• Robin Williams – The Face of Inner Pain

    It seems nearly impossible to fathom that someone as brilliant and funny as Robin Williams could be so tortured emotionally that he takes himself out of the human race. Yet, last week, one by one, each of us across the whole globe, fixed our attention on the sad news of this beloved actor’s suicide. Sometimes, a blip of news in the vast sea of information we are bombarded with daily, seems to slap us so hard in the face that we can almost hear the collective groan rippling through space and time. Then we all try our best to reckon with reality. And what a devastating reality Robin Williams’ death reveals - that someone who, by his very nature, brought

    Aug 26,
    - by Toni Becker

  • Wisdom From the WOODS – The Good ‘Ole Days

    Going through more than 60 years of pictures taken at different times and locations produces quite a few memories of the life and times of this writer. One picture shows the bathroom or house at Redman Creek the last time the lake got high enough to go over the overflow and wash out Route T for the third time. With all the rains we have had this spring and summer, thoughts of the lake again getting that high come to mind. Back in the "Good "Ole Days" when I carried papers for the Daily American Republic, the Saturday edition went to press at noon and as soon as I could get the papers delivered and get home, the crew that

    Jul 14,
    - by Paul Woods

  • Wisdom From the WOODS-Coon Hunting Myths

    I just finished reading an article in the July issue of Coonhound Bloodlines by Sam Buff about competition coon hound hunts. The article was about some complaints about the annual wild coon hunt that raises funds for St. Jude Children's Hospital and was about correspondence from people who apparently knew nothing about wild coon hunting competitions. It made me wonder how many people who read this bit of Wisdom from the Woods might have the same feelings about the sport of UKC and other registration offices' hunts. These comments from people apparently feel that the dogs are turned loose on captive raccoons and the dogs are scored in some way as to how they fight and kill the raccoons. This

    Jul 14,
    - by Paul Woods

  • Wisdom from the WOODS-Squirrel Season

    One of my favorite hunting seasons is about to begin. When the squirrels begin to feed on hickory nuts and acorns, I love to go and bag a few for the frying pan. With my legs like they are from years of hunting, I do not walk too much as it is too easy for me to go down and a lot harder to get up. There have been a lot of stories that I have heard and participated in regarding squirrel hunting. Probably the best one was from Missouri Conservation Commission Agent Chet Barnes. He was one of the best and most fair game wardens (now they prefer to be known as Conservation Commission agents) that I have ever

    Jun 20,
    - by Paul Woods

  • Wisdom from the WOODS-Summer Vacation

    "Wisdom From the Woods" this time I can only give warnings that it is time to be on the lookout for ticks and snakes. In our neck of the woods we have plenty of copperhead snakes. In our 35 year residence here we have confronted only one water moccasin and one cottonmouth that showed up in a real rainy summer. This summer there have already been copperheads run over by cars and trucks on the highway and a few confrontations by gardeners and squirrel hunters. It is vacation time and most people have their plans made for the summer. We would like to take a trip to Pennsylvania to visit some friends that we haven't seen in a long time.

    Jun 19,
    - by Paul Woods

  • Wisdom from the WOODS-Memories of Richard

    During the funeral service for my brother Richard last Saturday, I had a lot of memories flash back through my mind about hunting, fishing, and even canoe racing. This time I will write about a rabbit hunt that Richard always talked about with a big grin on his face. He and Jerry Leach, one of his buddies that he grew up with on the East side of Poplar Bluff, took off for a hunt, walking out the Frisco Railroad tracks. After a while, they had reached the levee east of town and were hunting down the levee toward the old "Cat Tracks" of the Mo-Pac Railroad. The dogs were hunting along the ditch beside the levee and after a while,

    Jun 03,
    - by Paul Woods
1 2 3 … 8

Upload Date