Friday, December 18, 2015

Christmas

Well, we are just about to come to the mid-point of our hunting season, and will close down for a week this Saturday night. We always have a big guide dinner at our shop, and discuss the first half of the season, and take a week's rest to get recharged for the last half of season.

When Mom and Dad were building this business, we only closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As occupancy increased over the years, I decided that it was very important to rest the guides, dogs, and staff for a week so that the guests in the last half of the season got to see the same enthusiasm as those who visit in the fall, and it has worked well. I remember an old guest from years ago who once told me," Son, we were so poor when we were growing up that if I had not had a brother, I wouldn't have had anything to play with on Christmas morning". Well, we were not quite in that bad a shape, but my parents could not afford to turn down any business in the early years.

I'm certain that each of us has one Christmas that stands out in our minds as our " best Christmas ever". Mine was the year that Santa bought me a cock-action, single shot 20 gauge shotgun, a hatchet, a sheath knife, and a coonskin cap. Since we lived in a pecan orchard, I took my brand new shotgun out in the yard, hunted me down a squirrel, and shot him. I ran straight to the squirrel to pick him up. However, I made one major mistake--I did not make certain that my quarry was completely dead before picking him up. Do you know that squirrels have teeth like hypodermic needles? He bit me all the way through my thumb. Since Pop had already taught me not to kill anything that I did not want to eat, unless it was a varmint, I had to get Pop to show me how to clean my squirrel. I think that I was bleeding as much as the squirrel. When finished, he looked almost too much like a rat to eat, but I had to eat him.

In my later years, I received a waiver from Pop that I could kill something that I did not eat as long as I gave it to someone who would eat it. That practice has worked well since I no longer have to clean many birds or animals. I still love to hunt, but my eyes certainly do betray me a good bit these days. As my grandchildren often say," Papa, when you can see the bird, you can still shoot good. But, Papa, you can't see a lot of the birds that are flying". As if I was not acutely aware of this fact already.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy, happy New Year !

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Of dogs and men

I read this quote the other day by James Thurber which really tugged at my heart strings. Mr. Thurber said,,"In his grief over the loss of a dog, a little boy stands for the first time on tiptoe, peering into the rueful morrow of manhood". I remember every precious dog that I have ever loved and buried. Many of you who have read my past blogs know that I lost my beloved chocolate lab of 13 years, Sugar, late this summer.

Every day that I come home I expect to see her waiting to lick my face. I have never been one to question God's infinite plan, but I sure wish He would have designed a dog's life expectancy to be the same as man's. It hurts so much to say that final good-bye to a loyal and loving dog.

Jerry Cooper is one of the finest dog trainers that I have ever met. He brings one of his little English Cockers to his office with him every morning; so I am at least getting a face lick now and then as Jerry works with her on the lodge grounds while all of our hunters are out in the fields.

Speaking of hunting, this weekend has been a Chamber of Commerce post card day for quail hunting in South Georgia.Our temps have ranged between 40-60 degrees, and there is plenty of moisture on the ground for excellent scenting conditions. We also have a full house, and many of our guests in this cycle know how to "dishrag" a fast flying Bobwhite.

We still have some openings for the remainder of the season if anyone is interested in checking on available dates. We have a little over two weeks before we shut down for a week for our Christmas break to rest the guides,dogs, and staff, and I'm certain that I will be posting something else prior to then. So, I will hold off on my holiday wishes for a while.