Maury Woody interview with Grady Tomblin, Gladys Tomblin, and Roy Robinson

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. -- This recording begins with Grady Tomblin describing, and demonstrating, how to skin a deer, including how to tag it, skin it with a pocket knife, cut it up, and wash it. He also explains that their community limits hunting to November and to two deer per person, per year. Then, he details a skinning method in which you cut around the tail, tie a cable to the skin, hook a jeep to the cable, and pull the skin off by driving. At minute 13:02, Gladys Tomblin, his wife, talks about the broiler chickens they raise, especially how they cant keep them with hens because they might spread disease. She also describes how she cooks venison, usually by roasting it, and lists a recipe that contains cream of mushroom soup and onion soup. Gladys and Grady Tomblin then discuss uses for the deer hide including coats, gloves or rugs. At minute 26:16, Grady Tomblin finishes skinning the deer and explains the next step of sawing the deer in half to extract the meat. He also shares that when his father was growing up in Gilmer County, Georgia, there were no deer until the state introduced them. Instead his father hunted squirrels and rabbits. Next, at minute 31:15, Gladys Tomblin describes how to cut the meat for steaks and burgers, starting with trimming the bloodshot areas. She also provides directions on how to roast the meat. Roy Robinson starts his interview at minute 38:55 by explaining why some animals are eaten by others and some are not. He also shares information about deep sea fishing, including the use of nets and the need for boats large enough to haul in the nets once they are loaded with fish. To conclude the interview, Robinson tells two animal stories at minute 47:10; the first is about a rabbit racing a fox, and the next is about his finding a polecat in a ditch. -- Grady Tomblin (1915-2003) was born in Jasper, Georgia, to Charlie Tomblin (1878-1957) and Eliza Pinyan (1883-1986). Tomblin worked at Georgia Marble Company and as a farmer. He married Gladys Fowler (1926-2010), and they had two children: Linda Sweat (1946- ) and Charles Tomblin (1948- ). Additional biographical information has not been determined. -- 11 O'.N D:i~ER SKINNilJG 11 l''faury H" Moody t:ovember 26, 1973 Folklore 401 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . .. . . . . " . pages 1 - 2 Transcription Influence of second home developments on folk culture . , . pages J - 4 On deer skinning pages 4 - 29 Photographs pages JO - J2 There are nun1erous 1,1ays to skin an animal, a.11 being qui te1 1 similar, but each individual dtsplays some ingenuity toward his task. Grady Tomlin, a man raised in the hills of north Georgia adopted his skinning techniques from others he had watched. lie cannot recall who taught him to dress a deer; only that he had watched so many others s\rin animals that it becaDe second nature to him. Grady Tomlin and his wife Gladys both grew up near Jasper, Georgia(where the attached conversation took place) and now live just outside Jasper on noute #1. And their children, now grown, live only a stones throw a~,,ray .. hus13and. and I were driving down :Route ?)11, when we saw i!,r. Tomlin skinning a deer hung from a tree by its hind legs. Never before had I seen such a sight! For me, it was the beginning of a learning experience I shall never ;forget. Grady i,ras cordial from the beginning and allowed me to tape hi:m while I asked him questions concerning the influence second home developments might he.ve 011 him or his commmi ty. being in that area.) (That topic was my reason for Hr. Tomlin spoke to us as he steadily continued his skinning process. Time did not allow for social calls if he was to have that deer skinned and cut before dusk. It was this very informality and Grady's warmth that made us feel comfortable during the taping session. Hather than a stiff gathering around a table indoors we were fortunate to tape in natural setting, TRANSCRIPTION OF CONV2RSATION WITH GR.I\.DY & GLADYS TOELIN MAURY: Mr. Tomlin can you tell me how does Bent 'l'ree ( second home development) affect you? GRADY: It hasen't @feet us in any way, I tell, really! JvfAURY: iiave you lived in this community all your life? GRADY: Yes, NAURY: Really, you grew up here too. GRADY: Yes, it was a couple of miles up the road. l1AURY: Um, but taxes have gone