When I was a child and Mom and Dad were trying to build the business, we hunted every day except Christmas Day. Santa Claus would come on Christmas Eve, and we would have a one day break before going back at it. As the years progressed and our occupancy increased, I realized that it was very important to give the staff and dogs a week's rest around Christmas so that the last half of season would be as fresh as the first half. Cader IV has continued that practice.
Today will be our last day of hunting until after Christmas. We have been completely full these last two days. The weather forecast for both days called for an 80% chance of rain, but we did not miss a minute of hunting even though we received 1.5 inches of rain. God smiled on us as our rains came during the night, and the wee hours of the morning. But, it has been two raw, overcast and cold days with our temperatures never getting out of the mid 40's. Now I know that is balmy weather compared to what some of you are experiencing, but us Southerners do not have as much antifreeze in our bodies as you do.
The last half of season promises to be a good one. Since our president-elect says that it is OK to say so, my primary reason for posting this short blog is to wish each of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year !
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Thursday, December 15, 2016
What If
I have been following with great interest the antics of the losing side in this last election. What really got my attention was reading that California was thinking of seceding from the Union. Now the folks on the Left Coast are usually the first ones to come up with new ideas; so I don't know how to break it gently to these folks, but my part of the US came up with that idea in the 1860's. It didn't work out so good for us! We gave out of bullets, food, and everything else after General Sherman made his famous march through Georgia. But, as far as I am concerned, GO FOR IT, you folks from California. And take Oregon with you while you are at it!
Another thing that is particularly galling to me is the concept of "Sanctuary Cities". Basically, if I understand it correctly, these are cities who refuse to obey the federally mandated laws of the land. Yet our federal government continues to fund these cities while allowing them to thumb their collective noses at Washington and the law.
The above paragraphs set the stage for the title of this blog/rant, "What If". Hawks are federally protected species as raptors. In spite of the fact that wind turbines are killing hawks, eagles, and other raptors by the hundreds, it is against federal law for us to shoot hawks that are eating so many of our quail on a daily basis that they can hardly get their fat wings in the air. What if I just decided to ignore the law, and thin the population? Would that be any different from a sanctuary city? Maybe we can declare ourselves a "Sanctuary Plantation", and I don't even want any funding from Washington.
What if some of our sheriffs and game wardens out west decided to look the other way while a cattleman killed a grizzly bear or a pack of wolves that were decimating his livestock? Would that be any different? Finally, and most importantly to me, what if public schools stood up and said that we are going to ignore your law prohibiting prayer in schools? We are going to start the morning with a devotional and prayer which will be broadcast into every classroom the first thing each morning. By the way, that is the way every morning of school started for me, and we did not need police officers in the schools. The only shootings that happened in school were the dove hunts after we got out of class, and many of us had our shotguns on the school bus that morning.
The only thing I'm trying to say here is that if reasonable people are forced to obey stupid laws, then the other side should have to do the same. We should level the playing field. Your call, Washington, but you should not be allowed to have your cake and eat it too.
By the way, the quail hunting and weather is great at Riverview . If you have not made it here to see us yet, you should call soon as available dates for the balance of the year are really shrinking fast !
Another thing that is particularly galling to me is the concept of "Sanctuary Cities". Basically, if I understand it correctly, these are cities who refuse to obey the federally mandated laws of the land. Yet our federal government continues to fund these cities while allowing them to thumb their collective noses at Washington and the law.
The above paragraphs set the stage for the title of this blog/rant, "What If". Hawks are federally protected species as raptors. In spite of the fact that wind turbines are killing hawks, eagles, and other raptors by the hundreds, it is against federal law for us to shoot hawks that are eating so many of our quail on a daily basis that they can hardly get their fat wings in the air. What if I just decided to ignore the law, and thin the population? Would that be any different from a sanctuary city? Maybe we can declare ourselves a "Sanctuary Plantation", and I don't even want any funding from Washington.
