#22 - 30 Days of Thankfulness

#22 (yep, I skipped a few) of 30 - ok, I am starting to lose steam on this 30 days of thankfulness, so this will be my last post.  I could post about so many things such as my chickens who lay the eggs we eat, our outdoor cats who have NEVER allowed a mouse in our house, food in general since I love it so much (Paul knows that from the minute I wake up I am thinking about what I get to eat today), my heritage, my contacts that help me see, my garden which provided us with the carrots and onions in my wild turkey and noodle soup I have in the slow cooker today, etc...I have had fun thinking upon all that I am blessed with and now I am moving on...
So anyway, on to today's last thankfulness post, above is a picture I took on Saturday afternoon while Skyler and I were on stand together.  You can see Skyler is reading her book while her rifle lays on my lap waiting for an unsuspecting deer to walk by.  So I am thankful for the countless pages Skyler was able to read to help her pass the time when the timber was movin' a little slow.  But in between those pages Skyler was able to take in many sights that so many children today will never expeience.  Those pages helped her to sit for approximately 17 hours this weekend and she was able to see countless deer, squirrels, turkeys and birds for her patience.  And although we weren't able to get a deer to come close enough and stop where she had a clear shot -- we know that each hour in the timber she is growing and learning what hunting is all about -- and that is that hunting most of the time isn't actually "hunting" at all.  Hunting to us is learning how the deer move, to watch the little signals they give which allow us to know when they are calm, when they are nervous, when they will continue to feed or when they are tricking you into thinking they are feeding but they are actually about to snap their head up to try to catch a hint of movement.  We learn the signals they give which indicate they are not alone and it might be worth waiting for a buck to come sneaking up behind them.  We get to hear the way they communicate, anything from a stomp of the foot which sends vibrations of trouble through the ground, to a contented soft grunt which sounds more like a purr, to the flicking of their tails which on this occasion might be the "it's all okay sign" but a bit different flick signals that "something is not as it should be here and we have got to go."  To have the deer so close to you that you can hear them breathe and you worry that they will be able to hear your heart pounding from the adrenaline rush that closeness brings.  To the contentedness you feel when you are able to see a deer, allow it to come into range, know that a shot would have been easy but allow the deer to walk because today just wasn't it's day to die.  These are all things that cannot be learned from hunting videos or from hearing other's stories -- they are something that must be experienced and we are so fortunate that Skyler loves to experience all of those things with us.  So I'm thankful for Skyler's books, but on a deeper level I am really just thankful for what those pages in the books allow us to let Skyler experience -- and that is a good life  :)

My Buck for the Weekend

This weekend was shotgun season.  During this season we get to take our flintlocks out to the timber.  I was able to make my one shot count on this 9 point buck by pulling off a tough, quick shot behind me at about 70 yards.  For those of you familiar with a flintlock, the charge in the pan needs to ignite so that its heat can set off the main charge in the barrell.  Because I was in a tight spot my mitten was too close to the charge in the pan and when I shot it actually started my mitten on fire!!  I now have a hole clean through my favorite pair of mittens, but it was worth it!  Paul always keeps track of our stats and apparently this is a landmark deer for me -- my 25th deer of my life.  So now I am on the road to 50...

I had a great time on stand with Skyler at different times during the weekend as Paul and I traded off putting our rifles down and sitting with her.  Skyler loves to watch the Nuthatches and all of the antics of the local squirrel population.  After hearing them bounce around in the leaves for hours Skyler decided someone needs to invent a "squirrel bomb" to kill all of the squirrels so that we will be able to hear the deer coming easier.  I think I agree with her  :)

And finally Sunday afternoon Paul and I got to just hang out in a stand together.  It was one of our first opportunities to be alone the entire weekend and we had a great time watching deer and getting to reminisce about this weekend's happenings.  We always get to laugh a lot while we are jammed into this 2-person stand which is actually a better fit for one.  Good thing both of us are on the slim side -- I can't imagine being any bigger and fitting us up there.  Paul, I am still pretty sure you weren't scooted all the way to your edge...  :)  We had deer we could have shot but we were both just happy to get to watch the deer.  All but one of the deer we saw were actually calm and acting like deer when they came through which is uncommon this time of year.  Since both of us seem to enjoy "watching" and enjoying the deer more than just the shooting part that topped off my weekend and made it absolutely perfect. 

