When I was much younger, I begrudged those cold, rainy winter days this time of year. It is quail season after all, and I would be ill over not being able to go. I might have even had my lips poked out pouting, but I somehow managed to suffer through.
I’ve always heard that with age comes wisdom. I hope that I have acquired some of the latter. I have finally come to appreciate those days when outdoor activities are very limited. I changed my perspective. I have come to relish those days for a myriad of reasons. Those cold, blustery days have become a time of rest as well as reflection for me.
I have come to really enjoy those days when all you can really do is crank up the heat and start cooking something that will take hours to reach perfection. A pot of chili or maybe a big ole pot of some type of stew. I can sit down and listen to it bubble as I read a good book or just ponder things.
Yesterday was one of those days and we had a major rain delay out here in the country. I knew the night before it was going to rain and had the good sense to take some stew meat out of the freezer to thaw. Sunday morning before the rain I was able to get some chores done and go eat lunch.
After a good Sunday dinner, I went by the grocery store to gather the ingredients that would be needed to make that pot of deer stew. After I got home, I went and fed the dogs early because the rain was imminent. With my dogs fed and settled in I headed home to get started cooking.
I washed and peeled potatoes. I peeled onions. I cheated and bought baby carrots that do not require peeling. The deer meat was completely thawed and ready to be seasoned. I put a pot on the stove with a small amount of cooking oil and let it begin to heat up. I seasoned the meat and then gave it a light dusting of flour.
I put the meat in the pot to brown and added the onions to brown as well. After they had cooked for a while and were showing the color I like, I then added more salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Next, I put in an inordinate amount of Worcestershire sauce and the steam began to rise up.
I added water and let it begin to boil as I added the potatoes which had been cut up along with the baby carrots. I let it come to a boil and then I tasted it to see if more seasoning would be required. After I adjusted the seasoning content, I turned the burner down and let it just simmer.
I sat down and my mind began to wander as I started to think back in time about my mama making deer stew exactly like I had prepared. I’ve made this same stew for most of my life, but truth be told, I made it in her memory yesterday - that was my plan all along. That stew started putting off a lovely aroma and I just sat there taking it all in.
It was raining good by then and as I watched the rain drops falling to the ground outside, I thought about my mama. My mama had a good life and I remain thankful for her life. As I sat and pondered, I thought about everything she left me. She did not leave me silver or gold; she left me things much more valuable. She left me her love. She left me her goodness.
My mama left me so much that I’m not sure I can even begin to explain it all. Most of the things that she left me will live on in my heart for eternity. I could never repay my mama for all she left me. Lord have mercy, I almost forgot, she left me a damn good recipe for deer stew.