What if some of our sheriffs and game wardens out west decided to look the other way while a cattleman killed a grizzly bear or a pack of wolves that were decimating his livestock? Would that be any different? Finally, and most importantly to me, what if public schools stood up and said that we are going to ignore your law prohibiting prayer in schools? We are going to start the morning with a devotional and prayer which will be broadcast into every classroom the first thing each morning. By the way, that is the way every morning of school started for me, and we did not need police officers in the schools. The only shootings that happened in school were the dove hunts after we got out of class, and many of us had our shotguns on the school bus that morning.
The only thing I'm trying to say here is that if reasonable people are forced to obey stupid laws, then the other side should have to do the same. We should level the playing field. Your call, Washington, but you should not be allowed to have your cake and eat it too.
By the way, the quail hunting and weather is great at Riverview . If you have not made it here to see us yet, you should call soon as available dates for the balance of the year are really shrinking fast !
Monday, December 5, 2016
Blessed rain
Have you ever seen a bird dog grin? I would swear that I saw a bunch of our dogs " grinning like a bunch of mules eating briars" after we got an inch and a half of rain sometime after midnight last night. For the past couple of weeks, it has been so dry here that the dogs could not even smell their own rear ends in the afternoon hunts when there was no dew on the ground.
Even more blessed news is the fact that the weather gurus are calling for this much or more rain later this afternoon, beginning about the time the afternoon hunts end. That makes our four groups in here almost as happy as the dogs. Now, while big pine trees absolutely can't smile, they sure are all standing taller and majestically today with no drooping needles weeping toward the ground. I know that our dogs will be able to locate the quail today. It would be especially gratifying if our guests could shoot a few of them. One of our top guides came in Friday, and I heard him tell Jerry, " We got four quail this morning, but they were all big, trophy birds".
Things are really looking up at Riverview, and we all have a better hitch in our "gitty-up" after this weather. On top of that, our temps are supposed to drop into the mid 20's by Saturday. The rain plus the cold weather should finally send the pine beetles to hell, or wherever they go when they are not killing beautiful 50+ year old pines. We are staying ahead of them here by cutting any bug infected tree down as soon as it is spotted in order to stop the spread to healthy trees.
In closing, I have just a couple of random observations. It is really disturbing to run into some old person, only to realize that he or she was in your class in high school. I always think," surely I don't look that old?"
I have always been paranoid about plagiarizing anyone; so let me say that this quote was shared with me by my best friend friend who heard it from his preacher. It spoke to my heart, and I wanted to share it with y"all. " I know I am not what I Used to be, or what I am Supposed to be,or what I am Trying to be, or what I am Going to be----when I see You face to face".
Even more blessed news is the fact that the weather gurus are calling for this much or more rain later this afternoon, beginning about the time the afternoon hunts end. That makes our four groups in here almost as happy as the dogs. Now, while big pine trees absolutely can't smile, they sure are all standing taller and majestically today with no drooping needles weeping toward the ground. I know that our dogs will be able to locate the quail today. It would be especially gratifying if our guests could shoot a few of them. One of our top guides came in Friday, and I heard him tell Jerry, " We got four quail this morning, but they were all big, trophy birds".
Things are really looking up at Riverview, and we all have a better hitch in our "gitty-up" after this weather. On top of that, our temps are supposed to drop into the mid 20's by Saturday. The rain plus the cold weather should finally send the pine beetles to hell, or wherever they go when they are not killing beautiful 50+ year old pines. We are staying ahead of them here by cutting any bug infected tree down as soon as it is spotted in order to stop the spread to healthy trees.
In closing, I have just a couple of random observations. It is really disturbing to run into some old person, only to realize that he or she was in your class in high school. I always think," surely I don't look that old?"
I have always been paranoid about plagiarizing anyone; so let me say that this quote was shared with me by my best friend friend who heard it from his preacher. It spoke to my heart, and I wanted to share it with y"all. " I know I am not what I Used to be, or what I am Supposed to be,or what I am Trying to be, or what I am Going to be----when I see You face to face".
