Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

The first thing I heard when I woke up this morning was my mother, who was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The smell of fresh biscuits and frying bacon and ham told me it was time to hurry and get dressed. (A flashback!)

Now cowboy gear was long into the future. Today, it seems I am only around ten-year-old. I am wearing gallus overalls and a plaid shirt my mother had made, and oh, yes, since it is the dead of winter, I am wearing long johns. My shoes are high-top brogans with socks that come halfway up to my knees. As I recall, there was never any discussion of fashion, but pure utility.

Since World War II is still in full sway, rationing is the order of the day. If you wore something out, usually you did without. My cap was made of corduroy and had ear flaps which I was glad to have. I had already worn out my favorite cap, which was an imitation leather aviator’s cap with goggles. I had always planned on flying in the Army Air Corps.

The school was three miles away. We usually walked if there were no U.S. Army convoys on the road. If there was, which commanded almost all the space, either my father or Uncle Alex would drive us.

The battle about fashion with my mother was still in the future. She would buy me some denim pants which seemed to have bell bottom pant legs, which I refused to wear and be called
Farmer Brown! I insisted she take them back and exchange them for Levi’s brand, with a much different leg cut, I believe they are now known as the ‘boot’ cut. This was my pants preference until I graduated from high school, in fact it was almost a uniform for all the boys.

I suppose this could be called the age of innocence. It didn’t matter what you wore just so it served the purpose of keeping you warm and dry. The sole exception was Levi’s or Lee’s denim pants. Just Sayin…RJS

plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

Reminds me of a song that has a verse that says: i was country before country was cool.

Can't say i was around in those days RJ, but we all have our memories from those days wanting to fit in. Some good some bad, but yet all had one thing in common. " Can't wait to get out of school ".

ripogenu Loc: norfolk, MA

never liked Levi's always wore Wrangler jeans and wrangler pearl button denim shirts.

manchestah Loc: Barnegat, NJ

WTF has this to do with fishing 🎣???

ripogenu Loc: norfolk, MA

welcome aboard. the stage has a couple of "topics" fishing, general chit chat, local reports and of course the attic (where we , well I'll let you explore by yourself) you happened to drop in on general chit-chat.

GlsJr40 Loc: Dallas, Tx.

Mr. Samples, I always enjoy your essays, and particularly this 'flashback'. It caused me to start remembering (I can't remember how to spell that other word for 'remembering'.) For perspective, I'm a little younger than you. I was fourteen months and four days old when Pearl Harbor got sucker punched.

I started to school not long after the war was over. We lived in the Mississippi delta country in northeast Louisiana near a little farm town with population 300. It wasn't a one-room school, but it was a one-building school with all 12 grades in a modestly small two story building.

Your description of breakfast and uniform clothing is almost exactly how I remember it. I can't recall when I first became aware of Levi's but it was many years later. I too wore gallus overalls, high top brogans, and (in the winter) long handle underwear. As you might surmise, we weren't very affluent and neither was that area of the state. Consequently I didn't get to negotiate for Levi's or most anything else. We may have been in poverty, but if not we definitely were very close to it.

Poverty Point is just a couple miles east of where we lived. Yep, it's a real place and formal name. Check it out. I believe it's a National Monument now. Several years ago a lake was impounded a few miles to the south and is labeled Poverty Point Lake.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Not a damned thing to do with fishing. That's why it's in the "chit chat" section and not the "main".

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Well, the short, honest answer is absolutely nothing, Manchesta! Let's play a little game, sir. Just how much fishing experience do you have? Let's compare our histories.

I have fished all of my life, beginning in the late 1930's. Not a few minutes but hours. I have fished all over Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana with many trips to Florida. Further I have fished in Mexico, Puerto Rica, Costa Rico, and Brazil.

My personal bests are a 179 pound Striped Marlin, a 19 pound Peacock Bass, A 9 pound black bass. Probably a ton of Catfish from Red River. If you care to read about these, simply page back through my over 900 stories posted on Fishing Forum.

Also, as someone else mentioned, there is one section that does not have to be about fishing.

And if you aren't interested, when you see my name just skip the story, it is your choice. Just Sayin...RJS

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Well, my family was 'hand to mouth' until Dad got a job with an oil company as a pumper, or manager of two leases. This meant a better salary, a house to live in and better hours.

Wages were frozen during the war, but after the war, the company payed each worker one month's pay for each year of their seniority. Talk about kids in a candy store! Some of the workers got as much as 10 months additional salary! Just Sayin...RJS

Jer Loc: N. Illinois 🇺🇸

Really? Making your first post to the site, knowing nothing about the site, but really making a lasting first impression for the rest of us. Consider reading up on what goes on here, then make a positive contribution.

Slimshady Loc: Central Pennsylvania

RJ. You just keep posting those stories. I for one enjoy reading them

MuskyJohn Loc: Benton Harbor, MI

Amen Slimshady. I skip through the fishing stuff and if there's nothing that pertains to my fishing or my areas of fishing interest, I race down to this section to see if RJ has a story to read. Great stories.
Thanks RJS.
Just Sayin.

plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

Musky, check out RJ's Jerusalem story.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

Nothing since it’s not in the “fishing” category. Once you been here a few days you will understand there is more than one category to discuss things. Please look around and enter the category that best suits you. Enjoy.