Chapter 7 and finale of Trapper’s Christmas

 Chapter 7 and finale of Trapper’s Christmas

Recap. The two men, Jim and Crazy Joe, have settled in to have a real Christmas feast. The food is cooked and the men are at the table.

After the words were spoken and the two men have settled back into their chairs, they begin to eat their fill, not a word being said, and none needed. The look for contentment on their faces said it all. Even Beau, chewing on the food his master had given him, had a peace about him that came from the men about him as well as from a full bully.
After dinner the men talked a while and listened to the old radio in the corner. They talked of friends long ago gone and of memories old and new. They shared woods stories of old hunts and adventures when they were young men. The afternoon was spent in reflection of those things that we all cherish, those memories that bring a tear to the hear and a smile to your face. Both men had many a laugh at the old times.

As the afternoon waned and the sun got low in the sky, Joe stood and said, “Well my ol’ friend. I best be heading back to my cabin ‘fore it gets dark. I thank ye for the victuals an’ the good company! You an’ the pup their be nigh the closest thing to family that I have an’ it was a holiday I’ll never forget!”
After grabbing their coats and Joe putting on his hat and mittens, the two men step out into the cold night air. They say their goodbyes and even the pup gives a quick tip to send Joe off to the trails. After watching Joe disappear into the darkness beneath the balsams, the old trapper takes a deep, satisfied breath of the cold air and he and his old dog step back in the cabin.
The sound of the wind in the evergreens and grainy Christmas carols from the old radio return as the only sounds to be heard. After stoking the fire to a roaring flame Jim Roberts, once again, sits in his old rocking chair, smoking his pipe and watching the snow flakes collect on the window sill. His old hound laying contentedly in his usual place. A scene of pure peace in its most naked form. Quietly Jim whispers to his companion,"Well old friend, we made a holiday out of it didn’t we?” And with a smile on his weathered face, he fades into a peaceful sleep with home for Christmas playing softly in the air.

The end

Tomorrow I will begin the second story of the trapper and his friends. I hope you have enjoyed these. Please leave a comment telling me what you think.

Chapter 6 of Trapper’s Christmas

 Chapter 6 of Trapper’s Christmas

Recap: the trapper was able to get a nice sized turkey to bring home for Christmas supper. As he was heading home he met up with his old friend “Crazy” Joe and invited him for dinner. They two have just returned to the cabin and the trapper has cleaned the turkey while Joe warmed himself by the fire.

Chapter 6

The trappers skill at cooking on a wood stove was unsurpassed by anyone. Ina short duration the turkey was done to the nines. To add to the feast he made stuffing with bread and some herbs he dried during the summer. In place of baked potatoes was a package of powdered potatoes with lots of butter. There were green beans and squash from his canning shelf and fresh biscuits. On his table he laid a white bed sheet for a table cloth and in the center, a handmade candle, lit as a beacon for the souls traveling the Christmas skies, and those that he misses so. His plates were pewter and his cups were tin. Dented as they were they made a fine setting for woodsmen and dog. As they sat down in the homemade chairs that Jim had skillfully made many years before, Joe said quietly, “As it is Christmas, maybe we should make a sayin’ or something.” “By god Joe, yer right,” Jim said agreeing,” I do believe I’ll say somethin’ to that affect!”

So as the men settled into the comfort of the warm cabin, Jim started to speak in a low but clear voice, “Today is a day of memories and of family. My only family I have left is right here at this table. You, Joe are like a brother to me and Beau there has been the greatest companion a man could ask for. However for memories I have many, good’uns and bad’uns, but they keep me goin’ when I done think I can. Now I have never been a man with many wants but I have to ask for one now. I would ask, perhaps, in the years I have left, that I not lose those memories or those friends I’ve gathered over the years.”

“Amen, my friend, amen,” Joe said with a tear in his eye, “I dare say that their may have been more elaborate speeches spoken on this day, but I don’t think any had as much meanin’ as that’un you just said here!”

Finale of chapter 7 tomorrow!!!

Chapter Five of Trapper’s Christmas

 Chapter Five of Trapper’s Christmas

Recap: The trapper had finished decorating his cabin and realized he needed to go out and get something special for Christmas dinner. He had just come upon a large turkey.