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Observations
Well, as I was watching the news yesterday, I saw where there had been another senseless attack on innocent students at Ohio State. I realize that to say that this is an instance of Islamic terrorism would be premature and politically incorrect even though the perp. was a Muslim from Somalia. But what I can state is that we should ban all cars and butcher knives if we are to follow the thinking of the liberal left! I can guarantee you that had the young man used an AK 47, President Obama would be holding his last bleeding heart gun control plea press conference.
Speaking of guns, someone sent me a great clip developed by Homeland Security titled, "Run, Hide, Fight". I am not being my normal sarcastic self here. This is a good short video that I would encourage anyone who has family members living in metropolitan areas to encourage their family members to view. It describes how one should react in the first few minutes of a terrorist attack based on your circumstances at the time the attack begins. Somehow, I just don't see much chance of something like this happening in a rural setting because of the lack of availability of soft targets. Even if you found a target, "Bubba" would be toting, and he isn't going down without firing off a few rounds back.
As far me, I'm old enough to see no shame in hiding if the opportunity presented itself, but I'm too old and slow to run. Consequently, I am always armed even in church or when I go to the booming metropolis of Camilla, population of 5,000. I have a concealed carry permit, and about the only time I do not wear a weapon on my person is at Riverview. If someone could break through Cader IV, Jerry, and Greg to get to me, they have earned the right to shoot me. I believe that they would be leaking from so many holes that there would be no air or blood left in their bodies. The only thing that could be worse for a terrorist at Riverview would be if he happened to show up on the same day that a party of Joe's was here. To protect the innocent , I will not add a last name to Joe.
On a more pleasant subject, we finally saw a little rain during the wee hours of the morning this morning. It was not much, but we are grateful to God for every drop. And we stand an even better chance of more substantial rainfall in the morning, and again on Sunday. Maybe our dry weather pattern is about to change.
I have been tempted to complain about the weather, but I have a lot bigger fish to fry with the Lord than to aggravate Him about the weather; so I try to save my prayers for the big stuff. Also, I am reminded of a poem my Mom taught me at an early age. It does like this:
" Ain't no use to sit and whine
When the fish ain't on yo' line
Just bait yo' hook and keep a tryin'
Keep a gowin'"
You might have to be a native Southerner to translate that one, but what it really says is that whining and complaining are not going to change your circumstances. We are blessed with so much in this great nation, and we sometimes take those blessings for granted. Have a great day today !
Speaking of guns, someone sent me a great clip developed by Homeland Security titled, "Run, Hide, Fight". I am not being my normal sarcastic self here. This is a good short video that I would encourage anyone who has family members living in metropolitan areas to encourage their family members to view. It describes how one should react in the first few minutes of a terrorist attack based on your circumstances at the time the attack begins. Somehow, I just don't see much chance of something like this happening in a rural setting because of the lack of availability of soft targets. Even if you found a target, "Bubba" would be toting, and he isn't going down without firing off a few rounds back.
As far me, I'm old enough to see no shame in hiding if the opportunity presented itself, but I'm too old and slow to run. Consequently, I am always armed even in church or when I go to the booming metropolis of Camilla, population of 5,000. I have a concealed carry permit, and about the only time I do not wear a weapon on my person is at Riverview. If someone could break through Cader IV, Jerry, and Greg to get to me, they have earned the right to shoot me. I believe that they would be leaking from so many holes that there would be no air or blood left in their bodies. The only thing that could be worse for a terrorist at Riverview would be if he happened to show up on the same day that a party of Joe's was here. To protect the innocent , I will not add a last name to Joe.
On a more pleasant subject, we finally saw a little rain during the wee hours of the morning this morning. It was not much, but we are grateful to God for every drop. And we stand an even better chance of more substantial rainfall in the morning, and again on Sunday. Maybe our dry weather pattern is about to change.