up? GRADY: No. They haven't gone up any yet, and they've not heard this year on account of the digest. It's not approved yet by the state. MAURY: I see. I wonder if, ur1, in the future, do you--I mean in other words there's been no cor1muni ty action to keep Bent tree out, or anything? GRADY: No. I've not heard of anything. No, not a thing. HAUHY: Are you and your wife involved in any community action groups. Can you give me the nal'l.e of one. GRADY: Yes, well, my wife goes to the school 'ere P F'rA, is it? She's a member of that. MAURY: Are there new children maybe that go to that school that um, and new parents that would be involved in school activity. GRADY: 'rhere ,,re a lot a parents; it's for adults--adults is what it's fer. Jv:AURY: Right. But are they Bent Tree residents: but,, have children that go there? GHADY: No, no there not. J'!iAURY: Well thank you very much. During the above conversation Mr. Tomlin worked busily skinning the deer he had shot that morning. His pace of work, like his sing song speech, was slow and steady revealing also a way of life. I was intrigued, Never before had I witnessed a skiYL'1ing of an animal, I asked if my husband and I might watch for a while; and with patience and pride Grady Tonlin continued his ta.sk. The following was taped outside in Grady's yard, beside the house he and his wife have lived for twenty-seven years. MAU1lY: Do you get a deer every year? GRADY: Yep, just about every year. -5- lIJ1URY: Do you sa,ve those horns? G ?,ADY : Um hmm NAUEY: Really, they' re beautiful! What's the tag. ( a red tag was tied around his horn) GilADY: You're suppose to put it on em thirty minutes after you kill em. See ! 1ve got it filled out--see my pencil quit writtin 1 I tried to write Dawson County--see the place whar it's killed)I got part of it and my pencil quit, I got all but that. You punch those holes,ya see, a buck or a doe, the month and date. GEOHG3: Do. you send that in? GRADY: Yea, or warden, either one. I'll get in touch with the warden tonight. I generally always rather do that than send it in. I believe it's less trouble--jes let him ask 1d you the questions. GEO:S:G,,:: When did you shoot this (deer). GRADY: This morning. This morning! I guess you got to skin it really fast or it'll--- GRADY; Uh, no. /1 lot a people like to let um wait two or three days. GE03.GE: Heally! How come? -6- GRADY: They claim it's better meat, a.ged that way, Now I can't tell any difference. I just fix em the way I like em, let them fix em the way they like em. MAURY: Do you farm here? GfL/\.DY: No, just a poultry farm--chiclrnns, HAURY; Your cat doesn't get .the chickens? (ha, ha) GRADY: No, they're in the buildings up thar. HAURY: Oh, I see, way up there. Do you sell eggs? GP.ADY: No, Broilers. Fryers 'n chickens. GEORGE: What's more money--eggs or chickens? GRADY: It takes so long to get any profit from eggs, see. You have to keep em for long before they starve ... I guess you could break even--it takes longer to git any return out of eggs than it does broilers--see, it's just eight weeks--and you see chickens have to be several months old 'fore you get any profit a'tall, (Grady jokingly made the com~ent that we were going to need a blow torch to get all the hairs off the meat.) T'.AURY: Do you wash the meat when you I re finished, GRADY: Yes. When you git it cut up, wash it. I'm gonna grind all the front up, I thirJ,, to burger. -7- MAURY: Right. Just make like, deerburgers? What does it taste like? Mrs. Tomlin has just joined us. She had been up at the chicken houses. She heard my question and obliged to answer. GLADYS: It's just near 'bout like beef. GRADY: I really ruin't this one. NAURY: Why? GHADY: It's blood shot. Whar I shot 'em, see, MAUHY: Did it go all the way throughZ GRADY: You can look in thar and see. ( And I did see, a huge hole through the deer's body cavity.) GEORGE: Did you shoot him with a riflei 1/UlUHY: I was asking hr. Tomlin if he used the insides ( of deer) for anything. I just read in this book Foxfire, have you ever heard of that book? GR.~DY: Chi ttlins, ya knew and things. 