Crazy Antics and Dreams

Proper Fishing Attire in Years Past

As I have previously mentioned, I love fishing. Over the years my attire has changed, but I’m not certain if it was for the best, or not. In the first photo (circa 1963), the bobby socks and loafers seem to have been the normal footwear for teenagers at the time. Can’t say that my attire helped to catch any fish or not, but I had fun.

Likewise in the second photo (circa 1973), I’m wearing blue jeans with patches sewn above and below the knees in my best “hippie” wardrobe. This photo was taken after I returned from a very successful fishing excursion to the Rockport/Fulton, Texas area of the Gulf Coast.

In the third photo (circa 1977), I’m still wearing blue jeans and a scarf headband as I rig the fishing lines with artificial lures for my mother and sister. This was a fishing trip to the Corpus Christi, Texas bay area. We didn’t catch many fish, but it was a fun trip nonetheless.

Nowadays, I wear more traditional fishing wear such as waders, quick dry slacks and shirts, and a brimmed hat. However, it doesn’t matter what I wear, as long as I can go fishing. As the old adage goes, “The worst day fishing is better than the best day at work!” Need I say more?

Whitetail Deer, An Owl, and Cottontail Rabbits

Hunting for Whitetail deer in south Texas is an adventure in itself, but there are odd incidents that make the whole trip more memorable. Here are a couple of my favorite happenings while stalking deer on my friends’ ranch.

During one evening’s hunt, I was going to hunt with my friend’s teenage son. His older sister wanted to tag along, but he protested claiming that she made too much noise. Since I’d be hunting far enough away from him, I suggested that his sister could come with me. The three of us hiked through pastures and up onto a hill. The girl and I positioned ourselves under an ancient oak tree where we could see the deer move through pastures below the hill. Their son hiked to the other side of the hill so that he wouldn’t be distracted by his sister. Just before sunset, a Great Horned Owl landed in the tree above us and began hoot and preen. Ten or so minutes later, the owl pooped; fortunately the poop landed on the ground next to the girl. Needless to say she started giggling, tried to stifle the noise of her giggles, and ultimately began to laugh out loud. The owl stared down at us and soon took flight. The only thing that would have made this episode any funnier would have been if the poop would have landed on her!

 One time, my brother and I went deer hunting in the late afternoon and stayed in the field until dusk. My brother sat under a small tree in the center of the field while I stayed at a corner of the same pasture. Near me there was a large pile of brush that had been bulldozed from an adjacent field. So there I am holding a deer rifle when six or more Cottontail rabbits start coming and going from under the brush. The brazen critters ran all around me and even looked up at me as they stretched and scratched. It was as if they knew that I was hunting deer and not rabbits. If I had been hunting rabbits that day, would the deer have been as friendly?

Barbed Wire and Cactus

One of my favorite places to visit when I was a kid was our friends’ ranch. The main reason that I enjoyed going to the ranch was that I was able to wear jeans, see horses, learn the intricacies of ranch life, and generally speaking have a great time.

On one of our visits, I went across the sandy road to the old barn to see the horses in the corral. Although I wasn’t able to ride the horses, I did put my hand through the barbed wire fence to pet them. Since I have never been coordinated, my arm became hooked on the barbed wire. At first I thought it was the sleeve of my shirt that was caught until I tried to pull free. That was when I found that the top side of my left wrist that was impelled on one of the barbs. Needless to say, Mom took me to the doctor for a Tetanus shot. I still have a scar from that episode.

 

And then when I was a teenager, we were walking in the pasture to see if there were any wild ducks at the tank. Since their prized Brahma bull was also in the pasture, we were keeping a wary eye open in case he decided to charge us. While I was watching the bull, I didn’t see the spiny cactus that was growing along side the road and hit it with my hand. When we reached the house, it took half an hour to remove all of the cactus spines from the top side of my right hand and wrist.

            Being a klutz is so painful at times!

Chinese Boutique and a Balancing Act

The dream I had on July 4, 2007 happened between 4:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. This dream was very interesting since it started with me being instructed by the C.E.O. of a savings and loan (I worked at this S&L most of the 1980s).

 

The C.E.O. was instructing me to work with another employee to sell some odd Chinese items at a boutique in a mall. They gave me a white oriental-style dress to wear and then handed me a Chinese Checker board and marbles to set up in the boutique. I seemed to be having difficulty balancing the board and keeping the marbles from falling onto the floor. I remembered that the Chinese Checker board was a very deep shade of red. I managed to balance the game as they made me a “living” display stand.