Chapter 5

As the smoke of the old shotgun cleared, and the trapper got to his feet, their lying before him was the turkey. Slowly he walks to the turkey and, kneeling down beside it, puts his hand on the animal and thanks it for its sacrifice so that he and his pup could eat tonight. Gathering his prize and swinging it over his shoulder, the old man begins to head back toward his cabin. “Halloooo! Halloooo Jim Roberts!!” Came a familiar voice. “Is that you Crazy Joe?” Jim asks as he turns toward the voice. “Now you know I hate when you call me that ol’ man!! I ain’t crazy!” Joe says with a frown. “You are when you been drinking!!” Said Jim, chuckling to himself. “That’s quite the turkey you got there Jim! What ya fixin’ ta do with it?” said Joe. “Gonna have a real Christmas feast tonight Joe!! Say why don’t you come along with me and we can surprise the old pup with a visitor an’ you can join us for supper!!” Jim said excitedly. “Woo hoooo Jim I’d be delighted!!!,” Joe exclaimed, “I ain’t ‘et nothing decent in days! I dare say I may starve ta death ‘fore too long!” “Well then it’s settled Joe, you come along with me an’ you, me, and the pup will make a real holiday of it!” Said the old trapper as he started to walk again, with more energy in his step than he had already had with the idea of a real Christmas running through his mind. So the two men walked joyfully back to the cabin, talking of times gone and times to come and it took no time at all before they reached the little cabin. After getting inside to the warmth and an excited greeting with old Beau, both men took off their coats and hung them on the hooks by the stove to dry out. “Well I declare Jim you’ve made this cabin downright homey!! That tree there be nigh on the prettiest tree I’ve ever seen!! said Joe as he looked around. “Well I thank ya Joe! I did see it that way m’self,” said the trapper,” it may not be fine by the city slickers standards but by god it’s fine by mine!” Moments later the trapper tells Joe to make himself comfortable and heads to the trapping shed to take care of cleaning the turkey. In no time at all the trapper enters the cabin once again and shakes the snow from his shoulders, a beautiful fifteen pound turkey in his hand……

Chapter six tomorrow!!! Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

Chapter 4

 Chapter Four of Trapper’s Christmas

Recap: the trapper has just finished decorating his tree and making a wreath of evergreen boughs for the door.

Chapter Four

After standing back and being satisfied with his wreath, the trapper heads in to warm his fingers at the wood stove. As he runs his hands together he suddenly jumps to attention. “Pup! We ain’t got just a thing special to eat fer supper!!! I reckon I should go out and try an’ rustle somethin’ up!” So once again he goes to the hook and grabs his mackinaw, boots, hat and beaver skin mittens and his old shot gun from over the door. He heads out, telling the pup to stay warm by the fire, and steps into his snowshoes that hang in the wall outside the door. As he quietly walks down his old familiar trails, the snow begins to fall lightly. He keeps his eyes moving, looking for a dinner prize that will suffice for their Christmas feasting. As he walks he again thinks of times gone and memories of those he loves who he misses so. A small smile comes to his face and then suddenly, his attention snaps back to the present. Straight ahead, seemingly out of nowhere, a turkey gobbles just over the hill in front of him. Immediately he takes to a knee and raises his old trusted shotgun to his shoulder. The turkey crests the hill in full strut and the trapper knows the time is now. Steadying himself and taking a deep breath he gently squeezed the trigger until the old shogun barks and bellows a cloud of smoke into the air, a timeless progression that has lasted since the dawn of man……..

Chapter 5 tomorrow!!!!

Chapter 3

Recap: The old Trapper has decided to give his old blue tick hound Beau a Christmas celebration and they have just returned from gathering a tree for themselves in the forest.