I have been tempted to complain about the weather, but I have a lot bigger fish to fry with the Lord than to aggravate Him about the weather; so I try to save my prayers for the big stuff. Also, I am reminded of a poem my Mom taught me at an early age. It does like this:
" Ain't no use to sit and whine
When the fish ain't on yo' line
Just bait yo' hook and keep a tryin'
Keep a gowin'"
You might have to be a native Southerner to translate that one, but what it really says is that whining and complaining are not going to change your circumstances. We are blessed with so much in this great nation, and we sometimes take those blessings for granted. Have a great day today !
Thursday, November 24, 2016
This & That
Is it just me, or does everyone else wish that our nation would just pick a time, and stay on it? While I know that this is not a hot political issue, the time changes in the fall and spring drive me crazy. Even though it is Thanksgiving morning, I was once again wide awake and drinking coffee at 4:30 am. Evidently, my body still thinks that it's 5:30, and I can't convince it otherwise.
I usually slip out into the den to read and watch the local news since I have no desire to awaken my wife who takes a dim view of my early rising habits, and she takes an extremely dim view of being waked up at what she deems " an ungodly hour", I can't really say that I blame her for that.
However, it is fun to sit out in our den which is mostly plate glass and Pecky Cypress with a very high ceiling. I can see God's creation start to break light each morning on one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are almost always a few deer that have bedded down in our yard that start to amble about shortly after sun up, and then a little while later along comes the turkeys taking care of the acorn crop for me.
Thanksgiving is the one holiday that Martha and I are blessed to have all of our children and grandchildren with us. We are even more blessed that we have guests at Riverview over Thanksgiving which means we all get to eat at one big table here at the Lodge, and Martha does not have to cook for this army of family. Thanksgiving night dinner at Riverview is the only meal here that is served buffet style. We have smoked turkey and ham plus all of the traditional dishes that have been in the Cox family for generations.
Cader IV will set a time for dinner, and warn the guests that if they are late, they may fall in line behind the Cox clan. We've never had any guest late for Thanksgiving dinner. All of the Riverview family joins me in wishing you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be grateful for !
I usually slip out into the den to read and watch the local news since I have no desire to awaken my wife who takes a dim view of my early rising habits, and she takes an extremely dim view of being waked up at what she deems " an ungodly hour", I can't really say that I blame her for that.
However, it is fun to sit out in our den which is mostly plate glass and Pecky Cypress with a very high ceiling. I can see God's creation start to break light each morning on one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are almost always a few deer that have bedded down in our yard that start to amble about shortly after sun up, and then a little while later along comes the turkeys taking care of the acorn crop for me.
Thanksgiving is the one holiday that Martha and I are blessed to have all of our children and grandchildren with us. We are even more blessed that we have guests at Riverview over Thanksgiving which means we all get to eat at one big table here at the Lodge, and Martha does not have to cook for this army of family. Thanksgiving night dinner at Riverview is the only meal here that is served buffet style. We have smoked turkey and ham plus all of the traditional dishes that have been in the Cox family for generations.
Cader IV will set a time for dinner, and warn the guests that if they are late, they may fall in line behind the Cox clan. We've never had any guest late for Thanksgiving dinner. All of the Riverview family joins me in wishing you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be grateful for !
Friday, November 11, 2016
A beautiful day
I woke up this morning to an absolutely beautiful day in South Georgia. I walked out of the house right at daylight to say," Good morning, Lord". I also spoke to my little white deer who has taken to bedding up in the grass in our yard even though we have the yard lighted. It is a crisp 38 degree morning, and I am envious of all of the fun our guests are going to experience today. I was in such a great mood and frame of mind. Then I went and ruined all of that by turning on the news!
First of all, let me say that I am very proud of the way President Obama, President-elect Trump, and the defeated candidate, Secretary Clinton, have handled this transition. This is what a democracy is all about. This is also Veterans Day, and I honor all of the brave men and women today who wore the uniform so that this type of election and transition could occur. Many of these brave folks paid the ultimate price for us to go to the polls, and accept the will of the people.