'rhe colored people over in ,'imokey Eoller-- GLADYS: Oh yea, the colored people, -8- MAURY: I-lake souse? I thought white people did too? GRADY: 'l'hey maybe do, but not in this section, not in this section. GLl,DYS: Not me, GRADY: Not in this community right here. HAURY: But when you shop, do you go to Jasper? GL,\DYS: Yes, well lot's a times I 111 go to Marietta, ya know-just to be a goin'. JU\URY: Do you just go hunt once a year for this deer? GRADY: Um hmm, November. J>'.AURY: Really, just one deer a year. GRADY: No. You' re allowed two, but see lfovember is the only time. It's the season for it. I've read a lot about a new way to dress a deer, I'd like to try sometime. I'm always afraid to. I can just cut around the tail or skin up there and split the legs and hook a jeep to it--tie it up and just tie a rope around that tail, thar,real tight and just start drivin' off and it'll pull ever bit of that hide off it. I've never tried it. It puts enough pressure to finally pop, MAURY: Really, and will it pull off in one piece. GRADY: (To Gladys) I had to chain the dog up. -9- GLADYS: You did, Was he wantin' to bite um. EAURY: Yea. He didn't like us. GEORGE: Yea, He thought we were gonna get his deer. GRADY: Now he wouldn't a been that way if it hadn't been for this. 1'1AURY: He thought we were going to get his deer, GLADYS: He didn't like it. Now some peoples he sees and don't do a thing. He don't growl, he don't bark or anything. I can put on an overall jacket, just like my denim pants and start goin1 to the chicken house and he'll just grab a hold a me and jist pull and pull and pull, Somebody has aggrevated him with a jacket on like that. GPJiDY: It's gonna take us a week to git the hair's off this-I forgot to introduce you. This is my wife Gladys and this-- F;AURY: I'm Maury Moody. GSORGE: And I'm George. GLADYS: Husband and wife? HAURY: Yes. NAURY: You must have a il;)ig freezer. -10- GLADYC:o: I have an upright. Ji:AURY: It must make a lot of meatl GRADY: There ( 's) not very much o' it. HAURY: Its more than I've ever seen at one time. Does your son live near here, too. GLABYS: He lives at a funeral home up here at Jasper. HAURY: I think we saw it, Isn't it on this road? GLADYS: Um hmm. Cagle Funeral Home. GRADY: Just before you ~it into Jasper, NAURY: Is he a big hunter too? GRADY: Oh yea, if'n he had time. GLADYS: He mostly hav.e to carry and haul people to the hospital and pick up wrecks and everythin' else. HAURY: Did you grow up in Jasper too, Mrs. Tomlin. GLADY[,: I's raised over at Tate, its below Jasper. JilAU11Y: This is a really nice place you have here. GLADYS: We got pleanty of leaves right now. MAURY: Nr. Tomlin where did you Jlegin, when you start, um, butchering the deer, -11- GRADY: Hind legs, right here, up to here (crotch) on the inside then cut this off (skin on both legs), peel it down. You start at this end (and go) down (toward the head). It won't come from the other end up. You have to start on that end and go down, lliAURY: Oh, start at the hind and go dmm to the head--that 's interesting. GEORGE: Gee, what kind of rifle did you use. GRADY: Thirty-alt-six, (J0-0-6) I don't really like that big a gun. GLADYS: All these flies (shooing them away) s GRADY: , Look, his light/comeout from where I shot him. MAURY: What was that? GLADYS: Lights. defined as "lungs of sheep, pigs, etc. So called because of their light weight") l'IAURY: What is lights? GLADYS: Like a kidneys and evertthin, in a person. GRADY: Nope. There's a difference. GLADYS: Well, there's a difference, but-- MAURY: Like an organ or :Bomething. GLADY:,;: Are you gol,1,1 to college? -12- MAURY: Yea. I go to Georgia ,State University. GRADY: It really works better if ya let it cool like 'fore you start dressing it, MAURY: Is he still warm. GRADY: Yea, he is. Tomorrow was Sunday and I didn't want to fool with it then, reason why I fooled with it today. MAUBY: Yea. I don't blame you, Would you have to wait til Monday? GPJ\DY: Yes, my, see I wor1,; I wouldn't have time, on Public Hork. i1AURY: What do you mean, public work? GRADY: ,;ork at Georgia Marble Company. l'lAURY: You do. We went into a restroom in Jasper and it was all marble. And I thought, wow! It was pink marble on the floor and greyish marble on the walls. GLADYS: Grey Village. Is that whar you went~ l-:AlJRY: Ho. It was in Jasper it was, it was, in a gas station. GEORGE: I imagine marble's pretty cheap around here. GLADY~1: No, its not too cheap. !fiAUHY: Do you have time to work and care for your chickens, too. -13- GRADY: /iiy wife does most the foolin with the chickens. MAURY: Oh really, who rings their necks and plucks um and stuff, Do you? GLADYS: Central Sawyer. HAURY: Oh, who's that? GLADYS: A company in Canton (Georgia). HAURY: