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 WEEVILS

                               

 

                                 

ONE CHRISTMAS WHEN MY GRAND DAUGHTER AMANDA, HER HUSBAND CLINT AND HER DAUGHTER WERE VISITING WE WERE SITTING AROUND THE BREAKFAST TABLE TALKING.  I WAS TELLING HER HOW I HAD BEEN THE COOK FOR OUR GROUP OF HUNTERS ON OUR DEER LEASE AT LLANO, TEXAS ON THE OLD MOSS RANCH.  THERE WERE EIGHT OF US THAT HUNTED TOGETHER FOR 27 YEARS.

 

WELL, TO SAY I WAS “THE COOK” IS MISLEADING.  I WAS ONE OF THE COOKS.  EACH MEMBER HAD HIS OWN SPECIALTY.  ONE MEMBER, BOB, WOULD COOK STEAKS WHEN WE HAD STEAKS.  JOHN’S SPECIALTY WAS MEXICAN BEANS AND CORNBREAD.  LARRY’S SPECIALTY WAS STEW.  DAN’S SPECIALTY WAS SPAGHETTI.  TOM’S SPECIALTY WAS SALAD.  HE WOULD MAKE A BIG LETTUCE, ONION AND TOMATO SALAD WITH HIS HOMEMADE DRESSING IN OUR DISHPAN.  THEN HE WOULD WALK AROUND THE TABLE REACH INTO THE DISHPAN WITH HIS HAND, GRAB A HAND FULL OF SALAD AND DROP IT ON EACH PLATE.  WE ALL SURE HOPED HE HAD WASHED HIS HANDS GOOD.

 

I REMEMBER ONE TIME WHEN BOB WAS GOING TO COOK STEAKS AND HE ALMOST BURNED THE CABIN DOWN.  HE WAS LATE COMING IN FROM HIS DEAR STAND THAT NIGHT.  WE HAD A BIG BAR-B-QUE PIT ON WHEELS.  THAT WAS WHAT BOB COOKED HIS STEAKS ON.  IT WAS DRIZZLING RAIN THAT NIGHT SO BOB ROLLED THE BAR-B-QUE PIT UNDER THE FRONT PORCH ROOF OF THE CABIN.  BECAUSE HE WAS LATE GETTING STARTED HE WANTED THE CHARCOAL TO BURN DOWN TO COALS IN A HURRY.  HE POURED HALF A GALLON OF GASOLINE ON THE CHARCOAL, STOOD BACK AND THREW A MATCH ON IT.  WELL, YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENED.  AFTER WE GOT THE FIRE OUT WE WENT TO BED THAT NIGHT WITHOUT ANY SUPPER.

 

JOHN LIKED HIS BEANS HOT.  NOT WITH FIRE BUT WITH PEPPER.  ONE DAY HE FOUND SOME WILD PEPPERS GROWING OUT ON THE DEER LEASE.  HE PICKED SOME AND PUT THEM IN THE POCKET OF HIS HUNTING COAT.  THAT NIGHT WHEN HE COOKED HIS BEANS HE PUT A HAND FULL OF THESE WILD PEPPERS IN THE POT.  HIS BEANS WEREN’T VERY GOOD THAT NIGHT.  THEY DID NOT HAVE THAT HOT ZINNY TASTE THEY USUALLY HAD.  HE SAID HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY EITHER.  HE HAD USED A HOLE HAND FULL OF THOSE WILD PEPPERS IN THE BEANS.  NONE OF US ATE VERY MUCH THAT NIGHT BECAUSE THE BEANS WEREN’T VERY GOOD.  BUT THEN I GUESS IT WAS A GOOD THING BECAUSE WE ALL GOT “MONTAZOMAS REVENGE."  WITHOUT A BATHROOM IN THE CABIN, IT WAS TOUGH.  NEEDLESS TO SAY NONE OF US GOT ANY SLEEP THAT NIGHT.  NO TELLING WHAT THOSE WILD PEPPERS WERE, BUT I BET THEY WEREN’T PEPPERS.

 

LARRY MADE SOME OF THE BEST STEW YOU EVER LAID A TONGUE TO.  HE USED WHAT EVER HE COULD KILL ON THE LEASE TO MAKE HIS STEW.  WHY I REMEMBER HIM MAKING STEW OUT OF SQUIRREL, RABBIT, ARMADILLO, NUTRIA,   DEER AND ONCE EVEN A RATTLESNAKE.  IT WAS ALL GOOD.  LARRY WAS A REAL ARTIST WHEN IT CAME TO MAKING STEW.  ONE NIGHT AS WE SAT DOWN TO HIS PRIZE WINNING STEW THE FIRST BITE WAS SO HOT WITH PEPPER WE COULD HARDLY EAT IT.  SO WE EACH BUTTERED A PIECE OF BREAD.  WE WOULD TAKE A BITE OF STEW, A BITE OF BUTTERED BREAD AND A DRINK OF WATER.  THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY WE COULD EAT THAT STEW.  WE FIGURED OUT LATER WHAT MUST HAVE HAPPENED.  LARRY HAD BEEN SAMPLING DAN’S SPAGHETTI WINE PRETTY HEAVY WHILE HE WAS COOKING AND HE PEPPERED THE STEW TWICE.  MAYBE THREE TIMES OR MORE, WHO KNOWS.  LARRY SURE DIDN’T.

