Hi Jack

On a recent trip to see my boyhood home and "stomping grounds" I was idling along in my pickup and caught a tiny bit of movement out of the corner of my eye. Sure 'nuff, it was a big ol' jackrabbit, convinced that he was hidden from view but I saw him twitchin' his big ol' ears.



If this had been the late fall, winter or earliest spring and I'd have had my trusty old .22 rifle instead of my camera, I might have been tempted to shoot my supper. (or breakfast; rabbit and scrambled eggs with biscuits and gravy...mmmm.)

Ol' Jack would've had to have been a bit younger for me to make the effort, as young jackrabbits are much more tender than the tough old codgers like this one. Young jacks are tastier than a cottontail for that matter. Face it, I would have had to have been 16 yrs. old again to have enjoyed being the mighty hunter, the frontiersman who can live off the land, eating prickly pear fruit as I did as a boy, knowing the best places where doves came to roost at night, the places where momma quail hens sheltered their babies from coyotes and hawks.


By-the-way, rattlesnakes are good eatin', tasting like chicken with the texture of deep fried catfish. I haven't eaten rattlesnake in years nor am I craving it, but I would eat it if hungry.

I haven't done it in years, but I expect I could still butcher a rabbit with no knife or other utensils. A quick nip with the teeth on the back of the rabbit's neck, then with fingers under the pelt, undress the carcass with one quick pull, turning the pelt inside-out. Carefully pinching the membrane that holds the intestines in, let them fall out away from the meat. Break off the legs (it might be lucky to own a rabbit's foot, but you're lucky if you can break them off quickly!) and then pull the hide off and if you've done it right, you can neatly wrap up the offal in the hide, roll in a ball and leave for some lucky coyote's midnight snack.

I'd tote my bounty home, slung from my belt, and just before I got to the house would stop at a red ant bed. Stepping on the head with my foot, I would pull that off and leave for the ants. They would have plenty of meat to eat for a while and be sure of surviving and making more ants for the horny toads to eat...and making sure there were plenty of horny toads, such a fascinating creature!

(red ant beds are great places to clean the frogs my sisters and I had to dissect, then clean, label and pin the bones to a piece of cardboard for sophomore biology)

I'd wash the meat in the sink, wrap in wax paper and put it into the fridge. The next morning, usually one of those crisp ones that makes your breath visible, perfect rabbit huntin' season, anyone that wanted could have some rabbit with their eggs, biscuits and gravy, prepared by momma's loving hands.

None of the Above

That would describe just about anything/anybody other than the author of this blog.

Let Her Cry - Hootie & the Blowfish

Your Vote DOES Count!

I've pretty much voted Republican since I became of voting age and when I didn't like the candidate that particular party put forth, I would either leave that selection blank or vote Libertarian. I have voted for a Dem. representative a few years back, an incumbent that was doing a decent job. I also used to vote for a few local offices held by "Democrats"; they usually ran unopposed. (it's a small town)

It was the election of '92 and while I had voted for Bush (sr) in '88, his "Read my lips..." fiasco made me turn away from him on his re-election. I was also disappointed he (Bush) kept Dan Quayle as his V.P. I didn't want to vote for Clinton because his sexual escapades were beginning to come to light. (I was just jealous.....just kidding.) Even though Perot was a Texan, I didn't think much of his candidacy and his reliance on charts and graphs to "prove" his points. (Shades of Al Gore!) I also didn't like his accent. -grin-

So, I cast my ballot for the Libertarian candidate, even though I knew nothing about him. (I like the Libertarian party's platform, but I'm not convinced it is realistic) I vote Libertarian a LOT for the state races, especially against an incumbent. I simply don't like someone staying in office too long.

I vote in Precinct 10, and when the results were published in the newspaper, I could see my vote REALLY counted, it was out there in black and white for all to see!

Beej & the Bear

This is my first scan job from my new scanner. I've already run out of ink, so I have to explore the other features.

