Steve

Papa Daddy and Mamaw got into a mess, fishin' last week. He was down to the pond fishin' for bass with that lure you go him for Christmas. I think it's called "Hell-Bender" with a set of 4 hooks at each end.

Now I'm not blamin' you for givin' it to him or anything, I'm just tellin' you what happened because of him haven' it. Anyways, he was castin' with it and jerked up short and caught a set of those hooks in his right pants leg of his overalls, clean into the skin behind his knee.

Mamaw was up at the house cannin' figs so he decided to come up to the house to get her to help him. He no sooner started up to the house then that hook cluster at the other end of that "Hell-Bender" caught in his other overall leg just about at the knee. He had to hobble up the hill about a hundred yards taking little steps like a China man and in excruciating pain.

When he finally got to the house he asked Mamaw to pull them out with pliers. She couldn't get a good holt on 'em and after some pretty cross words was exchanged through clenched teeth, you know how Papa Daddy is, she told him that he was gonna have to go to the doctor in Georgetown to get 'em out.

"No, I cannot do no such a thing," said Papa Daddy.

"You're gonna have to," says Mamaw.

"Well I won't," he says.

"Why not," she says.

"'Cause I don't have no drawers on under my overalls, and I'm not goin' to any doctor that away."

"Then I'll go get you some." she said,

"How do you propose to shimmy them up past them hooks?"

"Oh well," Mamaw told him, "that Doctor's seen everything by now." "Get in the Pontiac and let's go."

Gettin' him into the car with his knees stuck together was no easy deal, and he complained all sixteen miles how he was a hurtin'.

When they got to the Doctor's, he saw him right away. He said he was sewing a little boys head up that got hit with a grapette bottle but to go on into the examinin room and drop you overalls as far as you can and he'll be in there directly.

Well girl, I'm tellin you Papa Daddy no sooner dropped his pants down, then two student nurses came in to get tongue depressors or needles or some such. Anyways this one little ol' nurse says "Mr. Needermeyer, what you doin' with a Hell-Bender between your legs? That other little nurse liked to fainted from shock 'till they explained to her what a Hell-Bender was.

Seems the first little nurse is a Gregory from Cedar Park and has been fishin with her daddy since she was a little bit of a thing. And seen plenty Hell- Benders in her time. Papa Daddy was fit to be tied, he was so embarrassed, but they got it out and he didn't have to have any stitches either.

Seems like more has happened than this but I can't think of it now. That funny little man next door to us, when we was kids you know? We use to trample his flower beds and feed chocolate bars to his dog, Lucky. Well, he has leukemia and is not expected to live. We haven't seen him in years, but Momma said to tell you .

Momma's cat midnight had kittens, Tuesday, behind her water heater next to the washing machine, practically up under the Chrysler, but she ate 'em all the next day. She said something the Lord just intends. It musta' been something wrong with 'em. I wonder why Momma didn't eat you?

Bye, we love You, Leona