Sunday, December 30, 2007

COLD

"Cold" is kinda relative according to your personal perspective.

Examples:

When I was around 12 years old, we would have an occasional Wright City ice storm/snow that would last for a few days. I would put on a pair of canvas "tennis" shoes, blue jeans, a tee shirt and a worn light jacket and then tromp thru the fields and creeks all day long with no thought of "cold" or illness.

When I was 17, 18, 19, working in the East Texas oil field, I would go to work in the winters with ice on everthing (ya didn't eat if ya didn't work). I wore shoes (never in my life have I worn a pair of steel toed boots because "they cost money"). I wore jeans, a "hard hat" and some kind of trashed out waist length jacket. We worked 10-12 hour shifts. Our "heater" was a five gallon bucket of diesel burning (a lot of smoke, absolutely nothing in the way of heat). You only got to enjoy the "heater" on rare breaks (and away from the oil well!!!!). When the temperature was in the teens and it was raining/sleeting, you had a real treat. As you are "going in/out of the hole" (removing or putting back rods/pipe/casing) in a well, your are alternately looking straight up (think rain/sleet in face) or looking down at the well head (think rain/sleet down the back of your neck and running down your spine). (Now imagine that for 10-12 hours without ever getting out of the pasture you were working in?). Yeah, I was "cold", but I didn't have a lot of options, and truthfully, I don't remember feeling like I was especially miserable, unfortunate, or whatever.

From age 20 until 31, I worked as a TROOPER/SERGEANT with the TEXAS HIGHWAY PATROL (sorry bout the all caps, but guess my pride kicked in?) When ice storms hit, I would go to work to handle the problems and not come home for as long as three days. I wore leather cowboy boots, and a DPS uniform. My only concession to the weather was the absolute cheapest insulated underwear that Sears & Roebuck sold, a "parka" coat issued by DPS, and "leather" gloves with rabbit fur inside (I still have those gloves). Again, I got cold, but it was a part of the job (and remember, you don't work, you don't eat). I just did it without much thought because the men in my family had endured much worse conditions for eons before me.

(OK, there is a point to this trip down "cold" memory lane)

Yesterday morning I went to my beloved TIN STAR RANCH (all caps: the "pride" thing) to hunt for venison/trophy/memories. It was 23 degrees. I was wearing truly expensive long johns, insulated boots, a sweat shirt, insulated expensive overalls (over my jeans, tee shirt, denim shirt) high dollar heavy hunting parka, high dollar thick insulated gloves, an insulated hat, and put the parka hood over the hat.

I sat in my deer stand from 6 AM till 8 AM (no wildlife sightings, not even a sparrow/squirrel).

I can't think of the words to say how miserable cold, shaking, (can't even think), bone aching, feet numb, nose running, eyes watering, (fat old gray haired man), my butt got.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TOUGH BUTT GUY WHO COULD DO IT FROM CAN TIL CAN'T AND JUST GO BACK FOR MORE WITH NO REMOTE THOUGHT OF "COLD"????????

Friday, December 28, 2007

"GIFTS"

Christmas season "gifts" come in many flavors.

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in my tree stand adjacent to the pond on my land hunting for big horns. About 5Pm I was looking at the pond and an incredibly beautiful red fox walked to the edge of the water, drank to its heart's content, looked around, and then walked back into the brush.

What a neat gift to get to see that in nature.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A SET OF WHEELS

This is going to be pretty boring (more personal history BS for my kiddos) so you might want to get comfortable before reading any further?

I grew up out in the real deal "country" (We are talking downright rural, also known as Wright City). When we went to "town", that was Henderson (about 12 miles away. When we went to the "city", it was Tyler (but not often as it had traffic lights, one way streets, and more people than you would see in a decade in Wright City).

We seldom had more than one vehicle in the family and it doubled as Dad's oil field work vehicle. That meant that we were "on foot" for the most part and put one foot in front of the other to ease around the neighborhood.

