Today’s guestpost was written by B. Ruth. She was inspired to write it after I posted about our Christmas trek though the snow 2 years ago.
Two Days After Christmas or In Cougars we trust… written by B. Ruth.
Two days atter Christmas
When all thru the woods,
All critters where stirring,
in our neighborhood…
The stockins’ come down from
the chimley whar warmed.
In hope of a jaunt in the snowstorm.
The young’ns were restless all tired of their sleds
as visions of snow cream danced in their heads..
And Ma in her kerchief since she lost her hat.
Pa pulled on his bootstraps, he’ll find it ..I’d bet!..
When out on the trail there arose such a clatter
But it was just jawin’ from Chitter and Chatter!
Away to the forked path, which way should we turn.
Leftways or rightways we had something to larn…
Them flurries they fell on the breast of the snow,
Give such a glisten to limbs that hung low…
When what to our wanderin’ eyes should appear,
Trace of a cotton-tail, “Yes dear, right thar!”
Tippers’ shutter was goin’ click, click, click!
Deer hunter come up to them lively and quick!
When huge paw prints come close into view,
he whistled and shouted,
“See here you two!”
I’d say its a ‘Panter’ or ‘painter’, cougar or cat tracks,
But I’m not too sure, let’s think about that..
As he was lookin’ he called them by name,
“No Stasher, no Boomer, No ‘coon, or Coyote that’s been lamed…
Nor Br’er bear, ‘ner fox vixen or Civet, or deer
“I’m bamboozled, but don’t panic, Ya hear!”…
As thoughts of the animal swirled all about,
The wind hit blowed thus with no doubt,
Obstacles flew like the screams of the girls
to mount in the sky and “boogered“ their curls!
To the top of the ridge, to the top of the bald,
“Stop eating the snow Chitter we have to go!”
So onward they plod, the left course did choose,
Pa shouldering his ‘smoker’ and skinnin’ knife too…
And then in a inklin’ the paws they did cross,
It had leaped ore the path a ways where they’d walked.
As I drew in my breath and was turning around,
In the curve of the roadway “spooked” prints did abound!
Dressed all in fur, from its head to its foot,
Tawny, long whiskered, long tail, hope it stays put!…
A bundle of mystery was too soon forgotten.
The crunch of the snow, made us tighten our ‘boggans.
Their eyes how they twinkled, their words were so cheery,
Remember White Christmas and hold to those dearly.
Until the tracks again were drawn in the snow,
They came from above us to stalk us below!
A thought was inspired as Pa said tongue-in-cheek,
“If hit’s an Ewah, it may have no teeth!”…
Deer Hunter’s so funny, the girls laughed it’s chilly,
The way to the house is long and its hilly.
We jumped it I know n’since it has snowed,
The tracks may foller us all the way home!
A blink of her eye and a step on ahead,
Tipper was footin’ it to tell Pap what’d been said.
They spoke not a word as downward they worked,
Hoping that no one would think them as jerks!
And layin’ the questions aside for a pose,
An aura gave nod up the mountain arose,
A squall from the treetops encircled the earth,
Away we flew home ending the search!
No huntsman has seen one I’ve heard them explain,
I’m sure that the spirit of Cougars remain…
Fer when we retired and the coats were all hung…
A ‘Paniters’ short hair was wedged on the heel of the gun!..
written by B. Ruth
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Hope you enjoyed B.’s Christmas tale as much as I did! If you missed my post about mountain lions and snow that first inspired her to write it-go here to read it.
I never did find my hat that I lost on the Christmas hike. Maybe some critter drug it back to their house. I hear some of you are expecting snow or have already gotten some-I’m hoping we get at least one big snow this winter-so send some my way if you get tired of it!
Tipper
MY COUGAR ENCOUNTER.
On twisty mountain forest logging trails, riding on old ATV THREE-wheelers, my friend ahead disappeared around a tight curve kicking up another cloud of dust, so I slowed way down until it settled.
The engine sounds were bouncing all around, so ‘My Cougar’ obviously thought No Danger.
As I turned the corner, just ahead to my above right came 8 feet from nose-to-thick tail of GLORIOUS Mountain Cougar, gravity-pushed and startled, moving down the high mountain side quick!
