Big Brother Joe and a fishing story...

Back in 1942 I remember that K, Jake, and Joe were relegated to hoe. I tagged along to watch. They started chopping and Joe made a swipe and the hoe glanced off something and cut a big gash in his ankle. Blood went everywhere so K and Jake made a pack saddle and carried Joe to the coal oil barrel and soaked it in coal oil, the bleeding stopped and mama bandaged it with a rag of old bed sheet and in a day or two back to chopping cotton.

In 1994 after 4 heart surgeries I was forced to retire from working. About this time Joe and Steve discovered the art of fishing with punch stink bait. Frank and I had both retired recently so we began going with Joe during the week to Ray Roberts Lake fishing Buck creek. Joe always sat in the front seat, Frank in the back seat and me in the middle seat. Joe was left handed and threw with his left hand. Frank was right handed so here I was in the middle Joe throwing over my head from the left and Frank from the right.

Joe always put a generous amount of stink bait on his hook so about half of it never got out of the boat. The rest went wherever. A lot of the time on my cap, on my britches and one time he filled my ear hole full of this wonderful smelling concoction. The stuff had the consistency of baby dodo and smelled even worse. Between ducking Joe and Frank I could get in a throw ever so often. The last time or two we went I thought about wearing a raincoat but always forgot it and left it home.

When we went fishing we always took soured grain in a five gallon bucket to bait the hole with. It smelled almost as bad as the stink bait. We would dump some out in the channel and save some to bait under the boat after anchoring.

We tied up at our tree one day and Joe asked me to spread some under the boat I asked him where the coffee can was and he said I guess you left it home. I say no you left it. He says you ignorant pig you left it. So back and forth we go. You did no you did. Joe says just grab you a handful and throw it out. I say no way am I putting my hands in that stuff. Joe gets all his rods thrown out and I see him turning around toward the bucket so I think he is going to put the bait out. Wrong! He reaches down into the bucket and comes out with a double handful of grain and water and fills my lap full all the way down to my drawers. The rest of the day all I could do was fish and try to keep from throwing up from the smell. Of course Joe would sneak in a little snicker and giggle throughout the day.

Those last five years I got to know Joe as not only a brother but a really good friend and fishing buddy. I still miss him tremendously. I miss his phone calls saying “Is the little Fat Pig there?”

This was written by my husband, Chick, about his brother Joe Templin

Happy 6th Birthday Logan

Hey there you with the big, blue, beautiful eyes! It’s your Number 6 Birthday and you have grown a bushel and a peck since last year. You have lost 2 baby teeth and gained some adult teeth; you have graduated pre-K and no longer are considered “our baby”. You are becoming quite the young fisherman, though I stretch the word Man. You are really a boy who has kept Pawpaw company on many fishing trips this year. I remember him taking you to the lake when you were a little one; now you can outcast and out fish him. I’m surprised Pawpaw takes you anymore. When his daughters began to out fish him he quit taking them! How many times this year have you come running through the house shouting, “Get the camera Memaw” and I knew you had fish on your stringer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN, ON FRIDAY YOU WILL BE 6 - - YOU’VE BEEN A TROOPER ALONG WITH YOUR BROTHER THIS YEAR AND WE ARE SOOOOOO PROUD OF YOU GUYS. I wish you so many, many more birthdays to come.

We love you more than words can say,

Memaw and Pawpaw

Dog-aster

Last evening as me, Chick and the boys were getting ready to go to bed, our dog Molly went to the front door and wanted out. I thought she needed to tinkle one more time so I opened the door and let her out. I walked out on the porch with her. She ran to the side of the house and did her job, but then she sniffed the air. I couldn't smell anything and she ran to the porch and looked in the bushes then chased something around the side of the house. I was commanding her to come to me. She didn't! I went in to get the flashlight so I could go get her. It was pitch dark outside. While I was walking through the living room to the door with my flashlight, Logan opened the door for her. She came in. I smelled it. SKUNK!!!!!!!

