The Shame Of Jupelo

Ok this one goes out for all the dog lovers out there. I'm not a dog lover per say, but I've had some experience with hunting with them, and will admit under pressure to a fondness for beagle hounds.

My good friend Tony Sulivan, and I were out standing on the earthen dam of his farm pond one perfect summer evening drinking a cold beer, and discussing manly things. A young beagle hound came running from the yard circled Tony a couple of times,and curled up at his feet. Tony crushed an empty tossing it into a small pile waiting to be carried back to the house, and cracking open another began a glowing introduction to the happily panting dog.

"This is Jupelo!" He began excitedly. "I just swapped my Daddy for him." "Best damn rabbit dog you ever saw"

He went on to describe in great detail, and passion the many talents of this, the greatest of rabbit dogs. How keenly he smelled them. How eagerly he chased them. His ability to chase them straight to the gun. It was a great monolouge! Tony is a passionate speaker when he warms to his subject. Which is to say always. I love my friend dearly, and i could listen to his down to earth country lore, and tales for hours.

As this one progressed I noticed out of the corner of my eye a rustle in the brush beside the access road on the far side of the dam. Out of the brush hopped a fat brown rabbit! Only I saw him. Tony continued to wax poetic on the skills of his new dog. the object of his compliments lay contentedly at his feet gazing at nothing.

The rabbit hopped totally unconcerned across the road, and out onto the damn. Stopping occassionally as if for effect. He hopped serenely past the three of us. Within inches of the best rabbit dog in the world. Dissapearing into brush on the other side of the damn.I said not a word. Looking at Jupelo. Then at Tony.

We both just fell out laughing! What else could we do? It was soo priceless!

"Hell jerry..." my friend laughed."Didn't you say you were looking for a good rabbit dog?

Jupelo never moved.

CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!!

I was kicked back with a burger, and a cold beverage, enjoying a nite game at Wrigley. It was the last game of a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cubs had a chance for a sweep. (To non-sports fans this means taking all the games of a series.) With a one to nothing Dodgers score going into the ninth, it didn't look good. That's when it hit me. I was the third Kolbe male to be sitting in this room, counting on the Cubs, supporting them, win lose or draw.
Before me, my brother Tommy lived here for a time. Some of his "stuff" is still here in this room. A few books, a risk game, some questionable magazines, and some hats. I know he experienced the frustration, and joy of many Cubs games in the "friendly confines" of this room.
And Harold "bygod" Kolbe. My dad. He got that nickname by virtue of the fact that he couldn't complete a sentence without some sort of "sentence enhancer" in it. He lived in this room for years. Right up until he got too sick, and needed care Ann, and Dan couldn't provide. He watched his last Cubs games in a nursing home, and died March 14th, 1995. My Brother's birthday. And he was Cubs red, and blue, all the way through.I remember Cubs games on the radio, and tv.He took me to Cubs games in the 50s. Actually played ball for the Cubs minor league team in the late 40s..The Texas Spiders. Broke training, and came home after being told not to, and was dismissed. In his words.."SON OF A BITCH!!" Like the Cubs themselves..so close, and yet..
The Cubs Geovany soto's sacrifice fly tied the game at one apiece in the ninth, in the tenth Mike fontenot doubled, and Alfonso Soriano brought him home with a base hit deep into left field. The dugout emptied like it was game four of the world series...CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!! I could hear Harry Carry's joy filled voice. I wondered if my brother, now living in Lebonan tennessee was watching.

The Music In The storm

Have you ever started out to write one thing, and end up writing something completely different? This is one of those times. I started out with idea of telling you about a profound convergence I experienced of an intense summer storm, and an Eagles song. I went to You Tube to find the video so I could place it at the end of the piece, and that is when the song spoke.
I had been out with friends who dropped me off in the middle of an incredibly intense thunderstorm. A limb as big as my thigh splintered, and blew down as I stood on the porch fumbling for my key. The lightning was close. It struck the water tower across the street. I could smell ozone in the driving rain. Soaking wet I closed the door, and made my way to the bedroom I shared with my brother Tommy. Mom was out somewhere in the storm.
Another close crack of lightning took the power out for a second,the wind howled, and the rain roared on the old house's tin roof. Then I heard it. A chill of fear ran down my back, as the storm raged.. "Jesus is coming..Jesus is coming..Jesus is coming..." A tree crashed to the ground just outside the house.."Jesus is coming..Jesus is coming..Jesus is coming..." Terror!
I ran to the record player, and took the tone arm off the record, my heart hammering in my chest! Was he? Is this the end of the world? I was listening for the horn of Gaberial as my brother slumbered oblivious in the storm. The lightening took the power out, but there was finaly a gap between it, and the thunder. The storm was moving on. I sat alone in the evening gloom, shaking like a leaf. The rain faded to a drum roll on the tin,thunder grumbled in the distance.
The song my brother had on the stereo was The Eagles "The Last resort" from Hotel California. Tree hugger that I am it has long been a favorite. But what are the odds of the record getting stuck on that paticular line? And coupled with the intensity of the storm? You can easily see my connecting the two. The rapture in the midst of the storm! It took me awhile to shake off, and embrace the irony of coincidence. Oh, add one more to the mix. As I began writing this the History channel ran a program about the crucificion of Christ. There is a fifty percent chance of an afternoon storm in the forcast.
Ah the song. Waiting in the wings for it's chance to speak. And speak it does. Of man's continual search for, and destruction of, paradise on earth. At one time a continuous old growth forrest of vast perportions streched from the east coast to the Mississippi river. A sea of grasslands covered an area from the midwest to the plains. There were herds of buffalo so large they numbered in the thousands. We destroyed all of that in less than two hundred years. Pushed the Native Americans out of our way, and brought forth on this continent a new nation...
I won't attack or defend manifest destiny here. How many animals, and insects die or are pushed aside by the waters of a beaver's dam? Does this make beavers evil? More advanced civilations have been pushing aside their less advanced brothers, and dividing, and redividing this world for centuries. Don Henley gets to the heart of the matter better than I could here...
"There is no more new frontier..We have got to make it here."
Will we? Cue the music. Let the song speak to you now. It will make you cry.

The Cost Of Freedom...

I was leaning on a huey cobra gunship, my head, and shoulders inside the cockpit. The young captain enthusiasticly explaining the displays, and controls. I remarked to him that I had seen detailed pictures of the helicopter while it was still in development, in Aviation Week, And Space Technology magazine, back in the 70's. I asked him if that frustrated him, knowing that our enemies have easy access to the magazine too. He seemed taken back. Like i'd said something profoundly wrong.
"No sir." he said, and gave me a wonderfull glimps inside the mindset of our magnificent young defenders. "Freedom of the press must be maintained in a democracy." "That's what this is all about." And I could see in his eyes he meant every word. That young man Knew, better than me, How precious, and special this country is. And he was ready,willing, and able to stand between it, and any harm. And that is what this day is about. Remembering the thousands of men, and women who have willingly sacrificed their time, their blood, their lives in the defense of The United States Of America.