Frontiersman no longer wanted

Where is the challenge and adventure of life to day? I grew up on stories of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett the tales of men going west, alone and testing themselves. Now men struggle to survive boredom and monotony of the slow death behind a desk, the same never ending task. Our society has even resorted to drugging boy's because they have to much energy, so they can be controlled to fit a cookie cutter society. What would the world be liked today if Ben Franklin,

Washington, Jefferson or Lewis and Clark had been given drugs to keep them calm. We have no new worlds or frontiers to explore. I can only imagine what it would be like to ride a horse with only a knife and a rifle and live by my own hands, and only answer to God in the end. The closest I have ever come was on a Black bear hunt in Canada. Larry Loxley , my cousin Lester and I were in northern Ontario. On the first day of the hunt I was probably 20 miles from camp and Lester was about 5 miles from me and I was the last one dropped off and the last to be picked up at night. I would be in my stand about 2 in the afternoon and be picked up about 1 am in the morning. Well I climbed out of my stand right at dusk, just barely enough light to see as there was no moon that evening and walked out to be picked up. I got to the road which was about 100 yards away from the tree stand. As I was sitting in the road a few minutes a grouse flushed about 10 yards from me right at the edge of the bush. Now things started going thru my mind as to what might have flushed the Grouse, was It a bear or wolf what?I started to stand up and as I was I my finger went automatically to the safe on my 30.06 rifle and switched it off, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up, my heart racing I was ALIVE and I loved it. I stood there in the darkness one big nerve looking around me even though I could not even see my hand in front of my face. For 30 minutes I was in a state of adrenaline rush, a feeling i have never experienced since, and finally ended when I heard the diesel truck coming over the horizon.

As Lester opened the door I finally unloaded my rifle. He asked me what I thought and I told him and he told me that he did not unload his gun either until the door of the truck was opened. Neither Lester or I had ever hunted in a place where we could have been some animals dinner.

What would it have been to live like that every day? I wish I could cross the Cumberland Gap

with flintlock in hand and see a wilderness for the first time !

Race to winter with a new winner

Today is the day I aways dread, the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. Why you ask? Well everyday after today starts getting shorter as we begin our journey back to winter. Now I enjoy the part of winter where I can hunt, or spend a Sunday in front of the fire reading or writing,but the cold seems to bother me more or maybe it's the lack of sunshine. Sunshine is a wonderful thing and I believe the best medicine for what ale's a body. I have been sick for the last week with a cold I believe or it could be sinus, but a lot of drainage and it seems to have settled in my chest. When I am inside with the air conditioner I seem to really clog up. But after a few minutes out in the sunshine I clear up and feel some much better, even , my mom noticed it last week when we picked raspberries. Well back to the shortest day of the year now the race begins to cut enough firewood as well as preserve some food for winter. It always seems like a race to me in which I lose trying to cut wood and can or freeze excess from the garden. and spend time with Kenny Ray. I have thought allot about it , as I have been writing my book this spring about the things I was taught and the memories that I have. Kenny Ray once told me one afternoon why we were working on something I asked him why he was goofing off and not helping me, He said Dad you work to much so it's my duty to goof off extra to make up for you. So starting this race this year Kenny Ray will win this year. I have already in the last 2 weeks been fishing with Him and Tari than I have been In the last 5 years, I am sad to say. I am going to pull my turtle trap break out the gigs, the foothold traps and clean the guns. Kenny Ray's true Appalachian American education and the first chapter to his book will begin a new.

Kenny Ray hooked on night fishing

I finally got to take Kenny Ray night fishing, we tried Friday night we got to the lake but forgot to take the lantern. I am glad we did because I think to night turned out better. It is 1:30 am Sunday morning as I write this we just finished filleting

