Terry Beeson

Came home today. Sore but good drugs. Surgery went well. Partial replacement no complications. Maybe more tomorrow. Tired from PT and coming home. Thanks for all the prayers.

Cindy Garrison.... Yep... she's da ma.... uh... WOman...... fer shure.....

Gotta have black eyed peas AND hog jowl... NYD tradition... Also, my BIL says you should have cabbage... (I know... I know...)

I won't hold it aggin ya'll, SIO3... Leonard, Boiled sand? Who cooked those grits? Some "yankee?" Ya'll wanna talk gravy? Take a can of vienna sausage or "vi-eenies" as we called 'em. Dice 'em up, fry 'em in a little oil for a bit, add flour to make a roux, add milk... Make ya'll wanna slam ya'll's momma!!

Well, guys... at 6:30 Friday morning (tomorrow), I will be checking into St John's in Springfield for surgery on my knee. This is suppose to be a partial knee replacement, but the Dr says there is always a chance that he will have to do a full replacement. I'm asking a simple prayer... for me, the doctors and nurses, and for my family. Cindy will be waiting but will be alone. Thanks all and I'll see you on Taney soon!!

I thought this might be fun. I'm a big fan of Les Stroud in "Survivorman" and am not convinced "Man vs. Wild" with Bear Grylls is not staged. I think you put them out there under the harshest of conditions with NO CREW and Les would come out in better shape than Bear. No doubt Bear's "Special Forces" training will help him, but I'm just not convinced and have now started skipping his show. I'll watch Survivorman reruns... So... which show do you like better?

Possum belly doesn't go well with poached buzzard eggs. Possum SHANKS on the other hand, are delicious with them. Hog jowl is fried for breakfast, but pickled as a side dish for lunch and supper. Jeez, LMW... I can tell YOU'RE not hillbilly... SIO3... Is your name "Vinny" as in "My Cousin Vinny?" "Just how do you cook a grit?"

"AAAANNNNNCCCCKKKKK!" Wrong, Leonard... Seahorses are those things you use to buy out of the back of your Batman, Archie, or other comic books. They came in a little envelope and you would put them in water and watch them grow... Then you fry them and eat them... right Leonard? NOT to be confused with Sea MONKEYS which are bitter when fried.... And NOT to be confused with X-Ray glasses... which didn't work... danggit.... OK.... We're havin' sausage balls, rooster fries, mountain oysters, dog nuts, weiners.... and I'm afraid of what Leonard is bringing that he's calling "seahorses".... Let's see... I'll bring Possum shanks, Pickled hog jowls, Poached buzzard eggs, Gizzards smothered in gristle, Smoked crawdads, Southern-fried muskrat, Goat tripe, Stewed squirrel and Ham hocks and turnip greens. "WEEEELLLL Doggies,now that's eatin'!!"

Yep... A box of 3 1/2s through my 870 in a morning duck hunt will put a knot on your shoulder. But I've pulled back to a couple of 3 inchers followed by a 3 1/2 for the third shot at a distance. Usually only time for two shots anyway. That SBH is a sweet shotgun for sure. I'd like to have one and maybe someday I'll be good enough that Santy will bring me one. I'm in the infant stages of being in the market for a S/S or O/U shotgun. Just looking right now. The Stoeger you have... what barrels? I like the combo idea. Does it interchange OK?

Ken, Your secret is safe with me and the first 4-500 people I come in contact with....

"Traditionalist" fly fishermen would shy away from many of the flies out there today. I've had several guys tell me they wear a bag over their faces when they fish a Wooly Bugger. Many will not fish a fly if it has anything other than thread, feathers, and fur. It's just a personal choice for most of us one way or the other. But, Fox... I'm curious. You tie several flies that are very "outside the norm" of most fly fishermen. I know you use some spinner blades, tinsel/flash, and your crawfish pattern with surveyor's tape is very kewl. So why is the Y2K pattern "banned" from your fly box? Simply because it does not imitate anything? Again... just curious. And I totally agree with you on the low water with algae making attractors work "better." I've had that happen to me on the Spring time and time again.

Congrats, Shelly.... Enjoy....

(Sniff... sniff... sniff).... yep... thought I smelled crappie fryin'.... Sounds like a good day.

1 Corinthians 1:20 (New Living Translation) 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Snow Fly, There is only ONE of those whistles... and Leonard has it. And Leonard has cooties, so don't borrow it...

When I'm in a crowd like that, I mumble something about what having Taco Bell does for you before slipping into the river... Then a few gastro-intestinal growls, moans, and "WHEW... ExCUSE ME's" later, the area downwind is pretty clear....

JD... are your silver labels camo?

Click here for a pretty good article on breathable waders. I know the "you get what you pay for" idea might crop up. I like my Orvis Clearwaters just fine. They didn't break the bank and are quite comfortable. So far I haven't had any problems with them.

Yep... one horn and I'm "outta there" for sure. But I've been at BSD and the horn go off and nothing happen. Not an inch rise. Gary Hansen at Rim Shoals says it's about an 8 hour delay from the dam to his place. You can be fishing at BSD in the morning, the horn go off, and "ride the rise" to Rim that evening. By the way, LMW, be very careful if you are fishing far enough below the dam. You can't hear the horn.... Always keep a "water level mark" such as a rock or stick or something to relate the water level to. Check it periodically and if you see a rise of even a few inches, you should start for the shore. I was fishing Rim Shoals one time and was watching a rock that kind of stood out on the bank near my fishing spot. I turned and noticed the rock was starting to go under. Never noticed any change where I was standing. I started for the ramp and got there with little time to spare. It can happen pretty quickly....

