Shannon's story...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

As those of you who know me can attest, I am not a big cat "fan"! 
This was not always the case...
If you love cat's great! More power to you...I'm just more of a dog guy. 

That's not to say there have not been exceptions over the years...

The most memorable of which was our Shannon...

Where we got Shannon, I don't remember...

But she was just the sweetest little long haired turquoise calico cat I've ever seen.

A better natured kitty, you've never seen...just a lover!

Her "best pal" was our Irish Setter "Rip"... so named because he ripped up EVERYTHING!

Now Shannon never grew to be big, always on the small side she looked like a kitten compared to Rip who was on the big side of normal...about 80 lbs.

Shannon wouldn't leave him alone. Inside, wherever Rip was that's where you'd find Shannon. Curled up next to him!

Outside they played this weird game...

Rip was a high energy dog...90 miles an hour all the time! Shannon would watch him lapping the yard...when finally he'd come to a stop Shannon would trot out to him and start weaving through his legs...purring and rubbing up against him.

As she got up by his front feet, Rip would reach down and take Shannon's head in his mouth...pick her up and swing her around his head like a rag doll.

Obviously this FREAKED US OUT!!!

We thought he was killing her...after a couple revolutions he'd gently set her down and she'd go right back to loving on him...and he'd give her a lick or two and off he'd go again!

My sisters were drawn more to Anna's white and orange short-haired tabby "Kelly", but Shannon hung with me more...because I was also with Rip. Maybe Shannon accepted me more because Rip did...but for whatever reason I considered Shannon more "mine".

She was no angel though...several pet fish came up missing, only to reappear...mummified, in one of my shoes!

Our cats were "outdoor" cats mostly...only coming in when they wanted. Of course winter changed them to house cats until spring!

The problem with being outdoor cats is that there were other animals out there.

There was a large black tom that prowled our neighborhood, feral, wild and mean!!! He did not belong to anyone, never had a collar...we'd tried to find his home several times...no one in the neighborhood would claim him.

He made a habit of sitting on back porches and yowling at all hours of the night!

He killed indiscriminately anything that moved...birds, rabbits, even puppies we heard....didn't matter! Animal control was called repeatedly...they could never find him.

One day I heard a terrible commotion in the back yard, as I came outside the big tom was after Shannon!

We had firewood and kindling stacked by the back door and I snatched up a piece of kindling about a foot long and the diameter of a broomstick and hurled it at "Tom"! It hit him right behind the front shoulders and rolled him a couple times...when he got his feet under him, he was gone in a flash!

Shannon came limping towards me, mewling pitifully.

Her left rear leg was ripped open from hip to foot, I called mom at work...she came home and we took her to the vet. 17 stitches and a shaved leg later, we had her home with oral antibiotics for a week!

Once again animal control was called....once again they couldn't find him...

Shannon was a indoor cat until she was healed and her hair was back...then she started wanting out again. We tried to keep her in, but she was determined to get out into the world again.

Eventually she snuck out when the dog went out.

And that was that...for the next several months. Our cats never roamed far...a couple houses down on either side, and in at night.

It was a September evening when Tom came back to finish what he'd started...

It was my Mom this time that caught him in the act...and despite taking a broom out after him, it was too late! Shannon was still alive...but just barely.

Again off to the vet, who pronounced her to far gone and we had to euthanize her.

I was devastated....and MAD!!!

The kind of mad where bad things happen....
The problem was there was no target for my anger...
Old Tom was laying low.

We didn't see him again for a month or more.

Then one night I was home alone. Mom and Step Dad were out to diner with friends, my sisters at a party.

When I heard the yowling...

At our back door.

I was putting a stop to this once and for all!!!

I loaded my .22 pistol and walked to the back door.

I opened the back door, and as I did I turned on the porch light.

Tom looked up, blinded by the light...and I stuck my arm out the door and put two shots right between his eyes. Shut off the light and closed the door.

Most of the lights were off in the house and I watched from inside as a couple of porch lights came on as folks looked out, and see nothing untoward shut off their lights and went back about their own business.