4 nice channel catfish. I caught one and Catfish Ken, as the little boy now wants to be called caught 3 with the biggest going 4 lbs. He is now hooked on night fishing, sitting by the lantern and shooting the breeze and watching the poles. The temperature here today reached 91 degrees, when we left the lake this morning about 68 degrees. Catfish Ken wants to build a fire next time. We used lighted bobbers this evening, the first time I have ever used them, but it will not be the last. We seen the coolest thing I have ever seen fishing , Catfish Ken was useing my pole with a yellow lighted bobber, while we were watching and talking that big catfish just took the bait and pulled the bobber about a foot under water and ran probably 20 yards causing that bobber to look like the water was on fire. I actually hollered at Kenny Ray , son grab it , it's going straight to hell. The fish gave him a great battle and topped off a great first night of fishing. Kenny Ray asked me why we never night fished before as this was a great father, son moment. I said I tried once before when he was 5 but he did not have the patience, and it had not crossed my mind again until last week. About 12:30am we ran out of bait and headed home as we had fish to fillet. We are planning on next Saturday night to go again as there is a tournament at the club. Well I am off to the shower as Catfish Ken just got out and wants a hug goodnight.

Ain't it funny how the night moves

I went fishing yesterday evening by myself which does not happen very often. Kenny Ray had gone to the pool and Tari finishing laundry and packing for boy scout summer camp as she a chaperon for Kenny Ray's troop. They do not leave until next Sunday but she like to have it all done ahead time. Any way I went to the cigar shop and got me a couple of cigars and left for the lake. When I got to the lake there was only one other person there, and he left soon after. I baited up my poles and fired up a stogie. about a half hour before dark I noticed on of favorite things about Gods world, a thunder storm was moving in . I could see the lightening light up the clouds but could hear no thunder, as well as an occasional steak of lightning move across the sky.

I set there watching my poles , and a channel catfish kept chasing minnows toward the bank. I watched as a raccoon chase a flock of geese into the water. I had forgotten how much I loved night fishing. Jr. Hackathorne would take little Ronnie and me down to the Ohio river a couple times each summer and fish all night, then go beach combing in the morning. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich never tasted so good after sitting up all night. I think the best parts of the trips was the story telling that went on. As I continued sitting and remembering , and watching the sky and the

lightening it dawned on me Hey dummy it's going to rain here in a few minutes so I gathered up my stuff and started toward the truck at about 10 pm. I sat on the tailgate looking up at the sky and finished my cigar I started singing that Bob Seger song Night moves, I woke last night to the sound of the thunder, how far off I sat and wandered .

A baby , moonshine and a trooper

Kenny Ray was asking his mother yesterday about what time he was born and who was at the Hospital, what time was Monica born? Monica is his cousin that he share his birthday with, she turned 21 yesterday and at the time he was born she and her brother Matthew lived with me and Tari. As Tari was telling the answer to his questions, I remembered that night Monica was born that I was the night I thought I would go to jail.

I had been in Kentucky that day with my mother we had went down to decorate the graves of

my grandparents and visit a while with everyone. My uncle Earl had a gift for me a quart of moonshine which I had requested. Mom and I got a late start back home and it was about 11.30 pm when I dropped her off at her house in Ft Wright , Kentucky about and hour and 40 minutes from my home in Beavercreek Ohio. I called Tari from mom's house to let her know where I was at, she never sleeps when I am gone.While on the phone she told me to hurry that her sister Rhonda was at the hospital in labor and wanted me to take her there as soon as I got home. Now in those day's I never followed the speed limit much anyways and I drove a truck with a full gun rack .Well I started home and about half way home I got pulled over for speeding , as I was reaching for my wallet the state trooper must of though I was pulling a gun as pulled his and demanded I put my hands in the air, I did he then asked me what I was doing and I told him I was getting my wallet, he then asked me if I had any more guns in the truck I told him no.

He then told me to open door and step out of the truck, which I did and as I was getting out I seen the quart of moonshine laying in the seat next to me, I though great I am going to jail.

The officer then ask me to step back to his cruiser and get in the passenger seat which I did.

When he got in he asked where are going in such a hurry I clocked you doing 90 mph . I told him my wife's sister was having a baby and wanted me home to take her to the hospital to take her to be with her sister. He told me slow down as he handed me back my license . I have often wandered why he never even looked inside my truck that night and what would of happened if he had.

