BY, LOREN MOORE & KATHY BAKER
LOREN WRITES;
KATHY TOLD HER HUSBAND SHE WOULD
GO HUNTING FOR HIM SO HE COULD DRIVE HIS LEXIS AND GO TO WORK. HE TOLD
HER THAT WAS NICE OF HER AND BE SURE TO WATCH OUT FOR THE COW PATTIES.
THEN HE DROVE OFF.
NOW KATHY DIDN’T KNOW WHERE TO GO
HUNTING SO SHE CALLED THAT OLD CODGER, LOREN, THAT CAME FROM EAST TEXAS
TO ASK HIM WHERE TO GO HUNTING.
“KATHY WHAT ARE YOU HUNTING FOR?”
“LOREN I NEED A TOE SACK FULL OF PINE CONES.” PINE CONES? THOUGHT
LOREN. IS KATHY CRAZY? “WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH A TOE SACK FULL OF PINE
CONES, KATHY?
“YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE ME IF I TOLD
YOU, LOREN SO JUST TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND THEM.” ‘WELL DO YOU HAVE A
TOE SACK?’ LOREN WANTED TO KNOW. “NOOOO, I GUESS I NEED TO KNOW WHERE
TO GET A TOE SACK TOO.”
“KATHY YOU BETTER COME BY AND GET
ME. I’LL SHOW YOU WHERE TO GET A TOE SACK AND THEN WE CAN DRIVE DOWN TO
EAST TEXAS AND I’LL HELP YOU PICK UP A SACK FULL OF PINE CONES. WILL
YOU BE IN YOUR RED PICKUP?”
KATHY WRITES;
“Well, naturally I’ll be in
my red truck! How many times do I have to tell ya, I don’t drive cars
anymore! And, it’s not fire engine red, it’s toreador red, but I’ll
honk when I pull up.”
Kathy decided she’d better load up the CD
player with Willie, Waylon, and Johnny Cash if she was taking a trip
with an old native Texan.
She was just about to head out when she got
to wondering exactly where Loren might be taking her. Texas has a wild
hog population most people wouldn’t believe, and they can be mean.
Jerry was already gone for the day, so she decided to take along one of
his prize Winchester rifles, just in case they ran into trouble. She
finally decided she’d take the one she’d had such good luck with
shooting at cans. Obviously the sight on it worker for “her.”
Driving to pick up Loren,
Kathy got to thinking about that strange term “toe sack.” She decided
it must be what people in Kansas call gunnysacks. Toe sack sounds
disgusting
-
like it’s gonna be full of someone’s or something’s toes. Even though
she’s lived in Texas nearly 30 years now, she still doesn’t understand
some of the strange language. She’s is still puzzled as to why Texans’
call a ditch along side the road a “bar ditch.”
Kathy pulled up in front of Loren’s house
and laid on the horn.
Loren writes:
OK, OK
KEEP YOUR BRITCHES ON. I’M COMING. GET OFF THE HORN.” LOREN WALKED
OUT AND GOT IN KATHY’S PICKUP. AS HE CLOSED THE DOOR KATHY ASKED “WHERE
TO CHIEF?” “JUST HEAD EAST ON INTERSTATE 20 UNTIL I HOLLER WHOA,
KATHY.” THAT’S WHEN LOREN NOTICED THE WINCHESTER RIFLE IN THE RIFLE RACK
ON THE BACK WINDOW. “WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT RIFLE?” LOREN
ASKED? KATHY JUST SMILED AND TURNED ON HER CD PLAYER. WILLIE NELSON’S
VOICE CAME OUT LOUD AND CLEAR.
“THERE’S A LAND WHERE I’VE BEEN TOLD,
EVERY
STREET IS PAVED WITH GOLD,
AND
IT’S JUST ACROSS THE BORDERLINE.
WHEN
IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR TURN,
HERE’S
A LESSON THAT YOU MUST LEARN,
YOU CAN
LOSE MORE THEN YOU’LL EVER FIND.”