I unloaded my pistol and put it away.

I waited a half hour, went out and picked Tom up by the tail, put him in a garbage bag. Tied it shut and put him in the garbage can...Tom's reign of infamy was over!

I should have felt better about it...
I had exacted revenge for Shannon, and eliminated a vicious feral cat from the neighborhood...I felt justice had been done.
But it brought me no joy.

In the end, he met a more peaceful and pain free end than our Shannon did. Who spent her last hour on this earth in agony.

Don't know what made me think of Shannon today...but I still miss her!

Be Well Folks!

Beastly Bear

What are the chances?

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

My daughter Princess Bear is a bona fide "Scary Movie" nut! Now when I say scary movie, I don't mean the Wayan's brothers horror spoof movies, oh no.

I mean slasher/possession/paranormal/ghost movies!!!

Being 22 she missed out on some of the classics, like "The Exorcist", the original "Evil Dead", or the beginnings of both the " Friday the 13th." and "Nightmare on Elm street" franchises.

As her father, of course I've made sure to introduce her to them.

After the X-men movie fiasco (read about that here), I was surprised that a scant handful of years later she would be so into scary movies, the scarier the better.

I think she was 14 or 15 when the movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" was released. When it became available on HBO she asked if we could do a Daddy/Daughter movie night to watch it. Of course I said YES!

You see it had to be Daddy/Daughter, because as much as Katie LOVES these movies...Kathy HATES them!!!!

So Momma Bear went to bed, we popped some popcorn and set in to watch...

Despite it's PG-13 rating the movie is pretty intense...
Several times I looked over to Katie kind of squirming on the couch.

I told her a couple times we could shut it off and finish it another day (meaning in daylight) but she said no, that she was fine...

Now the irony in this whole situation is that while she dearly loves scary movies....she's a huge fraidycat!!!
I have the windows of our bedroom blacked out because I work second shift, and sunrise at 5:30-6am just doesn't "get it" when you went to bed at 4!

See, Kaitlin must pass our bedroom to get to hers. She will walk normally down the hall until she gets to our open bedroom door. Then....run past, only to walk normally again once past.

When I asked her why she does this she said:
"I don't know...it's just "creepy" being so dark when the rest of the house is light, it doesn't bother me at night."

So, the movie is finally over and it's about 1:30am...
and Katie is hesitating about going up to bed.

"What's the matter?" I asked her.

"Hmmm? Oh nothing..." She replied...still dilly dallying in the kitchen, on her way to the stairs...

"You know, if these movies scare you so bad you can't go up to bed by yourself...maybe I shouldn't be letting you watch them anymore..." I said.

"Nooooo Dad, I'm OK....I'm going up right now..." 
And up she went.

Less than a minute later I heard her bedroom door slam...running feet...and a herd of elephants fought their way down the stairs at an alarming rate!!!

As Katie slid around the corner, her stockinged feet almost going out from under her on the hardwood floor...I saw she was white as a sheet!

"Dad, there's something in my room!!!" She stammered out.

"What?" 

"There...is...something...in...my...room!!!"

"Kaitlin Renee!!! That's it!!! No more scary movies before bed!!! Now go to bed, you're too big for this foolishness!!!" I told her.

"Daddy, please....I swear to God there is something in my room!!!" She pleaded.

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't know, I didn't wait to see...come look...."

"Alright, but if there's nothing up there you're done with the scary movies!" I said as I followed her up the stairs.

When we got to her bedroom door I could see the light leaking out from under her door into the hallway.
Kaitlin stayed well back as I walked to her door, I turned and looked back at her....and opened the door.

As soon as I was in the room I saw what was causing all the fuss.

A bat was making the circuit of her room...looking for a way out.

A BAT?!?

How in the Hell a bat got into her room is a mystery to this day, as I stepped back out of her room Katie was at the end of the hall...near the stairs in case she had to run...lol. Wringing her hands.

"Did you see it? I wasn't imagining it right?!?!?" She asked.

"No you didn't imagine it...you have a bat!"