Oh, I see. Do you have a few that you get eggs fron? GLADYS: No, we don't. We're not allowed to have hens when we raise broilers. No chickens at all, MAURY: Why? GLADYS: We used to have some layers, but, uh we don't no more. Shoo! They just won't let us have em. They claim the layers might carry disease, you know, bince they hadden been noculated, or ah'things like that. See, they vaccinate these chickens, babe chicks 'n bring um out to us and then we have to give um a booster in water in twelve days. GRADY: It's for Newcastle and that give um a light case of Newcastle and makes um immune to it, if you have chickens outside see, they'd take it and they go right back to your broiler then. GLADYS: l\nd see, if that was to get in the broilers, then we'd have a big loss; and have to come in and kill em, every one, eh destroy them. -14- G-RADY: They don't no pigeons or nothin round here. GE03G-C: I see. That could just about wipe you out. IUiURY: Do you have any special recipes with this deer meat, that you use? GLADY::;: No, not really. MAURY: Do you use the leg. You know, like a leg of lamb; do you make a leg o' deer? GLADY5: No, not really. He generally just cuts up in pieces for a roast or somethin like that. And I fix a deer roast just 'bout like I do a beef roast. HAURY: Right. GLADYt,: And then I have, I have got one recipe I'm gonna try. Takes deer and uh, takes onion soup and then cream of mushroom and all that and put it in, I'm gonna try that, J:'v:evnever tried it, I don't know what I'm gonna come out with, HAURY: I've done that with beef before, I think, you wrap it in aluminum foil, Is that what you do and pour the soup on top? GLADYc:c:: Well, I don't think, this just said put it in a pan and just get the deer, ya know, brown and then pour all this over it and let it just steam, ya know, simmer, cooks real long. GRADY: Well, what would it be, A hash or a whatl -15- GLADYS: No. Let's see. MAURY: f, casserole, maybe. GLADYS: Somethin like that. I've never tried it, but I've got a new bool, I'm gonna try and see. It may be to throw ouh the door to the dog. (ha, ha,) JiiAURY: (Ha, ha,) It sounds good. Where does your daughter live? GLADYS: She lives in that trailer right there. KAURY: Oh, that's nice; and does she have children? GLADYS: Um unn. (no) She'll be married eight years the first day of ::tanuary. GEORGE: No kids! Have you been askin where your [-;randchildren are? GLADYt,: I don't have any. GSORG:Cc: I said, have you been asking her. GLADYS: ;~very body else's been a skin me whar' s my gran chilcl.ren. f/i.AURY: That's what they ask us too. GLADYS: I says, I'n not gonna worry about it. LAURY: Um, I wouldn't. Does she help you with the chickens? GLADYS: Um unn, she works. t':he works at R. T. Jones 'iospital at Canton. NAURY: Is she a nurse? GLADYcs: She's a nurse's aide. She's had enough time--she could go on and uh, get her, ya know, degree and all, but we haden't gotten her talked into it yet. NAURY: Yea. GOEHGB: Well, that'd be a good thing for her. GLADYS: Yea, it would--that's what I tried to tell her, George asked !er. Tomlin what time he had started out hunting that morning. (The tape recorder was cut off during intervals of our visit and the gap is shown by the line as above.) GRI\DY: After daylight and I' 'magine it'd close to seven, I 'magine, I got out there. GEORGL: That's great, I imagine there's a lot a hunters around wish they could find one that quick. MAUHY: 1iihat time d'you leave? GLADYS: About 6:JO a.Ill, GHADY: Yea, it was after seven (o'clock) 'fore I got started to hunt. GLADYS: Yea. GOEHGE: Do you have one of those, ah---- do you just walk around or do you have one of those things that ,_,- ,; JOU build -17- up ln the trees and. sit up there and. wait for 'em. GRADY: !lo. I just sit dovm on the ground. I'm too old to climb. I'm afraid I'd. i'all~oti.t. (laughter by everyone) I just sit d.own on a log or so!'lething, somewhere. MAURY: Do you keep the head to put on the wall or somethi.ng? GRADY: No. We have two in there an, see, if it's a. real nice one I might l,eep it. NAURY: Do you mount it yourself. GRADY: Uh unn, (no) lIAURY: What's that called.?