By Rennie Phillips

Back when I was just a kid I liked to visit and stay with a cousin of mine, Mary Marie. Her husband Dale was a neat guy and a hard working farmer who lived south of Roscoe, Nebraska. Thinking back I don't know if he was kind of an idol of mine or not but I did look up to him. One thing Dale carried everywhere he went was a pair of Cee Tee pliers in a leather holster. Dale never went without them. I had to have a pair just like Dale's. So Mom and Dad probably bought me a pair at Coast to Coast store down in Ogallala, Nebraska. Now I was set.

Down through the years I quit carrying the Cee Tee's, but not my pocket knife. I started carrying a pocket knife when I was really little and still do. Probably because of my Dad. Dad never went without his pocket knife. Never! The pocket knife Dad carried had one of those long skinny leather punch blades in it. Neat pocket knife. My first pocket knife was I think a Lone Ranger but then in 60 years my memory has faded a bit. I do remember it had a broken blade. The tip of the big blade was broken off. It did all right being as dull as it was. I seriously doubt one could have cut themselves with it.

Eventually I started to carry a Schrade Old Timer three blade pocket knife. Back then they were made in the US and had some mighty fine steel in them. The one I carried was a nice size at probably just under three inches. I didn't go without one. In those days I wore a pair of 501 button fly Levi's, a western shirt that Marge probably made for me and a pair of Cowtown or Tony Lama or Hyer boots. That Old Timer was in the pocket.

I was never, nor was Marge, real sure how clean the knife was at any time. I used the knife for digging out slivers and working on cattle or cutting most anything and for skinning coyotes. Back then I hunted a lot for coyotes. If one would skin the coyotes and stretch and dry the hides they would bring more. So I'd skin them with the Old Timer pocket knife. I doubt I ever seriously washed it in between skinning the coyote and digging out slivers. Not like now anyway. Now I have Marge put mine in the dishwasher once in a while, usually a long while.

Tait and I did pretty good with the fleas off the coyotes. Vic and Marge had problems. It seemed like the fleas didn't like the taste or smell of Tait and me so they'd leave us alone and chew on Vic and Marge. Both of them swelled up and got sore and infected. So from sometime in the Fall till early spring the four of us got a new batch of fleas every time I got a new coyote. One winter I got 37 coyotes. Lots of fleas!

Sometime back in those early days I switched from carrying an Old Timer to an Uncle Henry. Still carry one today. I like the size a little better and just the way the blades are made and such. When a group of us led by Mike a friend went to Russia I packed my Uncle Henry in my suitcase and took it along. Once in Moscow it was back in my pocket.

Once night we all went to the Bolshoi Ballet and my Uncle Henry was in my pocket. Never thought or I'd have left it in my room. So at the door we had to empty our pockets and go through a metal detector kind of deal. The lady showed a guard my pocket knife; he looked at me and told the lady to give the knife back so I walked into the ballet with my Uncle Henry in my pocket. To this day I wonder if the Old Russian guys carried pocket knives? Had one confiscated one time. I rode a bus from down in Sikeston through Memphis. In Memphis they did a body search and there was my Uncle Henry. Lost a good American made Uncle Henry that day. Go figure, was allowed to carry one in Russia and had one taken from me in America.

When I got back from my short trip where I lost my pocket knife Marge bought me a new one at Buchheit's which is a local feed and clothing and have it all store. When I checked the new Uncle Henry out there wasn't a "Made in the USA" on the blade but a "Made in China." So I got to checking and found out that all of them were made in China. Not good!

Did some more checking and found out that the size knife I liked was made by Case and Buck. I liked the Case so bought a Case three blade knife with a Missouri walnut handle on eBay. Nice knife but not like my three blade Uncle Henry. So decided to check out eBay and Uncle Henrys. Walla! Lots of three blade American made Uncle Henry's for sale. So I proceeded to bid on a couple and bought a couple as well. Who knows I might have even bought the one confiscated down in Memphis. Now I'm fixed for life with American made Uncle Henrys. Probably fixed for several lives as many as I bought.

So there are times when Dutchess and I have a cucumber and I use my Uncle Henry knife to cut the peeling off I remember the journey from the childhood Lone Ranger knife to today's Uncle Henry. Remember the Cee Tee plier's? Back when I was younger I watched another cousin name Punk use his pocket knife. An Uncle Henry no less! I kind of idealized Punk so I had to have me an Uncle Henry!

So now I carry my Uncle Henry pocket knife, an Auto Tire and Parts screwdriver my son gives me and a pair off Crescent pliers I also bought on eBay. Add to that one of those black Sharpie marking pens Bob Diehl recommended we carry and I'm pretty much ready to tackle most things. And honestly there is hardly a day goes by that I don't use all four of these items along with the memories of why I carry them.

Have a great week. I hope your celebration of our Independence Day was filled with family and friends and good food and good times.