 

DAN LIKED SPAGHETTI.  SO HE WOULD COOK HIS SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND WE WOULD HAVE A SPAGHETTI SUPPER.  HE ALWAYS BROUGHT A CASE OF GOOD WINE TO GO WITH SUPPER.  I ALWAYS THOUGH A CASE WAS A LITTLE MUCH BUT THAT’S WHAT HE WOULD BRING.  ONE TIME WE FOUND OUT WHY IT TOOK A WHOLE CASE OF WINE FOR EACH SUPPER.  DAN WOULD SAMPLE THE WINE AS HE MADE THE SAUCE.  HE SAMPLED THE WINE SO MUCH WHILE HE WAS COOKING THE SAUCE THAT TWO BOTTLES DISAPPEARED.  BY THE TIME THE SAUCE WAS DONE, DAN WAS SOUSED.  WHEN WE SERVED SUPPER THAT NIGHT, HE HAD TO HAVE HELP.  LOTS OF HELP!  WHEN WE ALL SAT DOWN TO EAT IT WAS OUR HABIT TO BOW OUR HEADS AND ONE OF US WOULD ASK THE BLESSING.  THAT NIGHT AS DAN BOWED HIS HEAD HE WAS SO SOUSED FROM THE WINE HIS HEAD DIDN’T STOP BOWING UNTIL HIS FACE WAS RESTING IN HIS PLATE OF SPAGHETTI AND SAUCE.  SOMEONE HELPED HIM SIT BACK UP.  HIS FACE WAS COVERED WITH SAUCE AND SPAGHETTI.  HE EVEN HAD SPAGHETTI HANGING FROM ONE EAR.  WE GOT HIM CLEANED UP AND PUT HIM TO BED.  SOMEHOW EVERYONE LOST THEIR APPETITE FOR SPAGHETTI SO WE ALL DRANK A BOTTLE OF WINE APIECE AND WENT TO BED.

 

ANYWAY BACK TO THE SPECIALTY COOKS.  MY SPECIALTY WAS THE FISH FRY.  WE HAD TWO STOCK TANKS ON OUR LEASE AND WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR A FISH FRY I WOULD GO DOWN TO ONE OF THE TANKS WE CALLED “MOON TANK” BECAUSE OF IT SHAPE.  IT WAS SHAPED LIKE THE MOON IN IT’S LAST QUARTER.  THAT IS THE BEST TIME TO CATCH FISH, IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE MOON PHASE.  BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.  ANYHOW I WOULD CATCH A MESS OF FISH, CLEAN THEM AND HAVE THEM READY TO FRY THAT NIGHT FOR SUPPER.  SOMETIMES WHEN WE WOULD HAVE A FISH FRY WE WOULD INVITE THE HUNTERS ON THE LEASE NEXT TO OURS TO COME EAT WITH US.  AT THOSE TIMES THERE WOULD BE 16 PEOPLE FOR SUPPER.  WHEN WE HAD THAT MANY PEOPLE I WOULD HAVE TWO WEEVILS TO HELP ME.

 

MY GRAND DAUGHTER AMANDA SAID “DA (THAT’S WHAT SHE CALLED ME) WHAT DO YOU MEAN TWO WEEVILS TO HELP YOU?  WHAT IS A WEEVIL?”  SO I HAD TO STOP MY STORY ABOUT THE SPECIALTY COOKS TO EXPLAIN WHAT A WEEVIL WAS.  MY WIFE, JOHNNIE, SAID THAT’S FINE YOU HAVE TO STOP YOUR STORY ABOUT SPECIALTY COOKS BECAUSE YOU ARE SO LONG WINDED IF YOU KEEP ON IT’S GOING TO BE LUNCH TIME AND I HAVEN’T EVEN CLEANED THE DIRTY DISHES OFF THE TABLE FROM BREAKFAST YET.

 

I EXPLAINED A WEEVIL IS THE NICKNAME OF A COOKS HELPER.  THEN I HAD TO EXPLAIN HOW A COOKS HELPER GOT THAT NAME.  BACK IN THE MIDDLE 1800’s WHEN CHARLES GOODNIGHT AND HIS PARTNER OLIVER LOVING STARTED DRIVING TEXAS LONG HORN CATTLE FROM THE BRUSH COUNTRY OF SOUTH TEXAS TO THE KANSAS RAILHEADS HE HAD TO HAVE A CREW OF ABOUT 20 COWBOYS TO DRIVE THE LONG HORNS.  HE DESIGNED AND BUILT THE FIRST CHUCK WAGON FOR HIS COOK. 

 

WITH 20 COWBOYS HIS COOK HAD HIS HANDS FULL DRIVING THE CHUCK WAGON, BUILDING A FIRE AND COOKING FOR THAT BIG A CREW.  HE HAD TWO HELPERS TO BE ABLE TO GET EVERYTHING DONE.  THE HELPERS WOULD HELP DRIVE THE WAGON, LOAD AND UNLOAD IT, AND BUILD THE FIRE TO COOK ON.  THEY EVEN PEELED POTATOES.  THEY DID EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE ACTUAL COOKING.  ONE OF THE WEEVILS MOST IMPORTANT JOBS WAS WHAT GOT HIM HIS NICKNAME.  BACK IN THE TRAIL DRIVING DAYS THEY BOUGHT THEIR FLOUR IN 25 POUND WOODEN KEGS.  THE FLOUR ALWAYS HAD WEEVILS IN IT AND BEFORE THE COOK COULD BAKE BISCUITS ONE OF HIS HELPERS WOULD PICK THE WEEVILS OUT OF THE FLOUR.  HENCE THE NICKNAME “WEEVIL.”  THAT’S HOW THE COOKS HELPER GOT HIS NAME.

 

AMANDA SAID “DA YOU HAVE ONLY TOLD US ABOUT SIX OF THE EIGHT PEOPLE THAT WERE ON YOUR LEASE.  WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TWO?”  “OH” I SAID “THAT WOULD BE DON AND DAVID.  THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY SPECIALTY.  THEY WERE JUST WEEVILS.”

 

 

 

  BY LOREN MOORE

COPYRIGHT 1999

 

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