Memorial Day

At the cabin we honored the fallen on this Memorial Day by having our children here at the cabin for a day of relaxation.  We were sorry to learn that most either had to work or had other plans or were living too far away to come.  However, we had son-in-law Curtis who grilled hot-dogs, Frances and Ruthie prepared grillin' beans, chopped onions and sweet relish, (with all the other trimmings) for a feast.  We set everything up on the porch.  Our solar system ran the oscillating fan!  I had succeeded in getting rid of the rats and in cleaning out the mess they had made - and no one even noticed the three inch hole in the wall they had chewed.  We had a wonderful time with those who were present, playing in the creek, teaching the kids about butterflies, sassafras tea, and polk salat.  After lunch we went for rides in the Kawasaki Mule.  Riding finished, we had a great big seed-less watermelon to split open.  I almost (almost?) ate too much!  What a wonderful day. 

 

 

 

Sassafras Tea, Polk Salat, a Hog Wallow and RATS!



This is Polk Salat!

More Polk Salat

This is Sassafras.  Note the leaves.

More Sassafras to dig.  You only use the roots.

This year's turkey hunt proved to be a very interesting time.  Twice I drove through Tellico Plains and up the mountain to a friends far near a place called Rafter.  No luck on the hunt, but did manage to rescue my friend's barrell of fish food which the bear had rolled off the dock and down into the creek.  Then I've been to the cabin three or four times - mostly to ride the Kawasaki Mule.  Three trips back, I spotted so much polk salat that I just decided to take a "mess" of it home for Frances to cook.  I was not sure she would want to cook it because it is quite a process to make sure that you don't get poisoned on the stuff.  She WAS DELIGHTED and made enough from the first picking to serve us four meals of those delicious greens. 
In addition, I spotted some sassafras growing right beside the trail and decided I would like some tea.  Again, Frances WAS DELIGHTED.  I dug enough roots that she made about 3 gallons of tea.  For those who may not know, it tastes a LOT like Root Beer without the carbonated water.  Today I dug more sassafras and brought home for her to boil and make tea with.  Just in case you don't know, it's delicious hot or cold. 

My friend, Eddie W. has not been with me to the cabin for about three months, but was available today.  He has a great love for the outdoors too.  We first drove along the trail where I had collected polk salat before and where I had dug sassafras roots.  At the top of the mountain we got hung up on a high spot and had to rock the machine so the wheels would touch the ground.  He climbed into the bed of the Mule and jumped a few times while I backed off.  Then, do you believe I drove over the same hump in the trail?  Well, Yes.  And No - we did not get hung up again!  Just having a little fun with ya. 

After eating lunch we drove down a different trail in a different direction where we saw Polk Salat in abundance.  I decided not to pick anymore because it looks like it's about gone to seed.  I really don't know that much about it - but I don't think you are supposed to eat it after a certain stage of growth.  With my friend along I was a little more brave as we jumped brush and logs and went down trails I had not explored before.  What FUN!

Do you see the hog tracks in that mud?

 Then for our last trail we drove to the top of a knoll and looked down in front of the Mule and spied a muddy spot on the road with hog tracks in it!  It looks like there are tracks all over that section of the mountain.  I must go back again and get serious about harvesting a wild hog.

Back at the cabin - I'm having trouble with rats.  I'm not talking mice.  I'm talking rats.  The rats have eaten half a bar of Zest hand-soap; they have chewed up one of my bed-spreads; they have chewed on my recliner; they had started building a nest under the kitchen stove!  In the process they had chewed on one of my wicker chairs anc collected bambook to add to their pile of cotton behind the stove.  I had set mouse traps to no avail.  I finally bought some D-Con and some glue boards.  Caught four BIG rats on glue boards and took them out and put them out of their misery - plus four mice.  One mouse was found today, already dead.  So the D-Con is working.  I cannot imagine why, all of a sudden, the rats decided to invade the place.  Whew!  What a mess.  If you have any suggestions - I need help!

New Trails, Briars, and Hangnails

I drove along this mountain trail which had been a logging road a year ago. Brush and briars are beginning to grow along the trail.











The farther I go, the thicker it gets!








Fortunately for me I remembered to put my cutlass into the bed of the mule. I purchased this "cane-cutting knife" in Guyana, S. America back in the late 1960's. It has served me well both there, in Africa, and now here in the Cherokee Forest!




I would have had to turn around just half-way through - but my trusty cutlass helped me hack this fallen log in two so that I could drive the mule over it!










Somewhere in between fighting with the briars and cutting the fallen log in two pieces, I broke a fingernail. As you can see by enlarging the picture here...the hands also became very rough and dry.




