For your reading pleasure, a passage that wasn’t good enough for my book. (I have been cutting mercilessly, especially the parts that are about me more than they’re about the river). – Wes
I had deluded myself into thinking that I could scrape by the way earlier people had along the Sabine River, with a garden and a gun.
Though I had never been much of a hunter, I had inherited a good rifle from my father, and I borrowed a twelve-gauge shotgun from a family friend. I shot a few ducks in a flooded creek bottom, then found a tall hardwood tree that seemed like a good place for squirrels. Long about dusk, one of them revealed himself. I fired but missed widely. The rodent scurried to the back side of the tree. I could see his head peeking out, so I fired twice more. Two more misses. With all the stealth I could muster, I crept to the other side and got him good. In all, it took four shots to kill one squirrel. It was nighttime now in the woods. I grabbed the dead rodent by the tail and — since I’d forgotten my flashlight — felt my way back to the road. I was trying to clean him on the front bumper of my jeep, in the headlights’ glow, when a game warden pulled alongside me. I recognized him. He was a young guy who had stopped me a week or two earlier when I had been hog hunting with my friend Buddy.
“Was that you firing all them shots?” the warden now asked.
“Yeah,” I answered, feeling sheepish. “I kept missing him.”
“Huh,” is all he said.
I asked if I was cleaning the squirrel correctly. Its carcass had become a gunky mess of hair and blood on my bumper.
“That’s about like how they do it,” he said. “Can I see your hunting license?”
He unfolded the piece of paper and looked it over. Not a single tag had been used. Not for white-tailed deer. Not for turkey.
“Why, you ain’t shot nothin’,” he said.
The young warden watched as I finished cleaning the squirrel, then told me to be safe and headed back to his truck. By then, about half of the squirrel’s fur had stuck to the blood on my hands, drying in clumps, so I walked down to the creek to wash it off. I couldn’t see the water, but I knew from memory that I was getting close. I took one step too many and fell over a small ledge. The icy water was so deep my toes didn’t touch bottom. I flailed and grasped for anything on the bank to pull myself out. Water was filling up my rubber boots. I grabbed a tree root and jammed the toe of my boot into the mud, and slowly I climbed up from the water. As I rolled onto dry ground I saw the game warden drive past, with no idea what had just happened. I was thankful, because it spared me any further embarrassment.
The following day, I redeemed myself — sort of — when I felled two squirrels with one shot. I was able to accomplish this feat because one of the squirrels had mounted the other. Because they were mating. In a tree. In a pasture beside my backyard. A couple of weeks later, I shot three more squirrels in a flood bottom to console myself after an unsuccessful duck hunt. By now, I had enough squirrels for a stew.
One day when Buddy’s wife wasn’t home, I brought over the six carcasses, and we started cooking. As I snapped green beans and chopped potatoes and onions and other vegetables, Buddy fried a slab of bacon, dredged the squirrels in flour and browned them in the drippings. Before long, the pot was simmering, and a rich aroma wafted through the house. It smelled delicious. We let the squirrels stew for a couple of hours, then lifted the lid to take a look.
What we saw then made our stomachs churn. Dozens of half-inch hairs were swimming in the pot. We ladled some into bowls and found even more fur. The hairs clung to the meat, and they stuck to the vegetables. Buddy swallowed a few bites.
“It has a good flavor, but I’m just not that hungry,” he said.
As I pulled a particularly long strand of hair through my teeth, I realized I wasn’t very hungry either. I offered to divide up the leftovers with him, but Buddy insisted that I take home the entire pot. His family wouldn’t get around to eating it, he said, and I was a bachelor who could use a few home-cooked meals. Thanks.
2,734 responses to “Squirrel fur in the squirrel stew”
Simply a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design. “Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes.” by Daniel Defoe.