Chapter 3

Once the trapper stood the tree inside the cabin in front of the little corner window, he stood back and gave the tree a good once over. “A little bare ain’t she pup? Jim said to his companion, “I thinks we need a little color!” On that he searches around a while and comes across an old torn flannel shirt. “Here we go! This’ll do nicely!” He whispers to himself. He grabs a pair of scissors and heads to his old rocker. He begins to cut long strips out of the worn out shirt. It isn’t of any fancy material, just a simple red and black Buffalo plaid flannel. As he works he begins to whistle along with Christmas songs coming out of the old battery operated radio he keeps on the kitchen shelf.

Once he finishes cutting the strips he ties each one into a simple bow and adds a piece of trapping wire to the center, bending it into a hook. Once finished he stands and brings the basket of bows that he just made to the tree. Hooking each one in its place in only a minute or two, he backs away to look at the tree again. “Needs a bit of somethin’ else pup!” he says, “it be coming along though!” He thinks on it a minute while looking at the tree and comes up with an idea. He goes to the pantry cupboard in the other corner of the cabin and pulls out a roll of aluminum foil. Tearing off several foot long pieces, he twists each piece around his finger until they turn into sparkling icicles. He hangs several from various branches and then, twisting an extra large one, put the last on the top of the tree. As he stands back once again and looks at the tree he is finally satisfied. “Well I’d dare say that be the nicest tree in these woods ol’ boy!” he says with a smile, “but no self respecting’ cabin would be complete without a wreath upon the front door! It wouldn’t be right ‘tall!” So the trapper step back into the cold and collects some bows of spruce, balsam, and cedar and in no time at all the wreath is hung on the door, with a few of Jim’s bows tied to it.

Chapter 4 tomorrow!!!! Stay tuned!!

A little explanation of some of these traditions in this story. Jim Roberts is very much based on my father and many of the stories he has told me over the years of his growing up and of his living off the land for four years in the wilderness with no running water or electricity. These different Christmas traditions were his that he had told me he used in the woods during Christmas. He and his then wife Nancy and their German shepherd Ilsa lived these stories.

Chapter 2, Trapper's Christmas

 

Chapter two of Trappers Christmas

To recap yesterday we left off with the trapper, Jim Roberts, telling his hound Beau that he deserves a Christmas as much as anyone. Please keep in mind that there will be some purposeful misspelling and dialect of a man in the woods. Read accordingly.

The trapper stand and grabs his coat hanging from the branch that he had nailed to the wall. “First thing we need’s a tree!” He says as he heads for the door, Beau close behind. They both step out into the biting December air and Jim emits a shiver. He walks to the woodshed, grabs his axe, and says to his pup, “Let’s find us a good’n and we’ll put her up right in the winder there!”

So the two companions take off toward their familiar trails into the deep forest surrounding their cabin. It doesn’t take long before the trapper says, “There she be pup!”, pointing at a six foot spruce, "there’s our tree!!!” So he took his axe to its trunk and, with a few quick swings, was dragging it back to the cabin.

Many a larger and more elaborate tree have been picked by people over the world. With the stores and tree lots in the city selling all sorts of over priced over manicured trees, many people may not find this tree to be much of anything. This tree may not be as straight or as full as some, but it is perfect for a man and his dog in the woods. After shaking the snow from the branches and clearing the dead gas from the lower branches, Jim took an old sap pail from the shed and proudly stood his tree in the window.....

Chapter three tomorrow

Helping out a friend

 This is chapter one of at least 3 in a story that my friend Justin has written called The Trapper’s Christmas. He is an amazing person who has had a rough year (like most of us), so I thought that I would post his stories here for all to read (hopefully). This is edited only for grammatical and spelling errors.

I have written several short stories over the years about an old trapper, Jim Roberts, and how he keeps his Christmas. I figured I’d maybe put some up here in an attempt to get them out for people to read. I have wanted to get them published but that’s a joke as it costs a fortune. So I’m going to start sharing some of them, sort of a chapter at a time sort of things. If you like them I will continue. If not I will stop. I will start tonight with the first. I will also try and find a picture to go with it. I always intended to do the illustrations for my stories if they were published but, again, pipe dreams.

