Fort Apache

I was digging around in the basement, looking for mouse turds on a cold winter’s night. Knowing that the mice make their way inside when the temps dip it low. But, I didn’t find any, instead I found a box of old trinkets and what not. A box that came from my parents’ house when I moved on from Cabbage Hill. I got a few Star Wars figures and GI Joes, but that wasn’t my thing. Give me a basketball and I was, and still am, good. But also in the mix of this box of misfit nostalgia from my past, I feasted my eyes on the men that made up the Fort Apache playset. The classic play on Cowboys vs. ‘Indians’. The fort is long gone, with its wooden pickets and front gates. The ‘Indians’ had 1 teepee and 1 Totem Pole. Arrows flying, gunshots blasting through the muskets. They incessantly battled one another. They created and kept alive the division between folks. This eighties toy set still reinforced the culture of discord from decades prior.

However, there is 1 dude in the playset who transcended the hour of chaos for a more civilized brotherhood between the Cowboys and the ‘Indians’. This dude was ahead of his time, a true leader. His mind was more on the unification of the 2 sides as he went to the wild to partake in the Great Pheasant

Hunt. I’m sure as he crouched in the meadow, off the property of Fort Apache, the ‘Indians’ sat at waited for the presence of his skilled shot. Food on his mind, I vision that he was 1 with his surroundings and was able to convey that through his movements and posturing. A Pheasant Feast is the result. Thanksgiving.

Furthermore:

This dude with the Pheasant, he reminds me of a guy I know. I like the way he handles his business. Thoughtful, kind, never takes more than his share and always shares what he got. Always on the move, ready for the forefront of an expedition. His open mindedness allows him to enjoy more of the adventure. I have a great amount of respect for him. I had the good fortune of spending time in a few wooded lots with this man. I would bet any dollar amount on his resourcefulness to pull through in any hour of chaos. I would bank my paychecks on his leadership skills. I learned how to hunt with him. Not with a gun or weapon, but more so with the energy and the confidence to be resourceful in my movements up and down the hills and through the streams and dirt paths. Dude gives a great vibe to all he does. He legendarily summed it up when he told me his “Chipmunk Story.” When he was a youngin, he shot a few chipmunks. His Uncle said he had to eat them. Out of respect for the animal. So, he cooked em up. He is uniquely self-made.