--a taxidermist. I guess there's one in Jasper. GFU\DY: l"Jo .. HAURY: No. Where do you have to take it. GR.ADY: In !Uli jay 's the closest. GLADY2i: Chatsworth. You carried. the last one to Chatsworth. GRADY: NO. Colli jay. GLADY:3: Oh, I thought it 'as Chatsworth. GHADY: ''rween rc::n:l.. jay and Chatsworth. I call it iUli jay. I don't know I thought l.t 'as Ellijay, I mean, Chatsworth cause it's on that mountain. -18- Gr1ADY: Well, it's just 'fore you start up it, l-'lAUHY: Do you ever use the hide to make rugs or anything? VAURY: (You) Give it you your dog, GRil-DY; Um hmm. GLADY:3: I've got an uncle that ah, he saved um, an he had his wife a coat made and hisself, and gloves, i''LJ\.URY: 1"-1mn. Hot-J warm! GRADY: It costs a lot. HAURY: Oh really. GLADY~:~: Yea. GRADY: He just sends the raw hide and they tan it and everything, G~OB.G.:i: Oh yea. GPJ\DY: Just the raw hide' s what he gets. MAURY: How do you, um--do you know how you save em. GLA:'.:lYS: Now he's the one you really ought to see. HAUHY: Heally, where does he live. GlJ\DY!::t: Ohhh. -19- ~a.r away? GLADY'.:\: I,o. vie could tell you cause he's got a --- GRAD':'.: Well, goin fron here to ,rate, you l,now whar Tate's at. MAURY t Uh umm., GRADY: When you get thar GLADYS: Intersection. GPJ',DY: )'ea intersection thar - f5J just go straight on across-what's the number of that highway there? GLADYS: I don't know, but its goin toward Waleska. GRADY: Yea, but she-- MAURY: I have a map. Should I get it? George asked if there were people who cut up his meat for him. Mr. Tomlin said that no one would fool with deer. lU\URY: What do you mean, \/hat's a cooler, GEORG8: Freezer, freezer locker. GRADY: I don't know why. They just won't fool with it. G.:::OEG 11: Really. GHADY: \fo have to drive, plum down to \viarietta. 'l'hat 's why we all do it ourself up in here. -20- G2:0RG2:: I wonder if that would be profitable, Open a freezer-place where you just had nothing but lockers. GRADY: Now they have a freezer out at Jasper, but they won't fool with deer, just beef and hogs. Gi':ORGE: (Do) 'rhey slaughter them for people and store em. GRADY: Yes .. HAURY: How do you clean him? GRADY: Hhum? F:AURY: How do you clean him? Your wife said that you clean him--- GRADY: She does all that. EAURY: Oh. How do you clean him? (to Mrs, Tomlin) GLADYS: I have to just generally get him and wash it-- GRADY: Carry it to the spicket, And get it cup up in small enough pi~ces, you know. GLADYS: (pulling off some fatty tissue) I don't want no fat like that. ;IAURY: Yea. Oh, but you cut him first and then you take him inside to the kitchen sink. GLADYS: And clean hi.m, Um hmTI, EAURY: Oh, I see. 'There goes his head. Do you need any help. -21- GRADY: No. That's not cut enough, yet. GLADYts: vie carried it up the funeral home to show our son and he said he's ready to go huntin. He said the phone rung and he knowd he'd haven to leave on a amblance trip. EAURY: Oh no. That must be hard work. GLADYS: Oh, he enjoys it. GEORGE: Does he do embombing? GLADYS: He helps. He' a 'J!lergency Medical Technician, Amblance Elervice. ("Crack, crack" as Grady twists the head off of the deer.) He's got his licnese for that, but we don't have a, one of those new kind of amblance and a everythin up here. He's a hopin tha's whats gonna come up with those new amblances, and everythin. GRADY: Now I bet my saws dull. GLADY::i: He enjoys that. He likes ta ta work with sick people and ah, things like that. G,WRGE: Oh, he does. GFIJ\DY: That 1 s all he I s ever done. GEORGI::: 'That 1 s great., f]LADYb: They say he's really good, an' they say he's extra good goin -22- on these car wrecks, and all. JIIAURY: Yea. I bet you really have to know what you're doin, and fast! GLADYS: Cause I've had people tell me, and he's been to some really bad ones whar they's been pinned in on and all; and they say he climbs right in there and goes to work with em helpin em. I wouldn't have enough nerve for that. GRADY: All that fat back here. It's not like beef you don't leave more fat 'n you can help on thar. Beef you got to leave a little to make the flavor, KlkURY: Is it marbleized. Tu the meat, you know, got enough fat in it so it's tender? GLADYS: Um hmm. All I've ever cooked has been real tender. GRADY: Long as you cook it real slow. If you been in a real rush for somethin to eat, she won't fool with deer meat. GLADY,,: I don't like to fix nothin in a hurry. K./WRY : Yea. GLADYf,: Now lots a people, I don't know, like to, when they cook green beans, or anything they like to cook 'em in a hurry, but, I don't. l01AUHY: Yea. 