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.