 

On my way through the boutique, a Chinese lady stopped me and asked me to watch her Green Conure Parrot. The woman watched a parade that was passing by the mall windows. Her parrot liked me and readily hopped onto my shoulder.

 

The mall was crowded with people also watching the parade. After the parade, I wandered through the boutique looking at the Chinese furniture and the exotic carved statues. I met the owner of the boutique and she introduced me to her daughters and her elderly mother.

 

Since there was a birdcage with a bright yellow Conure Parrot in it, I asked if the parrot on my shoulder could stay in the cage too. After what seemed to be a long time, the owner’s daughter took the Chinese Checker game. The parrot’s owner returned and wanted her bird. When we went to cage, we found that there were two African Grey parrots, a third Conure, and a Canary with the two original Conure parrots.

 

One of the S&L employees wanted one of the African Grey parrots and I took the other. I remember thinking that the clarity of the dream and the vivid colors were unusual for a dream.

 

Trip to the Mall

Late on the night of May 15, 2007, I had a dream that I went to a very large shopping mall with my sisters and their families as well as my Mom. Part of the time I seemed to be alone in the mall and I walked a long way to find everyone.

 

When I hadn’t found my family, I went into a pet shop and went inside to look at the fish in the numerous large aquariums. I purchased a very nice tank and several fish. It seems that the colors of the fish were more vivid than real life. I was fascinated by the brilliant gold, red, green, and orange colors of the fish.

 

Later that day, I found everyone and showed them my aquarium. They all seemed to like the tank and the fish, but one sister and my Mom thought their purchases were more important and didn’t take care when the tank was loaded into the vehicle. Needless to say my tank was broken and the fish were now dead. I went back to the mall and took another long walk to the pet store. I woke up and the dream faded away.

Grizzly Bears and Bikers

The dream I had on April 29, 2007 happened early in the morning. In the dream I was traveling by car through the Texas countryside to visit the small towns along the way. In one town, one of my sisters and I stopped to eat at a café. We were invited to visit the owner’s home.

The house was a very old, completely restored house. Several bikers came to visit the owner. From the front porch of the house, I noticed that the neighbor who lived two houses down the street had several large brown Grizzly bears in a pen in the front yard. After a brief time, the bikers noticed the bears and that one of the bears breaking out of its pen. We all went back into the house to wait for the Texas Parks and Wildlife officers to capture the bear. For some reason it seemed to take a long time. While we waited in the house, I had a conversation with the bikers about their Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I told them about my twin brother-in-laws’ matching Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The dream ended when the Texas Parks and Wildlife officers captured the Grizzly bear. I woke to the alarm blaring.

Cattle, Goats, and a Farrier

Early in the morning of April 20, 2007, I had the following brief dream. The dream was a very active one in which I was busy helping take care of some brown goats and cattle. At one point, I walked past a stall where a horse was having its hooves trimmed by a farrier. The horse’s front left hoof was cracked and ragged. The horse tried to bite me with its large and very long teeth. Fortunately, I moved fast and was quickly out of its reach. I woke after this dream.

My Friend and a Wheelchair

Early in the morning of February 4, 2006, I had a very active dream. One of my very close friends was the focus of this dream. It seems that I was pushing my friend in a wheelchair amid a very large crowd of people. At one point, she began to push me in the wheelchair.

When I awoke, I felt that I should call my friend to check on her health and make an appointment with the doctor for myself too.

Giant People-Eating Yellow Lizard

Oh my! On the evening of August 11, 2002 I had a wild dream, i.e., "B Sci-Fi movie" type of dream! A giant orange lizard was gobbling down careless humans who got too close to the scary monster. I stayed in the "safety zone" and wasn’t in danger of being an appetizer for the giant lizard. Still, I watched numerous other people become lizard food. UGH!

A Restaurant, A Woman, and My Husband

On the night of August 12, 2002, I dreamed about Grandma’s house that was just around the corner from the brewery. I was discussing the house’s history with a woman I didn’t know. After the visit to the old house, my husband came to the restaurant where I was having a meal at to tell me that I would be served with divorce papers. I have no idea what the old house and divorce papers have in common, but I have never been served with divorce papers. Go figure!