'l'o get that good flavor, do you use pork in it? GLADYS: Um hmm. I like to. -23- Grady continues working while we all chat, At this point he begins to saw the deer down its back bone. It is completely skinned, the head is off, and the next step is to spl1t the deer in half, Grady explains what he is doing GRADY: That's just sawin the le;_,; (front le;_,;). EAURY: You just. \/here do you cut it off? [;tarting where? GPJ,DY: Along about three ribs up. MAURY: About three ribs up; and you just split him down his backbone. GRADY: Get what meat I can off em. EAURY: Off the ribs, do you make burger. GEORGE: You, eh, can't barbeque the ribs? MAURY: Could you? We love to do that with beef, pork I,, mean. Who taught you how to skin? GRADY: Well, I just got to watchin people kill em around, just different ones, MAURY: Really, look, that's his esophagus, isn't it? George come look! Did your father live around here. GB.ADY: No. Re's dead. HAURY: I didn't know if he had taught you to skin a deer. GRADY: No. There wasn't any deer here when he was livin, -24- lIAURY: Oh, Where did they corr:e from? GHADY: well, state's turned um over. lirAURY: Oh, I see just like a park. GRADY: Um hmm, MAURY: Was he a hunter? GRADY: Yes. He come to huntin squirrel and rabbtt, MAURY: Well, that looks like a clean job! Is skinning a deer similar to skinning any other animal, basically? GRADY: Yes, yes it is, NAURY: If you know how to do one you could do the other. Go away fly! G3ORGE: So you split the shoulders and then you, eh, take the neck off, GRADY: Um hmm. MAURY: Can you use any of that meat on the neck, GLADYS: Um hmm, MAURY: (Is) 'That's what you're going to do hamburger with? GRADY: 1l1his is gonna make nearly all hamburger. MADHY: Why, you can't get a roast out of it? (Mr. Tomlin) Why do you take the entrails out in the woods? -25- GIJ1DYS: It makes the meat taste bad. GRADY: :)?a can't leave anything (entrails) after its dead, it makes it taste--ah different taste to it. It's really not good. GRADY: Ya don't use em for anything. You're trying to get rid of a lotta waste, if you would throw 'way, to keep from carrin it~ see. MAURY: Um hmm. How far did you have to carry it. GRADY: Not (but) just a little ways--200 yards. HAURY: Gosh. GLADYS: That was just lucl,! EAURY: Sounds so easy when you describe it, Hr. Tomlin. GLADYS: That was just luck, that time, cause he has killed 'em and been way off. GEORGE.: Way out in the wood, you mean, and have to drag em back. GLADYS:Be way out in the woods, and maybe three or four miles! GHADY: I did always carry em, instead of draggin em. Even if I had to cut it in two and carry it, and go back and get the other half. Cause you bruise the meat and it ruins it to bruise it. GLl~DYS: Re used to be stouter than what he is now. (ha, ha) A large white sheet was laid on the front porch where Er. and Ers. Tomlin cut the meat into steaks and small pteces -26- to be ground into burger. Part of the meat was bloodshot and that had to be cut off and thoroughly cleaned. Ers. 'romlin describes. . GLADYS: I always like to get me a knife and pan and trim all that stuff (bloodshot areas of the meat) bff, GRADY: This would cut a lot better if I'd waited till it cooled a couple of days. MAURY: The meat won't spoHl in a couple of days? GHADY: No. Let them age. GEORGE: Really! GRADY: Let em age, that's lot better meat. HAURY: Are you gonna give the bloodshot meat to your dog? A lot of that can be saved, can't it, GLADY[;: Um hmm. There's some of it I' 11 save, but lot of it I won't. GRADY: Ny knife's too little for that (sectioning the meat needs a larger knife than a pocket knife used for sl,inning. ) GLADYS: Knife's too dtull and I'm afraid of choppin my hand off, GHADY: Let me get a bigger poclrnt knife, if you want. GLADYS: I don't want one. I'm afraid of choppin my finger. Shoo. I don't like to do this. U,peaking to me as she began cutting the bloodshot area off,) -27- GR/\DY: If we'd had it at the spicket first and washli it, it might a helped it, I'.AURY: ( I aslrnd how to make hamburger) GLADY,S: Cut it up into small pieces and then put 1 t in the grinder and grind it up. ll,AUR.Y: '/ond.erful, can you use almost every bit of the deer? GHADY: Yes. MAURY: What's that that you're cutting, Hr, Tomlin? GRADY: The marrow and back bone where I sawed it down through the back bone. GE:ORGE: That'll',be,.good ha.inlourger meat, won't it--no fat in it. GRADY: Well, the fat in the deer don't taste good. GLADYS: It's more tallowy. GRADY: There's no grease to it when you cook