"A bat?!? Ewwwwwwwwwwww!!! Where did it come from?"

"I don't know Bug (Katie Bug being one of her nicknames) but what's important now is getting rid of it! Grab me a bath towel out of the linen closet."

She tossed me one, coming not one step closer to that door.

I opened the towel, and stepped back into the room.

I watched as the bat continued making laps around the room. Timing it just right, I tossed the towel and brought the little guy to the ground. Being careful not to hurt him, while simultaneously keeping from getting bit as bats are the #1 carrier of rabies in Michigan, I unfolded the towel.

When I had him secured, chittering his disapproval I opened the door back into the hallway.

"Did you get it?" Katie asked peeping around the corner of the stairway. 

Odd that she moved farther away knowing it was just a bat....and not some winged demon, come to eat her soul!

"Is that it?" She asked indicating the towel "What are you gonna do with it? Is it still alive? Are you gonna kill it? How big is it? Can I see it?" She peppered me with questions.

"I'm gonna take it outside and let it go...yes you can see it...it's not much bigger than a mouse..." I tried to answer.

As we went downstairs I asked Katie to grab me a pair of my heavy work gloves, she helped me put on one, then the other and I gently extricated the bat from the towel.

With the gloves on I no longer feared being bitten and was able to hold out a wing so she could touch it. Let her feel the softness of it's fur. Now that she saw how tiny it was she had lost all fear. When I told her they eat their weight in mosquitoes each night she said:
"Let him go...I hate mosquitoes!!!"

So I slowly opened my hand, let him gather himself...and gave my hand a little toss, and he was away! Off the decimate the mosquito population!!!

As we made our way back inside, Katie said:
"I told you there was something in my room....I still get to watch scary movies right?!?"

Chuckling, I said "Yes you still get to watch scary movies...now get up to bed ya little monkey!"

I got a kiss and "Love you" as she headed up to bed.

What are the chances? 

Of all the nights, and all the movies watched, that little bat picked that particular night to find his way into our house?

Be Well Folks!

Beastly Bear

I have the solution...

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It's nice to share...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

Thank God it's Friday!!!

______________________________________________
Well folks that's all I got done of my blog yesterday!
Sad, eh?

Back when I worked at Perry Drugs a group of coworkers and I would go Bow hunting each year.

On the far Eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, lies a 122 sq. mi. bit of land named Drummond Island.

The St. Mary's "River" connects the Great lakes of Superior and Huron through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. The river is a mile wide between the mainland and Drummond Island, and almost 2 miles between Drummond and Canada's Cockburn Island farther East.

Accessible only by boat or ferry, hunting on Drummond was restricted for many years and allowed only by special permit.

A couple of very mild winters allowed the resident deer population to explode...so much so that the Dept. of Natural Resources opened the island to "regular" hunting seasons in 1989.

One of my coworkers brought this to our attention and it was decided that would be where we would bow hunt that year. That first year, 5 of the 7 of us were successful!!!

We pre-booked for the next year...

We stayed at "Johnson's Cabins and Charter" on the NW side of the Island on Scott Bay. The Johnson family had 14 cabins, and 2 mobile homes they rented out. The eldest son ran ran a salmon/walleye charter during the summer months, and guided bear hunters in the fall.

Drummond Island is 80% public lands, and Johnson's was perfectly situated across the street from a logging road that offered access into the interior of the island.

In a time before the proliferation of ATV's you're only way in/out was by foot. We had scouted the area pretty extensively the year before and about half our group decided to hunt that logging road while the rest planned to drive 2 miles up the road to a more remote location.

I was in the group that walked up the logging road.

We had arrived a couple days before the season opener, picked our spots and hung our treestands in preparation for opening day.

I was using a "climbing" style tree stand, found a beautiful little spot on the edge of a clearing where 4 game trails converged before leading out into the field.

I'd gone up the tree, cleared the little bit of branches and things that would obscure my line of sight and shooting lanes. Then back down the tree. I left the stand attached to the tree, hidden among the brush at the tree's base.

