You've seen my Mug before, but here I am in my
back yard, (The beautiful Ouachita National Forest).
It is pronounced 'Wash-uh-taw', a French spelling of
a Native American word, meaning 'Good Hunting
Ground'.
I was born on a farm very near to the Forest, & we
made our living in the Timber, I was a logger, mule-
Skinner, worked on the farm, hauled hay, herded
cattle.
My Great-Grand-Father also hauled timber on his
horse drawn wagon.
When Theodore Roosevelt established the National
Forest, it was called the Arkansas National Forest, it
covers nearly 1.8 million acres in E OK & W AR.
I have been blessed to have lived here in this
beautiful area, no one can ever take away my
memories of swimming, fishing, camping, riding
horseback, big full moons, coon hunting, whip-0r-wills
calling, the smell of honeysuckle vines, eating big,
juicy blackberries warm off the vine, the warm earth
between my toes in a freshly plowed garden, catching
fireflies, ( we called them lightning bugs).
Picking up a stone projectile point that had not been
touched by another human in 5,000 years, finding
fossils from coal mines that are 'Ancient'.
The smell of new mown hay, the taste of Mama's
fresh peach pies at lunch time, sitting on a log, deep
in the beautiful Ouachita mountains.
I am a very wealthy man.
Fossis.......
fossil hunter Indian Artifact collector MDer Antique collector
That area is awesome! One of my canoes is a Ouachita. Now I know what the Ouachita National Forest looks like. Sounds like you've have a great life there Fossis. 8)
That area is awesome! One of my canoes is a Ouachita. Now I know what the Ouachita National Forest looks like. Sounds like you've have a great life there Fossis. 8)
Hey Bean, I think they are made in this area,
bring it down some time.
Fossis..............
fossil hunter Indian Artifact collector MDer Antique collector
Fossis, just reading your story reminds me so much of my own life...except I don't have beautiful mountains in my backyard and never was a muleskinner. Seems everything else fits the key. Your hiking stick looks like one I made.
Fossis, just reading your story reminds me so much of my own life...except I don't have beautiful mountains in my backyard and never was a muleskinner. Seems everything else fits the key. Your hiking stick looks like one I made.
RR
Hey RR, You don't know what you missed by
not being a 'muleskinner', we had some that were
good gentle workers, but my step-dad liked to trade
so we got some that wouldn't ride, & I ended up
walking them several miles just to get to work them
all day (walking ) :P
Other times they would walk into a 'yellowjacket '
nest, & that was quite fun, plus killing copperheads,
& cottonmouths on the side.
We worked in the hottest summer, (not a dry spot)
on your clothes, & winters where the mules had ice
on their whiskers.
One old white mule we had named (Tom), would
sit on his rump like a dog when we took his harness
off, (after his roll in the grass).
I noticed your stick, I sent a PM, but forgot to push
(post), I put one on my post about a 102 year old
man who gave me one he made, (check it out),
he is now 105.
Fossis..............
fossil hunter Indian Artifact collector MDer Antique collector
I would wait until about mid September,
all our rivers are bank full or flooding, we have
had rain since May, the grass is too tall to cut
in my sons yard, (it would rain 3 times a day)
some days, we missed the bad floods, but got
tons of rain.
Also hot & muggy now.
Fossis............
fossil hunter Indian Artifact collector MDer Antique collector
What a very touching description of your life. Brought a tear to my eye. I can feel your love for the land and your upbringing. What a treasure, indeed. Nice to see you Fossis.
It is very peaceful, you can steal away
sometimes in the winter after the hunting
seasons are about over, & maybe never see
another person in certain places all day,
(very good for the soul).
Fossis..............
fossil hunter Indian Artifact collector MDer Antique collector
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Originally Posted by diggummup
The landscape looks wonderful 
Seems everything else fits the key. Your hiking stick looks like one I made. 
RR