My mind registered quickly enough to let go of the accelerator and hit the brakes, just as the golden brown big cat LEAPED over the trail and my front wheel! It’s big front paws hit tthe chat on the edge of the skinny trail, gravel flying and clatter as it then tried to keep from tumbling on down the steep mountainside, ‘working the brakes’ of it’s front legs and that loooong tail almost in my face. I heard myself squeal above the engine noise and sat there a few seconds – stunned. Then I went on around the next curve to catch up my friend and tell her this story.
At night now, when I hear the plaintive, childlike wail of a Cougar out in the woods, I thank My Cougar for that WOW experience. .. and for letting me live to tell the tale!
Tipper,
I want to thank all the folks for the nice comments about my guest post. Thank you!
I enjoy Tipper and the Gang so much that I just get carried away sometimes…and join in the fun!
Thanks for what you do Tipper,
B. ruth
I love this.. It’s my kind of writing.. She is very talented.
A Blind Pig Poet Laureate!! Very funny…
That was really cool reading. We had rain in the foothills and a bit of wind. Can’t send snow right now, but one never knows when the white fluff might grant you your wish.
Happy Day to all!
Tipper,
Sasquatch, Big Foot or Yeti!
After re-reading your Winter hike post
Of 2010,
I pondered, thought and thunk again.
That I might be wrong about that who’s-it ,
Or what’s-it, “Panter track” in the wood.
It might be something else, do I dare
To declare that I would,
Refrain from the true sightings of
Big Foot and Sasquatch, I should
Contain myself with wondering ease,
For only in cold and deep snow is
The YETI you see!
Thanks Tipper,
I just know I seed one up yonder on our hill…Just sayin’, but then it could have been a dead mound of Kudzu! Who knows til you’ve seed tracks!
Tipper and B. Ruth–This was a mighty fine fillip to my day, and if the author only knew how dead on she was when it came from a clatter from the jawin’ of Chitter and Chatter:)
More seriously, this was a dandy.
Jim Casada
Great post, Tipper you can have all the snow here in Indiana way, we got way too much, not saying i don’t love the beauty of it, but need to get to appointments that were made. Oh the weather outside is frightful, but inside so delightful. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas God Bless. Grandmother Joy.
I loved B. Ruth’s poem, and also went back to reread the two-years-ago post. What is more delightful than a family trekking through the woods in the snow just at Christmas time? Wonderful story, poem, pictures and -and “togetherness”! Quite a quartet of Christmas joy! Add to that the memories of it all and you have a quintet!
Tipper,
B. Ruth did such a good job on this poem and just like the story you told back in 2010. I really
liked the other poem she wrote a
while back, repeating the lines
the way she did. That was unusual, almost Shakesperean, but
nice…Ken
We have had 2 pretty good snows in the past week followed by loads of rain. Hope that you and family and all of your readers had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a bright New Year.
Yes, there ARE cougars here in western NC, or at least one of them — who must be getting around a lot. My husband and I saw a tawny, long-tailed cougar/panther/mountain lion run across our yard her in Henderson County at dusk two years ago. As he streaked down the hill, he looked exactly like a female African lion, with that long tail streaming behind. The next morning, neighbors found huge cat tracks in the sand near our common stream.
That poem is a gem, B. Ruth! It paints many a lively picture. I feel like I’ve been out for a winter’s walk without leaving my chair by the fire. But now I must go out into the snow (fell all night, still falling) to knock the ice out of water buckets and give the stock another warm drink. Not as much fun as a jaunt in the snow – with a big cat following! – but now It makes me smile to think my socks will be happy to have an outing!
Thank you so much for sharing your poem, B. Ruth! 🙂
Tipper: BEAUTIFUL! Now if we could get a heavy snow and go out and get some – to make ‘snow cream’ that would be a perfect THIRD DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS!
Best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Eva Nell
p.s. I have made LOTS OF PROGRESS on writing “Fiddler of the Mountains” Thanks for MAKING it happen!
B. Ruth, you sure can light us up with your posts! This was great!
Tipper-Have you considered the possibility that there are, in the wilds of Wilson Holler, cougars as defined in modern day parlance. Perhaps, unbeknownst to you, B. Ruth was along on your original trek through the frozen woodlands. Perhaps it was she who left the sign that intertwined with your path. Could that have been a prediction of future events? Perhaps B. Ruth knows the whereabouts of your errant headgear. Perhaps she keeps it as a trophy. Consider the possibility that B. is herself a mighty huntress and and that it is you and not the whitetail that should fear. Perhaps the cougar is stalking, not the deer, but the Deer Hunter.