Trout Republic

The longer Ol’ Dutch is on this old Earth the more I find out that life is really just a gamble in so many ways. And what is most interesting is that we all think we have it all planned out so perfectly, but I am not sure that anything we do really is anything but blind luck. I know many of you will argue that point and I can respect that, but it does seem that anything that doesn't happen by pure chance is just a coincidence of sorts.

Not a few times in my life have I been told I was “just lucky.” And while a person can make their own luck doing things such as working hard at a job, sometimes it's just in the cards, so to speak, whether you will succeed or fail.

And I guess that can explain at least somewhat how Miss Trixie and I met as there is no other reason that I can come up with. Lucky for me that day and unlucky for her so they say. The word luck is defined as “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions. And never more has that been true than with her and I.

I was reminded of this dance with “luck” as I drove past Winstar Casino in Oklahoma on my trip up to see Fast Freddy, my dad, in Kansas. It's quite a resort actually with big hotels and enough parking for the population of half of Dallas who seemed to be there this particular day.

At 3 p.m. on this Saturday the parking lot was full to overflowing. All of whom were inside trying their “luck” against insurmountable odds. If you do not know already it's not set up for you to win. And only between 2 and 10 percent of people who enter there actually come out with additional funds than they went in with.

Ol’ Dutch has never been one to throw away money on a losing proposition so gambling of any sorts never has had any allure to me. I can drive past a casino a thousand times and never am tempted to stop and peruse the tables. But I also have friends who regularly drop some unbelievable sums at those games.

It used to be that the gaming places offered cheap and good food to lure people into the legal robbery rooms, but now they evidently have enough regular customers they don't even have to do that. And going there for “just the food” sounds too a little too much like the men who buy Playboy magazine for “just the good articles” found within for Ol’ Dutch’s tastes. Both are vices wrapped around tempting visuals and will suck you in like a camel eating a peach.

The only times I have gambled at a casino was when Miss Trixie and I got free RV parking there and some free chips. And true to form, those free chips went just as fast as any I would have purchased out of pocket. And even though that was not my money it sure felt like it as it disappeared like a turd down the toilet. About one good flush and it was gone.

So happily, I don't lose any hard-earned cash at such places, but I know many people who do so on a regular basis. So much so that casinos have built immense places for people to throw away their money. And so many are willing to give their money away to strangers that an entire city is dedicated to such goings on. And that is none other than Las Vegas, Nevada of course. Miss Trixie took me there one time and I am sure I looked like a turkey in a rainstorm, wide-eyed and gullible as I gazed upon the lights and action. But true to form, Ol' Dutch was able to watch the goings-on without losing his shirt.

I do have to admit to buying a lottery ticket when the winnings get over 100 million as I do believe with that much mammon, I might finally be happy in life. Well, maybe not happy but I bet I would smile.

Kevin Kirkpatrick and his Yorkie, Cooper, fish, hunt, ATV, or hike daily. His email is [email protected]. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com.