Grab a cup of coffee or tea to go with a piece of pie and sit back to enjoy this story from Slim Randles who’s my Wednesday’s Guest today. You can top your apple pie with cheese or ice-cream, but I’ll be putting mine in a bowl and adding milk and a little bit of sugar. That’s the way my father taught me to eat pie and cobbler, and I call it breakfast.
Enjoy…
Dewey Decker showed his new business cards to the other guys at the Mule Barn Truck Stop’s philosophy counter, and each member of the world dilemma think tank got to keep one.
Steve, our owlish-appearing cowboy, scratched his head as he studied the card.
“Okay, Dewey, I’ll bite … what’s a verm-a- ….?
“Vermiculturist, Steve,” Dewey said, proudly. “It means I raise worms.”
Dewey, the beloved accident-prone member of the think tank, began his new career with just a shovel and his pickup, spreading manure in people’s yards. Now, thanks in great part to the genius of his girlfriend, Emily, (she of the magnificent cheekbones) he was earning a decent living. Back when they fell in love … and that’s literally, because Dewey tripped. she took this crash-and-burn disaster and molded him into a multi-dimensional businessman, while still keeping him away from sharp objects or things that crush.
Dewey has branched out now into compost, worms (excuse me … vermiculture) and fertilizer tea. The tea goes on the lawn, not in the tea cups.
“Dewey,” said Doc, “this vermiculture stuff now … how much work is it, really?”
“That’s the good part about it, Doc. You see, I don’t have to do anything at all, really, except keep them in … product, you know. They reproduce without any outside help, and turn manure into the best compost in the world. Then you can sell them to other people to work their compost piles, or to fishermen.”
“Well, Dewey,” said Herb, “it looks to me like simply being a vermiculturist doesn’t really cover the subject. Wouldn’t those red wigglers also make you a compostocologist?”
“Hadn’t really thought about …” Dewey said.
“And when it comes to selling them to fishermen,” Doc said, “wouldn’t you be an ichthymasticatiousdietician?”
“I … I …”
“Yes, Dewey?”
“I refuse to be anything I can’t spell.”
Brought to you to honor those masked folks who wait on us in the coffee shops and take our temperature at the doctor’s office. Thank you for your courage.
Check out all of Slim’s award-winning books at his Goodreads Page and in better bookstores and bunkhouses throughout the free world.
All of the posts here are from his syndicated column, Home Country that is read in hundreds of newspapers across the country. I am always happy to have him share his wit and wisdom here.
Slim Randles is a veteran newspaperman, hunting guide, cowboy and dog musher. He was a feature writer and columnist for The Anchorage Daily News for 10 years and guided hunters in the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Mountains. A resident of New Mexico now for more than 30 years, Randles is the prize-winning author of a dozen books, and is host of two podcasts and a television program.
What an awesome breakfast! Slim can certainly stir up memories of long ago. Always enjoy him.
It’s a real favorite breakfast of mine. I’m so glad that you continue to enjoy Slim’s offerings here, Jan. Giving readers enjoyment is what we writers try to do. 🙂