The "IN" Club! - Visitor's Story

by Melody Bishop
(Wooster, Ohio, USA)

In Loving Memory of My Dad
1933-2007

This is for All Members of the "IN" club.

Are you in the "IN" club?

I am.

Although I'm a girl and not an "active" member in all the weekly, biweekly, semi annual or annual events, I can still say that I am a member.

I learned of the club and the rules from the founder and president, and from him I learned the meaning and requirements of all of the events. Those that were in the club must adhere and agree to all of the club's terms and conditions as set for the by the club's founder.

To be in the "IN" club you must agree that Hunt IN (the number one sport of the IN club) does not always involve a gun or a bow. OH NO! Hunt IN involves much more.

Hunt IN means Wait IN, Sit IN, Watch IN... Wait IN, Sit IN and Watch IN some more.

Hunt IN rarely involves Shoot IN or Bag IN the big game. It can simply means you are Ride IN or Walk IN as long as you are Look IN for anything or Noth IN, you also must be enjoy IN your solitude or your company. Hunt IN is mostly about Be IN with friends or just nature, and Know IN that your place IN this world is not set by the PRIZE you take home, but the appreciation and love of the creatures and creation that surround you.

Bet IN is a popular pastime for many members of the IN club.

Bet IN as outlined by the President may or may not involve a monetary wager.

Bet IN can be simple like over riding a bike with or without training wheels, getting good vs. bad grades or over a simple roll of the dice. Bet IN has been known to make members accomplish extraordinary feats that might otherwise seem impossible. As players advance the stakes get higher and the wagers become more complex. Who can catch the biggest fish, provide more food for the deer, or solve an unsolvable puzzle or riddle. The most important component of Bet IN is not the Win IN or Lose IN but rather the sport of Play IN the game and Know IN in the end the thrill of your victory is just as honorable as the ability to accept the agony of defeat.

Mushroom IN is a breakaway sport of Hunt IN. Mushroom IN involves Ride IN and Walk IN, often-great distances to secluded areas. Mushroom IN can be an individual or team event. It can also be a very competitive. If successful in your hunt, Mushroom IN can then lead to Share IN your prize and Cook IN, and Eat IN, all the while Enjoy IN time spent and share IN stories with other members of the club.

Fish IN was the founder of the club's favorite event! To excel in the sport of Fish IN, one must understand that Fish IN isn't about Catch IN anything. You are not truly there for the fish, but rather to appreciate the beauty around you... no matter whether you are stand IN by a pond, river, lake or ocean. Fish IN can also involve the secondary sport called Troll IN. With or without a pole in the water, Troll IN means that you are Ride IN back and forth on a lake for hours and hours Talk IN about everything... or Noth IN... more Sit IN and Think IN... probably Catch IN... Noth IN, but all the while Have IN a good time.

Gig IN is another event of the club, but few members can say that they have actually participated in this sport with the founder himself! Gigg IN involves a fork like spear called a gig, a flashlight, and in my case a canoe. Your prey... you ask... is frogs. The founder of the club was a professional at Gigg IN and took it quite seriously. But as a beginner, I found that Gigg IN meant Catch IN nearly Noth IN. And Steer IN a canoe down a riverbank in the dark and Spear IN a frog was not my idea of an easy event. Non-the less though, after considerable coaxing and coaching from the President himself, I did manage the sport and learned that Gigg IN didn't mean Take IN home anything! It was just about Spend IN time... Laugh IN... Paddle IN, Miss IN your prey... Laugh IN some more... YES even Sing IN in the dark and in the end Sink IN the canoe because of the Laugh IN, Sing IN and Mess IN around.

Can you give me a definition for Jug IN? It may have been a one time event for the club, but it was certainly an enjoyable one. Jug IN also involved a canoe. Members need a jug, a hook, line, and bait and one must excel at Wait IN as this is the most important component of Jug IN. After your lines are set and so is the sun, you find yourself row IN in a lake or pond, Pull IN in your lines to claim your prize. In my case... Jug IN almost involved Sink IN the canoe again, as a wet, heavy turtle at the end of a line thrown into a boat at your feet can cause quite a panic if you are a novice at this event.

Carry IN is another requirement of the IN club. Members must be carry IN something in or on his or her person at all times. Objects can be tangible or non-tangible and will be used to laugh about, discuss, ponder over, or even trick another member. Members will find themselves Carry IN the strangest things. Puzzles... arrowheads... rocks... jokes... just to name a few.

The true upper level member of the club value Work IN as if it is the air that they breathe. To miss a day of Work IN, your only excuse can be that you are participating in one of the previously mentioned events and it MUST be witnessed by at least ONE other member of the IN club. Sickness or illness is not an excuse for Miss IN a day of Work IN and will not be tolerated by the President of the club. Miss IN a day of Work IN can cause exclusion or expulsion from the club.

Joke IN, Tease IN and Prank IN are also other popular sports in the club, but not mandatory requirements. All involve Give IN as well as Take IN and in some cases could get quite involved and competitive. The President of the club found himself quite often on both sides of the game of the Joke IN, Tease IN and Prank IN and learned that other members of this club had mastered this division of the club quite well.

The final event of the IN club is Drive IN. Drive IN does NOT mean Go IN anywhere. Drive IN simply means you are head IN down a road to where it ends, only to be Look IN or See IN anything you can see. It may or may not involve Take IN a friend human or canine, but always means you are see IN the beauty around you whether on a country road or busy highway. Drive IN ALWAYS involves Look IN at nature and Watch IN for every Live IN creature that you can possibly see.

The President of this club has set forth these requirements and to remain in this club one must strictly adhere to them.

As current and future members go on and enjoy and participate in each of the future events, may you do so in honor and memory of the President of the club, my dad.