***My First Wheels***

When I was about 12, my Dad found a bicycle in a scrap pile somewhere that had the frame cracked and about to break. Dad drilled a hole in the top rail and bottom of the bike, put bolts in the ends of a piece of chain, and tightened nuts on the ends of the bolts until it pulled the frame together (I rode that sucker 900,000 miles and the frame never cratered) It came with slick tires and I left it with the same set of slick tires, but with the inner tube almost completely made of the patches to fix the "flats". The mechanical parts in the rear axle were so worn that the pedals would turn endlessly before they would "catch" and I could pedal effectively. BUT, IT WAS A SET OF WHEELS AND I RODE THAT PUPPY FROM DAWN TO DUSK FOR MANY YEARS (I also painted it new color every time I found a can of house paint with a little left in it)

When I discovered "girls", my parents wouldn't let me ride my bike on the highway, and they threatened me with all manner of things if I "hitchhiked", but for some reason they didn't care if I walked. So::: when I had a girl friend that lived about 10 miles away, I would walk to her house, stay til night, and then walk home. All good except there was a creek bottom along the way and to this day I remember the spooky sounds in the night as I rather briskly walked that "bottom" (while wishing I had a set of wheels to effect a hasty escape).

One more "walking" story (OK kids, you can groan). I was the point guard on our basketball team. We were playing in a tournament in Carlisle. I didn't have a ride to my school, but the bus would go thru Turnertown to get to Carlisle. So for the morning game I walked from Wright City to Turnertown, caught the bus and we won the first game. We didn't play again til the afternoon so the bus came back, stopped in Turnertown, and I walked to Wright City. That afternoon I walked back to Wright City, caught the school bus and helped to win the second game to get us in the championship game that night, BUT, the bus went back thru Turnertown, my butt walked home (and then back that night to catch the bus for the third time). We got beat like a drum in the championship game, in part because ole frankie was playing in his third game of the day and had walked about halfway to the moon and back in between. (The point being, I learned to appreciate "wheels" intensely at an early age)

***My First Access to a Motor Vehicle***

I got my driver license when I was 14 (I now find it hard to believe that Texas law allowed children to drive at 14?). In my youthful innocence I thought the world was about to open up and provide all its glory due to my new found freedom. (dang, I forgot the part about being a one vehicle family and Dad needing that vehicle for his job)(PLUS: when I was 14, Mom and Dad were 31 and they enjoyed going to Kilgore to "honky-tonk", drink some cerveza and dance). To their credit and my undying gratitude, when I started dating, they decided to let me have the family vehicle every other Saturday night while they used it on the off Saturday night. So imagine the romanticism of the following for each "lucky" teen girl: My "limo" was a 1953 Chevy pickup with more rust than paint. On my Saturday I would sweep out the inch of red sand in the floorboard and then get some diesel and with an old rag wipe the oil and grease off the seats, dash, steering wheel, etc (Dad filled the truck with oil field roughnecks every day) I would love to know what those girls thought about my fragrant chariot???

***My School Wheels***

We lived on the end of the bus route for New London Schools. We were the first kids picked up in the morning and the last to get off each night (yeah it was dark a lot as we rode that big yellow sucker from can til can't). Wasn't no big deal as everyone did the same (til they got driver licenses and cars) Not ole frankie. This fat boy rode that big yeller suckah thru the 11th grade. I looked like some of those little kids' Daddy since everyone else was so much younger than me. Finally my senior year in high school a buddy who lived close got a car and took me to school each morn and got me off that bus (and no doubt saved my eternal dignity)

***Heaven at Last***

After graduation from high school, I worked in the oil field long enough to finally get my own personal set of wheels and it was grand!! In 1968 I paid $175 for a red 1959 Chevy Bel Air. I was stylin'!! Only thing was every time I drove it I lifted the hood and put in a quart of oil. Didn't even check the dipstick, just poured that oil (oh yeah, it had a V8 engine, but it was so wore out it wouldn't run over 70 MPH, BUT IT WAS MINE!!!!)

***Upgrade Time***

About 1969 that first Chevy pretty near cratered so Dad took me to Tyler to a used car lot and we found a 1962 Chevy Bel Air that looked in mint condition. Dad co-signed a note for (hold onto your hats: $700) with Mills Parker at the Arp State Bank and I was now formally in debt for the first time in my life. I drove that little Chevy until 1972 and dang near drove the wheels off it.

***New Car***

In 1972 I had been a Trooper for a couple of years and decided to assume some serious debt and bought my first new car, a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. I was stylin' in high cotton (while choking on the payments).

