It Won't Be Long!

When I was growing up one of the things we looked forward to was the beginning of hunting season. My granddad was an avid squirrel and deer hunter and he always took the time each year to prepare for the upcoming season. We would all clean our guns and make sure what little equipment we had was ready for use.

To kick off the season sometimes we would leave on Friday afternoon for a squirrel hunting venture. We would find us a good place for a camp and get set up for spending the night. My grandfather typically would try to kill a couple of squirrels for our breakfast the next morning. We would have a roaring fire and enjoy the brisk cool weather deep in the piney woods.

We didn’t have a tent or other types of conventional camping equipment. My granddad would sleep on an army cot and my little brother and I would sleep in the back of the old pick-up truck. We didn’t have sleeping bags so we used old worn out quilts to roll up in. By the time morning rolled around we were usually freezing since the truck collected dew and we would be half wet all bundled up in our sleeping gear.

Way before day break my granddad would be up building the fire and making breakfast. We would begin to stir as the smell of food made its irresistible call. Paw Paw had made fried squirrel, smothered in gravy, and fried eggs along with homemade skillet biscuits (he called his biscuits sinkers because they were so heavy), and hot coffee. Talk about a way to wake up! He would look to see us up on one elbow and typically would ask, “Are you boys going to be laid up all day like a bunch of dogs?”

We would make our way over to the fire and after a short prayer dig in to one of the finest meals served anywhere in the world. We would finish off our feast with some biscuit and homemade jelly or syrup and sit back and bask in the great outdoors. We are food people and we are breakfast people. I’ve had a proper English breakfast in London and in Scotland as well, I’ve had the finest steak and eggs in a premium hotel restaurant in New York City but let me go on record: not one of them would ever compare to a camp fire breakfast made by Paw Paw Mac.

We didn’t hunt for the fun of it, although we boys had fun, we hunted because it was a part of our way of life. It was one more element in the food chain and my granddad believed in making sure we took care of our kill so that it could be taken home and preserved for a future meal. It’s still hot weather here in our area but it won’t be long until those first few days of coolness come on the scene. On those first days I walk around the yard with my coffee in hand and I remember the anticipation and excitement of our first of the season hunting expedition! More later……………..