Opening morning, an hour before dawn I was out and up my tree waiting for that "Big Buck" to come by.

And........nothing!
Oh well, that's why it's called "hunting", not "shooting".

Noontime found us back at the cabin for sandwiches and a rehash of the mornings events. I'd not been the only one skunked that morning...so had everyone else.
But they'd all seen deer...everyone that is but me. Again, that's the breaks.

A quick nap after lunch and at three I was back at my tree and began my climb.

Those of you unfamiliar, allow me to explain how this works. First of all, you can not climb with your bow, so you tie a cord to your bow that allows you to pull it up once you're in the tree. The stand consists of two separate pieces, the "seat" and the "stand". Both lock around the tree. The "stand" attaches to your feet with straps, and to the "seat" with a cord. You step inside the seat, hook the stand to your feet, lift the seat to a comfortable sitting height. Sit on the seat, tip your feet forward/downward and lift your legs rising the stand up the tree, place the base of the stand back against the tree, rock back on your heels to lock the stand against the tree then stand and raise the seat up the tree again. Repeat until you are as high up the tree as you want to be. Trying to be as quiet as possible!
Then pull your bow up to begin your hunt. 

This is not a speedy process!

So, I get all the way up my tree, pull up my bow. Roll up and store my cord and nock an arrow.

Only then do I get a chance to look around.

As I do I notice, not 30 ft. away...another hunter up another tree directly across from me on the same game trail.

When I looked at him he just shrugged...

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?

This Bozo couldn't have cleared his throat? Or coughed? Or said SOMETHING?!? 
Instead he let's me struggle up this tree and then just shrugs?!?

Well, I was not going back down the God damn tree...

So I motioned to him, showing the trail as a dividing line and then two fingers to my eyes showing I would watch, then motioned to the left side and indicated myself. Then repeated indicating he should watch the right. As 2 game trails came from each way, converging on the one we were sitting on, this gave us each a 50/50 chance...not perfect, but I figured we could discuss it after the hunt. He gave me a "thumbs up" signalling his assent, and we set in to watch.

It was just turning dusk when the "snap" of a twig caught my attention. As I watched two doe's slowly made their way into view, coming in from one of the game trails on my side. About 50 ft. behind them a spike buck was following. Not a "normal" spike, but instead his antlers were palmated, wide and flat like ribs not narrow and round like antlers.

For their part, the does kept stopping and looking back at him, letting him close the gap. Instead of continuing to where the trails met, they turned at about 20 yds. and started back up the other trail.

I glanced over to the other hunter who gave me the "thumbs up" encouragement.

As the buck passed behind a tree, obscuring his sight of me, I came to full draw and waited for him to step clear.

He took a cautious step, then another...and I released.

The arrow sped across the intervening space and I watched the fletching disappear into his side just before his last rib. Quartering away from me the arrow transected his rib cage and out the other side.

The bucks rear legs went out from under him as he tried to leap away and he went down hard. In a moment he was back up and bounding away, crashing through the brush dead on his feet.

"That was the coolest fucking thing I've ever seen," I heard over my shoulder "perfect shot man....you nailed him!"

"Thanks" I replied as I began to reverse the process to come down out of the tree. He came down out of his tree as well.

As I finally stepped out of my stand, the other hunter was there and offered his hand.

"I'm Jeff," he said "dude I'm so sorry about putting my stand so close to yours, I didn't even know it was there."

"No problem, it was hidden in the bushes. You had no way of knowing...I'm Joe by the way."

"Least I can do is help you find that bad boy and drag him outta here." Jeff offered.

"Well, I'm not too proud to take you up on that..."

We chatted amiably as we followed the blood trail.

Seems Jeff and his buddy were up from Ohio for a week, staying at Johnson's as well.

Turned out making a friend! My tag filled, I helped Jeff out the rest of the week...loaned him my climbing stand so he had two and could chose which spot he wanted to hunt out of without having to tear his down and move it.

Jeff and his buddy, Mike I think his name was ended up hunting there the same time we did over the next three years...

