While ramblin' around Union County during the 2016 ColorFest celebration way back in October, I spotted this sign at an event in Alto Pass...the message seemed appropriate for this week.

Please read this...'Tis the season...for food...and giving thanks

If you happen to be familiar with a routine by comedian/singer/bluegrass music guy Steve Martin that involves a song about a ramblin' man, consider that the soundtrack for this week's colyum...

...a couple of weeks ago, we had a picture in the paper with a caption that mentioned a hard-working young lady who helped to raise money to support a very worthwhile project here in Union County. 

The caption mentioned that the young lady's hard work included the sale of Girl Scouts. Well, that was not quite right. Her hard work involved the sale of Girl Scout cookies. The mistake falls on yours truly...

...speaking of food...

Not too long ago, I was having a chat with a fellow traveler on the Journey Through Life. We started talking about deer hunting. He happened to mention that the raccoon hunting season had started.

To be honest with you, I've never been on a raccoon hunting safari. Back in the day, your brave writer did some rabbit hunting. Not very well. And some duck hunting. Again, not very well. For some reason, even though I wasn't a very good hunter, I always seemed to get stuck with cleaning the game which had been harvested. Same goes with fishing.

Our talk about raccoon hunting naturally turned to what is done with the aforementioned four-legged critter once you bring it home...as in: How does one go about cooking a raccoon? Furthermore, why would one want to actually cook, and then consume, a raccoon?

Before we go any further, let me make it clear: I am not a food snob when it comes to consuming various florae and faunae. 

During the Journey Through Life, I've tasted, and swallowed, the occasional duck, duck, goose, but not gooses or geeses; no moose, no mouse, no mouses, no meeses, no grouses, no greeses (greeses are to greasy); pheasants (but no peasants...that's just disgusting); antelope; cantaloupe; deer (which, for reasons unknown to me, magically becames venison); one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, tuna fish, swordfish, shark; hogs; frogs (as in frog legs); rattlesnake (but no rattlesnake legs, mainly 'cause, well, snakes don't have legs); crayfish, prawns, shrimp (including shrimp on the barby in the Land Down Under); yams; lambs; no gnus ('cause no gnus is good news; and even Rocky Mountain oysters, which were sneaked onto my plate by an evil cook who told me what they were after it was too late to change my mind...

And, by the way, I've never eaten raccoon, which, if I understood correctly, can be boiled, and/or barbecued. I'm guessing that it probably tastes like chicken.

...speaking of Thanksgiving...

...your writer is going to take just a bit of your time to share some thoughts on the things in his life for which he is thankful...

...those things include a fine group of folks at The Paragraph Factory who help to put this publication together each and every week...the fine group of folks who read this publication each and every week (that would be you)... 

...our children (even if they're grown adults, they are still our children)...our grandson, and his mom...friends who are like family...this wonderful place in creation which we call home...the men and women who are far from home, and family, ensuring that we can be safe, and free...

...the special person who has been a part of my life for more than 40 years...she's been a calming influence, a rock...and my best friend...

...happy Thanksgiving...

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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