TRAPPER’S CHRISTMAS

The sound of wind in the evergreens is the only break in the silence of winter that surround the small cabin. Inside the cabin an old trapper, Jim Roberts, sets in his handmade rocker meditatively watching the snow fall outside the small window. Next to him lies his old blue tick Beau, content to lay in the warmth coming from the wood stove in the center of the cabin. As the trapper rocks, he thinks of days gone by, and those who he loves , that he hasn’t seen in many years. The sparkling hints of tears come to his eye as he remembers Christmas feasts and friends and family brought together around great tables. With that thought he stops rocking and looks at his pup. “Beau,” he says almost in a whisper, “You’re my only family now and by god you deserve a Christmas as much as anyone!” With that he stands and walks to his coat hanging on a branch he nailed to the wall…..Chapter two tomorrow. Maybe if someone steals these as I am posting them at least someone can publish them…..

 

Italy or France

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of moving to France, but the books I read and the movies I watch revolve more around Italy than France. Why is that? Am I subconsciously thinking about a move to Italy instead of France? Am I the person who can make a decision and stick to it (not so far)?

The first book or movie I remember about either of these countries is Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I recently re-read the book and had forgotten how much I loves it (and the movie) and could absolutely picture myself living in a town like Cortona and living the Italian life.

At the same time, I remember sitting in French class in high school and looking at a book about the Chateaus of the Loire valley and thinking about how wonderful it would be to live there. I love the idea of living in Paris and being as close to a Parisian as one can be as an American. I love the idea of shopping for food on a daily basis and having it so fresh that it would go bad if not eaten. I love the idea of fresh bread and butter that is so creamy that it actually has flavor. The thing is, I can have this in either country, so what is so special about France that isn’t special about Italy? Having never been to either country, I simply don’t know. There is just something about Paris that calls to me, but what is it, exactly? Is it the architecture? The food? The history? If it is the food, I tend to go for Italian over French. If it is the architecture, Italy has some pretty impressive architecture too (the Coliseum in Rome, the Trevi Fountain, the Duomo in Florence [a city I once dreamed of honeymooning in], the Ponte Vecchio, the Basilica San Marco in Venice and many, many more).

How does one decide which place speaks to them the loudest when one is unable to visit either of them currently due to a worldwide pandemic? I can read books, watch movies, read blogs (of which I follow no fewer than 3 about living in France, but most of them aren’t about Paris). The good thing is that there are many, many Americans living in both countries and there are countless books about living in both countries.

As for moving to Paris, I have been seeing signs everywhere from artwork at a thrift store to meeting people from the Paris region randomly outside of a Target to finding a Julia Child cookbook on the Facebook marketplace for $5. Maybe the signs are telling me that I need to move there or maybe they aren’t. I’ve seen many more movies about Paris and France (An American in Paris, Julie and Julia, Gigi, Chocolat, Midnight in Paris) than I have about Italy (Letters to Juliet, Under the Tuscan Sun, Roman Holiday). I also find books, coffee cups and other items about and from Paris and I often buy them.

Perhaps I should stick with my original plan to move to Paris by 50 and then while there, travel throughout the European Continent and see as much as I can before returning to the United States. Both countries have a lot to offer from healthcare, to history to romance languages. I know much more French than Italian, but believe that I could get by either way.

Since France has been on my radar for far longer, I’ll continue my research before making my final, final, FINAL determination. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet the man of my dreams, fall in love and get married and the decision will be made for me.

DISCLAIMER: ATTACHED IMAGES ARE NOT MINE

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Cautious or ridiculous?

I have a good friend, we’ll call him Norman who has asthma and refuses to meet up with people, or even walk around his neighborhood because he is afraid of catching the virus because he is super immunocompromised (his only affliction is asthma and it is very well controlled without medication). He said that he will not see ANYBODY until there is a vaccine, never mind the fact that that won’t be any time soon and could take several years.

I tell him that he is being ridiculous and that he can still live his life just as before, but with a few compromises like washing his hands more often or using hand sanitizer when he can’t wash and wearing a mask.

According to this article from Science Daily (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200706094126.htm), Asthma does not appear to increase the risk for a person contracting COVID-19 or influence its severity, according to a team of researchers at Rutgers University.