Big game and Kenny Ray's birthday

Well last night Kenny Ray and I started our big game hunt for night crawlers, as we started out the door Tari was behind me and said she was going too. I figured she was just going to watch but she ended up catching more than me and Kenny Ray both.
I am sure the neighbors though we were crazy sneaking thru the yard at 11.30 at night with a flash light. We did not do as well as i had hoped, we should have watered the yard more, we will try again Saturday night.Today was my little boy's birthday, 13 years old so we went down to the farm to celebrate by mowing grass and fishing. We went down to the pond { honey hole} and on Tari's first cast when the bobber hit the water it went straight under, she set the hook and started yelling for me to come and help. By the time I got to her she had it on the bank.Now she has caught some fish before but nothing of this size probably 4or 5 pounds. She was so excited she said she had to pee.She ended up beating me and the little boy on his birthday.Tari caught 3cats about the same size and a couple of bass.Kenny Ray caught a couple of bass and bluegill's even had one bass jump out of the water and spit the bait at him. For a while I did not think we would get to go fishing as we sat on the porch of the cabin and listened and watched a storm move around the ridge, it did rain in town while we went down to eat dinner , it poured like a tall cow peeing on a flat rock, but it never rained a drop up at the cabin. we ran out of bait about dark and went back to the cabin and had some birthday cake.

Child safety and Big game hunting.

Last night Kenny Ray started shooting in a archery league. He did pretty good for his
first night and considering he has only been shooting for about a week.Out of a possible 300 score he shot a 197. We had a very good time walking the 30 3D decoy set, discussing different hunting techniques and shots as well as me laughing at his misses. It seems though when ever some one was watching beside me he always managed
a good dead center shot.As we finished he again said dad you need to bring your bow and shoot with me.I said son it brings me greater pleasure watching you. Little does he know all in all he his a lot better with a bow and arrow than I ever was, he might hurt himself laughing at me so it is my duty as a parent to protect him from injury.
As Kenny Ray and I came in the house tonight I asked him to spray the lawn down with the water hose. He asked why, and I told him we were going to hunt night crawler's tonight. They are now selling for $2.85 a dozen and we used 3 dozen last week.When I was a kid we never paid for worms we always caught them ourselves. Big Ron and Little Ron and myself would grab flashlights and a coffee can and have as much fun catching night crawlers as we did fishing with them, especially when could catch them 2 at time when they were mating and all slimmed up together.A couple of years ago when I was a Cub scout leader I held a meeting at my house at about 10 pm. I could not believe that the boys as well as parents had never been night crawler hunting. It was a fun filled evening with about 10 boys with flashlights and a can
and some of them screamed like a girls as they touched a night crawler for the first time. I often think about what boys miss out on today little things that build memories as well as life long friendships.

I am a Mountain Man

I wrote the other day about Kenny Ray and how well he shooting his bow. He is going to start shooting in a league tomorrow. Why he has been practing with his bow I deciced to go out this past Sunday morning and start to shoot my .50 Caliber muzzleloader Hawken rifle again. It has been about 17 years since I last popped a cap.On the first shot I had forgot how it kicked with a 100 grains of double f powder in it. I let the brass end plate rest right on my collar bone,it is still very tender tonight. I had forgotten how much fun it is to shoot and how much I hate cleaning it after shooting. I did shoot about 15 times but i need to go back outand finish sighting in for 50 yards and find out where I am at a 100 yards. I would like to shoot in a league later this summer and enter a meat shootas well that the Greene county fish and game club holds this fall.Ther is also a Mountain man Rendevous in friendship Indiana the first part of Septemeber. Kenny Ray's boy scout troop always attends, this year I may go in My mountain man deerskin shirt that my mom made from my deer skins and my coon skin hat.
I came across a creed i think you call last night going thru some stories that I have been writing. I like it very much.
My mother was a badger, my father was a griz,I can out shoot , out fight, out cuss, and out drink any man. I have the fastest horse, the sharpest knife, and the finest rifle in the mountains. Hear my challenge echo in the valleys for any man of any nation to try and lift my top knot. I will fight to the death for my right to be a free man, to trap the beaver and hunt the elk, to drink from a cool streams, and to sleep under the stars. I have no man to answer to except myself. I fear no creature on Gods green earth,for I am a Mountain Man.
J.F Ballard

