It's the LAW

My father was an avid trout fisherman. He liked to hunt and did a lot of that in his younger days, but what he really like to do was fish. I spent many summer days in Montana fishing with my father.

Movies like "A River Runs Through It" and a general misunderstanding of the nature of fishing has produced a lot of "Catch and Release" sentiment which is very popular now. People don't seem to understand that playing a fish until exhaustion is just as detrimental to the fish as catching a fish and eating it. I can't tell you how many times I've been downstream from the "Catch and Release" crowd and seeing dead fish float by... caught by people who kept the fish on the line, played it until it was near death, then released it thinking they were doing the right thing.

My father grew up in another era. In his day, you caught fish to keep them and eat them. And quite frankly, a tasty trout dinner can't be beat. My father was not a fan of the "Catch and Release" crowd and often spent time debating it with the fly fisherman that would frequent the Yellowstone area. They would come in with their expensive ORVIS equipment and fancy tied flies. My father, on the other hand, preferred a regular old night crawler and some sinkers.

One of the most unusual things my father ever said to someone one day, after a debate about "Catch and Release" versus "Catch and Eat" was the following:

"Worm fishin' is FUNNER than fly fishing, and THAT'S A LAW IN THREE STATES."

Damn "Slant Eye"

My father loved to "borrow" money... from banks, family members, whoever he could get money from. He also liked to write checks to pay suppliers for merchandise for the family business. He looked at bounced check charges as cheaper than the interest on paying for a loan, so that happened a lot. Back in his day the fee was only $10 and he'd rather pay that a few times than actually have the supplier get paid. It was a short term loan... why not?

Often he would get letters in the mail from banks offering to loan him money and he would go for it. Sometimes they would get paid back... sometimes not.

One time he received a reject from a bank. It was a standard form letter denial. At the end of the letter it was signed "Regrettably, Lee Reynolds" or something like that. The only part I remember seeing is the "Lee" part. My father, getting mad reading the letter and seeing the name "Lee" immediately scribbled on the letter:

"Go to hell, Slant Eye!!"

And instructed me to put it in an envelope and mail it back to the bank.

My father, seeing the name "Lee," immediately assumed it was an Asian who wrote the letter and lashed out in his typical Sheldon fashion... with a racist slur.

Welcome to Sheldon's Witticisms

Sheldon was my father. He was born on July 23, 1930 and passed away on October 21, 2006. Many people, including myself, will tell you that this man was the most unique person you would ever meet. 

He had an unusual way of looking at the world and an even more unusual way of expressing himself. The things that would come out of his mouth were absolutely astounding. 

With this blog I hope to capture some of his wit and character for future generations.