Bobcat Pelt

A neighbor killed this bobcat while deer hunting

and gave it to our 13-year-old grandson.

First chore was to skin the cat,

then he took a needle and thread

to mend the holes created by the bullet.

He then put pelt on wire stretcher to dry.

Once dry and “fleshed”,  he put it on a curing board.

You’ll notice yellow TPWD tag attached to head of bobcat.

Now he tries to locate “fur buyer”.

The traditional fur buying markets of Russia and Greece

are now competing with Hong Kong/China

which are driving prices to near all time high.

At one sale in last season over 400,000 Raccoon sold at an overall average of $31.20,

compared to $16.90 last year, an increase of over 80%

according to North America Fur Auctions.

At one auction in 2012,

Bobcat pelts sold at averages of $68 – $380, with the top fur bringing $1,275.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

“AN ARM AND A LEG” BY: NEAL MURPHY

 

 

I am certain that you have heard someone use the phrase, “That cost me an arm and a leg.”  We understand it to mean that it refers to something of great cost or value.  It is in common usage, but where did it originate?  Here again, research reveals interesting data.

Most “experts” tell us that the phrase dates back to at least the 1800s and involved portrait painters.  Since there were no cameras back then, if one wanted a portrait done it had to be done by these painters on canvas. It seems that the portrait painters would charge more for larger paintings and that a head and shoulders painting was the cheaper option.  If one wanted the arms and legs included, the price was much more due to the extreme detail involved in painting the limbs.  Thus the phrase “costing an arm and a leg” was born.

Other “experts” disagree with this and argue that the saying originated around World War one. It is a grim reality that there were many US newspaper reports of our servicemen who had lost an arm and a leg in the war.  It is possible that the phrase originated in reference to the high cost paid by those who suffered such amputations.

Another possibility is that the expression derived from two earlier phrases: “I would give my right arm” and “even if it takes a leg”, which were both coined in the 19^th century.  An example in print is from an 1849 edition of Sharpe’s London Journal: “He felt as if he could gladly give his right arm to be cut off if it would make him, at once, old enough to go and earn money instead of Lizzy.”

Consequently, the “experts” cannot agree on when or where the phrase originated, but does it really matter?  Perhaps you have heard of the conversation between God and Adam in the Garden of Eden.  God came to the Garden to reveal to Adam that He was going to give him a helper, or a mate.  Adam was confused and asked God for more information on this “helper”.  God explained that his helper would be a female, something Adam had never seen.  “She will be a perfect companion.  She will bear your children without complaint.  She will make your home into a perfect place to live.  She will never get sick.  She will attend to your every desire, and never have a headache.  She will clean the dishes, wash your clothes, and clean the house without complaint.  She will treat you like a king.”

Adam thought about this new revelation for a minute then asked God a question.  “What is this new creature going to cost me?”  God replied, “An arm and a leg.”  After pondering this information, Adam asked God, “Well, what can I get for just one rib?”  And the rest is history.

“THE COMB” BY: NEAL MURPHY

I was watching a TV program last week which was identifying the top one hundred inventions in all of human civilization.  Among the top items was the hair comb.  I did a double-take – the lowly comb?  Who would have guessed it?  So, that prompted me to do some research on the matter.

We all know what a comb is, what it looks like, and its intended use.  Back in my day all the guys had a small comb in their shirt pocket to quickly smooth out their hair should a pretty girl approach.  I, too, carried one as I had a lot more hair back in high school.  Being a beautician, my mother used all kind of combs in her work.  She had long ones, short ones, fat ones, some with long teeth, others with short teeth, each with a specific use.

Historians tell us that combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating back to 5,000 years ago in Persia.  This is to say that the comb has always been among the most important tools of human civilization.

Combs have been made out of a number of materials, most commonly plastic, metal, cotton material, or wood.  Combs made from ivory and tortoiseshell were once common, but concerns for the animals that produce them have reduced their usage. When made from wood, combs are largely made of boxwood, cherry word, or other fine-grained wood.  Good quality wooden combs are usually handmade and highly polished.

Surprisingly, combs can be used for many purposes.  Historically, their main purpose was securing long hair, matting sections of hair for locking, or keeping a skullcap in place.

The cotton gin is actually a mechanized version of the comb and is one of the machines which ushered the Industrial Revolution.  The cotton gin was used in separating cotton fibers from seeds and other debris.

