One of My Kershaw Knives

Kershaw knife designed by Ken Onion

Gettin' in the St. Paddy's Spirit

Clad in four-leaf clover glasses, Jimmy Veazey, above left, and Vivian Middleton blow bubbles at a St. Patrick's celebration at the Y.M.C.A. last Friday, March 13, 2009.

My picture was in the Sunday's paper showing me dancing with 95-year-old Lener Mae "Baby Doll" Taylor who let go of her walker for a moment to dance to "The Locomotion" with me. The party drew about 60 people from the Vicksburg Senior Center, Y.M.C.A. Active Older Adults and Warren-Yazoo's Someplace Special. I attend Some Place Special four days a week for about six hours. We take field trips, play games, do crafts and it's a good way to socialize. I really enjoy going there. It keeps my mind active and helps me to be physically fit.

My Knife Collection

I enjoy collecting knives and have brought and swapped most of them at Gun Shows. Here is my favorite sharpeners and knives. Left to right, a Kershaw, designed by Ken Onion, Browning, model 690 Italy, Kershaw, made in USA, Kershaw, Black Horse II and Kershaw, made in China. Rex over at Deer Camp Blog suggested that I post my knives on my blog. Will do one at a time so you can see them up close. Thanks Rex for the idea!

My Bow and Arrows

My Martin Lynx Magnum hunting bow. I do not bow hunt anymore. I did have a crossbow but it broke and is beyond repair now. My wife Marian and I used to bow hunt together. She also has a Martin Lynx bow.

This is an arrow within an arrow (telescoping) that I shot back in September 1995. A few weeks after I made this placement shot at Rebel Archery practicing, I had a massive stroke. I had to learn how to walk and talk all over again.

My Wooden Bowl

Melvin "Mel" Picraux of Springfield, MO, my classmate from Boys Town (Class of 1961), made me this beautiful wooden bowl back in 2005. We keep it on our coffee table to enjoy. Thanks again Mel for giving me such a nice gift. I will always treasure it. You can see more of Mel's handcrafted wooden bowls here.

My Walking Sticks

My name was wood burned into my stick by Paul. He also burned a stick number at the base.

This stick is made out of Diamond Willow and is called, "The Perfect Walking Stick." Marian and I were fortunate to have met a very nice guy by the name of Paul while at the UPS store one day. Come to find out he makes the perfect walking sticks for veterans, family and friends and actually gave one to Marian and I. My wife wrote on her blog how the stick goes through various stages before it is completed. Go here to read all about it and if you are interested in the perfect walking stick you can contact Paul at:

Paul Kuzinski CPE, CI, Six Sigma Master BB
4302 Camelot Drive
Vicksburg, MS 39180
601.661.6182

This stick I purchased through Cold Steel who also makes knives. I have had it about 5 years now and have lost it several times and was lucky to get it back. It is made out of white wood grown only in China and is used for samurai swords in Japan. This one is my favorite.

Whitetail Woods Walking Stick

I'm very fond of walking sticks and have had several in my lifetime. My hunting friend Rex, at Deer Camp Blog, sent me this link that I would like to share with you. It also has given me an idea to post about my sticks here on Two Dogs Tall and tell the story how they came to be. I have also given my walking sticks away as gifts. I have found some of my sticks at flea markets or ordered them out of hunting magazines.

But first, I wanted to tell you about this blog site...it's called, "Whitetail Woods" by Rick Kratzke who lives in the northeast corner of Connecticut with his wife and two sons. He has been hunting whitetail deer since 1990 and it has become a passion/obsession with him. He wrote an interesting article on Wednesday, March 4, about a walking stick he made with an antler handle. He said he like to take his walking stick with him for a several reasons. a. It helps him keep his balance on uneven terrain. (I can relate to that since I have had a stroke). b. It acts as support for his now weakened bones and joints. (I have had back surgery and two necks and it supports me real well). c. It can also be used to reach for items that are not in my normal reach. d. It can also be used as a club/weapon for those unruly varmints that might be feeling on the brave side, you never know when you might come in contact with a rabid animal who might be out of their mind from the sickness. When I carry my walking stick I get looks like no one wants to mess with me. I'm able to take my stick traveling with me through airports but have to leave it at the front of the plane. You can see what Rick used to make his walking stick by the link above. He also wood burned his blog name into his stick and it really looks nice. I hope you will enjoy your new stick Rick. It's very impressive and for me it's like an extra foot to help get around in the great outdoors!