I stayed out in the forest as long as I dared, heading for home just as the sun put a glorious cap onto the end of my day!











What a WONDERFUL day here in the Cherokee Forest in East Tennessee! I arrived at the cabin about 11:00a.m. to the music of a beautiful spring-like day - temperature about 60 - with partly cloudy skies. I could hear the creek gurgling gently in the background, with crows cawing overhead. The sight of the beautiful red cardinal feeding along the lower limbs of brush near the back porch steps seemed to make my steps lighter. Instead of the usual routine of going inside and opening all doors and windows to allow things to air out, I decided it was a perfect time to just sit in the sun on the back porch (which faces south) and soak some rays while sipping a cup of black coffee. I had made this pot of brew at home and poured it into my steel thermos bottle in anticipation of a back country trail-ride on the Kawasaki Mule, so did not have to enter the kitchen to turn on the stove. While sipping the last few drops from my cup, my neighbor from down the creek stopped by to return the pick/mattock he had borrowed from my tools in order to free himself and his car from the grip of that last deep snow. We have a rule between my neighbor and I: He can borrow anything that's outside as long as he doesn't forget where it belongs and will return it as soon as he is finished with it. I think the snow was finished at least a week ago but he had either forgotten the rule or had been too pre-occupied with other things to bring the tool home earlier. ☻

I finally grabbed the trusty little .22 caliber rifle which I had brought along just in case I spotted a squirrel during the ride (we can harvest squirrels until February 28th) and headed out slowly to explore the country. I drove along slowly, dodging mud-puddles in the road, looking for deer, hog, bear, or any game tracks or other signs of the presence of animals available to harvest. After about 30 minutes I spotted hickory nuts covering the ground. In my heart I knew that the squirrels ought to frequently be here, eating gourmet meals - but the evidence of chewed hickory nuts was largely missing. Just as I was about to give up on the idea, one of the squirrels saw me first. I saw him - but it was too late. He quickly scampered across the forest floor and out of sight. Maybe next time!

One Last Attempt To Hunt

Well, today is the 8th of January, 2011. Tomorrow is the 9th and the last legal day to deer hunt for the season. Since tomorrow is Sunday (and I'm always in Church on Sunday) today was our last opportunity. I woke very early and was considering all the weather reports on TV as well as the WX channel here on the Internet when I finally decided the predictions were in our favor. At about 8:00a, I got a call from my friend, Ed, saying, "Let's go!" It didn't take me but a few minutes to put the mule onto the trailer and head out towards the mountains. It was still partly cloudy as we headed East - and then turned North for about 12 miles - so everything was looking good. Looking good that is until about two miles before our last turn into the woods. We looked up on the mountain to our North and saw that it was covered with a dark cloud and white snow! Should we go on? Yes. Of course. It was not snowing where we were and the temperature was 36 degrees. It didn't take long, however, until temperature began to drop down...35...34...32. Still no snow - to speak of - although there were a few flurries. Determined to take advantage of this opportunity we talked of other things ... keeping an eye on the thermometer ... and the skies. After winding into the mountains for about 12 more miles we noticed that the snow activity had started to pick up a bit. Five miles before destination (the cabin) I stopped and took this picture.

This cabin is just 5 miles from mine. The ground has already begun to look white here - but not too bad we thought.

Once at the cabin, we both bailed out of the truck and started putting on jump-suits, "below-zero" boots and heavy coats and hats. The more I doggedly pressed on with additional clothing, the heavier the snowfall became! Finally, I said the magic word. I said, "Ed, what should we do? Do we want to be safe - or sorry?" He said, "Well...I think I'd rather err on the side of safety!" So --- take off the jump suit and heavy clothes and get back in the truck like someone who had good sense and head for home before we get caught out here and can't get home!

Stamps Baxter--Build Me A Cabin In Gloryland.

I found this delightful old song this morning posted on youtube by Nexar. It has suffered some criticism by folks over the years who said they did not want "a cabin" but were going to claim their "mansion". Yes, Jesus promised that He was going away to prepare a place for us and that in His Father's house there are many mansions. That's O.K. I suppose. However, who could ask for better than a cabin along the banks of the river of life? Do you think the Lord would let me bring my mule to this Heavenly Cabin so I could ride along the mountain ridges there?

My brother Wil and I came out here to Pumzika Acres and rode the mule for awhile. Then back at the cabin I cooked us an 8oz deer-burger for lunch, topped with mustard, pickles, pickle relish and washed down with hot coffee! And I must not forget the tasty dessert we had by dipping a knife into the jar of Sand Mountain Sorghum Molasses and licking the knife clean. (Don't worry - they were plastic knives.) We had a very good and restful day.


