Bob told him, 179 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: I thank you for your help, buddy, You've been good 180 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: to me. Now my dad every more. The jokester looked 181 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: a man dead and eye and said, it's a good 182 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: thing you had this turnaround. I only had two excuses 183 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: left for you before they fired me, Bob. Mister Bob said, 184 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,199 Speaker 1: what was it. Dad said, I was going to tell 185 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: them you were either planting them too deep or too 186 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: close together. And that was the first time I ever 187 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: saw mister Bob laugh. And that's just how that happened 188 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: Monday Tuesday in about half a Wednesday would start early 189 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: in the summer. Breakfast was usually at someone's farm we'd 190 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: show up to conveniently around breakfast time. It was always 191 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: good too, not a dud in the bunch. Whatever farm 192 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:01,439 Speaker 1: we found ourselves at around mill time was always a winner. 193 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: Lots of farmers and their wives would cook forest and 194 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: Dad had already vetted the good ones and arranged our 195 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 1: schedule to arrive at certain times of the day. Between 196 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,439 Speaker 1: meals were good too. After all, I was a growing 197 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: boy and I never met a quarter milk and a 198 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: bag of powdered doughnuts. I didn't like. I needed the energy. 199 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: One of my jobs was to climb the feed bends 200 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: on the outside of the chicken house and look down 201 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: inside through the top hatch and count the section of 202 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: metal rings above the current feed level, so Dad would 203 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: know how much feed the order for him. The sun 204 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: would beat down on that galvanized medal, and the only 205 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: cool thing about that job was climbing the ladder, even 206 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 1: the ladder was hot enough to scald a hog. My 207 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: dad hated climbing those bends, and in his later years 208 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 1: of work and he kept a box of rocks in 209 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: the cab of his truck. He pulled up the side 210 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: a feed bend, and instead of climbing it, he chunked. 211 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,319 Speaker 1: He chunked rocks at it, listening for the tone it 212 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 1: made when he hit at the medal, and repeat it 213 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: until he found the spot where the feed stopped. Then 214 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: he'd order the appropriate amount of feed. I bet he 215 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: didn't climb one feed bend ladder the last five years 216 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 1: he worked before he retired. There was a lady in there, 217 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: Star City, Arkansas, that worked on a man's farm, and 218 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: I would love to know her history and how she 219 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: wound up here. But miss Hudson was from Ireland and 220 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: she had the most beautiful accent way of talking. It 221 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: was hard for me to understand her at times, but 222 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: I love to hear her talking laugh, and my dad 223 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: was good at making folks laugh. She dressed like she 224 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,080 Speaker 1: was straight out of Central Casting for what you'd imagine 225 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: an Irish grandmother would look like. She smiled a lot, 226 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: and when she looked at me, she had the kindest 227 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,080 Speaker 1: eyes I believe I've ever seen. I noticed it even 228 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: as a little boy, and I think of her often 229 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: now as a grown man, but I never really knew her. 230 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 1: She was just one of a number of folks that 231 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: I'd see every summer making the rounds to all the farms. 232 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: They weren't all as nice as Miss Hudson. The incident. 233 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 1: This incident happened after a feed truck driver got stuck 234 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 1: in on gravel road that the farmer had built between 235 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: two chicken houses. Now, the road was there for the 236 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: feed trucks to use, but had been freshly graveled, and 237 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: unfortunately big rain had come the day before the feed 238 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: truck got there. I keep in mind that these feed 239 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: trucks aren't they're not pickups. They could be as big 240 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 1: as a concrete truck or an eighteen wheeler, depending on 241 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: how much fee they were delivering. Now, this truck driver 242 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: drove right up in the middle of the freshly gravel road. 243 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 1: After the rain had absolutely buried that truck to the axis. 244 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: The farmer came off the chain, screaming and cussing that 245 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: poor truck driver something terrible who was doing everything he 246 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 1: could to apologize for his mistake. He told him to 247 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: never come back to his farm, and it upset the 248 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: driver so bad that he walked away, leaving the truck 249 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 1: there and quit. And sometime later the office got in 250 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: touch with my dad and he went down to talk 251 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 1: with a farmer and try to resolve the issue. By 252 