GUSTO?

Last trapping season I dropped Tom off at "Jim's," the old guy that traps big and skins Tom's beaver. Tom watched him skin and stretch them to re-learn how to do it....I thought of it as a refresher course. He use to be an old pro himself back in the day.........

When I picked Tom up that day he said he wished I was there to see how he did it and how fast and efficient he was. He also talked about the knives he used....Need those knives...but after I priced them..... probably not!

Trapping didn't go well for Tom last year so the few beaver Tom got went to Jim.
Jim said he'd take them this year too as he knows Tom has Alz. *sigh**** (Umm that was a sigh of relief from me)

So when we dropped Tom's two beaver off I had the pleasure of watching Ol' Pro Jim skin a beaver.....Tom was amazed like it was the first time he seen it? I took mental notes as I knew what was coming next. YEP...Tom"me" wants to skin a beaver. AND he got one yesterday! : 0

Well Tom thinks nothing of taking things to the kitchen table and since his reasoner is broke he sees NOTHING wrong with it....... I on the other hand have learned not to argue BUT to redirect.

SO while he went back out to check the rest of his traps, I was building him a table to put in his shack to skin the beaver on. I had to tear the picnic table apart for wood...."DESPERATE"? Yes and the word"PANIC" also comes to mind.He was so happy when he seen the table I made just for him, I helped him move junk out of the shack to make room and told him he can use the newly filled prone tank off the grill for his heater.

TO BE CONTINUED....................

SO this morning Tom added braces to the table.... to sturdy it up! THAN........"I think I'll do it in here instead of the shack"...... he said looking at me for a reaction. I said " OH! o k a y"..... MY mind is scrambling to figure out WHY he wants to do it in the house and not in his ever too cool shack.....

"Is that okay?" he asks, but isn't really asking, but telling me his plan. "Sure honey..what ever you want to do!" I replied in a chipper voice. AND SO HE DID.

I figured out later that his heater is in the deer stand and deer hunting is next week end and to him the ordeal of moving the heater from the stand to the shack was way too much rig-a-ma-row for just one beaver.


Besides he HAS done it on the kitchen table before and NOW he will be doing it in the laundry room on his OWN table.
SOMETIMES I only win half the battle......This is one of those times..... AND I LAUGHED!!!!!!!!!

Tom managed to separate the hide from the carcass. I directed him some and held the beaver down....... I could feel his frustration when he'd cut through.....and he kept saying that he use to be able to do this with out so much trouble... I said we both use to be able to do things that we can't do as well now.
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For the past month Tom has read, looked at pictures of sets, talked to people etc. and practiced at home. Oh yes, bought "LURE." The best is called "GUSTO" I have to have gusto...it's the real deal...everybody uses it and that's all they talk about on TV and they even talk about it in the trapping magazine.... "I really NEED it!" He says enthusiastically, trying to sell me on it so I'll go get him some.

When I went to buy it the sales clerk said "I have to go outside and get it and I'll leave it on the trash can outside the door."

While he was gone I was thinking..... "WHAT IS THIS STUFF?????"

He came back in and I paid for it. Not expensive? "So what's with this stuff? Does it smell that bad?" I ask. " I don't mind it but it bothers some people" he replied.

Okay... this guy isn't talking and now I am really curious.... He gave me a small paper bag for the bottle of gusto. I went outside and on the trash can was a small glass bottle of "something" How can something smell through glass?

I got the answer when I got in the van and started to drive away..... "I SMELLED "SKUNK"