“KATHY,
TURN THAT THING OFF.” LOREN SHOUTED. “I ASKED YOU WHAT YOU WERE GOING
TO DO WITH THAT RIFLE?”
KATHY
WRITES;
“I plan to save our
backsides in case there are any of those wild hogs around! To hunt
pinecones we have to be in the trees and hunkered down low to pick them
up. I don’t want my obituary reading, “killed by a wild hog while
hunting pine cones.” People would think I was crazy for sure.”
Loren laughed, “Trust me, there aren’t any
wild hogs where we’re going. I’ve been there a million times and never
seen one.”
Kathy drove and drove and was just about to
get fed up when Loren finally said, “turn here.”
“I tell you what mister, there had better
be cones everywhere. Do you have any idea how far we’ve driven? It’s
going to be getting dark before we are finished! Jerry will be worried
sick. He wasn’t all that thrilled when I told him you were going to be
my guide anyway.”
They both jumped out of the truck with the
toe sack they had stopped and picked up on the way. Loren still had not
explained why they are called by such a ridiculous name. Evidently he
didn’t know either, but just didn’t want to admit it.
Loren took off with the
sack. Kathy followed with the Winchester at her side and deep into the
pines they descended.
LOREN WRITES:
AS THEY
CAME TO A LOBLOLLY PINE KATHY SAW THE GROUND WAS COVERED WITH GIANT PINE
CONES. “KATHY THESE ARE SPECIAL PINE CONES. THE BIGGEST YOU’LL SEE IN
TEXAS OR THE U S OF A FOR THAT MATTER. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF
THE WORLD.”
KATHY
LEANED HER WINCHESTER AGAINST THE TREE AND HELPED LOREN PICK UP PINE
CONES. IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG BEFORE THE TOE SACK WAS FULL. KATHY HAD
BEEN HOLDING THE SACK WHILE LOREN PUT THE CONES IN THE SACK. “LOREN THE
SACK WON’T HOLD ANY MORE. LETS GO BACK TO THE PICKUP.” AND OFF THEY
WENT TO THE TRUCK WITH KATHY CARRYING THE TOE SACK.
THEY
WERE SINGING “I’VE BEEN WORKING ON THE RAILROAD” AND LAUGHING. WHEN
THEY GOT BACK TO THE TRUCK KATHY PUT THE TOE SACK OF PINE CONES IN THE
PICKUP BED AND THEY GOT IN THE CAB AND STARTED TO LEAVE. AFTER KATHY
HAD TURNED THE TRUCK AROUND SHE SUDDENLY REACHED DOWN AND TURNED THE
MOTOR OFF.
KATHY
WRITES;
“Loren, look over there to
your right where it’s really dark and shady. I think that’s the biggest
wild hog I’ve ever laid eyes on. Look closely because it’s back is to
us and it’s hard to see.”
“Jeepers! It’s a monster all right,”
stammered Loren, and I could sure use some good sausage. Do you think
you can hit it from here, Kathy?”
“Well, Loren, all I’ve ever
done with this Winchester is shoot cans but I rarely miss. Want to make
a bet on whether I can take him down? A bet of some kind is the only
way I’ll give it a try because I don’t even have a hunting license this
year. But, I could probably get away without a ticket if we said it was
charging us.”
That’s when Kathy realized she’d left the
gun leaning against the tree. Talk about trouble! She couldn’t go home
and tell Jerry she’d left his gun out in the woods. She couldn’t ever
go home again, in fact! Honking the horn would scare the hog off, but
then Loren would call her a “whimp.” He’d also fuss all the way home
about not having any sausage, and she didn’t want to listen to him
yammering on and on about it. There was only one thing left to do.
Kathy quietly opened the truck door and
started back into the woods for the gun. Loren sat in the truck and was
a nervous wreck. What had he gotten himself into with this dingy woman
anyway? Luckily the wind was in her favor and it didn’t seem the hog
was aware of her at all. She finally reached the tree, got the gun in
her hands, and………………..