It was so cold that we had to put ski-masks over our faces, and several layers of clothes to stay warm. Here is Wil in the Driver's seat on top of a ridge in the hunting woods. We had not brought a big game rifle because I had forgotten that the bear hunting was going on. Now the hunters send out their dogs, with GPS collars, and they watch the receivers from the warmth of their pick-up trucks until the bear gets close to a road! We learned this by talking to a bear hunter.


This is my Brother Wil, who does NOT like the cold weather! There is a story behind that statement that may be the subject of another blog later.


We found this Holly tree on a ridge-top. The bright red berries caught our eye.


On the way home, it had warmed up to 30 when we stopped here to take pictures of icicles hanging alongside Highway 30 near Webb's store at Reliance, TN.


As we drove south on Hwy 411 toward Benton, TN we saw this special rainbow just over the tree-tops! Since I had a leak in my metal roof at the cabin we had also attempted to repair it with a small can of roofing tar. This rainbow reminded me of the promise of God to us that he would not destroy the earth again with water! Does that include my cabin too? Well...maybe if I take care of it when I first notice the leaks, huh?

The Fridg/Freezer Is Filled

Frances' smile says she is proud of her harvester husband!


Entire top shelf is full of deer burgers, roasts, tenderloins and deer steaks! The price of processing? $46.00 only!


Bottom shelf is full of the previous purchase I made of seafood and beef.


Yessir! I'm one happy harvester (Thanks Mel) who is learning to live green!

Today I drove to Vonore to Keith's Butcher Shop to collect the bountiful harvest I gathered in last Saturday. My wife seemed so proud to have this fresh meat. I had bought $700 dollars worth of steaks and seafood just a few weeks ago and filled up both refrigerator freezers here at home - plus put quite a few steaks in the little freezer here at the cabin. What a THANKSGIVING and soon we'll have deer meat on the table at home for CHRISTMAS. Of course I'll be back here to the cabin for New Year's Day and hopefully will be able to use some of this meat then to feed the great bunch of guys that come for our day out. We'll cook and serve breakfast food, sit around the campfire, play music and sing and also eat until we are stuffed! That's the way to break in a New Year. I'm told that whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you enjoy on New Year's Day - you will do that all year long. That's the way we started 2010 and it must have worked because we've had a wonderful year.

I'm No Longer A Hunter

What a wonderful day November 27 turned out to be! Cold (25 degrees) when we started out, but warmed up to 52 if I remember correctly. We took a break at 9:30 by going to my friends house (who owns the farmland where we hunt) to make a pot of coffee in his electric percolator, while sitting by the gas heater. That was quite comfortable! Then our host decided he needed to go somewhere on business and left three of us to hunt. When we had been on our stands about 40 minutes I shot the little two point buck seen below! NOW I AM A KILLER! [Not to be confused with Jerry Lee Lewis, the original "killer". He called himself "the killer" because he thought he was the ladies man!!! He did have a few falling all over him in his younger days.]





I bought a new mule for the hunt. Kawasaki Mule, 610XC!


Now, I'm ready to go get 'em!


Three of the friends who joined me!


The trail leading into the hunting area.

It has been at least 25 years since I last killed a deer. It's a bit dis-heartening to a person who is so serious about hunting to go year after year after year and keep coming home with nothing to show for their efforts except a few scratches from the briars and a thousand beggar lice hanging on their clothes. Why do you think we call this thing "hunting"? 'Cause that's what we do! We hunt. And hunt. And hunt again! I've often said to my friends, "I'm not a killer. I'm just a hunter." But from yesterday at 12:35p, right after lunch, I became a killer. The .270 Ruger is a deadly weapon. A nice clean shot high on the shoulder and this buck was on the ground. he kicked for about five minutes while my heart ran at break-neck speed. By the time my blood slowed back to normal the deer was not moving and was waiting for me to prepare him for the journey to our Christmas table - via the butcher shop!!! Boys and Girls, I WAS EXCITED! No, I'm Not a Hunter ... I am a KILLER!






Trees had to be cut to allow our machines to reach deeper into the forest.

We located tracks and other good signs of the presence of deer.


My good friend Ed Williams looking for more deer sign.


My Stand, overlooking a beautifully wooded area where there were abundant signs of deer activity.


My harvested deer! Although we had field dressed him on the spot, he felt like he weighed 250 pounds while we were dragging him out to the road. However when we put him on the scales at the butcher shop, only 71 pounds! What happened? ☻


Good friends William and Scott showing off "our" deer!


Ready to make the trip to the check-in station.