What I am ashamed of is the anarchists and spoiled college punks who did not get their way, and who are using the election as an excuse to riot and destroy property. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe that some of these folks are being paid to foment strife. The college kids probably bother me the most with the way they are being pampered and coddled with " comfort foods" and free passes from class because they did not get their way. I have seen the grave sites of the generation of our ancestors that were college age who stormed the beaches of Normandy.
I fear that each successive generation of American citizens are getting softer. I remember whining to my mother once about how hard my Dad was working me in the tobacco and peanut fields. She just looked at me , smiled, and said," Honey, you have it easy compared to the way his father worked him". I hated pulling weeds out of peanut fields by hand so much that I would often fake a stomach ache to go home. I got caught in the " Little Boy who cried Wolf" trap finally because I really did have a bad stomach ache one day. Pop thought I was faking, and would not allow me to go home. By the time, they finally took me to the doctor, my appendix had ruptured,my liver had an abscess, and I had gangrene in my stomach. They did not give me much of a chance to survive, but God was not finished with me yet.
When Cader IV came along, I made him work in every crappy job we had on the plantation in the summer time including scooping the doo-doo out of the kennels. When he got old enough, I gave him a pocket knife. I caught him playing with it in an unsafe manner one day and warned him to be careful. As you would expect, he cut his hand, and came to me with the blood running off of his hand. I looked at it, and determined that the cut did not need stitches. He asked me what he should do, and I replied," Pee on it, and pour some turpentine on it". To say that he was not happy with the answer or my lack of compassion would be an understatement, but I have raised a son who is a man now in every definition of what the word,"man" implies.
I have no sympathy for these cry babies in college now, and place most of the blame on their parents and teachers. OK, that finishes my rant for the day; so let's go back to the first paragraph of this blog.
It is a beautiful fall in South Georgia. Y'all come see us!
First of all, let me say that I am very proud of the way President Obama, President-elect Trump, and the defeated candidate, Secretary Clinton, have handled this transition. This is what a democracy is all about. This is also Veterans Day, and I honor all of the brave men and women today who wore the uniform so that this type of election and transition could occur. Many of these brave folks paid the ultimate price for us to go to the polls, and accept the will of the people.
What I am ashamed of is the anarchists and spoiled college punks who did not get their way, and who are using the election as an excuse to riot and destroy property. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe that some of these folks are being paid to foment strife. The college kids probably bother me the most with the way they are being pampered and coddled with " comfort foods" and free passes from class because they did not get their way. I have seen the grave sites of the generation of our ancestors that were college age who stormed the beaches of Normandy.
I fear that each successive generation of American citizens are getting softer. I remember whining to my mother once about how hard my Dad was working me in the tobacco and peanut fields. She just looked at me , smiled, and said," Honey, you have it easy compared to the way his father worked him". I hated pulling weeds out of peanut fields by hand so much that I would often fake a stomach ache to go home. I got caught in the " Little Boy who cried Wolf" trap finally because I really did have a bad stomach ache one day. Pop thought I was faking, and would not allow me to go home. By the time, they finally took me to the doctor, my appendix had ruptured,my liver had an abscess, and I had gangrene in my stomach. They did not give me much of a chance to survive, but God was not finished with me yet.
When Cader IV came along, I made him work in every crappy job we had on the plantation in the summer time including scooping the doo-doo out of the kennels. When he got old enough, I gave him a pocket knife. I caught him playing with it in an unsafe manner one day and warned him to be careful. As you would expect, he cut his hand, and came to me with the blood running off of his hand. I looked at it, and determined that the cut did not need stitches. He asked me what he should do, and I replied," Pee on it, and pour some turpentine on it". To say that he was not happy with the answer or my lack of compassion would be an understatement, but I have raised a son who is a man now in every definition of what the word,"man" implies.
I have no sympathy for these cry babies in college now, and place most of the blame on their parents and teachers. OK, that finishes my rant for the day; so let's go back to the first paragraph of this blog.
