By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… Those of you who read my column may have noticed that the last two weeks’ columns were reruns, even though they could have been written today. It is amazing how little changes.
I went to Texas to help my brother and sister-in-law celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
The second reason for the trip was to engage in a Texas “hog” hunt. This was not a javelina hunt it is hunt for feral hogs.
Feral hogs have taken over parts of Texas. They ruin crops, tear up pasture land, golf courses, and watering holes for cattle. They are considered a varmint and can be hunted year round and apparently without a hunting license. Texans are just glad to get rid of them. However, the hunt never took place as my hunting partner had to cancel out.
One might think that I could have hunted hogs with my Texas family, but I am really not much into hunting. In fact while I have no objection to those who hunt, I was not raised in a hunting family. I had friends who hunted with their fathers but Dad Moses never took time from work to hunt. I don’t believe I fired a gun until I was in the Marine Corps boot camp.
The other reason I was not able to hunt is that my rifle was in Utah. We thought the hunt was imminent and it was decided that I did not have the right rifle to engage the hogs of Texas. It was determined that the .223 I purchased earlier would not have the hitting power needed so I purchased a .243 with scope.
As I do with all my gun purchases I had my friend and prospective hunting guide Gregg site it in for me. He sites in all my guns and this is usually done when I visit him in Utah. However, since he was going home only to return shortly and go to Texas with me I sent the gun home with him.
It is a little embarrassing to admit that Gregg sites my weapons in for me. Let me explain. Gregg and I met over fifty years ago when he was in the Navy and I was in the Marine Corps. We became close and fast friends which was an unusual inter-forces relationship. But even more unusual is the fact that this sailor could, and still can, outshoot this Marine.
We left the service and eventually ended up living a couple of blocks apart in Las Vegas. Gregg worked his way back to Richmond, Utah, and I finally landed in Moapa Valley.
Gregg still hunts and fishes on a regular basis and is a real cowboy. I sit at my word processors and write books and a weekly column of no great significance. As Clint Eastwood once said “a man needs to know his limitations.”
Gregg and his wife will soon be down here for a three week stay if they can get themselves out from under the snow in Richmond. We won’t be hog hunting but we will be playing a lot of dominoes. That’s what old people do.
No one asked me but… The greatest part of the two weeks in Texas is that I saw no television news nor did I read a newspaper. For two weeks I was isolated on a 28 acre Texas ranch or riding in a car to see another part of Texas.
No Trump tweets nor protesters existed. I did, however, eat at the Trump Dinner where they gave all veterans a T-shirt.
Nevada Educational reform or lack thereof was a non-issue.
It was the most pleasant two weeks I have experienced in a long time. I believe it is time that this old man should turn off the TV and forget about issues which seem to have no satisfactory answers.
I did learn a few things. For instance, if you are going to have a decent room for the night, you need to pay somewhere near $100. I also found out that a military discount for motels is better than an AARP or AAA discount.
The best place I stayed in was a Holiday Inn Express in Van Horn, Texas. The motel had only been open for about a month and after I learned how to use all the advanced technology, it was a great room. This establishment gave a $63 military discount.
I saved the coffee cup from a great morning breakfast and have it on my desk. This may seem strange but I love the warning label on the styrofoam cup. “CAUTION, HOT. BUT YOU’RE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT.” I believe I will keep that cup forever; they tell me it is not biodegradable.
I have often wondered about warning labels like the one on peanut packages that warn the purchasers that it may contain a peanut product. It does my heart good to have the place I did business with assume that I am smart enough to understand hot coffee is hot.
However, if you are ever in Kingman, Arizona do not stay at the Day’s Inn. In fact if you are in Kingman you might want to just come home.
We have always felt good about stopping at the Cracker Barrel Restaurants because you can get a quality meal. What we had was eatable but the roast beef was sub par for a Cracker Barrel.
Before hitting the road, we usually have the breakfast provided by the motel. However, having surveyed the breakfast at our stop, we decided to try the IHOP. It was nearly seven in the morning and we thought the place was closed. There were no cars in the lot, but we checked and found they were open and we were their first customers. The breakfast was good but lonely. I ask the waitress when the crowd began and she said about 8:00 am.
No one asked me but… Nevada may be last in education but it is certainly not in gas prices. I purchased gas for as little as $2.06 in Texas but the all time low was in Kingman where I found gas for $1.99. Had I gone a block further, I could have purchased it for $1.96.
The highest gas price I saw on the entire trip was right here in our valley. It makes one want to dance around and chant we are number one.
Thought of the week…“Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.
George Carlin