LOREN WRITES:
WHEN
SHE TURNED AROUND TO GO BACK TO THE PICKUP, IT WAS SO DARK SHE WASN’T
SURE WHICH WAY TO GO. “OH NO” KATHY SAID, “I THINK I’M LOST!” THERE
WAS NO MOON AND IT WAS TOTALLY DARK NOW.
SHE
THOUGHT THE WAY BACK TO THE PICKUP WAS THIS WAY SO SHE SLOWLY WALKED IN
THAT DIRECTION. SHE HAD TO WALK AROUND TREES AND ONCE TRIPPED AND FELL
IN A PATCH OF BRIERS. THE BRIERS SCRATCHED HER HANDS AND CHEEKS AND GOT
TANGLED IN HER HAIR.
SHE
FINALLY UNTANGLED HERSELF FROM THE BRIERS AND GOT TO HER FEET. SHE
STARTED CRYING. “I KNOW THIS IS NOT THE WAY I CAME. I’M LOST.” SHE SAT
DOWN AT THE BASE OF A TREE AND WONDERED IF SHE WOULD EVER FIND HER WAY
OUT OF THESE BLASTED WOODS. WHERE WAS THAT LOREN ANY WAY. WHY DIDN’T
HE COME LOOKING FOR HER? HE’S PROBABLY SITTING IN THE PICKUP SOUND
ASLEEP.
THEN
SHE HEARD A NOISE IN THE BRUSH OFF TO HER LEFT. “OH NO, IT’S THAT WILD
HOG AND HE SMELLS ME.” SHE RAISED THE WINCHESTER, POINTED IT TOWARD
WHERE SHE HEARD THE NOISE AND FIRED A SHOT.
MEAN
WHILE BACK AT THE PICKUP LOREN WAS GETTING WORRIED ABOUT KATHY. “I
WONDER IF THERE IS A FLASHLIGHT IN THE GLOVE BOX. HE OPENED THE GLOVE
BOX AND FOUND A FLASHLIGHT. JUST THEN HE HEARD A SHOT AND THE PICKUP
DROPPED DOWN A FEW INCHES ON THE LEFT REAR.
LOREN
REACHED OVER AND STARTED BLOWING THE HORN AND TURNED THE TRUCK LIGHTS
ON. HE JUMPED OUT AND WALKED AROUND TO THE LEFT REAR TIRE AND SAW THAT
IT WAS FLAT. IT HAD A NICE LITTLE ROUND HOLE IN IT.
KATHY
WRITES;
The sound of the shot had
evidently scared away the hog, but Kathy was still lost. She was
wondering when that old codger was going to come find her. He said he
knew these woods like the back of his hand. Sure he does, she thought,
and that’s why I’m sitting here on a log crying.
She finally heard footsteps heading in her
direction, and then heard a crash followed by Loren spouting several
expletives! He didn’t sound far away, so Kathy headed in that
direction. Soon she tripped over something and was flat on her face.
The gun had gone flying out of her hand.
“Watch where you’re going for Pete’s sake,”
snapped Loren.
That’s when Kathy realized Loren is what
she had fallen over. There they were
-
both of them on the ground.
“Give me that flashlight, I’ve got to find
Jerry’s gun,”
fussed Kathy.
“Well, I’d give it to you if I knew where
the Sam Hill it was. When I fell over this darned log I lost it,”
spouted Loren.
Kathy crawled around on her hands and knees
until she finally found it. Meanwhile, Loren was still on the ground
moaning and groaning like a baby.
Then she took off looking for the gun.
Luckily it was close by also. She picked it up and headed back to help
Loren get on his feet.
“Here, Loren, hold this light and I’ll try
to get you up on your feet,” said Kathy in a rather disgusted tone.
“And, by the way, remind me never to go out in the woods with you
again! Every time I do anything with you it turns into a disaster of
some sort. I think you invite trouble!”
Suddenly she heard rustling in the
undergrowth, and knew the hog was back.
“Holy cow, Loren, shine that light off to
your left,” she whispered.
There it was
-
the monster hog
-
not 20 feet away! The light didn’t seem to faze him, as he had his eyes
fixed on Loren. Loren was going to be easy pickings for this big fella.