A barn dance and a stoved up body

I woke up this morning all stoved up and I will have some Advil with my second cup of coffee.I took Thursday and Friday off from work to spend some time with Tari and Kenny Ray for their birthdays as they are this week, Tari today and the little boy
his is Friday. We started Thursday by getting Kenny Ray his bow repaired and then going out to Greene county fish and Game where he practiced with his bow on the archery range, it amazed how one little piece could improve his shooting, but it did.
He now wants to shoot an apple off of my head, I do not think so. We then went fishing and he beat me fishing he caught 2 nice catfish.On Friday we had a picnic out at the club and we all went fishing, Tari hooked two fish and the line broke on both pole she was using, may have to change line on poles. She wants to catch a big fish
real bad as she has caught one just small bluegills.On Saturday the pool finally opened and I got to take them swimming,Kenny Ray has been chomping at the bits to go
since they all closed last fall.My sister Lisa and nephews Dave and Dan went with us.
But my present to Tari is what has me sore this morning, I took her, Lisa and my Mom
and after many arguments and the threats of grounding the boys to a barn dance.
The dance was a local park Carriage hill farms , they had a bluegrass band by the name of a the Corndrinkers. Well we had a blast even the boys had a great time, there must of been a about a 100 people there and over half of them teenagers
and most of them girls so the boys had a really enjoyed themselves.It was very refreshing to see young people with no tattoos no ear rings sticking out of their
faces and they had clothes on and they were no under ware hanging out. We danced for
2 and half hours Tari and Lisa danced every dance, but every one's favorite dance was the Virginia Reel. It always makes me happy to see my family smile and laugh, and the smile's on old and young face's alike enjoying simple country ways. One of my favorite parts was sitting there with my mother and watching all those young girls trying to teach boys to waltz, I finally told one young man " buddy it will be easier if you just let her lead that's what I have to do to dance with my wife".
When it was over and we were walking back to the truck the boys asked when is the next barn dance?

Memorial day

Memorial day brings back allot of memories for me. of when my family always went back to Kentucky to decorate. Everyone of my uncle and aunts cousin's gathered back to the Brewer farm. We would clean off and mow the grave yard and place flowers on the
graves. Then a big dinner served with Fried chicken {my favorite]. the kids would go play and the men would gather on the porch or under a shade tree and tell tale of the past. I would always stay with the men as loved to hear all the tales, many of which I am writing down for Kenny Ray and future generations.My Aunt Carmie tells me about when she was a girl they would travel by horse and wagon over to a place called
Frozen in Breathitt county Ky, where my great grandfather is buried between his 2 wives both of which are named Elizabeth. She tells me how they made flowers out of crate paper and pipe cleaners for the graves. they would have a preaching sometimes there also as well as dinner on the grounds.Uncle Ken and Dad took to me to see the graveyard at Frozen a couple of years ago to see if we could find it. We did it is now surrounded by woods and forgotten. My family no longer get together on decoration day My Aunts and Uncle's are up in their 70's and 80's and all my cousin's
are getting in their late 50's and 60's. and it seems we only get together for a funeral's, Even are numbers are dwindling for these. It seems my Grandmother was the glue that held the family together.

Turkey fly by

Saturday morning me and the little boy where fishing at the pond down on the farm.
he and I sat down together side by side and fished and talked and joked for a better part of an hour. When all of sudden i heard some clucking and yelping up on the grass field next to the road, I said son you hear that it is a turkey, and about that time it flew up over the fence and right over our heads it could not have been more than 2 or 3 foot over our heads. I told him that must be the hen that Uncle Ken
seen up here last week she must be nesting in the small field, I wander what got her up, It may have been that fox we seen a couple of days ago I said. She landed just a few feet behind us in the woods and went to clucking again. Son we need to leave so that she will go back to her nest, and Kenny Ray said ok dad. As we walked back to the cabin I thought how blessed I was that my son enjoyed the simple things like catching fish and shooting the breeze with his old man, And appreciating little surprises that God gives us seeing a deer , fox and even being given a turkey fly over.