Me and the Squirrel

     Last week, Sheila and I went to the Florida Caverns in Marianna.  As usual we did not plan the trip, we just got in the car and went.  When we arrived at the check in shack, the attendant informed us that the cave tours were closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Since we had driven that far, we decided to enter anyway.  The attendant told us there was Tunnel Cave that we could go in on our own, but that it would require us to stoop over the entire length.  We forgot that we had over six decades on our bodies, but when I drove off and looked in the rearview mirror, I could see him chuckling.  Evidently he knew something we didn't.
     It was lunch time so when we arrived at the parking lot, we grabbed a table, walked to use the bathroom and wash our hands.  The day was one of the hottest of the year, but in the shade with a breeze, it was not too bad.  Sheila covered the table and laid out everything.  I grabbed a chair and sat down.  We were almost through eating and had thrown bread crumbs to the squirrels at the front of the car.  I grabbed up the bread box to close it.  As I moved it closer to me a brown twig fell into it.  I thought it was a piece of moss as I saw it laying on the bottom of the Tupperware.  When I reached in to retrieve it, it felt like a piece of modeling clay.  Instinctively I held it up to my nose.  Lo and behold it was a piece of squirrel turd.  I figured that out because there was a squirrel over my head in the vines.  You know I said something ugly and Sheila laughed out loud.  At that moment, he dropped a piece of bark that hit her in the head.  That ended the laughter(for her) not me.
     I had to go wash my hands, but my left hand was useless for the rest of that day.  We decided to walk down to Tunnel Cave.  It was sorta cool in the woods and we reached the entrance after a few minutes.  I knew I was in a mess, because Sheila never backs down from challenge.  Once we were in the woods on the farm and came up on a thicket of bramble vines, I wanted to turn around and go back another way.  She would not have any of that.  "The clearing is just right there", she said and took off.  I couldn't be outdone by a girl so I had to go too.  When we reached the clearing, we both had blood streaming down our legs and my jeans were shredded. 
     As she looked at the entrance, she knew we would have to crawl through the mud to the other side, over a hundred yards away.  "I ain't going through that!" she stated.  "Whew" came out before I could stop it.  She turned to look at me and raised her right hand to catch the word, idiot, as it came out of her mouth.  She strangled it and tossed it to the ground, but I noticed she didn't crush it with her heel as it writhed around.  We walked around to the other side and the exit was smaller than it appeared from the other side.  As we exited the woods on the path, there was the car, just thirty feet away.  Several squirrels were eating the bread crumbs that we had thrown earlier.  One in particular was under the car just in front of the front wheel.  They all had smirks on their dirty little faces, but the one under the car was laughing at me.  I pulled my remote out  of my pocket and mashed the horn button.  They scattered in all directions, but the one under the car jumped straight up, forgetting where he was.  He busted his little head, fell to the ground, kicking his little feet.  When he regained his composure, he jumped up and scurried off to the nearest tree on his wobbly legs.  He had a hard time getting his feet to grab the trunk.  I had the last laugh, so I guess that made me the winner.

Red Skin

16x20" oil on canvas

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoons were a special time at grandpa's.  After working hard in the fields all week, he would drag up the yellow metal lawn chairs to the pecan tree.  It sat in the front yard by the dirt road.  He would throw his feet up against the bark, lean back and talk to anyone who was around.  With his outgoing personality, people would gather under the tree to talk and listen.  Every once in a while there would be some 'shine brought to the discussion.  His fields were always the greenest in the area, for when the 'shine flowed the bull shit increased.  His property went downhill from the tree and the bull manure flowed to the edges of his property.  His little investment in the corn squeezing  paid off in the long run.

I painted the gathering around the tree from memory, however I just found this photo of my grandfather relaxing on Sunday afternoon.

I Hate Death

It has been three days now Mom, that I have been without you.  For the last year I knew something was wrong, you had lost so much weight and had a smell about you.  I felt if I ignored it that it would go away.  Then when you fell over a month ago I knew there was something terribly wrong.  What could I do anyway, but dread the inevitable?  After a few hours you were able to get up and around, but it took a couple of weeks to get over that.  Then the storm came and broke the black walnut tree so that we could eat the leaves.  The next day you could hardly walk.  For a couple of days, Charles kept a close eye on you, but you only got worse.
     When he locked me in the barn at feeding time,  I could sense that something was going on.  He stood outside with you on a halter and fed you more than you usually get.  After you finished eating, he brought me out to see you.  We nuzzled each other and you kissed me, he then put me back in the barn.  After an hour or so he released me and you and we went to the pasture.  That did not last long, for a man drove up in a truck and Charles locked me in the barn again.  I knew they were going for you and I could not stand the thoughts of that.  When I got to the black walnut tree, I saw you lying motionless on the ground.  I walked over and tried to nudge you to get you up.  You would not budge and I could smell the death on you.
     Charles locked me in the barn again, but I was able with my nose to push the door back again.  At this time the backhoe was beside you and Charles was digging the dirt.  He stopped and carried me back to the barn again and tied me up this time.  I broke the rope and got out again, ran to where you were lying in the hole.  I whimpered, whined and cried, but you would not move or even try to get up.  I panicked and ran every which way dragging the rope.  I stepped on it a couple of times and Charles stopped what he was doing and removed the halter from me, so that I would not harm myself .  He let me stay and watch as he dumped dirt on top of you.  Why wouldn't you get up and run?  I have been by your side for twenty two years and I could not understand why this was happening. 
     I cried all that night, running to and fro.  I was so tired the next morning, but I was still looking for you.  When he fed me, Charles told me that you had foundered on the leaves.  The vet told him that you had liver disease and regardless of how much he fed you, you would never get your weight back.  I ate the leaves also, but my liver was able to withstand the toxins.  I have calmed down some, what choice do I have?  I miss you and I hate death.