I grabbed her by the collar (now what to do). I couldn't go let her back out the front. Ms. Skunk was still close by. I pulled her by the collar with her fighting me all the way to the back door. I put her on her leash in the garage where 2 birds roost at night and they went nuts flying all over the place going wild (mom and pop redbirds). They have a nest another bird left there last year. So much for living in the country!

Molly was not happy. She has never, ever spent one night outside. I didn't care. I went back in the living room--the smell was atrocious. We took the boys (both of them) and went to our bedroom where it didn't smell as bad. We closed the door and turned on the air filter; the ceiling fan, a fan on the chest of drawers and still you could smell it. I sprayed the whole house with Oust (it didn't oust anything). Then I remembered the cinnamon sprinkle for the vacuum cleaner that smells great. I poured the granules all around the carpet, and eventually sleep took us over.

Today, I've bought the Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking soda and Dawn to bathe the dog in. She was not happy. She is now on the porch drying out. What to do with the carpet? It was only her feet that touched it and not very many places, but it smells like a colony of "flowers" live in the house. Remember Flower the skunk from Disney stories? Micah used to tell me it was time to call Dalworse when he was little. I guess I'll give some carpet company a call or buy clothespins for our noses.

Dogs! Gotta love them!

Happy 9th Birthday Micah Mookers!

I remember how excited I was that you were coming. I was ready for a baby and ready or not here you came on August 3, 1999. I was ready. You were a gift and continue to be one that we unwrap every day. Every day is exciting with you and unpredictable. You are your own person and I hope you are as proud of yourself as I am proud of you. You have been a trooper this year and adapted to whatever life has thrown at you. Thank you dear boy!

You and I went to the movie this past Thursday to see Space Chimps. You asked before we left if you could have popcorn and a Dr. Pepper when we got there. I told you “No, we don’t buy the popcorn and Drinks at the movie Micah because you have to take a loan out to pay for it”. You asked me if you had enough money in your bank if you could pay for your own. I said, “Yes” thinking how grown up you’ve become to actually want to use your own money. We get to the show and I paid for the tickets, “One child and one Senior Citizen please”. We grab our change and tickets before they are sucked into oblivion by this unknown source of wind that sucks the paper money and the tickets out the little window if you don't clamp on them as soon as the money and tickets come through. I wonder how much money has been lost and how much running people have done while chasing their money and tickets down the street!

Once inside you walk up to the counter and place three one dollar bills on the counter and 75 cents and a guitar pick. You look seriously at the blank faced kid behind the counter and say, “I have 3 bucks, 75 cents and a guitar pick, will that buy popcorn and a Dr. Pepper?" The kid doesn’t blink an eye, “I don’t play the guitar”, he says. I nearly fall over from laughter. I look the kid in the eye and say, “Give this boy a Dr. Pepper and small popcorn”. He does, I pay and you scrape your guitar pick and money back into your flexible rubber change container and off we go into the movie. You and I enjoy that popcorn and I have a bottle of water in my purse to drink.

Later you try this same line with the kid at Game Stop for a game. The kid looks at you like he can’t believe you are trying to barter a $39.00 game with 3 dollars and 75 cents and a guitar pick. I laugh and make Micah put the game back. I will buy that game for you and Logan’s birthdays when you are not with me. It’s a Space Chimps WII game and it will take two players! Good! You and your brother will both get to share and play the game together.

Happy Birthday dear comedian Micah Mookers. That is a pet name we’ve had for you for years. You used to tell people your name was Micah Mooooooookers. Now you tell me, "Memaw don’t embarrass me out in public with that name!" Ahhhh, the price of becoming older and more sophisticated…

We all love you Micah Templin Harris! May you have a tremedously successful and happy year. Tomorrow you will be 9. It seems like yesterday I was holding you and singing You Are My Sunshine.