Talked on the phone prior to the season each year, just to make sure everything was set. Then one year I called and the phone number was no good....when we checked in I asked the Johnsons if they had made reservations, and was told no.

Never heard from Jeff again. That was over 20 years ago!

I hope he's well...it was a pleasure to share those times with him! 

It's nice to share...miss him!

Be Well Folks!

Beastly Bear

He did what?

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

My Mothers boyfriend Jerry passed away a couple years ago now, though as they say "No-one really dies as long as someone remembers them".

And remember Jerry we do! 

One of Jerry's more endearing qualities was his absolute abuse of the English language!

Like when I put a cap on my Chevy El Camino, Jerry says:

"All you need now is to get one of those carpet Rembrandts, cut it to fit and that'll be real nice for hauling stuff..."

"A What?" Why would I put a 17th. century Dutch painter in the back of my El Camino??? I was confused...

"A carpet rembrandt, you know...what they got left over from a roll..."

"You mean a remnant?"

"Yeah, That's what I said..." 

Oh boy...

Or the time I needed a new catalytic converter for my car.

Jerry said "Those cap-ta-lic-tic converters are pretty expensive, you should just replace it with a straight pipe." Mind you this was before they really buckled down on emissions!

Jerry was also the biggest fan of Cabelas Sporting Goods that ever lived!!! Except he couldn't say their name right to save his life...depending on which day he asked you it was "Hey, you wanna run over to Carbalas/Garbelas/Capelas/Cabballas etc."

These things, plus a hundred others make me think of him almost every single day! He was with her over thirty years after all, and was like a step father to us.

But one of the weirdest, and funniest things he ever did...I was just reminded of today.

Mama Bear has some nice jewelry I've bought her over the years, and they have a lifetime warranty on them. As long as you bring them in to the jeweler for a regular cleaning/inspection. So today she asked me if I would drop her off at the mall so she could have that done.

"Oh, I'll drop you off alright..." I said.

"AND wait for me...you think you're soooooo funny..." 

Let's face it folks, I am!  :-D

I snickered...

"Ok, JERRY!!!"

Now, why she would hurl that particular name at me...has become "Legend" in our family!

You see, only a notch below Cabelas on Jerry's list of favorite places in the world, is Bass Pro Shop!

One evening Jerry had a particular need of something from Bass Pro Shop, located at our local Mall. My Mother, knowing Jerry's propensity for getting "lost" in Bass Pro Shop asked if he'd drop her at "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" while he shopped. He did, with the understanding that when he was done he would come and pick her up.

Now, turning my Mother loose in "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" is like turning a kid loose in a candy shop! My Mom is the person the term "Shop like a woman" was invented to describe...she will look at EVERYTHING!!! No matter how small the dodad, how obscure the knick-knack, how odd the dohicky my Mom will need to pick it up, turn it over and inspect it's every facet before moving on...

And "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" is just chock full of dodads, knick-knacks, and dohickys!!!

I was at work, on second shift (and hating it)...so Kathy and Kaitlin were home alone.

About 9 o'clock the phone rings, the caller ID says it's my Mom's house...so Kathy answers the phone:

"Hello?"

"Hi Kath," Jerry says "Have you heard from Joe's mom?"

Bewildered Kathy answers "Noooooo, should I have?"

"Well, I was just wondering...I dropped her at Bed, Bath, and Beyond when I went to Bass Pro. When I was done I went to pick her up and couldn't find her...so I came home. I thought she might have called."

"You WHAT?!?" Kathy asked

"I came home...she wasn't where she said she was going to be and I wasn't searching the mall for her so I came home!"

"Did you go in and look for her?" Kathy asked.

"I walked through that whole store...she wasn't there, so I left!" 

Now if you knew Jerry, you would understand just how unlikely that is...

"Oh God," Kathy said "are you going back up there?"

"Nope...that's why I wondered if you'd heard from her."

"I'll run up there and see if I can find her..." She said as she hung up.

Kaitlin asked "What's up?"

