Wisdom from the WOODS

May 15, 2015

Time sure flies when you are having fun. It’s time again to warm up the typewriter and get out another column. My turkey hunting has ground to a halt as I just don’t get too interested in anything where the game and fish fail to cooperate at least a little bit.

I have heard quite a few interviews lately (particularly sports) and most of them get turned off real quick as I don’t like interviews by sports or newscasters of people that don’t know how to speak properly. The phrases that bug me in particular are “you know” and “I mean”. When they are combined with each other sounds very silly to me and tells me that they don’t know how to talk or that they do know how to talk, but don’t think before they speak or don’t really know what they are talking about. (Politicians in particular.)

What brought this to mind was a TV show recently where Judge Judy was interviewing a defendant in her courtroom. Every other phrase that came out of the woman’s mouth started with “You know…”. Judge Judy finally had enough and stopped the woman by saying “No! I don’t know. Please stop using that phrase because I really don’t know and that’s what I want to know.”

Another word that really turns me off is “Um”. That is usually used in a spot where the speaker has to think about what will sound the best when it comes out of their mouth. There are a few more, but those are the worst offenders.

Outdoor activity for the month of May, which is now upon us, are fishing tournaments, Elks Banquets, Spring Turkey Season soon ending, and the annual Kids Fish and Fun Day. The Elks Banquet is May 9th at the Black River Coliseum, The Kids Fish and Fun Day is May 16th, and fishing tournaments are set for May 3 (Editors note: um, this date is probably not correct, “I mean” this date is being clarified, “you know”) by Angler’s Choice and May 30 by the Wappapello Bass Circuit. The events at Wappapello will be launched from Redman Creek.

UKC wild coon hunts and shows for May are scheduled May 9th, at Knobel, for the state of Arkansas. In Missouri: May 8th, Doniphan and Patton; the 9th at Marble Hill; May 16th, Kinder and West Plains; Kinder again on May 22; Daisy, May 23rd, May 29th, Patterson; and finally Poplar Bluff on the 30th. The events at Kinder include a water race.
Bass season opens May 23rd. Squirrel season also opens that date.