The bear was...is....my friend elle's. She had owned this bear for years and years and sent it to me to keep me company. (I guess she thought Beej wasn't enough company) I put it on the back of the sofa, along with another little stuffed animal she had sent, but B soon found it and decided it was something good to chew on.

I stopped him before he did any damage and put it up . (need to send it back to her) Still, his expression when I caught him in mid-chew was priceless.

He's also the one who UN-straightened my wall hanging right behind him.

' 55 Mercury ( "Honeymoon Merc")

This car belongs to a Mr. Jimmie M. Clark here in Pampa who also happens to be a long-time family friend. (That might be presumptuous of me, but he stated he knew my grandfather and is also a friend of my uncle. Any connection to me should NOT be held against Mr. Clark. -grin-)

Mr. Clark also owns a '57 Bel Air convertible, featured earlier.

At first glance, it looks boxy and nothing like the sleek styles of today, but I'm so glad I gave it some good attention.

(click any pic f/ larger view)

In 1958, Mr. Clark was a young man in the Army, based at Fort Polk in Louisiana. On his last leave before being discharged that fall, he took a bus to Houston and saw this car and bought it on the spot for $950.00.

You can see a doofus taking a photo of that photocopy of the invoice and cancelled check posted on the inside of the window.

(I told Mr. Clark that I wouldn't post that last photo as it had personal info. on it. "I don't care." he declared. "That's not my p.o. box number anymore, go ahead!" )

I like this shot, it's as if the car is smiling, enjoying the attention. It sure attracted a lot of admirers and I had a hard time, especially later in the day, taking unobstructed photos of any car being shown.

The KFC bucket is for donations to the Coffee Memorial Blood Center; you voted for each vehicle with money.

Back to the story: Mr. Clark came back home after his stint with Uncle Sam, and while riding around town in his "new" car, he met his lovely wife-to-be and married her a few years later. (and she's STILL lovely because Mr. Clark also brings along a photo album and will show you her pictures, both then and now. I don't blame him; I'd be proud of her, too)

I had been up at the show earlier and taken some photos, then came home and transferred them to my computer. When I saw the next shot, framed without any intention, I knew I had to go back up there and tell him of the great "accidental" shot I had taken with the Mercury sign in the background.

The car is lovely, but I'm particularly attracted to the bumper, so solid...simple, yet elegant. The hooded headlights also are like sleepy eyes above the "grin" of the bumper, making the car seem to be alive.

I almost expected it to wink at me.

If you've got the time, Mr. Clark will tell you that he took his new bride to Colorado for their honeymoon back in 1960 in this car. He'll show you photos of the car back then, shoe polish messages scribbled all over it (horrible to think of that NOW!) and the obligatory tin cans tied on the rear bumper.

I can just imagine her sitting close to him on this wide front seat on their trip to the mountains.

Thanks to the new innovative automatic transmission, the "Merc-O-Matic", the proud groom could keep his new bride...now Mrs. Clark... snuggled close with his free hand!

Mr. Clark drove the car nearly every day from the time he bought it until '73, then he garaged it until 1991 when he started restoring it, a job that took six years.

He then took his wife on a second honeymoon back to the very spot they had stayed on their first, driving this same vehicle, now beautifully restored. He had a photo of the old motor lodge where he and his bride had stayed the first night, closed and run-down. He said it was now demolished.

Plenty of room in this trunk for a bride's trousseau!

(Heck, it's big enough to HAVE a honeymoon in! *grin*)

Mr. Clark said he once had some different fender skirts for it, but these are lovely. I wrenched my back getting up from this shot.

Love the whitewalls! The hubcaps have the god Mercury on them.

A lovely old car.

(as old as ME *sniff* and in much, much better shape! *sigh*)

One of the best hood ornaments ever created!

The car was featured in some auto magazine, a copy of which Mr. Clark has in the window:

There's one photo I wish I had taken; Mr. Clark's 92 yr. old mother had tatted a beautiful doily for the back seat. You can make it out in the frontal shots posted above if you'll view the large versions.

Hope you enjoyed this! This has been one of my most favorite posts I've done since starting this blog!