FULL CIRCLE

One of the oldest memories of the ranch hand concerns one of nature's most pure joys.

Uncle Charlie and Uncle Reggie each had a farm pond. The ole fat boy had unfettered access at any time on any day.

The neat part is that the fun started from the moment the "fishing" urge occurred.

Bamboo cane grew wild in East Texas. It was considered a nuisance to the ranchers as it grew wildly while resisting any form of growth control. It was a blessing to a country yonker with no money to buy piscatorial pursuit gear.

Yeah, just wade into a 'cane break, whack off a fishin' pole, and ya had a start in "business". Add a braided black line, sharpen a rusty hook, fold a bit of lead on the line, add a flotation cork....and ya was stylin' (in a pasture sort of mode?)

The walk to the pond was equally inviting. The promise of the thrills to come quickened the step while the pursuit of the ever elusive "bait" (grasshoppers) were being stored in a brown, cork sealed snuff bottle.

Approach to a pond demanded quiet stealth. Talking or sudden movement was forbidden.

Coax a brown juice spitting "hopper" from the bottle, ease its thorax onto a hook, and "professionally" present the "lure" to the prey.

Now here is the good part. Ya had no clue what was going to dunk that cork. We caught blue gill bream, red ears, sun perch, goggle eye, channel cats, mud cats, turtles, and stuff we didn't even know the name???

Hours passed like seconds. The days were a blur of carefree pleasure with no thought of the outside world. JRM would say it was the closest thing to Heaven one might find on earth.

Somewhere along the road of life the ole ranch hand lost that thread of pleasure....and it is a damn shame.

In the remaining years of life, my personal pledge is to regain that thrill involving the most simple of pastimes.

Your humble scribe wishes to once again feel that throb of exuberant resistance below the water's surface while holding the business end of a fishing pole. It will be a joy to again see the sun glistening on the wet flesh of a water bound creature, and to know a simple, but magnificent pleasure has come full circle.