Volunteering warms my heart

Recently several of my family members were communicating on the internet, when the subject of different animal parts was discussed. We talked about waddle, wattle, dewlap and snood.

I then offered the following story: “Must tell you all a wild animal parts story. A few years ago I was with a friend when he shot a moose near Colville.

“My buddy was going to have the head stuffed/mounted, as it was a nice trophy. I am not much for wasting any parts of the fish, birds and animals taken in the field. Having heard about natives enjoying boiled moose nose, I claimed the part.

“The hair was singed and it was scraped, rinsed and scrubbed and placed in my refrigerator. I surveyed the item for several days.

“I rinsed it again, dried it, turned it inside and out, then realized it was simply gristle. I couldn’t find one bit of meat involved in this nose. Then I thought about all the snot having passed through this body part and it was a simple act to throw it away.”

This body part was mentioned just as example of wanting to use every part of an animal, bird or fish taken in the field. My cousins talked about having feelings of throwing up at the thought of eating a moose nose. Must say, my feeling were about the same, especially after thinking about all the s… Well, you know.

Grimshaw Wattle

Next the discussion turned to the Grimshaw Wattle. My mother’s maiden name is Grimshaw, so I am of Grimshaw blood.

Wattle: “A fleshy excrescence hanging from various parts of the head or neck. An excrescence is a distinct outgrowth on a human or animal body. Wattles are generally paired structures, but may occur as a single structure as well.”

With the mention of the Grimshaw Wattle, a flap of skin under the chin, being common along the family line, a couple of my cousins disliked the discussion. One didn’t want the wattle to appear on her body. The other thought it was the most disgusting part of her body.

My reply: “My attitude is to abide by the old adage, ‘If you got it, flaunt it.’ Gee, I don’t go hide in the closet just because I look like my Uncle Vern or my Grandpa Ray Grimshaw. Goodness sake, I’m proud of my heritage and therefore my Grimshaw Wattle.”

Another relative indicated she didn’t enjoy the nose story and said, “Everyone think of something pleasant.”

Well, the phrase, “think of something pleasant,” means different things to different people. So I explained: “Yesterday was a very pleasant day for me, but I suspect many of you would not derive or gain the same pleasure, enjoyment or satisfaction as was in my heart at the end of the day.

“The Death Ram was on the road at 8 a.m. My Dodge Ram was named by my hunting buddies who have seen it haul the animals taken by my efforts; one elk, two deer, five turkeys and many limits of quail, just this past season. They claim deer, turkey, elk and quail simply drop dead at the sight of the pickup coming into view, but I have yet to witness the act.

The Ram arrived at the Moses Lake Food Bank at about 8:15. Food items for 60 households were loaded into a van and transported to a local senior-living apartment building.

Here the residents pass by a table and pick up their food. Three or four volunteers help with this effort, which happens every Tuesday. I started this effort over three years ago.

Fish salvage

The Ram pulled into a private fish hatchery at 2:30. This hatchery sells fertilized fish eggs around the world. The fish producing the eggs must be certified as free from disease. Every month or so samples from 60 fish needs to be acquired. In the past the fish were buried after the samples were taken.

I asked the hatchery to call me instead of burying the fish. These days, the fish are taken to the same senior-living facility as mentioned above. They may be six inches long or six pounders.

There were several people waiting for my arrival and half the fish were taken immediately. The rest were placed in a common refrigerator. The fish were completely distributed the next day.

The Ram pulled into the home driveway at 5:45 p.m., empty of all fish. A bunch of fish guts, fish heads and fish bodies had passed through my hands during the day and a specific fish odor was evident on my clothing. Yet, there was a smile on my face and the satisfaction of helping others was warming my heart.

Final thought

Taking care of the birds, animals and fish killed/taken/harvested (use the word of your choice) by my hand is important to me and I don’t want to waste one scrap of meat. Salvaging the critters, which would have been thrown away, for people who can use and need them, is simply a bonus for me.

A message to my Grimshaw relatives: “Yessiree, wear your Grimshaw Wattle with pride.”

A message to my readers: “I have a one dollar bill for the first five readers who approach me and say something such as, ‘I see you wear your Grimshaw Wattle with pride.’”