Celebratin' ...

Married September 2nd, 1989; it's definitely been a "Labor" of love!

     Howdy, y’all; in a couple of days ... my wife and I will have officially been married for 25 years.  That’s right, a whole quarter of a century!  Over the years, we’ve purchased plenty of life insurance; matter of fact, the only reason I’m still breathin' & peckin’-out this-here blog is ‘cause she’s not yet opted to cash-in on my policies.  Opposites attract, and we truly are an odd couple.  I really think that we should’ve been considered for the Guinness Book of World Records, bein' that she’s from Arkansas and I’m from Louisiana and we didn’t get married ‘til we was well into our late twenties!  Chuckle-chuckle, y’all; but, seriously … that woman is way outta my league, and has kept me on the straight & narrow (as best as she could) since we first met.  Hell, I was on crutches with a broken femur and hobblin’ ‘round a 52’ Vagabond on a moonlight sail the night that we met.  And yes, the cause of my condition was one of the many, “Hey y’all, watch this!” moments in my life.  As she says, I’m just a work in progress, and she’s stuck with me through thick & thin ‘cause she don’t wanna hafta train another one.  And now that we're soon to be empty-nesters, that means just one thing to me … that I’m about to get my girlfriend back!

 

     Together we’ve had our ups & downs, raised two wonderful children and we have now reached the time in our lives where we can actually be together a lot more often.  And no, I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout “naked Tuesdays” either.  I’m talkin’ ‘bout hittin’ the road and seein’ as well as doin’ a lot more things together, as in road-trips, campin’, tourin’ and just bein’ out in the great outdoors.  I doubt seriously whether she’s goin’ to be doin’ any serious sloughstalkin’ with me, but I can see some day-hikes through The Big Thicket or campin’ trips to Caddo Lake and kayakin’ together in our immediate future.  That is … as long as I don’t mention the words “Bigfoot”, Caddo Critter, Fouke Monster, Wildman or Wood Ape; ‘cause unless she actually sees one for herself … this cryptoid done married a skeptoid!  I have tried so dang hard to explain to her that, yes … this is just an undiscovered animal; but, I might as well go pound sand ‘til she has sightin’ of her own.  Now, I wouldn’t ever put her in harm’s way just to prove a point, but it’s not likely she’ll ever see such an animal runnin’ ‘round here in town.

 

     My first goal to her "enlightenment process" will be met the first weekend in October; I'll be takin' her to a North American Wood Ape Conservancy event so she can meet some of the people I’ve been hangin’ with lately.  Not that they can do any better of a job tryin’ to convince her; but, mainly to show her that they are just every-day, normal, professional folks who happen to share a common goal.  These people are doctors, nurses and EMT’s; bankers, lawyers and accountants … as well as teachers, professors and field biologists who seriously dedicate a bunch of personal time & money to eventually once and for all scientifically document this mystery animal.  I feel confident that once she sees that the NAWAC is not comprised of a bunch of armchair researchers lookin’ to gain fame or fortune on some reality TV show ... she’ll finally understand what-all’s at stake, and why we choose to spend so much time in the grime.  This ain’t no good-ole boy's club … it’s a team; and I’d be willin’ to bet that once she experiences that first-hand, she may have more of an open mind to the task at hand.

 

Is this what they mean by, "through thick and thin ..."?

    I’m pretty-dang sure that she’d fit right in; she’s a worker as well as a seasoned camper, and she definitely ain’t afraid to get her hands dirty.  This woman once wrangled an entire troop of elementary school-aged Girl Scouts during a torrential rain storm on a camp-out one weekend … torrential as in at least a foot and a half of water per day!  Now, I don’t think that this was the trip that she stuck our 4x4 Suburban full of girls & gear in a muddy field.  Good, Lord … a buddy of mine had a wrecker service and was doin’ wheelies in his dually tow-truck tryin’ to get ‘em out!  But I really can’t recall a huntin’ or fishin’ buddy that can maneuver ‘round a camp site as well as my wife.  And a lot of times … she’ll run circles around my hapless ass!  I may be the one who packs-it up, packs-it in and packs-it out; but, as far as settin’ it up, organizin’ everything, runnin’ it and then breakin’-it down goes … I couldn’t ask for a better campin’ partner. Yeah, I truly believe she’s a good fit out there in them woods, and I am truly blessed!

 

     I’m sure we’ll be celebratin’ even more when we start gettin’ some trail time in, or go on some camp-outs with some friends.  I’m lookin’ forward to the good times and the great memories we’ll share out there in them woods; and who knows what-all we’ll see, hear and experience together.  Just like the last 25-years of our lives, I’m sure that whatever we do together will be an adventure.  I may be her tinkerin’ redneck comic relief, but she’s always been my solid ground no matter how wild things tend to get.  On top of that … that woman can cook!  Seriously; I ain’t fat due to drinkin’ beer alone.  Matter-of-fact, if you don’t go back for seconds at our place … you might just have somethin’ wrong goin’ on with ya.  I’ve been mowin’ down on her cookin’ since we met, and I ain’t had a bad meal yet!  And as some of y’all prob’ly might already know, I don’t tend to miss many meals …

 

 

     It’ been a really busy summer, and I really can’t wait for bow season … as well as duck season to start.  Fall fishin’ is always great, no matter whether I’m bustin’ bass, tuggin’ trout or wranglin’ reds.  And speakin’ of fishin’ … next time, I’ll be tellin’ y’all ‘bout my trip to norththwest Arkansas!  Y’all remember my buddy from just outside of Conway from my entry called, Karnack?  Well, I’ll be elaboratin’ a few more details about the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant parkin’ lot incident.  He and his family have lived in southwest Arkansas for quite some time … so after spendin’ a few days with him and some of his posse, I’ll be sharin’.  It seems that the area truly has had a history of mystery biped happenin’s … prior to any drive-in movie hype.  Folks, I’m very woods-wise & slough-savvy, and can usually tell when someone is just funnin’, out-right lyin’ or when they are dead-friggin’ serious.  And as I had promised y’all early-on … I won’t ever be postin’ any bullsh¡t on this-here site.  Period.  The only kind of fabricatin’ I’ll ever post about here is … if I needed somethin’ special made or welded-up from my buddy in Uncertain.  So until next time, y’all be safe and take care out there!