I posted this little tale last November. I wanted to re-post because we’re going back here this weekend…and, well, this was stinkin hysterical to me! Read to the end to see about my give-away this week!
The Husband and I recently went to the Yellow River Game Ranch! I worked at the Game Ranch when I was in high school so I was really excited about going back! Also, I had a score to settle, I’ll tell ya about that in a minute.
The Husband and I love animals~
All kinds of animals~
We fed them graham crackers, not s’mores Gitz, just the crackers!
When I worked here 30 years ago, my boss, the man that owned the Yellow River Game Ranch was Mr.Rillings. He was retired Navy or Army or something. Mr. Rillings loved me. He let me do all sorts of fun things like cut raw meat from a freshly deceased Bison. (Until I lost my lunch, then he called me a pet name, ‘you sissy’ and told me to go clean the barn.) Other fun things he let me do on a regular basis: clean out the pig pens, and shovel out the donkey’s stalls. Nobody’s ever liked me quite as much as Mr. Rillings.
Now, Mr. Rillings was ancient when I worked for him, like 70 years old maybe. So I assumed his daughter had taken over the Game Ranch by now. When we were paying to get in I asked the lady this question,”Is Mr. Rillings still alive?” She looked horrified.
Turns out Mr. Rillings is very much alive! He still runs the Game Ranch. Turns out, Mr. Rillings is now 80 years old. The Husband did a little math and pointed out that when I worked for the Ancient Mr. Rillings he was the exact age that The Husband is right now! All I could say was “Dude”!
Back to the trail…these two little mobsters followed us around the entire trail!
They were extorting nibbles!
Okay, now about the score I came to settle.
I came back to the Yellow River Game Ranch to find a squirrel…not just any squirrel, I wanted one directly related to the sucker that bit clean through my thumb 30 years ago when I worked here.
After the squirrel attack, I had to have my entire thumb nail removed. Do you have any idea how painful having no thumb-nail is? Do you have any idea how long it takes a thumb-nail to grow back? Well, it’a about as long as it takes to grow a human being to full term. Understand, I couldn’t wear nail polish for 9 months!
Now, I’ve been aiming at squirrels with my car ever since. (I’ve never hit one, I’m a terrible aim!) You can see why it was time to find that distant squirrel relative. Someone had to pay. So I looked…
This wasn’t him…look at the adorable way he munches that cracker.
I was pretty sure this one wasn’t either, he was polite, covering his mouth when he sneezed.
.
And this one, well this one was one sweet little rodent, couldn’t be her…
Then … I saw this dirty rotten… My heart stopped because, I’m pretty sure this was The One. Just check out that killer mouth.
Now, I could finally have my revenge…
Suddenly…along came these little fellows…
all I could think of was:
“Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat~(sing with me) won’t you please put a penny in the old
man’s hat…” Just like that, I calmed down. I felt love toward all man and animal kind. I even felt goodwill
towards my brother squirrel…
And so in the spirit of Christmas I let the little sucker
keep his thumb nail~
Here I am contemplating how much I’ve grown~
Now to the give-away! Just leave me a comment today, and every day this week, for a chance to win Richard Paul Evan’s new book: The Christmas List…this book is sure to jump start your Christmas Spirit~I’ll use Random.org to choose a winner Friday at midnight…or Saturday morning, and announce it on Monday of next week!
love to you Peeps, as we live our legacy~one day at a time…
i love how you embrace life and keep moving forward! animals were not part of my childhood, but i have embraced their wonderful, giving spirits in adulthood. not so sure how i’d feel about being tailed by roosters (chickens? hens? i’m a city girl, as you can tell), but it looks like it was a great day.
.-= jenn´s last blog ..Easy Elegance Comes with Persistence =-.
I love how you remind me to find beauty in simplicity. Thank you.
I love how you write, very amusing. Love the story about Ancient Mr. Rillings. LOL.
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Back with a Rant! =-.
Don’t you just wonder who looks at us these days and thinks we look 70?
Jane…I have the feeling that everyone in their 20’s or younger think I’m ancient. Youth is wasted on the young.
What a cute story! Glad you made peace with the squirrels.
You are such a hoot!!
I bet they will now give you the honorary title of Queen of the Squirrels.
Then they will all pitch in and get your a gift certificate for a manicure.
.-= Mindy´s last blog ..Today…. =-.