***My Favorite Wheels***

I have owned a 1964 Corvette Sting Ray, a Mitsubishi 3000 GT and a host of other testosterone ridiculous cars, but my all time favorite that I wish I owned to this day was my first pickup.

I think it was about 1973 that my Dad told me that my Uncle Jerry was willing to sell his truck for $600 (I think that was the amount?). I didn't know the vehicle, but Dad promised me I would not be disappointed and should buy it. Wasn't no way I had access to $600, but I managed to borrow it and sight unseen made the purchase. When Dad took me to White Oak to pick up the truck, I started a love affair with that sweet little truck that continues until this day.

It was a 1964 Chevy step side with a short bed, and all kinds of extra chrome not normally found on trucks of that era. It had "west coast" chrome outside rearview mirrors, a 230 cid six cylinder engine and as much class as anything I have ever rode in. When I would stop at traffic lights in a town, people were always offering to buy it.

In 1981 I was sent to Chicago for a year to attend a management school at Northwestern University. I took my beloved truck to Dad in Wright City and asked if he would keep the truck til I got back, crank it every week or so and maybe once per month drive it to keep it in shape. I left Texas and within a week Dad had sold his truck and moved into mine.

When I got back a year later, I didn't have the heart to take the truck away from Dad (he loved it as much as me). For many years he would let me know when "my" truck needed to be inspected, registered, or needed new tires. Finally at some point I offered to put the truck in his name on the title with the understanding that I would get the truck back one day.

Dad drove the truck until the rust was about to cause the fenders to to fall off, rust a hole in the roof, etc, and the engine was worn to a complete frazzle. Each time the odometer passed 99,999 miles day would pull the cardboard sunvisor down and with a pencil note the event. I think it lasted more than 300,000 miles! Dad parked it in a comfortable resting place at the side of his house and patiently listened to many men over the years stop at his house and try to buy the truck. Finally one day Dad called (he needed some money) and suggested that we sell the truck to Bubba Ward and let him use the parts to build another similar truck. I wanted to help Dad, I liked Bubba, and I felt it was a way to preserve the dignity of my beloved "first pickup" so I agreed (with a degree of sadness).

I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT 1964 CHEVY OR THE KINDNESS SHOWN BY JERRY IN SELLING IT TO ME FOR SUCH A MODEST PRICE AT A TIME WHEN I COULD LITTLE AFFORD SUCH A LUXORY.

***My Parent's Gift***

I have had too many vehicles in my life to even count, but with each one, I have kept the perspective provided by growing up in the country with limited transportation and thus knowing how lucky I have been in the transportation department. I have also never forgotten my parents' love in sharing the family vehicle at a very important time in my youth.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

CHRISTMAS DAY

WOW!

How does so much food get prepared and ingested??

The important thing, of course, is that we remember the reason for the season. Corny phrase, but exactly where it is at. Celebration of the earthly birth of our Lord Jesus.

But:: how neat to have a family together in a relaxed, happy, atmosphere with positive interaction and so much laughing.

Christmas love to all and God's own blessing as well.

Love to my family, wherever you may be!

TSRH

Monday, December 24, 2007

CHRISTMAS EVE

Christmas love to all as we rejoice in the glory of our Savior Jesus at this special time of love, grace and family unity.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

SPECIAL TIMES

5:30AM

Full moon brighter than anything imaginable

Stars that look anything but real in their collective ornamentation

15 feet up on a ladder stand leaned against a cedar elm with not a leaf in sight

Just lean back against the tree trunk, soak in the God given heavenly view

And realize that it doesn't matter if a deer ever comes in sight

You have seen the glory of the heavens in their finest

Monday, December 17, 2007

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God (Mathew 5:9)

There have been 11 Colonels/Lt. Colonels in the history of DPS:

1. L. G. Phares
2. Homer Garrison
3. Wilson Speir
4. James Adams
5. Leo Gossett
6. Joe Milner
7. James Wilson
8. Dudley Thomas
9. Tommie Davis
10. Frankie Waller
11. David McEathron

All of the above worked more than 30 years at DPS with Davis topping the chart at 41 years.

Yours truly managed 33 years and 18 days.