Combs are also a favorite spot for police investigators to collect hair and dandruff samples that can be used in ascertaining dead or living persons’ identity, as well as their state of health, toxicological profiles, and so forth.

The lowly comb was the inspiration of the kazoo.  I am sure that most of you at one time took a small piece of paper, or a leaf, and placed it over one side of the comb and hummed a tune.  The comb dramatically increases the high-frequency harmonic content of the hum produced by the human voice box.  The kazoo developed from this activity.

Moreover, the comb is also a lamellophone.  Comb teeth have harmonic qualities of their own, determined by their shape, length, and material.  A comb with teeth of unequal length, capable of producing different notes when picked, eventually evolved into the thumb piano and musical box.

Finally, in recent years more specialized combs have been developed such as “flea combs” or “nit combs” which are used to remove microscopic parasites from the hair and scalp.  A comb with teeth fine enough to remove nits, or lice eggs, is sometimes called a “fine-toothed comb.  This produced the metaphoric usage of the phrase “go over something with a fine-toothed comb”.

Sharing combs is a common cause of head lice infections, as one user can leave a comb with plenty of eggs, or even live parasites and transmit them to another user.  Therefore, combs should never be shared with other people.

So, here you can understand why the comb has played such an important role in the civilized world.  Those of you who still use combs should think of its history the next time you treat your hair to a “comb-over”.

On The Bright Side – Mary Howell

 

November brings beautiful fall weather to East Texas.  Trees begin to turn hues of red and orange.  Thoughts turn to giving thanks to God for His blessings.

 

November has many other important events.  We have our Veterans Day on November 11 which is also known as Armistice Day. 

 

November 2013 will also mark the 50^th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  Those of us who are old enough to remember November 22, 1963 will never forget the tragic death of our President.  I was a high school student at the time and I happened to be in Superintendent R. L.Chapman’s study hall. We already knew that a teacher had heard on the radio that something had happened in Dallas.  Mr. Chapman allowed me to turn on my transistor radio so that when they announced that President Kennedy had died, we were all shocked.  It was a day like President Roosevelt said about Pearl Harbor Day.  “It was a day that will live in infamy.”

 

Three U S presidents had November birthdays James Garfield, Warren Harding and Zachary Taylor.  Famous authors, Louisa Mae Alcott, Margaret Mitchell and Mark Twain were all born in November.

 

November was originally the ninth month of the Gregorian calendar but when January and February were added, it became the 11^th month of the year.

 

 

 

 

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The flower for the month is the chrysanthemum.  The symbols of the chrysanthemum are optimism and joy.  November seems to be a perfect time for some flowers to bloom.  I have a Confederate rose-bush that blooms every November.  One year I took the time to count the more than 300 beautiful white blossoms on that bush.

 

Another favorite holiday for food lovers is Thanksgiving.  It is traditionally time for turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie.  Sports lovers are glued to the television to watch their favorite teams play football.

 

This Thanksgiving, let us make it a priority to give thanks to God for His many blessing and for giving us a life on the Bright Side.

“FOOL’S GOLD” BY: NEAL MURPHY

 

 

I have always enjoyed exploring the forests of East Texas, particularly the creeks that meander throughout the country.  At the age of twelve or thirteen I purchased my first firearm, a Winchester .22 long rifle from the Western Auto store on the layaway plan.  That rifle, still in my possession and totally functional, was a constant companion as I explored fishing holes, ponds, and creeks, searching for something to shoot, such as turtles, frogs, crawfish, and snakes.  Occasionally a squirrel would chatter and then have to dodge lead from my rifle – don’t worry, I did not hit many of them.

There was a small creek behind my father’s homestead on Highway 147 north of town.  It was responsible for many hours of my exploring.  The creek, Rocky Creek, meandered southwest toward the town of San Augustine.  A wooden bridge spanned its waters when it reached North Milam Street not far south of Johnnie Wells’ home.  At that time a natural spring emitted cool, pure water a few feet west of the bridge.  I would delight in using my hand as a broom, clearing a space to scoop up water to satisfy my thirst.  When I cross this bridge today I am reminded of this spring and wonder if it still exists.

There was one spot on the creek which was wider, and a pool of water about three feet deep congregated approximately eight feet wide – perfect for fishing.  I usually had string and a couple of safety pins in my overall pockets and spent time attempting to catch a few perch.  Yes, you can catch an occasional fish using a safety-pin as a fish-hook.

