Raised Country!

Dogs baying throughout the night in the dark East Texas woods meant that some poor critter was running for its life. When a small red fox zigged and zagged through the thicket at top speed, its heart pounding, its small chest about to explode, the onslaught seemed a tad unbalanced, a bit unfair. At least, Samuel thought so. Sam consoled himself with the fact that the fox’s cleverness and agility would serve it well.

Though its prospects were bleak, it at least had a slim chance of outsmarting Papa Jim’s pack of hunting dogs. Raccoons were rarely as lucky, but this night’s hunt was for neither foxes nor raccoons. It was for wolves.
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This post was submitted by Mike Strong.

It must be hard on your morale when you think your radio program is reaching thousands of listeners over a several hundred mile area, and then to only get the same caller for every contest.

Just as Austin claims to be the *Live* Music “Capital of the World”, Carthage prides itself on being the “Natural Gas Capital of the World”. Appropriately, their radio station’s letters were (and still are) KGAS.

KGAS has always been a great station that served the area well, but one day, back in 1963, they became so frustrated by a little boy … er, uh, that is, me, that they finally had to beg me to let someone else call in to win some contests for a change.
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This post was submitted by Mike Strong.

Getting through a barbed wire fence was always easier for Robin than it was for Mike. Rob deftly lifted or squeezed the wires just right and slipped through without a hitch.

Even though Mike and Robin were only 9 or 10 at the time, Mike’s navigation through a barbed wire fence resembled a 90 year old doing the limbo. In spite of the extra caution and time he took, invariably, Mike snagged his pants or shirt on one of the barbs.

Robin lived on a farm, but Mike was a “city boy”. Didn’t matter that the “city” only had about 5,000 people in it, Mike lived “in town,” which made him “city.” Things that seemed ordinary to Robin were often either great adventures or daunting trials for Mike.

As always, with a snicker or two, Rob waited for Mike. He could have been cruel, given the disparity in their skills, and, of course, he had to give Mike a hard time now and then. But Rob had a sweet patience beyond his years.
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This post was submitted by Mike Strong.