Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

This past week has come and gone while leaving this Minnesotan waiting for the proverbial “other shoe to drop” as far as the weather goes. I do remember a December some time ago when a picture of Santa Claus water skiing on Fountain Lake appeared in the Tribune. I can’t really recall what kind of weather followed but it seems like nature usually always makes up for lost time when it comes to winter weather. Savor the moment folks!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone while having enjoyed the fruits of a Vikings win, while picking turkey out of our teeth, we can move on to the next holiday. Christmas will be here before we know it and Christmas carols will once again flood the airways. This is the time of year when I feel a little nostalgic and enjoy looking back to the years gone by while savoring those memories.

As a youth, like most kids, I always looked forward to Christmas and all of the festivities. I attended Hammer School which was actually a two-room schoolhouse with a library on the north end. This room was where we kept the colored paper and the large jar of paste which we used to create different Christmas ornaments and pieces of artwork for the season. No kid ever went through school without tasting that paste at least once.

The Christmas program was a big deal and it gave us kids a chance to sing carols and put on a little show for our parents. We not only said Merry Christmas to folks but we stood and said the pledge of allegiance every morning with our hands over our hearts and in those times it didn’t seem to offend anyone.

The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas were filled with anticipation of things to come. In our neighborhood, most of us lived for football and we played it right up until the ground froze so hard that it hurt to get tackled. If it snowed a wet sloppy snow; we were there playing and getting muddy and wet in the process. There was always something about playing football in bad weather that gave me a good feeling. Luckily my mother was patient with me and didn’t do anything more than scold me when I came in the house with my clothes all muddy and wet.

Living close to a slough like I did gave me ample opportunity to enjoy nature to the fullest. I treasured my Red Ryder BB gun because it was my most prized possession. There were very few times when I ventured out in the slough without my trusty bb gun. Critters had little to fear when I pointed that gun at them, but it didn’t make any difference. I felt a false sense of security whenever I had it with me. In my imaginary world I could defend myself against wild animals while at the same time hone my shooting skills by shooting at cattails.

This was also the time of year when a kid could hunt for squirrels and rabbits, which still holds true today. I cannot think of a better way for a kid to get interested in hunting than to hunt small game. The small game season for rabbit and squirrel is open until the end of February. With all of the WMA land that we have available to us in the Freeborn County there is ample opportunity for small game hunting.

A .22 rifle or a .410 shotgun are two starter guns for youth when seeking small game; at least that’s what I started with. It is important for a youth to take gun safety training before venturing out. I never had to take a gun training course when I was young, my course was common sense which was stressed to me many times by my dad. I never got to use the family .22 until I was about fifteen. My uncles, Harvey and Orville, would take me pheasant hunting and let me use the .410. I felt like pretty big stuff carrying that gun and was reminded over and over again to always keep the barrel pointed at the ground. I was also taught the proper way to cross over a fence without shooting myself in the foot. This was good stuff for a kid my age and it is a part of my childhood memories that I will always cherish.

Until next time: The ice will be coming to an area lake near you, so when it does don’t be in too much of a rush to set foot on that early ice. Fishing is usually the best on new ice but be sure the ice is safe before you drill that first hole.

Please take some time to honor those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy today. Also, take a little extra time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who served and those troops serving today.