“Older age and conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and obesity are reported risk factors for the development and progression of COVID-19,” said Reynold A. Panettieri Jr., a pulmonary critical care physician and director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science and co-author of a paper published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “However, people with asthma — even those with diminished lung function who are being treated to manage asthmatic inflammation — seem to be no worse affected by SARS-CoV-2 than a non-asthmatic person. There is limited data as to why this is the case — if it is physiological or a result of the treatment to manage the inflammation.” The article goes on to say, “Asthma tends to be associated with far fewer other conditions than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cardiovascular disease. If SARS-CoV-2 is a disease that causes dysfunction in the cells that line blood vessels throughout the body, then diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other diseases associated with this condition may make people more susceptible to the virus than those who are asthmatic. However, older people with asthma who also have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease may have similar instances of COVID-19 as non-asthmatics with those conditions.”

I found another article from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/asthma-library/covid-asthma) that has similar information.  “It is important to know that currently there is no evidence of increased infection rates in those with asthma. And although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that patients with moderate-severe asthma could be at greater risk for more severe disease, there are no published data to support this determination at this time.” 

This tells me that if an individual takes proper precautions, they will be as safe as anyone can be when living in close quarters in a major metropolitan area. So why then, does this individual believe that he will automatically not only get the virus, but get it so badly that he ends up in the hospital? Part of it is that he doesn’t read. He doesn’t follow current events, doesn’t follow the news, doesn’t have any social media presence and is a blind follower of Captain Pumpkin Peener and despite his being a college educated individual, seems opposed to learning new things or opening his mind to the world.

I tried to meet up with him over the summer and messaged him asking if I could see him before Christmas, but he will not see anyone until there is a vaccine. I am glad that he is no longer as big of a part of my life as he once was because ignorance is NOT bliss, it is just ignorance.

 

Christmas in New York City

New York City has few redeeming qualities, but Christmas is by far the best one. There is something about the chill in the air, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree being brought to the city, put into place and lit for all to see, the windows at Macy’s, the Village at Bryant Park with the skating rink (the ONLY free one in the city). I was walking to the store the other day when this song by Sugarland came up on my playlist called the City of Silver Dreams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7YqlHrStIY). The song talks about St. Patrick’s Cathedral and when the doors open, you can see all of the candles. The windows being dressed up with ribbons and smiles.

Having lived in Brooklyn for 7.5 years, I have experienced almost everything the city has to offer when it comes to Christmas. I have attended tree lighting ceremonies, gone to the Winter Village at Bryant Park, shopped at the ones in both Central Park and Union Square, visited the French Market by the Smithsonian last year (even if it was a disappointment), wandered through Central Park while it snowed. There is just something magical about New York (Manhattan mostly) during the holidays. There are many things I really and truly hated about living in New York, but Christmas was not one of them.

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St. Patrick’s Cathedral-Saks Fifth Avenue-9/11 Memorial-Zuccotti Park-Wall Street-New York Stock Exchange

The lyrics are as follows and I will include photos of as much of these items as I have:

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Bryant Park-Empire State Building-American Radiator Building-Rockefeller Center-Radio City Music Hall-Central Park-Plaza Hotel

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“City Of Silver Dreams”

The windows in New York City
All dressed up with ribbons and smiles
Snow covers the park like a carpet
Bells on white carriages roll by in style.

St. Patrick’s cathedral is all lit up
When the doors open wide I can see
All of those candles burning inside
Looks like somebody’s birthday party to me.

Snowy night
Catch the light
Shimmer bright
Angels sing
Here below
Children know
Faces glow
Bells they ring
Through a city of silver dreams

They hung a star over 5th Avenue
Like a beacon that’s calling you home
With our gifts we come looking for comfort
May we find in each other we’re not so alone

Snowy night
Catch the light
Shinning bright
Angels sing
Here below
Children know
Faces glow
Bells they ring
Through a city of silver dreams

Its like this whole town has swallowed some magic
With a taxi horns singing away
They say that this city will change you
But it ain’t me that’s been changing
from what I can tell.

Snowy night
Catch the light
Shinning bright
Angels sing
Here below
Children know
Faces glow
Bells they ring
Through a city
Through a city so pretty
In this city of silver dreams.