Each year at Christmas the current Colonel hosts a lunch for the remaining retired Colonels. We did that today for a total of four of us. Talk about looking mortality in the face. We each know we are part of a dying breed. The current generation has no thought of putting in 30-40 years with one employer and has a myriad of outside interests that have no relation to law enforcement.

I reckon we take solace in knowing that we gave it everthing we had for our entire adult lives trying to do the right things for the right reasons at the right time, every time, while trying to make the lives of all a bit more secure.

Blessed are the peacemakers.........

Sunday, December 16, 2007

The First Time

There are any number of things that humans do, "for the first time", that forever remains as a special memory.

If one is inclined to hunt for wild game, there is usually no more special memory than the first deer taken.

Today I had a very special privilege. My friend, Lynn, allowed me the courtesy of his son, James, shooting his first ever deer on the Tin Star Ranch (also a "first" as the first Tin Star Ranch doe taken by anyone).

The deer was a doe (a great first deer). James shot the deer with his .223 at 115 steps with a perfect head shot which instantly put the deer down. When Lynn called to let me know, Mendy and I felt the same elation as if it was our own boy's first deer.

I am very proud of and for James and hope that if my four year old grandson, Jonathan, ever wants to hunt, he will allow me to have his first deer come from the Tin Star in the gracious manner that Lynn granted us this privilege.

James, I hope that today begins a lifetime of rewarding hunting memories for you and your sons.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Is It Just Me Or ......?

Didja ever see the cartoon where the herd of cows are all standing on their hind legs in the pasture smokin' cigs and drinking beer. Then a car comes by on the highway and they get back down on all fours and munch grass til the coast is clear, then back up to act "human"?

(Yeah, there is a point to this postulation)

This morn I settled into my trustee venison harvestin' structure (technically it is just an ugly hut I built since I have never actually ingested wild game meat acquired while within). It was near 5:45A with the temp 48, and a right stiff North wind blowing heavy mist on me like the Titanic was goin' down (nother words the warm was suckin' outta me like a tall dawg)!

Near bout 6:55AM (when my eyeballs were shakin' with the cold and I was seriously doubting my own sanity), six non-horned deer began to suck up the corn candy (Lisa would call it "slappin on belly jelly") under my Northeast feeder. Two of said ruminants were this year's nubbin' bucks with just the hint of "bumps" on their heads where one day magnificent calcified statuary will no doubt sprout.

Bein' younguns', the two "nubbins" soon began to headbutt, bite and kick each other exactly as my kiddos used to do. As the doe (mom) soon got tired of the commotion, she "charged" at them in an aggressive display. This went on a time or two until the "twins" took off like their tails were on fire. Not to be outdone the "mom" followed at full tilt: closely followed by the entire herd. This unlikely parade then began to circle a group of trees at such speed that they were at best a blur.

After about four trips around the trees, the whole fam damily ran right straight at my location, stopping no less than 15 yards away.

Upon seeing me (with my eyes about the size of tennis balls) they suddenly regained their "dignity" and began to rather stiffly (no doubt due to embarassment) slowly stroll away until they disappeared into the brush.

Heck, who cares that no tangible, braggin' rights, Boone and Crockett, testosterone drippin' stag appeared this morn. Seeing them dang unhorned deer act so "human" was a memory that shall not soon fade.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Old Wore Out Stories

I can't say exactly why, but for some reason I enjoy sharing stories about growing up economically poor (yes, I know kids, you have heard each story a gozillion times)

I kinda knew we were short on cash as a kid, but everyone else in our world was pretty much in the same boat so it was never that big a deal.

As far as clothes were concerned, we got new school clothes and one pair of shoes once per year when school started. For many years Mom made my sisters' dresses (always just alike so they tried to coordinate so that they didn't wear the same dress on the same day) and she made my shirts and underwear. One day when I was older I was looking at the tail of a store bought shirt and realized something was missing. The I realized it was the first time I owned a shirt that didn't have the writing concerning the chicken feed in indelible ink printed on the shirt tail. (My shirts matched the girls dresses as chicken feed sacks only came in so many patterns)

When those clothes got holes in them, the holes got patched. No new clothes until the next school year started. Some times the patches got patches, but we kept wearing them.