"Jerry left Grandma at Bed, Bath, and Beyond...I'm gonna go get her and take her home, you wanna come with me?"

"Hell no!!! Grandma's gonna be pissed!!! I don't even want to be there for that!" Katie said.

So, off Kathy goes to the mall...parks near Bed, Bath, and Beyond's outside entrance and went in.

A couple isles in, there was my Mom.

"Mom?" Kathy said

"Oh HI Kathy!!! Fancy meeting you here...you out shopping too?"  Mom replied

"Not really," Kathy says "I'm here to take you home..."

"Take me home???" Mom was confused "I'm just waiting on Jerry...he's down at Bass Pro Shop."

"Um, no he's not....he's home"

"Home? Who's home?"

"Jerry, he said he couldn't find you so....he went home."

"Well I've been right here...he went home?!?"

"He says he came in and looked for you, couldn't find you so he left..." Kathy explained.

"Oh for God's sake...like he came in here....I just don't know about that man..."

To say Mom was a little "put out", would be a MAJOR understatement!!! The longer she thought about it, the madder she got...by the time Kathy got her home she was ready to spit nickles!!!

So Kathy took Mom home...wisely choosing to drop her at the front door rather than going in. 

When I called home after lunch, Kathy told me all about it...

All I could say was "He did WHAT?!?"

So today when I told Kathy I'd drop her off.......
She invoked the legend of Jerry leaving my Mom at the Mall...with the implied threat that I should never think of doing the same...hahaha!

Be Well Folks!!

Beastly Bear

It's the harmless one's that'll kill ya...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

An unspecified funk has hindered my putting words to page the last couple days...we'll see if we can't wring something out of ye olde brain today! Lol.

It's a rainy, gloomy Tuesday here...no severe weather, but our thoughts and prayers go out to those that have lost so much during the recent storms.

For some reason, days like this remind me of sitting in a police car...no, no...not in back!!! Let me explain.

My senior year of High School there was a program known as "Optional Semester". The idea was that you worked in the field you planned to go into, and instead of pay you received class credit instead.

As I planned to go into Law Enforcement, I spent my school year working at 51st. District court (to learn about the court system), Pontiac PD, and the Oakland County Sheriff's Dept. Safety Division (an offshoot of the Sheriff's Dept. responsible for policing the County complex and Govt. Buildings). Spending 2-3 months at each.

When I rode with Pontiac PD I generally rode along with a 2 man team, except when with a CSO (Community Service Officer), that was one on one.

The Sheriff's Safety Division was mostly one man cars, except for prisoner transfer or competency hearing transport from Clinton Valley Psychiatric Hospital.

One of the Officers I commonly rode with there, was a fellow we'll call Officer "George" as that was his first name.

Officer George was a bona fide Olympian! He competed in the '76 Summer Games as a weightlifter and won the Bronze in his weight class. For being all of about 5'6", he was a tough son of a bitch! Dark haired and blue eyed, with a 70's era porn star mustache...and a very cool guy. We got along famously, and he allowed me more and more responsibility as he taught me some of the "in's & out's" of patrol.

He really did take his mentoring role seriously, over the many hours we spent on patrol he talked of all aspects of the job...not just what you dealt with as you worked, but family and social matters you had to deal with when not at work!

One of the work related things he impressed upon me was constant vigilance when dealing with a suspect.

"They are at their most dangerous, " he said "right before the cuffs go on."

So he went out of his way to show me the proper way to frisk and cuff a suspect...demonstrating on me several times, then reversing roles to see if I'd learned.

One of the "tricks" he showed me, when you have a suspect against the car frisking them, legs spread...if they try to turn or reach for something, push them forward and knee them in the ass! Instinct takes over and they will reach out to catch themselves and protect their face.

I always wore a suit and tie ("clip on, so it isn't a convenient handle to chock you with!" -Off. George-)

and folks would automatically assume I was "in charge" being I was not the one in uniform. This tickled George to no end...

On a dreary April day we were patrolling the County complex near the Public Health building when we spotted a car parked in the handicapped parking spot with no tag/license plate saying it should be there.