? ???????? ??? ?????? ? ??????? ?????????????! ????? ????? ?????? ????? ? ?????? ??????????, ??? ??????? ?? ?????????? ????????. ? ????? ????? ??????????? ? ??????????? ?????? ???????. ?????!
??? ?????? – ???????? ?????? ??????????! ? ???????? ??????? ???????????? ? ???????????? ??????????????? ????????. ??? ????????????? ????????? ??? ?????? ? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ????. ??????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????? ???????????? ??????!
? ?? ????? ???????? ???????????? ? ????????????? ???? ??????. ????? ??????????? ??? ?????? ? ?????????? ??????????, ??????? ???????? ?????? ??????????? ????????? ? ???????? ? ?????? ???????. ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ????????????? ????????!
?????? ???????? ??????????, ??????? ????????? ? ????? ??? ???????????? ????????.
??? ?????????? ??????????? ??? ??????, ??????? ????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????????? ??????.
???????, ??? ?????????? ??? ???????????!
Excellent weblog here! Also your web site a lot up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your associate link on your host? I desire my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
????? ????????????? ??????????? ??????? ? ???????????, ????? ????????????????? ???? ?????????.
? ????????? ???? ???????! ??? ?? ?????? ????????????, ?? ? ?????????????. ??? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ? ?????????? ????, ? ? ????? ????? ??????. ???????? ??????? ?? ????? ?????????? ? ???????? ??????!
Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and everything. However think about if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this website could definitely be one of the most beneficial in its niche. Great blog!
First off I would like to say terrific blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts before writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Thank you!
????? ????????? ???? ???????????, ???????????? ????????? ??????????? ????? ??????? ?????????????? ??????.
??????? ?????? ??????????? ?????? ? ?????? ???????? ??? ???????? ??????? ???????????? ????????.
?????? ???????? ?????????? ??????????, ??????? ???????? ??????????? ? ??????????? ?????????? ? ?????????.
?????? ?????????? ??????????? ????? ????????????, ??????????? ? ?????? ???????. ??????????? ?????????? ???????????? ????? ? ????????, ??? ????????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????????????? ????????.
????? ????????? ??????? ? ???? ??????????, ????? ???????????? ????????? ?????? ???????.
Hi there, all is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts, that’s genuinely excellent, keep up writing.
??? ??????????? ???????????? ? ??????? ????????????, ?????????????? ? ??????.
Yesterday, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this excellent blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
You really make it seem really easy along with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually one thing that I think I’d by no means understand. It kind of feels too complex and extremely broad for me. I am having a look ahead on your subsequent post, I’ll try to get the dangle of it!
??? ?????? ????????????? ????????! ??? ????????????? ???????? ?????????? ? ????? ?????? ???????????????. ? ????? ????? ?????? ? ???????????. ??????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????????? ??????!
Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you might be a great author. I will make certain to bookmark your blog and will often come back later in life. I want to encourage continue your great posts, have a nice day!
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!
? ???????? ??????????? ????, ?????????????? ? ??????.
I always spent my half an hour to read this web site’s articles or reviews everyday along with a cup of coffee.
????? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ????????? ??? ????????? ???????? ????.
??/??? ?? ????????? ????????? ??????? ? ????????????? ????????? ??????????? ?????????????? ??????? ??????.
Genuinely when someone doesn’t be aware of then its up to other people that they will assist, so here it happens.
??? ?????????? ??????????? ?????? ??????, ??????? ?? ?????????????? ?????? ??????.
? ???????? ??? ?????? ? ???????? ?????????! ????? ????? ????????? ?????, ?????????? ? ???????????? ???????, ??? ?????? ?? ????????? ????????. ? ??????? ????? ????? ?????? ? ???????????. ?????!
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing issues with your site. It appears like some of the text within your content are running off the screen. Can somebody else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This may be a issue with my internet browser because I’ve had this happen before. Thank you
????? ????????? ?? ??????????? ???????????? ??????, ??? ???????????? ???????????? ????????? ????.