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: the time he got there, a wrecker had removed the 253 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: feed truck and the farmer was there with a shovel 254 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: by himself, repairing the damaged road. My dad didn't say 255 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: a word to him. He just grabbed a shovel out 256 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: of the back of his truck and started in helping 257 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: him shovel gravel back in the deep ruts. A few 258 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: minutes went by before anyone said anything, and finally Dad said, 259 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: you know, you made that driver quit. The old man 260 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: kept shoveling and said, well, I didn't mean for him 261 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: to do that. You tell that fellow. I'm sorry, and 262 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: he can come back here anytime or better yet, I 263 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: tell him myself. A few minutes went by and he 264 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: continued saying, I don't mean to be this way, buddy. 265 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: But in nineteen forty one, I was working for John 266 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: Deere and I was making forty dollars a week. Now, 267 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: I know that don't sound like a whole lot of money, 268 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: but in nineteen forty one, that was a heck of 269 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: a wage son. Then Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. I got 270 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: drafted into the service, and I told it a ninety 271 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,720 Speaker 1: pound pack from the Belgian border to the Baltic Sea 272 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 1: for six hundred dollars a year, and I'm still mad 273 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: about it. The list of colorful characters that I met 274 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: and grew to know was as varied as any group 275 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: of people couldn't be. They were good folks for the 276 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: most part, some better than others, the same of which 277 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: could be said for the people my dad worked with, 278 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 1: and I got to know lots of them over the years, 279 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: and they more or less saw me grow up. Too 280 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: many to mention, but it was. It was like one 281 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: big family, and everyone knew my dad, and most of 282 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: them called me little buddy. My dad was the strongest 283 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: person I knew, but he had one weakness. He suffered 284 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: from undiagnosed musophobia, a condition where a person shows extreme fear, panic, 285 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: and anxiety of rats and mice. A possum just ran 286 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: over my grave thinking about it now, most folks would 287 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: call out a shutter when something gives you the willies 288 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 1: and your body has a sudden tremor. My grandmother, Mama's 289 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: Lie said that happens when the possum runs over your grave. 290 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: I told her once when I was a kid that 291 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: I didn't have a grave, and that saying didn't make 292 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: any sense. She told me to be quiet anyway. It 293 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: was widely known that my dad had this fear. One 294 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: person thought it would be funny to play a trick 295 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: on him at the feed meal in Pine Bluff. Now, 296 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: this guy was not on my dad's Christmas card list 297 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: to begin with, and this trick would see that he 298 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: never made it on there. Now, rats are attracted to feed. 299 00:16:57,760 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: A feed meal that produces tons of feed is going 300 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: to have an issue with him. There's just no way 301 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 1: around it. The Pine Blood feed meal was no different. 302 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: I remember Dad let me climb up an access ladder 303 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: to the top of the building once and I looked 304 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 1: down at the ground behind the mill and saw several 305 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:18,200 Speaker 1: big ones running around him, and I mean big ones. 306 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 1: There wasn't another possum. But Dad walked into the office 307 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 1: there one day to deliver some feed samples, and the 308 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 1: fella in question here saw him coming and had saved 309 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 1: a particularly large specimen they'd killed earlier that day in 310 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 1: the meal. The man hid behind the door of that 311 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 1: with that big rat in his hand, and when my 312 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: dad walked in, he just laid it up on my 313 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 1: dad's shoulder. Dad ran back outside through the door while 314 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: the man laughed and laughed, saying, what's your hurry, buddy. 315 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: My father looked at him and looked at him and 316 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: told him, you're gonna regret that he dropped the feed 317 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: samples in the parking lot where he stood and turned 318 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 1: around in the yuh. The months went by and my 319 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,400 Speaker 1: dad never brought that up, never mentioned it to him, 320 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: never said anything to anyone. It was one of those 321 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: things that everyone knew about, but no one said anything about. Now. 322 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: One thing my dad wasn't scared of was snakes. Snakes 323 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: of any persuasion, it didn't matter. I've seen him catch 324 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 1: all kinds, from grass snakes to cotton mouse and rattlers. 