With That Old Collie Dog

                             With That Old Collie Dog

I saw a flock of birds today. It took me back to a time when I was a little boy on my Papaw’s farm, walking through the fields with my BB gun in tow and that old collie dog following me the whole way as if he was protecting me. Between the fields were the pine thickets. They were put there as a windbreak to reduce soil erosion, but I didn't know anything about any of that in those days. I just knew it was full of critters to hunt because I wanted to be like the men in my family. They were all hunters.

Let's go back to the little boy and the dog marching through the fields. While traversing through the rough fields, that old collie dog and I noticed a flock of black birds waving to the sky as if they were all one solid sheet and waving in the breeze like a flag going from one side of the field to a pine thicket, resting for a minute and then again flying through the air as if they were swaying through the breeze, like a flag flying off the back of a speeding boat, to the other side to the other pine thicket. As we were watching the birds and walking along the field, there was a big huge old stump in the middle of the field. The collie dog and I sat on the shady side of that stump and decided that we would watch these birds. I sat down and the collie dog laid down beside me putting his head across my lap as if to say I'm glad you stopped, I was tired.

Had these birds gone crazy or was it some kind of acrobatic dance that they had to perform before leaving and heading south for the winter. There was a slight chill in the air and almost all of the leaves were off the trees except for the pine trees, they were still green. I thought to myself that must be why they call them evergreens. The collie dog had fallen fast asleep. I guess I had worn him out. I knew he was extremely old but he refused to leave my side any time we came to visit my Papaw and Mamaw. My attention returned to the birds as they flew frantically about. I was so enthralled with their aerial acrobatics that I too soon fell fast asleep.

I was awakened by the sound of someone calling my name. It was my older brother who had been sent by my mother to collect me for it was time to eat and the sun was now setting across that old pasture in the distance. I remember my brother and I running through the field and over the humps of the rows, as fast as we could because our Mamaw had promised us a slice of her Southern pecan cake and it was our favorite.

You know that old collie dog, he kept right up with us and by the time we got back to my Papaw's and Mamaw’s house, that old collie dog was totally exhausted. I knew he had to be hungry because he and I had not eaten since breakfast and I was starving so he had to be too. I went to my Mamaw’s dry safe and got out two dry biscuits and I got a scoop of dog food and the bacon grease from the morning's breakfast and a cup of hot water and mixed it all together and brought it out to that old collie dog. That dog looked at the food and looked at me and chowed down and didn't look back.

Those were good times. I really enjoyed dreaming of being a big game hunter with that old BB gun that would not even hurt a fly, even if you dropped it on that fly. You know, I can't even remember that old collie dog’s name, but I will always remember him, he was my partner. Isn't it silly how much thought we put into something like a flock of birds flying erratically through the air. The time that we spend sharing such memories is a gift to those we love.