it. l'JAURY: How do you know if, this is a stupid question, but I don't know, if you're killing a doe? GRADY: Well, the doe, I never seen it tried, but think it would work, if it had horns and was a doe, it'd be legal. Because you wouldn't have (any idea that if wasn't a doe)-the horns is what you pick out before you shoot and if its got horns its legal to shoot. -28- l'JAURY: Right. I see. GRADY: Now I've never seen it tried. You're not suppose to kill a doe, now they have been a few cases where th;ey had horns, doe's did. I They not suppose to, its a freak like crows-- a lot of 'em, you know, they're white, you know, it's a rare case. I don't believe the state would bother you if it was a doe if it had horns. GLADYS: You don't think! GRADY: No I wouldn't be afraid to risk it. Because it'd be one chance in millions, ya know, of its not being a doe, I mean a buck, if it had horns. It rarely ever happens. I saw six (doe) this morning and didn't any of them have horns. GEOHG8: Oh really, were they like in a herd's GHADY: There was three come through first and there wasn't any horns on them and in just a few minutes this one come through and it had horns on it, still after I got the entrails and all out I was standin there and three more come and didn't any one of them have horns. I'IAUHY: Will you explain to me what you're doing. GRADY: I'Ei trying to get this neclr off, I(AURY: Oh, I see that's his neck. Gl'lADY: I'd rather have that for a roast as any part of him. It's -29- got the best taste, seem like,of any of the deer. MAURY: And do you keep this bone in here? GLADYS: Yes. I generally put it on and parboil it and just let the meat get real tender and it'll fall off that bone and then I put it back in the juice I boiled it (in), ya know it come ,:from, and then I put potatoes, carrots, onions and all that in together and cook it until its real tender. lcAURY: Mmmm. That sounds delicious. You must be a good cook. GLADYt',: Well, thar's been a few says I am; I don't know whether I am or not. ViAURY: Oh, I'm sure you are. GRADY: That's gonna be an awful thick roast, too. I asked Mr. 'Tonlin if he slaughtered by the signs of the moon. A full moon is traditionally the perfect time to slaughter, but Grady told us that was only a coincidence that he killed his deer on the fuJ.J. moon. Becuase his work allows him little free time, he must hunt when time allows. -RELEASETiy 1ettin8 us collect your traditions--otories, sones, music, rememberences, or beliefs of earlier days--yc .s have made a valuable contribution to preserving and understan<line ~iout.hern history, and especially the way of life of your cor1munity. Because you have given unselfishly of your time to do this, the Georgia Folklore Archives, whose representatives are dedicated to preserving these traditions, wants to protect your rights to this material by p,uaranteeine; that it will not be used for unscrupulous conimercial profits4 By signin~ this sheet~ you are giving us permission to use this material for educational purposes so that people who are interested can understand how life was in the old days. If you don't want your' name to be used, say so--we respect your right to privacy. Thank you for the time you have p,iven to help us record a heritage that is an iI'1portant part of AI'1erican life. "In consideration>'i:Jf l'lY intent in helpinr: to preserve ny folk heritage, I hereby grant permission to the Georgia Folk Archives and its Director, John Burrison, to publish, ot otherwise mal:e use of, the material recorded from me by the ap;ent of the Georgia Folklore Archives whose nane appears on this sheet. Signed Address ,., / _,J l":"- "/;;_ r / Agent of Georgia Folklore Archives ____________________ _ Additional Hitness ___________________________ _ Georr;ia Folklore Archives c/o Professor John Burrison Georgia State University 33 Gilmer Street Southeast Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Date D/J1J. /0, 1113 I -- A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. -- Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. -- As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us in a position to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials accurately. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created. Additionally, our work to use reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete is ongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.