It is a beautiful fall in South Georgia. Y'all come see us!
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Election and quail hunting
OK folks, the election season is over, but the quail hunting season is just getting started good; so it is time to turn our attention away from politics and toward what's really important--quail hunting. Of course, I hope everyone realizes that I am writing this as a "tongue-in-cheek" comment.
However, before leaving the subject of politics, let me just say this. We need to think about the name of this great nation, and remember that first word, "UNITED", in the name of the United States of America. We seem to be a divided nation that desperately needs to heal, and find some common ground in the middle that we can all meet upon. I realize that I am showing my age here, but I grew up in a time at Riverview when corporations could legally entertain politicians. I had the privilege of meeting some great statesmen in my early years here. The one thing that they all agreed upon was that compromise was necessary to do what was best for the people. They would reach across the aisles to make that work. At the end of the day, if a bill could be passed that no one got everything they wanted, and everyone was just a bit unhappy, it was probably a good bill. I trace the end of that kind of politics to the Bill Clinton/ Newt Gingrich era. After that, there was no compromising on any issue, and every vote seemed to be right down party lines. Who suffered the most from this type of government is "We, The People". I am praying that this is the dawn of a better day for our beloved nation!
Now as to quail hunting, I have a lot more knowledge and experience with it than politics. The 2016-2017 season is off to a good start. With this drier than normal rainfall we have experienced, our English Cockers are paying for themselves in spades by being able to find and retrieve downed quail. Everyone is really enjoying these lovable little dogs. The Cockers are making it a bit more difficult for a few of our guests who insist that they killed a quail when the guide absolutely knows that not a feather was touched on the shot. People may lie, but a dog is incapable of doing so. If the bird is there, they will find him. If he was not hit, they will come back, look at you with those sad eyes as if to say, " Are you going to make me continue to look for a non-existent quail?"
In closing, let me say that we do still have some open dates for this season, but the phone is ringing everyday, and dates are disappearing daily also. Y'all come on down, enjoy some great hunting, and home made ,fried PBJ sandwiches. After all, health nuts are going to feel real stupid someday lying in hospital beds dying of nothing!
However, before leaving the subject of politics, let me just say this. We need to think about the name of this great nation, and remember that first word, "UNITED", in the name of the United States of America. We seem to be a divided nation that desperately needs to heal, and find some common ground in the middle that we can all meet upon. I realize that I am showing my age here, but I grew up in a time at Riverview when corporations could legally entertain politicians. I had the privilege of meeting some great statesmen in my early years here. The one thing that they all agreed upon was that compromise was necessary to do what was best for the people. They would reach across the aisles to make that work. At the end of the day, if a bill could be passed that no one got everything they wanted, and everyone was just a bit unhappy, it was probably a good bill. I trace the end of that kind of politics to the Bill Clinton/ Newt Gingrich era. After that, there was no compromising on any issue, and every vote seemed to be right down party lines. Who suffered the most from this type of government is "We, The People". I am praying that this is the dawn of a better day for our beloved nation!
Now as to quail hunting, I have a lot more knowledge and experience with it than politics. The 2016-2017 season is off to a good start. With this drier than normal rainfall we have experienced, our English Cockers are paying for themselves in spades by being able to find and retrieve downed quail. Everyone is really enjoying these lovable little dogs. The Cockers are making it a bit more difficult for a few of our guests who insist that they killed a quail when the guide absolutely knows that not a feather was touched on the shot. People may lie, but a dog is incapable of doing so. If the bird is there, they will find him. If he was not hit, they will come back, look at you with those sad eyes as if to say, " Are you going to make me continue to look for a non-existent quail?"
In closing, let me say that we do still have some open dates for this season, but the phone is ringing everyday, and dates are disappearing daily also. Y'all come on down, enjoy some great hunting, and home made ,fried PBJ sandwiches. After all, health nuts are going to feel real stupid someday lying in hospital beds dying of nothing!
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