Kathy took aim, fired, and hit him right
between the eyes! He immediately dropped to the ground.
LOREN WRITES:
“WELL
YOU’VE DONE IT NOW KATHY. WE’VE GOT A FLAT ON THE PICKUP, A DEAD HOG TO
BIG TO CARRY AND IN THE DOG HOUSE WITH JERRY.
LOREN
GOT OUT HIS FOLDING BUCK KNIFE HE CARRIED IN A LEATHER SHEATH ON HIS
BELT AND FIELD DRESSED THE HOG. WHEN HE WAS THROUGH HE HAD BLOOD UP TO
HIS ELBOWS.
“GRAB
HOLD OF THAT HIND LEG KATHY AND HELP ME DRAG THIS BIG FELLOW BACK TO THE
PICKUP. WHEN THEY GOT TO THE TRUCK THEY WERE ABLE TO DRAG THE HOG UP
INTO THE PICKUP BED.
“NOW
ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS CHANGE THE TIRE YOU SHOT AND WE CAN GO HOME.”
KATHY LOOKED CONTRITE AND EVEN APOLOGIZED FOR SHOOTING TOWARD THE
PICKUP. “KATHY I’M JUST GLAD YOU HIT THE TRUCK INSTEAD OF ME. NOW HELP
ME CHANGE THIS TIRE.”
AFTER
THEY GOT THE TIRE CHANGED THEY STARTED HOME. THEY WERE ABOUT HALF WAY
THERE WHEN KATHY STOPPED AT A GAS STATION FOR GASOLINE. WHILE KATHY WAS
PUTTING THE GASOLINE IN THE TRUCK LOREN WENT TO THE RESTROOM TO WASH THE
BLOOD OFF HIS HANDS.
KATHY
WRITES;
Kathy went inside the
station to pay for the gas. Luckily, she overheard two guys talking,
and one of them was a meat processor with his plant just a few blocks
away. She interrupted them and asked if she could leave the hog with
them “right now” before it started to spoil. He agreed and said he’d
lead the way.
“Loren, get in that truck NOW so we can get
rid of this hog! We’ve got to follow this nice fellow to his plant
-
otherwise we might as well dump it along the road for the vultures.”
They rode in silence, as the day had been
rough on both of them. Within minutes they pulled into the plant and
the stranger drug the hog out of the truck. He even offered to hose out
the bed before the blood dried. Kathy jumped all over that, as she
treats that truck like a Cadillac.
Finally, they were on their way to take
Loren back home. “Oh, Kathy
-
that fella forgot to put our sack of pinecones back in the truck. We
better turn around,” said Loren.
If looks could kill, Loren would be dead!
“I don’t care if I ever SEE another
pinecone,” grumbled Kathy. “He can figure out what to do with them,
because I just don’t care. And, when we go to pick up our processed
meat, you keep your mouth shut. If he asks us about pinecones, we will
play dumb, and deny that they were ours! You got that?”
Kathy called Jerry from her cell phone and
started trying to explain where she was, what she’d been doing, and whom
she was with. Then, he demanded to talk with Loren!
“Here, Loren, Jerry wants to talk to you.
I don’t think he understands how we went looking for pinecones and ended
up with a hog,” Kathy said rather nervously.
LOREN WRITES:
“HELLO
JERRY” LOREN SAID AS HE PUT THE PHONE UP TO HIS EAR. “ER … NO …BUT …
WELL IT … OK, BUT … JERR … I HEAR YOU … FINE!” AND HE CLOSED THE PHONE
AND HANDED IT BACK TO KATHY. “WELL WHAT DID HE SAY, LOREN?” “OH HE
SAID GOOD BYE.”
“LOREN
DID HE MENTION HIS WINCHESTER RIFLE?” “NO.” “DID HE MENTION
PINECONES?” “NO.” “DID HE MENTION WILD HOGS?” “NO.” “WELL JUST WHAT
THE HELL DID HE TALK ABOUT?” “KATHY WE JUST HAD A MAN TO MAN TALK. LET
IT GO AT THAT.”
WHAT HE
DID SAY IS A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.