This was Off. George's pet peeve, he had a sister with MS and anyone parking in handicapped parking that didn't belong there infuriated him!!!

"Call this plate in while I take a look in the car, it's possible it could belong here and they just forgot to hang their placard." He said as he got out of the car.

He'd had me practicing radio calls by "pretending".... When he was satisfied I wouldn't embarrass him, he started letting me call things in...as a smaller division we had our own dispatcher.

The dispatcher came back on the radio, and said that CLEMIS (Court and Law Enforcement Enforcement Management Information System) was down so there was no way to check for wants and warrants against the registered owner.

By this time Off. George was back in the car and writing the ticket. He shrugged, said "It happens..." got out and placed the ticket in a plastic sleeve under the wiper...and off we went.

About 10 mins. later dispatch called back...
"Unit Six, Unit Six...be advised CLEMIS is back up, car comes back as registered to: "Anonymous Dirtbag" of Such and Such address...showing two warrants, "failure to appear" and "Delinquency of child support"...copy?"

Before the dispatcher was done we had already pulled a u-turn and were heading back to the car...which was gone! It was sprinkling lightly and there was a dry spot where the car had been...still.
"He can't have gone far," Off. George said "let's see if we can't find this guy..."

We drove the expected route he would take to leave the complex...nothing. Right out to the major road...as we were getting ready to turn around, having been skunked...we saw him! He had gone to the opposite entrance than we assumed by his address...figuring he was heading home.

As he passed us heading South, Off. George lit up the light bar and we set off in pursuit. We were two cars back at the light, and by the time we got clear of the intersection he had a couple mile head start on us...as we got closer he made a right turn onto Dixie Hwy followed moments later by our black and white. He yielded to the shoulder, hoping we weren't after him...no such luck!

Resignedly he pulled over completely.  
"I want you on the passenger side as my second set of eyes...you see him do something "fishy" you let me know."
Off. George said as we got out.

He politely asked the driver for his license, registration and proof of insurance...I could see the ticket we'd previously given him on the passenger seat.

"What iz wrong Officer?" The driver asked. He was in his mid to late thirties, Hispanic, slender build...about average height by the look of things.

"You were going a little fast coming down that hill there..." Off. George told him, gesturing back the way we'd come.

"I am so very sorry Officer, I deed not real alize...it will no happen again."

"I'm just gonna check your driving record...if everything comes back OK, you'll be on your way..."

"Gracias" the driver replied as we turned and got back in our cruiser.

"Never let them know," Off. George explained "make it something trivial to keep them at ease while you make sure you got the right guy."

He called in the drivers info, sure enough we had the right guy. Seems he owed over 10 grand in back child support (a not inconsiderable amount in the spring of '81) and had a bench warrant for failure to appear from the last hearing he was supposed to attend.

Off. George handed me his cuffs.
"Feel up to doin' a frisk & cuff on this guy? Doesn't look like he'll give us much trouble...and you can get a "feel" for it. OK? Don't worry, I'll be right there."

"Sure" I said, eager to please.

Off. George explained that there was a problem, and would he please get out of his car to discuss it with us...

"I got my boss with me today...help me out?" He stage whispered to the driver.
Giving me a wink.

As he came around the front of the car
the driver asked: "What iz de problem Officer?"

"I'm afraid you've got a couple of outstanding warrants...and unfortunately we're going to have to place you under arrest. If you'll just put your hands on the hood of your car, my partner will search you while I read you your rights."

He placed his hands on the car and I moved behind him to make sure his feet were back, and spread as I'd been taught.

"Please señor, there mus be a mistake..."
I started the frisk at his collar.

"You have the right to remain silent..."

"I cannot go to jail señor, listen please..."
I checked the left arm, then the right.

"Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law..."

"I will lose my job, please...I haf a family..."
Under both arms, down his sides and around his waist.

"You have the right to an attorney..."

"I beg you please don do dis...PLEASE"
 As I moved my hands down to check his front pockets he suddenly turned and reached into his right pocket.

