The Birthday Gift No One Forgot

It was May 31st 1952, Mom was having her 12th and final child. Another boy, who they named Ernie. He was one ugly baby.......just kidding. Not only was this a special day because Ernie was born, but it was also Mom's 39th birthday. Mom was born May 31, 1913.

Many years later, we had a surprize birthday party for Mom. Not sure but I think all the her children were there and many of the grandchildren. We had cake, lots of food (always lots of food when the Henson family gathered), presents were given and opened. We were all having a good time.

Then Mom's final present was carried in. It was a very large box that required several of the boys to carry in. The present was put in front of her. We all gathered around to watch her open it. No one could guess what it was and Mom had no idea.

She opened the present and just burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. Everyone was laughing with her. The present took her back to the day Ernie was born.

Ernie was really an ugly baby this time and I am not kidding. He was wearing a diaper, and had a baby bottle.

Prairie Dogs, Buffalos and A Honda Civic

I remember when we were stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, we liked to go visit the Wichita Wildlife Refuge.  Once we stopped at the Prairie Dog Town which the girls really liked. The prairie dogs would run in and out of their homes (holes). They would chase each other chattering and barking. If I remember correctly, we could feed them dried apple pieces, which they would eat sitting up. We took the girls to the town whenever we could.

One time, I came home from work and suggested that we go the Wildlife Refuge. Brenda had already prepared our dinner (meatloaf and lima beans) so she just left them in the pot, packed up paper plates, & drinks and we headed out. Now you have to understand that it was probably already 4 or 5 when I got home so it was getting late by the time we got to the Refuge. Even though we got a late start, we saw a lot of buffalo and longhorn steer, and we all were really enjoying the trip. After a while Brenda suggested, that we probably should find a place to stop. I said I would find a place, but came upon a herd of buffalo and watched them for a while. Now I realized that it was getting late and that I had better find a place to park. Of course now there was no place in sight to have a picnic, it was getting dark, so we decided to just pop the hatch and eat in the back of the car. It was now dark and when you are out in a wildlife refuge there are no lights so it was really really dark. We had just started eating and began to hear a snorting sound. The sound begin to get louder and louder and closer and closer.

We all scrambled over the seats toward the front of the Honda. We looked and a buffalo put its head into the car through the open hatch. The girls were screaming, Brenda was strongly encouraging me to go, I dropped the keys and was having trouble finding them. Finally, found the keys and raced away with the hatch open. We only slowed down to close the hatch when we were sure we could not even hear anything that remotely sounded like a snort. Oklahoma has a lot of good memories for us.

A Room To Remember

After Vietnam, I went through an interesting time - I was, some might say cool ...... others would say weird ..... and still others were just worried about me. My hair was below my shoulders, my mustache was on a good start to a fu manchu, buckskin boots, dated an exotic dancer (not Brenda), also dated a lady who owned a monkey (again not Brenda) ..... you get the picture. I was living with Mom in the apartment above Erman's on Elkton Ave. I decided to paint the room, to make it feel more like me ....... but what color would really say something ........ special. I got my inspiration while at the market, do not ask what I was doing there, I don't really remember, I noticed an eggplant fruit. The more I thought about it, the more I liked its color, and then an idea began to form ...... I wonder ..... I decided eggplant would be the perfect color ...... If ...... what I was thinking would work. I painted the walls ..... turned out the regular light ..... oh did I say I had also purchased a large black light? ...... turned on the black light and just as I hoped my wall almost disappeared .... to add to the effect I cut some images out of some black light posters and put them on the walls .... stars, planets, moon, sun, characters ..... they all seemed to be floating in the air ..... very cool. Yellow lines in the wall corners, some fishnet hanging above the bed were just the right finishing touches. One cool room. For some of my nieces and nephews thought it was a bit scary, although some did like it. I understand after I moved out, when Erman tried to repaint the walls, the eggplant was very hard to cover and kept bleeding through. I would not be surprised that there still might be some evidence in that room.