One day while wading down this creek, I caught sight of something very shiny just below the surface of the water.  I dug it out of the creek bed with my fingers and examined my find closely.  It appeared to be gold, a craggy rock with gold streaks inside it.  I was very excited.  I examined the creek bed closely and discovered several more of these shiny rocks. I could hardly wait to show my find to my Dad.  I was not prepared for his response.

“Son”, he said, “that is not real gold, its fool’s gold.”  Fool’s gold – I had never heard the term before.   “You mean that it is not worth anything?  It’s so shiny”, I pleaded once more.   “I am afraid not, but it would be fun for you to have a collection that you could show your friends.  And that is exactly what I did. I amassed many pieces of fool’s gold for the remainder of the summer.

Many years have passed since my discovery of the mineral “Pyrite”, and I have not seen a piece since those early days.  I can only assume that young boys today do not explore Rocky Creek, nor do they collect the fool’s gold that I assume still exists there.

A check of the mineral Pyrite shows that is a very common mineral. Pyrite comes from a Greek word that means “fire”, and Pyrite definitely fits into this category.  It is a beautiful mineral and extremely interesting.  Its main quality is that it resembles gold.  The only problem is that Pyrite is very brittle and will break away in chunks when fitted for jewelry. While it does not make a good component for jewelry on its own, it does sometimes find itself in lots of jewelry usually under the term “Marcasite” when mixed with silver.

Besides ornamental jewelry, Pyrite has certain other uses including industrial uses such as in the manufacturing of paper and the creation of sulfur gas.

So, I was partially correct in thinking that my discovery of fool’s gold was a huge find so many years ago.  It actually is an extremely popular mineral and can be found almost everywhere in the world.  Why don’t some of you guys around Rocky Creek get out there and see if you can locate some fool’s gold for yourselves?  It makes an attractive collection, and I would love to see some of it again.

Coyote taken while Deer Hunting

This was a team effort.

After sitting in box deer stand for

couple hours without seeing anything,

I decided to try a ‘coyote game call’.

After several minutes of calling,

this guy comes running down a trail.

Grandson Garrett waits until he stops

to locate the howling rabbit.

When he stops, Garrett makes the fur fly.

He will not be eating any more of our deer fawns.

On The Bright Side – Mary Howell – November 6, 2013

 

The song, Jesus Loves Me was probably the very first song that most of us learned how to sing.  The simple words are dear to the young and the old.

 

Whether or not we are two years old or 102 years old, Jesus Loves Me brings comfort and joy to us.  I personally cannot remember when I did not know how to sing Jesus Loves Me.

 

I remember going to the funeral of the 5-year-old granddaughter of Wayne and Nettie Reeves.  I was about 6 years old at the time.  The minister who gave the eulogy stopped in the middle of the service and sang all three verses of Jesus Loves Me.  That was an unforgettable moment in my mind and I determined that when I die, I wanted to have Jesus Loves Me sung at my funeral.

 

During the years of my childhood and teenaged years,  the song  still holds a special place in my heart.  When my Mother was facing the last day or two of her life, I would slip into the Intensive Care Unit of St. Elizabeth Hospital in the wee hours of the morning and quietly sing Jesus Loves Me to my mother.

 

Years later when my Dad was sick with Sundowner’s Syndrome, I would sing Jesus Loves Me to him to calm him and bring a bit of comfort to him.   The words seemed to calm his restlessness.

 

Now that I now make my home in Hemphill Care Center, I have discovered that my friends who are in the winter of their lives, still love Jesus Loves Me.

 

 

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The song is often requested during the singalongs at the Care Center.

 

Jesus loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak but He is strong.

 

Jesus loves me, This I know

As He loved so long ago,

Taking children on His knee,

Saying let them come to Me.

.

Jesus loves me! He will stay

Close beside me on my way.

He’s prepared a home for me.

And someday His face I’ll see.

 

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

 

Jesus Loves Me – the truth that Jesus Loves Me can give us a life on the bright side.

++++

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From Wildlife Food Plot to Lake

Our oats, rye grass, peas and wheat

just starting to grow.

++++++

After nearly seven inches of rain,

our food plot turns into lake.

A day later, the water was gone.

Duck Hunting maybe

 his favorite pastime.

Definitely ahead of deer hunting.

Maybe ahead of squirrel hunting with a dog.

And possibility, equal to his passion for trapping.

+++++

We had nearly 7″ inches of rain

and this was the county road

to our farm.

In less than five hours,

the water just about gone and the farm accessible.

++++