Just as I'd been shown, straightening I shoved between his shoulders and brought my knee up hard into his ass...the hand in his pocket shot forward to keep his face from bouncing off the hood. As that hand contacted the steel, something flew out of it and clattered across the expanse of hood and sprung open with a "thwack". There before us, just out of reach was a gleaming 6" bladed switchblade!!!

I looked to Off. George and saw that he'd drawn his duty revolver sometime during our brief scuffle.

"You didn't Seriously just try to stab my partner did you???"

"No, no Officer...I was giving it too him, eh señor?" He said to me. "You tell him, Si?" He said as I closed the cuffs around his wrists.

"Seem that way to you?" Off. George asked me.

"No Sir, it did not..." I answered.

We put him in the back of our cruiser and waited for the impound wrecker.
Off. George explained to him he would also be charged with carrying a concealed weapon, and assault. Read him his rights again and we sat in silence for a time.

"I'm sorry about that." Off. George said after a while, staring straight ahead through the windshield. 
The rain making little rivers down the glass.

"I got "that feeling" as soon as he started to beg. Ya see, a begging man is a desperate man...and a desperate man is a dangerous man. I should have stepped in..." He said, shaking his head. 
"But you did good, handled yourself well. Did just what I showed you, and it might have just saved your life...."

As he spoke our prisoner began to weep, and mumble softly in Spanish.

"Look at him." Off. George said "Looks harmless enough, doesn't he? But he'd have split you stem to stern to get away...
If you take nothing else home with you today, take this...
Never trust the harmless ones, cause it's the harmless one's that'll kill ya!"

I haven't forgotten George!   ;-)

Be Well Folks!

Beastly Bear

Now we're cookin'...

Den of the Beastly Bear

Hi Folks!

I may have mentioned before, that I do know my way around the kitchen...

So today I make my traditional after Easter scalloped potatoes!

We always buy a spiral sliced Dearborn brand ham, several pounds larger than we need and I reserve about 3 lbs. for later. Usually the ends that are not presliced.

This I cube up fat, rind and crusted glaze and sauté it up with 2 large yellow onions, diced. In a stick and a half of butter, and heavily peppered as you're seasoning a lot of potatoes!

Once the onions begin to caramelize, and the ham bits begin to brown dust the whole mess with four, then stir it in...I do this twice, keeping the heat on as I mix. This so you don't get a raw flour flavor...

We are making a rue to thicken the potatoes. Preheat your oven to 350°.

Leave this mixture sit, and wash and clean about 5-7 lbs. of potatoes, I use Michigan grown russets (sorry MiMi). I also leave the skins on, personal choice...peel them if that's what you prefer.

Did I mention I make a BIG batch?!? Lol.

Use your food processor to cut them in even slices.

You'll have to do them in batches.

I begin by layering the potatoes on the bottom of our 10 qt. Slow cooker liner, though we'll be cooking these in the oven.

We then add about 3 large serving spoonfuls of our ham mixture, spreading it thinly over the potatoes. Then we take another stick of butter, cut into pats...

I mix up how I arrange the pats in alternating layers. Every third layer push the layers down, compacting them somewhat. Continue alternating layers of ham, butter, potatoes until ham mixture is gone then finish with a final layer of potatoes. It should look like this...

Now comes the secret to awesome scalloped potatoes, skip the whole milk and go directly to the heavy whipping cream. 

I always go ahead and get 2 QTS. though you won't use it all, that's OK...thin what's left with milk for homemade "half and half" for your coffee.

I'm guessing at this point I should also mention these are not a dietetic food, but full fat comfort food!

Add cream just to the bottom, of the top layer of potatoes being sure to coat them all as you add it in.

Then place on center rack of preheated oven for about 90-105 mins. until a butterknife inserted in the center easily passes through the potatoes, signifying they're done. They will look like this...

Let them cool about 20 mins. and serve...

I make these in such a large batch because I get calls for them from friends and family, and we eat on the for 4 days or so...usually as a meal. Lol 

I hope you enjoy them!

Be Well!

Beastly Bear