Deer Hunting Part 3: Swamp Buggy and Snakes

My first car was a 1962 VW Bug that ran on 3 1/2 cylinders. I purchased it from Herman for, I think $250, and made a few modifications. The modification that got most of the attention, was the carpet. You ask, "what was so unique about changing carpeting?".....well this carpet was not on the inside, it was on the outside....tan as I remember it. I glued it on the hood and trunk. You have to remember back in those days I was a little bit on ...... well let's just say I enjoyed myself. It was not unusual, when I stopped at a red light, for people crossing the street to stop and rub my car and either shake their heads or give me a thumbs up. In those days a VW bug was built  such that it would go just about anywhere ..... on any road ........ off-road ...... even no road. So you will understand when I say I decide to take it hunting with me ..... I don't mean just drive it to the camp site .... but TAKE IT hunting WITH me in the woods. It was not unusual for a club member to be in his tree stand and to his amazement (and I am sure frustration), the white swamp buggy would come zipping by. The nice thing was that the swamp buggy could get to places that were a little more remote. Which is what I had done this day. Having parked the buggy near where I planned to hunt, I was walking down a path, minding my own business, when noticed a very large snake on the path.

It was a copperhead and was right in the middle of the road blocking the path. I was in a swampy area where they can usually be found, but normally in October copperheads retreat to their dens until February or March. The only thing I could think to explain why it was in front of me, was that the night before there was a particularly violent storm, so my guess was that it had gotten disturbed. I was alone and decided I really did not want anything to do with it. I moved to the right side of the road to move around it, but that stubborn thing moved over to the right. Ok....you can have the right I will take the left .... I moved left ..... you got it...the snake moved left.....I moved right.....snake moved right and moved closer to me ..... I guess the snake planned to take it's anger at being disturbed on me ..... I was wet .... I was cold ..... I was not in the best mood either .... I was carrying a 308 rifle that I bought from Earl for $100 (yes it was a good deal, but it was with the understanding that if I got rid of it, I was to sell back to Earl for $100, which I did years later - not sure who in the family ended up with it), stubborn snake, 308 rifle, bad mood ........ BOOM ..... dead snake ...... snake into pouch ..... a dead snake at camp could be a lot of fun.

Deer Hunting Part 2: A Lunch Box, A Car & A Box of Bullets

He left camp early and drove down the road to the field road near where he planned to hunt that day. It was just a short walk to the tree stand and he wanted to be in the stand well before the dawn fog lifted. Jessie made sure he had everything he needed, rifle, ammunition (20 rounds - I think), hot drink, and lunch box. He was settled in, as the fog slowly began to lift. He scanned the almost invisible field in front of him. At first, Jessie was not sure what he was seeing ....... there in the middle of the field was something ...... something big ...... rubbing his eyes ...... he could not believe it ...... there in the middle of the field was the biggest buck he had ever seen ...... the fog continued to lift ...... then next to the buck was another deer .... and another ..... and another ...... a herd of deer were just standing out there eating quietly ....... Jessie's heart began to pound ..... he was sure that the deer could hear it ...... slowly he shakily raised his rifle and fired .... and fired .... and fired, until he ran out of ammunition ..... the deer had scattered ...... all except one ...... apparently with all the shooting he had hit one of them in the leg ...... Jessie grabbed his lunch box and threw it at the deer ...... the deer just looked at him ....... down out of the tree Jessie flew........down the road, jumping in his car, he headed for the store that was just down the road where he could get more ammunition ...... flying down the road, when suddenly that large buck and several of the other deer began crossing the road ...... Jessie accelerated, aiming his car for the buck ...... luck was just not with him ..... the car bounced a little off the road ....... but the deer got away ..... he continued on down the road to the store ..... bought some ammunition and headed back up the road .... as he slid back to a stop ...... he observed the farmer's son walk up to the deer and shoot it ...... when we asked why he didn't take time with that first shot ...... He laughed and said there were so many deer that he thought that there was just no way he could miss them. If I remember correctly, the farmer's son was good natured about it and gave the deer to Jessie, since he made it possible for him to just walk up and shoot it.