Being a typical boy, my one pair of shoes per year got pretty ragged before the end of their life. One time when I was about 13 the sole of my "slippers" came loose and it made a flopping sound with every step. As this embarassed me, I cut the sole off the shoes and walked around with my stocking feet hitting the ground (but no flopping noise).

When I was about 16, my Dad and I shared a pair of dress shoes. We both had the same size feet. My job was to keep the shoes shined and in return, Dad let me wear them on special occasions when he wasn't wearing them. That worked fine for me as I had no nice shoes otherwise.

Dad made the same deal with our family vehicle, a 1953 Chevy pickup. Every other Saturday night he and mom would use the truck to "honky tonk". On the alternate Saturday nights he would let me use it to go on a date. Of course the truck was also Dad's oil field work truck so in order to go on this date, I had to get about two inches of red sand from the floorboard and use kerosene soaked rags to get all the oil and grease off the seats. No big deal, it was a ride and I was mobile and free (with a strong kerosene smell as ambience.) The only thing to do on a "date" was go to the Turnertown drive-in. The Dairy Queen in Henderson had not been built and there isn't much you can do with $2 anyway. The drive-in was 50 cents each and gas was like 18 to 25 cents per gallon so I even had enough money for a couple of cokes at 15 cents each (but not much else).

When I started high school my english teacher, Ms. Spradley, noticed the ragged condition of my clothes. She had me come to her room alone one day and showed me a sack of nice used clothes she had obtained from a relative and ordered me to try them on and keep whatever fit. She said that this would be our secret forever as no one had to know she was helping me with clothes. That dear lady smuggled used clothes to me for all of high school and to this day no one that I went to school with ever found out.

OK, kids, I blogged this stuff so maybe you won't have to hear it again (Naw, I enjoy telling it too much)

Sunday, December 9, 2007

WRIGHT CITY TALK

The following represents a collection of Wright Cityisms carefully and accurately recorded over my life in order to preserve and eulogize a unique language spoken no where else on Mother Earth.

The absolute best friend I have ever had in my life, my Dad (Gene Waller), uttered the best of the following, but others unwittingly contributed to the treasure as well while uttering phrases worthy of recording for posterity.

After all, our language is more a product of common usage than something that is arbitrarily printed as rules in a book as to how we should speak.

OK, here goes in a style befitting the manner of Dad's every day way of communicating:

Act of Commerce - difficult to accomplish (Act of Congress)

Back Sifle - siphon

Baffroom - bathroom

Ball - boil

Ball Batten - tennis racket (OK folks, all this will not make perfect sense, but it is the real stuff)

Barney Fite - barney fife

Bat Drawers - (OK, you got me on this one, but generally it means Gosh, Darn, or an exclamation of disgust?)( Dad also said, " Shit and two is eight" when something didn't make sense)

Biotics - antibiotics (close, but no cigar phonetically)

Bumb - bomb

Buzz Saw - weed eater (newfangled technology don't you know?)

catawpiller tree - catalpa tree (if you ain't from East Tx, you can't "get" this 'un)

Catywampus - off center or out of line (this makes as much sense to me as any of them)

CBR -VCR (hell, it's just letters?)

Clatterin' - collateral (I don't think paying back loans was all that important to Dad so why worry about the word for it??)

Climb in the Box - burial (something to always make light of in order to not feel depressed by the prospect)(my Dad was kind enough to help me make pre-burial arrangements for him and insisted on laying in the casket he selected in order to test its comfort???)

Compression - depression (another one that makes sense to me as both concepts seem to apply pschologically?)

Convertra - catalytic converter (OK, Detroit and the government just made up a damn word so why can't Gene do the same?)

Countrymary - customary (pure music to a kuntry boy's ears)

Cross Stickin' - cross stitching (what do men know about this anyway)(OK, I got pretty darn good at this for at time, but try to be easy on the "sissy" names?)

Dacked Out - fashionably dressed (Dad didn't have the finances to do this often, but he recognized when someone had it "going on" fashionably and commented accordingly)(also known as looking like a "band box", no clue on this one?)

Defang Shrimp - devein shrimp

Desistent - consistent

Devil Indenity - double indemity (you gotta love this one if your are insurance oriented?)

