About 10 years ago I acquired [swiped-ie: just took] a baby "he" rat terrier from ole jeep. He was rais'n'm for sale and I wanted one. Well anyhow, he decided not to have me arrested for "dog nappin" and all was forgot shortly. No, that ain't quite true I don't think. Somehow or tother I ended up tradin something for'm. Well-I ended up with'm and named'm "Jesse James"! He was a rite smart little dude--always follerin me around -after he got big enough-that is. Would ride with me in the pickup-lookin at everything around.

We'd go for walks around our farm, me a blazin the trail and ole jesse a follerin along in my tracks. We had a huge wild blackberry patch just north of the house in the grove of the maple trees. Talk about a jungle!! When those big shade berrys got ripe-I'd take a butter tub and a five gallon bucket. I picked a few and let ole jess have a taste. He liked'm and would very carefully pick'm off the briars himself. He'd curl his little lips back and do alright until he'd get in a hurry. He'd yelp every whipstitch when he'd catch a briar!

I'd pick in the little bowl and dump'm in the bucket. Ole jess was always there and would set and watch me pick and was no bother. After awhile he'd get to settin close to the bucket and when I'd turn around to have a "look see" at'm--he'd be settin there a lookin up at me a grinnin.

I finally noticed that all those berrys I was a pik'n just didn't fill the bucket very quickly. Besides all that he had quit yelpin from those stickers when he was pick'n himself. I caught'm at last. I emptied my plastic butter bowl and turned to pick again---then quickly turned back to have another "look see" at ole jess. He was eatin those berrys outta the five gallon bucket. Talk about a sheepish look on his'n little mug!

He hated snakes, mice and most anything else that came in the yard. After we'd had'm about a year we "inheirited" his little nephew/son and named'm "Frankie James". He was afeered of's shadow!

All the wild and wooley days of Jesse and Frankie came to a very quick close. They both died in a natural gas pipeline leak.

We will all make that walk through the veiled curtain--unless the rapture of the church happens first and we are Christians. "Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh"! Matt.24:44 old hoot

-- old hoot gibson (hoot@pcinetwork.com), May 07, 2002

Answers

My Siberian Huskie LOVES blackberries. He picks em himself. It's amazing watching him daintily avoid the thorns and take that single blackberry in his mouth and tug. Of course he prefers to have us do his picking for him

-- Mike (mhammer@ix.netcom.com), May 08, 2002.