Domesticati

     To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. (Ephesians 4:22-23)




      When I studied Shakespeare I specifically remember Professor O'Kelly form the University of North Dakota telling me that the words , "king", "kin", and "kind" were like warning signs that something dreadful was about to happen in one of his plays.   I am nowhere in the league of Shakespeare, but my ego would like to give it a try at warning the reader about, my warning words.   So if you come across my words, or in conversation with me hear , "I had this thought," you can be assured that something is about to happen.
     I had the good fortune one time to spend a couple years trapping fur in northern MN.   It was a good time in my life.  Although physically demanding and forcing me to be mentally tough,  I gained a lot of satisfaction pursuing the man vs. nature thing.   I would spend my days out in sloughs working muskrat huts, and nights up until midnight putting up fur pelts.  I had managed to put a little heat in a shed out back. and the fur began to pile up.  And as Winter progressed it became harder keeping the little shed warm.
     One day I had this thought that if I moved my pelting operation into my kitchen I could save a few cold nights in the skinning shed.   So I did.   It worked out pretty good for awhile.   Then I had this other thought that if I took a few muskrats that were frozen solid and placed them in my shower to thaw out, that maybe I could get a few more done during my skinning session.  So I did.  And that too seemed to work.
    Then one day after taking regular showers in the springtime the drain became clogged, and upon further investigation by someone who tried to unclog it found all sorts of muskrat hair as the culprit to the dilemma of clogged plumbing.   Not a happy day.  And today I am grateful those wild adventures are behind me.
    Lately,  I have spending time in Williston.,  and planning a short honeymoon with my beautiful new bride.  I don't know a whole lot of people.  And the adventurer in me has found a little satisfaction in getting to know a few people.  So yesterday I wandered over to the pawn shop across the street.   Nice guys.   A pail of ice-fishing rods caught my eye and at a bargain price they sold them to me.   Baby will need some ice poles when we take our little adventure to Lake Kabetogema.   So I bought them.   Then I had this thought.  I thought that Lake Sacajawea must have some walleyes in it, and that maybe one day i should want to fish there.  So I drove down to Scenic Sports, the local sports and bait shop.   I picked out some pretty lures,  some new line,  inquired about the rules, asked where to go fishing, you know, all the stuff  guys needs to have and know about fishing in a strange new and wonderful land.
     A hundred bucks later I had this thought,  that If I told my plight to the beautiful Brenda, she would see and understand my strange and wonderful dilemma, that in winter in the northern  tier of the U.S., a guy should probably have a fish shanty, and that the cost of buying one may not be in the budget, but the cost of building may be.   She agreed.
      So this morning,  after doing what I needed to do, I picked up the material to build a humble little ice-fishing shanty.  No big deal.
     Then I had this thought, that maybe I could get building on it today while Brenda was at school.   Then reality hit me and said, "Dude! It's -15!  It's cold outside.  It's too cold to build it in the garage today."  And Reality was right.
     Then I had this thought, that if I cut out all the pieces in the garage and brought them into the house to assemble this fine inspiration, and completed it,  I would have the shanty dilemma solved.   So I pursued the thought into the kitchen.  I noticed that Brenda's floors were real nice and shiny and clean and made out of wood.  They might get scratched.   So I pursued the thought into the living room.  The floors were the same there.  So I pursued the thought down into the basement on the carpet where nothing would get scratched and then realized that it would be hard to get the assembled product up the stairs.   But that didn't stop me.
I bargained, justified, plead with myself,  "Just how Bunky are you going to get this done?"
     Then I had this thought of Brenda coming home to an unfinished or finished ice house inside her house.   I came to realize that it would probably resemble something  to the precise extent of "The Bonny Incident" from the movie Pulp Fiction,.    And that maybe after only 5 days of marital bliss it would abruptly come to an end. And that also I really enjoy peace and tolerance way more than i can bare chaos and turmoil.   And also it being minus 25 over the next couple days i would just be lying to myself and the reader to pretend that I would actually go out fishing out in this weather.
     So as of right now, the material can just sit in the back of my truck for a warmer day.   And I can giggle at the committee in my head that forms these strange wonderful ideas.  Look forward to an evening cuddling up to my beautiful wife and just listening about her days adventures.   And know in my heart that if I can take the next beautiful thought that comes into my mind captive, I might get to do it again tomorrow.