Digikal - digital

Doozy - anything good or of high quality

Duke's Mixture - Any combination of thing's (I spent my youth wondering who this "Duke" person was, but still have no clue?)

ECI - MCI long distance service

Encyclopedic - orthopedic

Epsoleptic fit - Epileptic fit

Farkason - Massey Ferguson Tractor (sometimes ya just gotta live there to know what they are talking about?)

Favors - looks like (OK, you read this and think, " What is unusual about that?" Well, go to somewhere besides East Tx and try that line and people will look at you and say , HUH?\

Flush Hole - threshold (only important if you need to know that the bottom of the door entryway has a problem?)

Fraud - frog

Gidget Saw - jig saw (another one of my personal favorites)

Go Down Amongst 'Em - die (how can you not like this one?)

Go Down Swangin' - yep, die again

Goes by Squirts - goes in spurts (I take this to mean stops and starts, but you may interpret Dad anyway you like on this one?)

Head Ponch - boss

Heerawed - Made fun of or laughed at (Dad did this a lot)

Hindu - emu

Hocus Pocus - hex

Hokeymolie - guacamole

Housitosis - cabin fever (Dad had this a lot as he hated to be inside and only did that due to the weather or his health)

Infectated - infatuated (in matters of love, Dad's word was probably better?)

Lanna - Mylanta (important if you had a stomach problem)

Last of the Moheekians - all used up or empty

Light Bread - white bread ( I think I still unconsciously use this word when not wanting to be healthy with "whole wheat", but not sure?0

Magnets - maggots

Mikeyway - microwave

Mollies - tomales


Musher -mulcher

Mysterionly - mysteriously

O Say - O.J. Simpson

Pasketti - spaghetti

Polly pop - kool aid

Poop the Poop - wear an item out or individually tired

Rassel - wrestle

Rastin - harassment (I don't get this one either, but you had to know Dad)

Receive - command a dog to "retrieve"

Recoil - redial

Rekasessed - reposessed (yeah, this happened a time or two due to nonpayment)

Reservated - reserved a hotel room (something Dad did not do in his entire life)

Rister Scale - richter scale

Sanger Sewer - singer sewing machine

Skeered up - worried

Skip and Dip - coffee or tea bag

Seaster Mechanic - accountant ( no clue here)

Selector - telephone solicitor

Small Fortune - any cost above a bargain

Smoothmouth - anything worn out

Snyternol - tylenol

Testicle Flu - intestinal flu

Teejus - requiring careful adjustment within exacting tolerances?

Tranquilican - mannequin (another personal favorite of mine)

Twister Tweets - swisher sweets (cigars)

Umpire - empire (a refererence to his pile of scrap iron and old cars parked in the back yard)

Who Hit John - any alcoholic beverage other than beer

Wishwash - wrist watch

Wobbler Butt - anyone fat

*Lisa get personal kudos for adding:

Slap on the Belly Jelly - eat

That Sun's Just Right to be Wrong - the sun is in my eyes

Whomperjawed - catywampus, askew, out-of-line


Anywho, you get the idea.

The lingo of my "raisin" was colorful, imaginative, and "almost" in the ballpark as far as meaning. I always loved Dad's colorful adornment of the "language" and will always treasure his contribution to conversational communication.

Enjoy if you will and know I enjoyed remembering the memory of Dad talking regardless!

Tin Star Ranch Hand

Saturday, December 8, 2007

A Good Day at the Tin Star

Eased onto the Tin Star bout 5:30A this morn and it was as dark as the world gets. Turn out the lights and you can't see your hand in front of your face.

Outfitted for the deer blind and was sittin' pretty bout daylight and saw three does at the corn feeder muching like they didn't have a care in the world. Didn't see any horns today, but who cares? Just had a laid back, relaxing day with the wind in the trees and just me and the Lord veggin' in the glory.

Managed to assemble my second deer feeder (compliments of ebay) and put it by the (ebay) tree stand at the tank so should draw some "customers" to that? Will Tin Star Ranch smoked link sausage be in my near future??

THANK YOU LORD FOR EVERY DAY THAT I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF RELAXING AND ENJOYING YOUR BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS AT MY BELOVED RANCH!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Ghost Bucks and Other Myths

About three weeks ago I eased into my trusty hand built deer blind (cleverly disguised by yours truly to look like a country outhouse in order to facilitate my BS hunting stories) well before the crack of 6AM (still dark another words).

