Butchering Day Part Two
February, yes, we have lived through another January, but some say February is predicted to be colder than normal. It will be what it will be, and time will tell.
As we start another month, I reflect back on December and the wonderful celebration of Christmas. I really enjoyed the beautiful lights this year, and they uplifted my spirits.
Now last month’s jingle was “the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup”. Of course, now you remember. That was an easy one. This month’s jingle is … I’m stuck on……finish the jingle. I can’t give you anything more, or I will give it away.
This month I will finish my story of butchering. I received an email from a faithful reader that has been subscribing to the Chronicle since it began publication. He is a 93-year-old Veteran that lives in Alabama. He was born in Bergton and shared an experience he had as a young boy when butchering. They would take safety pins and sneak up behind the adults and pin a pig’s tail on their bib-overalls. He continued to say that the adults were too busy, and they didn’t even notice. This may have been where Pin the Tail on the Donkey originated from. Just think of memories of butchering over 80 years ago, and the days gone by with the fashion style of bib-overalls The younger generation may not even know what we are talking about. I really appreciate any email from readers, and comments can be sent to me at fulksrunfollies@yahoo.com.
Now I also played a prank on butchering day. It was when my great-uncle Ben Hottinger was butchering. He used to live on Genoa Road. Starting on Genoa Road, right after you cross the first bridge Ben lived in the big farmhouse back in the field on the right. The house still stands and has been remodeled into a beautiful home. On this particular day my cousin and I also had gathered up pig tails and were playing with them. We wandered out to the road and saw something that gave us an idea. What was the idea? I’ll say this, we saw a mailbox. Yes, and what better storage place for a pigtail than a mailbox? We continue playing until we heard a vehicle approach, and yes it was Boots Stayner, the mailman. Now keep in mind this was the old Genoa Rd, the old bridge was still there, and the road was barely wide enough for two cars to pass without one going in the ditch. We ran and hid in a brushy fence row and watched. Boots pulled up and opened the lid as he had done hundreds of times before. He started to reach in, when suddenly he jerked his hand back as if it had been a snake. After realizing what it was, he just reached in, took our pigtails and threw them in the side ditch and off he went. I can still see in my mind to this day Boots jerking his hand back. I guess I would have been a felon tampering with a United States mailbox.
For years the county folks would sell or trade their hog meat to people in the community, but this all changed when our government decided you must have an official inspection before any meat could be sold. This law was actually passed in 1906 at the Federal level. In 1967 the Wholesome Meat Act amended the existing law saying that States must enact a law that required inspections that were equal to the federal law. This was when things started to change.
My last butchering story comes from a man that shared with me a story about his uncle and cousins on butchering day. They too were butchering six or seven hogs and were in for a big day. As the story goes, as the day went on the workers became very thirsty. And the more they worked the thirstier they got, so thirsty that the workforce started to become fewer and fewer. Finally, Sunday morning came and after a good night’s sleep the father ventured out to start putting the kettles and supplies away. Suddenly he let out language that would make a sailor blush. For when he went to put away the scalding trough, what did he find? There in the trough was a hog, laying in iced over water. It seems that after quenching their thirst and as the work force dwindled, they didn’t finish what they had started. They always say it’s not good to mix business with pleasure, but this time they mixed too much pleasure with business. I don’t remember if the nephew ever told me what they did, if they started over or what happened, but this may be one good example why regulated safety programs needed to be put in place.
What is ironic is after all these safety inspections for meat, eggs, and for all food products is all the recalls we have seen in the last year. I can name six that come to mind. Peanut Butter which also includes crackers and candy, Cheddar Cheese, Cajun Chicken Breast, Meat Balls in sauce, Veggie Spring Rolls, and believe it or not Kitten Pet Food Beef flavor. So much for “Safety Inspections”!
Lastly on a completely different subject there is program that features Biblically based stories. It’s called Call-A-Story, just call 540-896-4200 and you will hear the story. It is weekly and most weeks it changes every Tuesday Night.
Believe It or Not
Until Next Time
Ronnie