You could sleep in Leonard's van... it's always there... I think he lives in that van...down by the river... I think he's "Matt Foley... Motivational Speaker..." (La-De FREAKIN' Da)

Dear Santa. How are you? How are things at the North Pole? I bet it’s as cold there as it is here in Nixa. I’ve been a really good boy this year. Just ask anybody. Well, don’t ask anybody on the OA forum. But just ask anybody else. All I want for Christmas this year is: 1. A GPS so I can give it to LMW and he can keep up with his wife. 2. A fly box full of White Wooly Buggers, Bleedin’ Leeches, and Scuds just like the ones you gave Leonard last year. 3. A custom made 3 foot 6 weight with the tichrainium reel that was milled from the Area 51 crash remnants just like SIO3’s. I’ve loved that rod forever. 4. A “man bag” for Dano, GoneFishin’, and russ. 5. Phil’s ability to convince the wife we have to go to Conclave and Sowbug two days before it starts, and then remember we’re a day early and I have to fish for that day. 6. A copyright for the “Trout Meth” fly pattern. 7. The ability to finally choose which brand fly line I want to use. 8. My own private parking space and fishing station at outlet 2. 9. A remote that controls the generation at TRD. 10. Casting lessons. 11. Lasik surgery on both eyes so I can tie #32 midges. 12. Six nights lodging in the Couple’s Cove at White River Lodge. My wife can sleep while I fish. 13. A $50,000 gift certificate from Back Country Outfitters. (I think I just heard Michael faint….) 14. More time to fish. 15. A million dollars. I will set out the milk and cookies by the tree. The Crown Royal is in the cabinet by the fridge. Be careful and don’t let the Yorkies scare you. The bark is much worse than the bite. I love you Santa. Your friend, Terry

not me

Dang, CC... you sound just like my wife! Already done.... (when you're married to an RN, you learn those things really fast...)

(Think Mick Jaggar) You move it to the left And you go for yourself You move it to the right Yeah if it takes all night Now take it kinda slow With a whole lot of soul Don't move it too fast Just make it last You scratch just like a monkey Yeah you do real cool You slide it to the limbo Yeah how low can you go? Now come on baby Don't fall down on me now Just move it right here To the Taney shuffle Yeah yeah yeah to the Taney shuffle Yeah yeah yeah to the Taney shuffle Hitch hitch hike baby Across the floor I can't stand it no more Now come on baby Now get into your slide Just ride ride ride Little pony, ride! Yeah yeah yeah do the Taney shuffle Yeah yeah yeah do the Taney shuffle Do the Monkey shine Yeah yeah yeah shake a tail feather baby Yeah yeah yeah shake a tail feather baby Yeah yeah yeah do the Taney shuffle Yeah yeah yeah do the Taney shuffle Yeah like your mother told you how Yeah yeah yeah do the Taney shuffle Yeah yeah yeah do the Taney shuffle

Hmmmmm..... "But, Mr. Game Warden... I got this bite, you see.. and it felt pretty big at first, so I was fightin' him and lettin' him have slack, you see. And then, you know, well I can't fight big fish very well, so I was taking my time to be sure I could land him, right? So, like, well, he didn't FEEL that big by then, but I wasn't taking any chances, you see. And then, well, I was fightin' him and then this OTHER fish just ATE the one already on my fly, you see. And then, well, you know, I was like, WHOA, OK, NOW I have REALLY got a big one... And that's just what happened, officer... Really! Uh... you believe me, don't you?"

Ron, On Christmas morning 2000, I sat in my sister's house watching the news and weather trying to decide if my wife and I should head back to Texarkana, AR before the weather got too bad. Well, the 3 hour trip was postponed for four days when my wife got a call from the store she managed. The only clerk on duty told her to stay put since there were NO VEHICLES moving at all on I-30 or US71 (the store was at the interchange) and he was stuck there, so not to worry about the C-store. Officially, there was from 1/4 to 1 inch of ice. Realistically, there was more like 2-4 inches. We finally did get back - sliding the last few miles - four days later with no power. Luckily, we had gas water heater and oven, so we could keep the house relatively warm and have a hot shower. My neighbor told me that Christmas night, he and another neighbor stood in the middle of the street most of the night. The couldn't sleep for all the noise. And they were afraid to stay in the house for fear of a tree hitting the roof. He said that every 30 seconds or so, you would hear a loud crack then a huge BOOM. He indicated he had been in Vietnam and the shelling over there wasn't as loud as this. Trees and HUGE limbs were falling everywhere. That ice storm left many without power for one week to TWO MONTHS. Every tree - not almost... EVERY tree - from around Hope to Fauk to Hooks to Ashdown and beyond was topped due to the amount of ice. NObody in TXK and surrounding places had power. Crews worked day and night with many coming from as far as Florida to help out. But there were so many lines down and so many trees. Asplund must have had 100 or more crews working on the tree situation. Dumping centers were set up for people to bring debris from fallen trees. The piles were MASSIVE to say the least. I watched three line crews working on my block for some 72 hours trying to get power restored to the neighborhood. A week after we got back, we had power again. At that point, they were about 20 percent restored. With all that said, this recent storm in Missouri pales in comparison. But I know there was a great deal of damage. My thinking is that they simply did not bring in enough crews to make quick work of it. The Texarkana storm brought in huge convoys of power line and tree trimming crews from all over and still took "too long" in some folks opinion. I think they did a good job with what they had to work with. I think Missouri underestimated how bad it was here.