Legal shooting light (30 minutes before sunrise) was 6:30A. Near bout 6:34A, my feeble eyes determined that a deer was back in the trees at my corn feeder. Further examination with my binoculars allowed me to see that the "deer" had horns which included multiple points.

Life is full of choices and roads taken - or not?

I decided to take the "shoot the deer now" road while barely able to discern it in the rifle scope rather than risk having it "escape" before the light increased.

Taking careful aim I fired, causing the muzzle blast from the round to blind me temporarily due to the darkness.

I heard brother deer crashing thru the brush on my neighbors land (I thought), but for a few moments I was as blind as a bat (muzzle blast remember). I then spent the next hour struggling thru the dense brush on my neighbor's land trying to find some evidence of the deer, but finally decide I "missed" the shot. (Now sports fans, this is a significant and sobering point because at the ripe old age of 57 with probably 50 deer killed, I had NEVER missed a deer???????????)

Anywho, fast forward three weeks and a buddy of mine goes to the Tin Star to hunt and sees a bunch of vultures on the ground and investigates. Yep, about 25 yards from where I shot the buck, a deer was in the middle of a patch of dense brush (ON MY LAND!!!!!!).

Talk about mixed feelings:

1. I felt inadequate due to my ineptitude at "tracking".
2. I felt vindication as I can still say I have never missed a shot at a deer.
3. I felt sad that one of God's creatures was eliminated without providing sustenance as food.
4. I felt proud to have the horns to display as my first TIN STAR RANCH BUCK

The rack has nine points with a 12 inch inside spread and fairly heavy beams. Not a trophy by any standard, but it is symetrical and will look good with a European mount (skull and horns attached)(if my dumbutt ever figgers out how to put pics on this blog, I will add one of ole bucky?)

During December I am going to spend as much off-duty time as possible pursuing a venison supply in order to lay in a store of Tin Star Ranch sausage for the coming year (more blogs later on the continuing exciting episodes of the ole gray fat boy and his adventures overcoming failing vision and the wobbles while on safari at his beloved Gabriel Mills ranchito)

Monday, December 3, 2007

SCHOOLIN' AND SUCH (more history for my kids)

I figured out fairly early in life that the folks I knew who could read and write had an easier time in life. During the three years I worked in the East Texas oil field, it amazed me that so many people I worked with were illiterate and thus stuck in very difficult jobs.

My guesstimation is that the average education level of "successful" people in my small world was maybe the 6th or 7th grade. Those who made the 10th grade were somewhat akin to scholars so I decided that getting a high school diploma was simply a must do.

I spent 12 years "readin' and writin'" at New London, Texas For the first ten years the school was simply called New London. In 1966, two white schools and two black schools consolidated and integrated simultaneouly and became West Rusk County ISD. I received my coveted high school diploma in 1968.

It occurred to me that if a high school diploma would get me a better job and perhaps an easier life, maybe some college would add to the benefit. However, the Sunday after high school graduation, my Dad visited with me and told me that I could continue to live and eat in his house, but I would otherwise have to be on my own as he needed to take care of my sisters.

As leaving the area to attend college was not an option, I decided to try Kilgore Junior College. It was maybe 20 miles from home.

I had no clue about anything related to college. On the day of registration I drove to the college totally stressed with no knowledge of what I was supposed to do. When I got there I saw the longest line of people ever in front of a large building. I got in the line with no idea about what I was supposed to do or where the line was going. The other kids in the line were talking, laughing, and obviously confident. The longer I was in the line the more I became convinced that I didn't belong there (and was likely too damn dumb to do college work anyway). Somewhere inside of me I found the fortitude to stay and went thru the process of registering.

Being too ignorant to start out easy in this strange new challenge, I registered for 19 hours of pre-med (Chemistry, Zoology, English, Algebra, Government and ???). WOW, that first semester was an eye opener. Learning from that experience, I only took 18 hours each of the next two semesters. If I remember correctly, I made the only "D" of my entire life one semester in Inorganic Chemistry and most of the other grades were an "A".

