dogwood because he could put it in Red River fishing season after fishing season. Dad hid his nets up and down the river in winter months. Through all that abuse the dogwood net hoops lasted for years; until the net itself was finally beyond repair and a new one tied for the old hoops. However, we always put new hoops in the nets we made to sell, which kept us busy searching for dogwood that was suitable for net hoops. Dad's nets and hoops were in great demand. While constructing the net hoops dad would partially bend the dogwood branches and then tell me: "Now let them get used to the shape they're in ... we'll bend them some more tomorrow." The shaping process dad put the dogwood through intrigued me.
Place Cursor on Image
The big catfish dad caught out of Red River I found equally intriguing, an infatuation I carry with me until this day!
Not only was dad a farmer and fisherman he was a woodsman. Dad could identify many of the trees and plants of northeast
Texas. He also knew their "Duty in life" as he called it. Bois d' Arc made perfect line post, corner post, fence pickets and cow yokes that would last forever, Dad claimed. He made fence post for cross fences from cedar; it was easier to split and drive a steeple into and didn’t need to last nearly as long as the fence posts around our boundary. Aromatic cedar, helped eliminate chicken mites and dad considered it the ultimate material for chicken roost-poles. It helped eliminate chicken mites, because of its aromatic qualities, dad thought. Ash, referred to by dad as the "Aristocrat of woods" was for whittling. We carved boat oars, net needles, treen wear and figure 4 triggers from ash. "Willow ... about all it is fit for is Gypsie furniture." Dad said. Dogwood was for net hoops. Poke sallet and scrambled eggs were a spring tonic and Sassafras tea was a blood thinner.
Dad was a trapper: As I grew older I helped skin and stretch animals, "The possums are yours, they're good to learn on," dad told me. I learned to make stretchers, groom pelts and properly pack the catch for shipment. I learned how to prepare and cook coon and possum, delicacies in their own right.