I know God brought your blog into my life at a time when I really needed it. I ask for your prayers–the last two weeks have been a time of re-evaluation and deep reflection due to a diagnosis I have received—early early stage breast cancer. I find out today exactly what I have to deal with. It is amazing how your life can change in a week or a day. I am very young (42) and healthy….it doesn’t seem real. It was caught by a routine yearly mammogram. To everyone that maybe reading this…don’t skip your “dearly yearly”….it is such a comfort to me to know I did what I was supposed to do and that there was nothing more I could have done to catch this….Thank you for your recent posts and constant reminder that we are to leave our legacy one day at a time–
Jennifer~
I’m so happy to meet you, and thankful you visit…I’ll be praying for you and for direction in your treatment. I know other readers will as well.
As I told you, I skipped my yearly mammogram this year and I’m taking your encouragement not to do that again…
Love and prayers and hugs to your sweet self today~R
What a cute post. So glad you found your little squirrel. Too funny. Hugs, Marty
.-= Marty´s last blog ..Tablescape Thursday – Apples and Roosters =-.
Love this post and the animals.
Great story. I especially like the photo of the stalking chickens. Sadly…yes, we are ancient. It’s a tough reality. Thanks for sharing. Blessings, SusanD
.-= SusanD´s last blog ..Thankful Thursday – 11/12/09 =-.
Oh…that looks like fun. My dd would love to be able to be that close to the deer.
.-= deb´s last blog ..Studio Open House =-.
love this…
I love that about life….sometimes the scars we have in our memories can be healed by really going back and facing them….reality check…. it is all in our perspective. Which changes of course with our maturity….And of course you are just plain smarter (wiser)….now.
Beautiful photos!!!! A Georgia gal too! And a country gal at heart. I too have mucked stalls, gathered chicken eggs and fed all the tiny critters. 😉
.-= Sherri S´s last blog ..Crafty Sneak Peek =-.
This is a riot! But, I am happy that you came to a place of peace in your heart for the squirrels…..even though I could STRANGLE them on a daily basis!!!!:):) They can be SUCH pests, but they are God’s creatures so…..I will leave them alone too! Now, be careful with those chickens: my husband was ATTACKED (drew blood) by a rooster at his brothers home. They raise chickens but this was a MEAN rooster. I will certainly keep Jennifer in my prayers. Thank goodness she found it early. Just the WORD id scary though. Hope you are having a great day my friend! XO, Pinky
I loved this the first time and it reads every bit as good the second time! So funny! I would love to hear your voice reading this one because this is the way I envision you talk in everyday life!
.-= Vicky´s last blog ..How do you? =-.
Fun story. That photo of the rooster is AMAZING! Love it. I love your blog!
.-= Aubien´s last blog ..I forgot something, and something else … =-.
Delightful post! Glad to hear you and the squirrel reached a truce. Mr. Rillings however, may deserve the fingernail punishment instead it seems, HA!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Let’s Talk Turkey! =-.
I really enjoyed this post, it gave me a chuckle. I too am an animal lover and so enjoyed your photos! I often think back to when I was a teen and looking at my parents and thinking they were “old”, when they were only in their 40’s! Now, I wonder if that is how my children look at me? Probably so, as every generation looks upon the “elder” generation as old and not “hip”. :0)
.-= Eileen´s last blog ..Tempering Chocolate =-.
Oh, that looks like so much fun. My little grandson would LOVE it. I took him to The Olympic Game Farm this past summer….he is CRAZY about animals.
I’ve never seen that book…but it looks wonderful…..please enter me in the giveaway too.
Warm blessings,
Spencer
.-= Spencer´s last blog ..She’s On Her Way! I’m So Excited! =-.
so glad I stumbled upon your blog – will add it my favorites – your story about the squirrel is so funny – yes, isn’t age relevant? – how often I thought someone my own age now was really really old – and when I go there – this age isn’t old !!!
I have a score of my own to settle with a squirrel in Seattle. Nasty little thing…ate my sunflower seeds I had with my lunch. The nerve.
This is too cute 🙂 It makes me want to go back here. I think we took CCS field trips there…I love all the little critters.
Love, love, love your posts. This story was really cute.
Did I read something recently about you doubting your gifts? Well, from my perspective, WRITING has to be somewhere at the top of the list. You have such a way of bringing me into the story, I feel like I am right there experiencing the event. I enjoyed it very much. Keep those stories coming, they are fun to read.
Yellow River Game Ranch looks like a lovely peaceful place to wander around. And such a beautiful time of year to do it.
Do you know what I love? I love that we’ve known each other long enough that I remember laughing my head off at this the first time around!!! 🙂
.-= gitz´s last blog ..Grading On A Curve =-.