As noted in a previous blog, while taking a challenging course load at KJC, I was working three part time jobs (clerk to the dean of night school, night janitor at a business, and oil field hand on weekends). All the while slowly "starving" economically. When I bought gasoline it would be 3 or 4 gallons at a time. When I was away from home and hungry, well, I just stayed hungry. Forget clothes, entertainment, medicine (whatever) as it just wasn't possible so I left school and started my life long occupation.

I was a Highway Patrolman in San Antonio from 1970 to 1976. I left KJC with 54 semester hours and figgered out I needed around 60 for an Associate of Arts degree. To get residence at San Antonio Community College I needed a minimum of 15 hours. Bottom line: I started going to SAC part time while Highway Patrolin' full time and got an AA with 69 total hours about 1973.

After the AA, I decided what the hell and enrolled at St. Mary's University in San Antonio and started working on a BA. After 15 hours at St. M's, the University of Texas at San Antonio was created and opened. I transferred to UTSA and continued taking a class or two per semester while making a living. While at UTSA, I got to within 12 hours of a BA with a major in psychology when I was promoted to Sergeant and moved to Houston.

The working and economic conditions in Houston were not such that I felt I could attend school. After a year in Houston I transferred to Marshall in 1977. Marshall had two colleges!! One was an all black school and the other was a Baptist private school with tuition costs greater than my annual salary (so no progress on school here).

In 1981, I was sent to Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois for a one year police executive program. While at Northwestern, I earned 24 semester hours credit to add to my growing transcript total (with no undergrad degree).

After Northwestern, I was transferred to Austin for a one year internship at DPS headquarters. Thinking I would only be there one year I did not try to attend school.

About 1986 I was still in Austin and was asked by the DPS Public Safety Commission to interview for the position of Lieutenant Colonel. I was very flattered to get the interview, but not at all surprised to not be promoted due to my limited tenure. That interview got me to thinking about how I might be more competitive if I was ever interviewed for Assistant Director in the future. I knew that all candidates interviewed, except me, had a bachelor's degree. This inspired me to relaunch my attempt for an undergraduate degree.

I tried Southwest Texas State, but they never offered what I needed for the degree at a time I could take it due to work. I looked at the University of Texas at Austin, but at the time they offered no night classes. I finally ended up at St. Edward's University. The cost was going to be mind boggling to attend St. Ed's, but it was my only option. Bottom line: in 1988 I received a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degee (with 161 hours on my transcripts due to all the dang moving around and problems getting credit at different places for a degree program)

After struggling to "educate" myself from 1968 to 1988, I still vividly remember the feeling I had the day I went to St. Ed's and picked up (I never walked the stage for my degrees) my diploma. It was an awesome high.

A few months after the St. Ed's degree, it occurred to me that having a bachelor's degree only got me even with my competition at DPS. Therefore, I decided to apply for the Master of Public Administration degree program at Southwest Texas State. This master's program was not only offered at night, but about half of the classes were even offered in Austin rather than San Marcos. The limit to complete the program was 7 years. I didn't feel I had the time professionally or otherwise to drag it out, however, so I finished the program and recieved my MPA in 1992 after a three year whirlwind of school and job.

About 1993 or 1994, I got curious about a doctoral program at the University of Texas in Human Resource Development. I started the application and interview process to get into the 6 year program. I got to the last stage and the person interviewing me told me I was accepted into the program, with one last question. The question was simply for me to ask myself why I was wanting to be in the program. All these years later, I have never come up with an acceptable answer to that question and so obviously did not accept their invitation to enter the Phd program.

I reckon that my high school diploma and three college degrees allowed me to "escape" the East Texas oil field by giving me more options. At the same time, I shall always remain grateful that the oil patch gave me the incentive and the perspective to try to give myself a better chance in life to make a decent living.

(FOOTNOTE: For two of the three years I was a roughneck I worked for my Dad. As the "rig operator" or boss, Dad always made me work twice as hard as anyone else and made me do all the menial jobs as well. At the time Dad said it was because he didn't want anyone to think he was being partial to me because he was my parent. In later years, he told me his real motive was to make me so miserable with oil field work that I would have the incentive to make a better life for myself. THANK YOU DAD FOR THIS AND SO MANY OTHER VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS YOU MADE TO MY LIFE)