It’s difficult to estimate how many millions of people have watched the 1964 multi-award-winning movie “The Sound of Music” and listened to the songs from its classic soundtrack.
One of the melodies, “My Favorite Things,” with music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein and originally sung by Julie Andrews, has become a worldwide standard,recorded by hundreds of musical artists. It’s especially popular around Christmas and is played frequently on the radio.
Having listened to the tune a dozen times or so in December, and contending with the recent miserable, bitter cold weather, I got thinking about some of my favorite things.
With apologies to the original artists who created the wonderful song, here is my version of the lyrics. If you remember the tune and can hum it or play it in your head as you read, it will help.
High leaping salmon and wide antlered bucks,
A bright tandem streamer and decoying ducks,
A hard running tarpon that makes my reel sing…
These are a few of my favorite things.
Green-headed mallards and trout on a fly,
Dog bells and duck calls and fresh mincemeat pie,
Netting smelt from a brook in the twilight each spring…
These are a few of my favorite things.
Sportsmen in orange sneaking ridges for deer,
Woodcock filled thickets, a sure sign fall is here,
Snowbanks receding, lake ice melting each May…
All outdoor options make it worth waking each day.
When my leader breaks,
When my gun jams,
When I’m feeling sad,
I simply think of the seasons to come
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Hunting blue pheasant on the slopes of a dormant volcano in Hawaii with a duo of four-legged friends in January is among my favorite things. (Courtesy of Bill Graves)
Rabbits and beagles on white powder snow,
Ice fishing for togue on far lakes we can go,
Carving a decoy or tying a fly…
Great sportsman hobbies help winter pass by.
Mist on the river and dew on the lawn,
The flight of an eagle and white spots on a fawn,
A youngster’s first shotgun and the joy that it brings…
These are just some of my favorite things.
Trolling lures on a lake, casting flies on a river,
A box of bright bass bugs, new arrows for my quiver,
Dawn on the deer ridge, dusk on a pond…
Some of the places of which I’m so fond.
Wild strawberry shortcake, fresh blueberries with cream,
A couple of favorites that make life a dream,
Gunning for sea ducks along the Maine coast,
The mouthwatering aroma of wild goose as it roasts…
When the hunt ends,
When the boat docks,
When I think of Dad,
I ponder the memories of all the great trips
And then I don’t feel so sad.
The opportunity to see and even photograph the symbol of freedom and America is a rare but favorite experience for sportsmen. (Courtesy of Bill Graves)
