IT DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE!

I suppose that at 62 years old the headline of this post could apply to alot of things.............However, this weekend I found out that my "TREE" doesn't work anymore. It must have been around 1979. My dog "Dale's Deputy" was a white and orange setter sired by Ghost Train. Briar had really come into his own as a grouse dog and I was excited for the upcoming trials. In the first trial of the season Briar was in the first brace on Saturday morning and I had slept late. I tore around the house to gather my things, made a thermos of coffee and took off. It was about an hour and a half to Gladwin and I'd have to push it. I drank the thermos of coffee while driving and by time I headed north on Bard road mother nature was telling me that I really need to stop. Oh, I can make it I thought...............OH NO I CAN'T! I pulled to the side of the road at a driveway, went into a stand of pines just off the road and and covered a small cedar tree with a warm shower. Relieved, I rushed on to the first course breakaway, turned Briar loose and watched in amazement as he laid down the race of his young life, had several grouse finds and won the trial. I'm not normally superstitous but the following week I stopped at the same cedar tree just to be safe and I'll be damned Briar won again. The third weekend he did it again! Simply amazing, young Briar won all three spring grouse trials that year. Only Jack Nicholson and Tom Novak knew about my lucky charm but despite their pleading never knew precisely which driveway it was. Last Friday on my way up to Gladwin to watch Rocky run in the Wolverine Derby Classic I decided that a little extra luck couldn't hurt. That small cedar tree is still there but now its at least 25 feet high. I gave it a little sprinkle and chuckled to myself remembering way back when. Rocky ran a very good race but unfortunately went birdless. I guess that since the cedar tree is older he doesn't work very well anymore either.