Well, here we are. It’s December, and Christmas is just around the corner. I think I will focus on the season from the perspective of us old fold folks. Young folks, convinced that they have lots of Christmases left, tend to focus on the present and the future. When we hit old age, we naturally begin to wonder how many Christmases we have left. This leads us to think, sometimes longingly, about the Christmases that have come and gone.
One of my best memories goes back to Christmas of 1958. That was the year I got my first shotgun. It was a Mossberg bolt action 20 gauge. I still have it, and although I have a number of other shotguns, it is still my go to gun for hunting small game. I shot a whole box of shells on Christmas Day. That was sixty six years ago. The fact that it is still totally usable today is a testament to the quality built into it. I have since managed to acquire Mossberg bolt action shotguns in every gauge in which they were made. It took years, but I finally did it.
Then, there was 1964. My buddies and I had really gotten into coon-hunting, as one of us, the now deceased Gerald Wetzel, had the best coonhound I have ever seen. Anyway, the only carbide light I had was an old, worn out one that my dad had used in the coal mine years before. Under the tree that morning was a brand, spanking new one. There was also a six volt handheld spotlight. Even more, there was a catalog, along with a gift certificate, from Bill Boatman and Company, a now defunct outfit that sold virtually everything a coonhunter could want.
When you get older, the memories of those now deceased naturally are part of Christmas. For me, of course number one is my late wife of forty-six years, who will be gone eight years a week before this Christmas. She didn’t hunt, and only occasionally fished, but she loved nature and the outdoors. Then, my mother and dad, who, although they never had much money, always made sure that I had a wonderful Christmas. Naturally, I miss my old outdoor buddies, like Gerald Wetzel, Earl Lytle, John Kusick, Joe (“Doc”) Scisly, Paul (“Punka”) Lucas and Larry Crawford. Thinking about them is a bittersweet experience, but one I truly cherish.
I hope that you have enjoyed this little nostalgia trip with me. Maybe it will set you off on one of your own. I hope so.
On another front, it seems that winter is giving us a sneak peek at what is to come. As this is being written, the ground is covered with snow, and more is in the forecast. Oddly enough, there is a warm-up in the forecast as well.
Photographer Jodie Beabout captures a beautiful, albeit cold, snowy scene.
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Don’t forget to get your new fishing license. The old one expires at the end of this month. Geezers like me, with our lifetime licenses, don’t have to worry about that, but others do. If you don’t plan to fish until Spring, there is no rush, but if something like ice fishing is on your mind, then there is. By the way, vouchers, which amount to gift certificates for fishing licenses, are also available online. Sounds like a very good gift idea.
Email: salmonangler1@gmail.com
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