325 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: As luck would have it, one day, my father was 326 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: driving to Pine Blood to deliver some feed samples when 327 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: of particularly large rat snakes crossing the road in front 328 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: of it. Now they routine to grow to six feet 329 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: in lengthd here, and this one was fully grown. How 330 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: opportunity he had him caught and stuck in a bucket 331 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: with his feed samples. In short order and continued his journey. 332 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 1: Walking in the office, he saw the man that had 333 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: laid the rat on his shoulders sitting at his desk 334 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 1: on the phone. My dad poked his head in the doorway, 335 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: and the man for him to come in and pointed 336 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 1: to a chair for my dad to sit in. Dad said, 337 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: he walked in his office and dumped that bucket of 338 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 1: port sized zip lock bags and one huge angry rat 339 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:14,160 Speaker 1: snake in the man's lap and says, I can't stay. 340 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: I'm in a hurry, and walked out the door. Now 341 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: I look back, I look back on those times often. 342 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,919 Speaker 1: They're good memories, some just as good as when we 343 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,200 Speaker 1: were hunting and fishing, the common denominator being that we 344 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,680 Speaker 1: were together just having fun. Now I make a concerted 345 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 1: effort to do the same with my children and my grandchildren, 346 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: and I really anyone I happen to be sharing a 347 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: space with the little folks. They're the ones that matter 348 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: most to me, and the ones that you and I 349 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: can make the biggest impressions on just by sharing our 350 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,879 Speaker 1: time and our interest. When a kid is about to 351 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: drive you crazy, asking a million questions and going ninety 352 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: miles an hour, put your in their spot. Think about 353 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: how you wanted someone to talk to you when you 354 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 1: were that age, or if you can't remember back that far, 355 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 1: how do you want him to talk to you now? 356 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 1: They're going to ask someone, And if we're gonna stand 357 00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: even the slightest chance of making the difference in this 358 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: entangled mess of life we find ourselves in today, we 359 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 1: need to be the ones to answer you and me 360 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: except to us. Mister Bob, I don't know what became 361 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,360 Speaker 1: him after that summer. He sold that farm and got 362 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: out of chicken business. Dad told me later on in 363 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 1: life when I asked him about that story. I told 364 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: y'all at the beginning, I hope he moved to the 365 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: mountains or the beach and did whatever his passion was. 366 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: It certainly wasn't raising chickens to farming, but he proved 367 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: that he could do it, and my dad didn't do 368 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: it for him. As a parent, I'm tempted to make 369 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: things easier for my daughter Bailey by doing things for her. 370 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 1: That's not the way to make her better. I need 371 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: to be more like Dad than mister Bob and show 372 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: her the tools that she needs to use to be 373 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: successful and help guide her along her path, but I 374 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:16,200 Speaker 1: can't told her. She has to take the steps herself, 375 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: watch where she's going, and whenever she needs some help, 376 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: she just needs to know that all she has to 377 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 1: do is turn around and they're outfits. Hey, did you 378 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: know that my friend Ryan Kyle Callahan has fired up 379 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,920 Speaker 1: the Meat Eater auction House Oddities. There's some pretty sweet 380 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: items up forbid. The money rais is going to the 381 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: Land Action Initiative and support of the Corner Crossing Legal 382 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: Defense Fund. That decision will have implications on public access everywhere, 383 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: and I think it's a good cause. That's why I 384 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,119 Speaker 1: and my friends at the Cash Buy You Coon Camp, 385 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: sun Spotlights, and case Knives have teamed up to offer 386 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: to the highest bidder a two night coon hunt date 387 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 1: to be determined with lodging at the legendary Dick with 388 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,879 Speaker 1: more cash value can a case bone stag trapper, pocket knife, 389 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: and a copperhead hunting light just like the one I 390 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: wear made by my friend Michael Roseman and sun Spot 391 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: hunting lights. We're gonna feed you all day and take 392 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: you hunting all night. It's gonna be a good time, 393 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,920 Speaker 1: I promise. Meet Your Live tour is about to kick 394 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 1: off out West, so you can check out and get 395 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 1: the particulars on both the auction and the live tour 396 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,679 Speaker 1: at meeteater dot com. I thank y'all for listening and 397 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:41,880 Speaker 1: until next week. This is Brent Reeve signing off. Y'all 398 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: be careful