#19 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (Deerstand, Perch)

#19 of 30 - Today I am thankful for our deerstands (I was gonna take a picture when I was out hunting Thursday morning but my batteries were dead on the camera, so I have attached a picture that is similar to what we have) -- the little perch in the air we spend so much time sitting upon this time of year.  Although they aren't too comfy or warm and for this girl with a fear of heights they aren't close enough to the ground and although these perches are sometimes all too exposed to all of the weather most people stay inside because of (heat in the early season, wind, rain, snow, hail) -- they are always the grandest seat in the house.  From this perch we get to see things that many have to watch a Marty Stouffer special to see.  It is kind of like getting to be a "fly on the wall" and each scene that plays out is special.  Even on those days when no deer appear, we get to see countless numbers of birds up close and personal.  I have even had birds land on me as I sit motionless to watch them.  We get to watch squirrels and their antics as they perform their tight wire acts many tens of feet above ground or as they peer around tree trunks trying to figure out why we are sitting on their "highway."  We get to see the occasional coyote (yep, I still need to shoot one of those wily guys).  We get to see turkeys (usually more than I want to see) as they scream and scratch their way through my quiet spot in the timber. 

From this seat we get to reminisce on past hunts, happy times and fond memories.  We also get to dream of deer yet to come -- possibly just down the ridge from us now.  From this perch we get to slow down -- we get to step back and time has no meaning.  From this seat the real hunting happens -- the passionate, I don't want to leave the timber until the last streak of light has left the sky hunting.  For those of you who know that EVERY day is deer season because it doesn't only happen during those 7 days a year that many people scamper out or even during these 3 1/2 months dedicated to bow hunting -- For those of you who spill the blood, sweat and tears that our family does -- you know this seat is worth more than its weight in gold!  So yep, I am more thankful for this seat than even I knew  :)

#18 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (Skyler's Determination)

#18 of out 30 - Today I am so thankful for Skyler's determination and abilities.  Specifically how well she does in school and how much effort she puts forth to get the great grades she gets.  Skyler has an ability to take in and learn so much information in a day it is mind boggling to me.  Skyler's most current report card contained straight A's again -- and we don't even push for that.  The only thing we have ever asked Skyler is that she puts forth 100% -- if that meant that she could only pull a C-, well we would be just as proud.  So I am thankful for Skyler's efforts and abilities with regard to her school work -- keep up the great work Sweet Pea!

#17 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (Modern Conveniences)

#17 out of 30 - I love the nostalgia of thoughts of living in the "old days" more than most girls...however, when I am being honest with myself, I am thankful for many of today's modern conveniences.  Because of these modern conveniences it allows me more free time to do things I choose to do rather than just things I HAVE to do.  The fact that we have indoor plumbing, a washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, cell phone and automobiles saves us countless hours each week.  One of my favorite conveniences is my slow cooker.  If it weren't for this camo cutie (cookin' Venison Vegetable Barley Soup this day) -- our supper routine would be a lot tougher for this girl who loves to hunt most nights and isn't really into "woman's work."  So today I guess I have to be thankful for living in a day where we have access to such conveniences.

#16 - 30 Days of Thankfulness

#16 of 30 - Today I am thankful for my messy house.  This may sound weird but I guess my messy house is a reminder to me that we are living life.  A few dishes in the sink says we had a good meal but had to run -- some laundry in the laundry basket says that we did something, got dirty, got cleaned up and had to run again.  The fact that we have camo coats hanging on the back of the chairs in our dining room says that we were hunting, came home for a few hours, and are going hunting again...so I would rather have a messy house than a clean one (unless of course someone else wants to clean it)  :)

#15 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (My Job)

#15 of 30 - On this Monday I am thankful for my job.  I happen to work in a relatively small office and consider all of my co-workers my friends as well.  I have a great boss who is kind enough to let me go home early whenever Skyler has an event at school or whenever she will be getting home early.  I am one of those lucky few who can say I love what I do and enjoy going there each and every day!

#14 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (The Gift of Time)

#14 of 30 - On this Sunday -- the last day of another weekend -- I am thankful for the gift of time.  Each minute is precious.  I try to get up early each day so as not to waste any daylight...Another morning in the deerstand today got me up at 4 a.m. again this morning. Since more nights than not we have people in our garage either to visit or whom we help butcher their deer; add to that the countless hours we ourselves spend in deer stands this time of year; not to mention butchering our own deer; trying to spend quality time with Skyler playing catch, playing board games, shooting bows, shooting rifles, walking/running, baking, reading, etc.; trying to keep up with housework, cooking, etc...and still have a bit of life outside all of that (plus we gotta go to work, take in nourishment and throw a couple hours of sleep in there somewhere each night) and WHEW...I am thankful that we have 24 hours in a day -- I would wish for more, but I think 24 is enough!  :)

#13 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (Family Traditions)

#13 - I am thankful for family traditions.  I can't say we have a lot of them, but after practicing with our rifles all year long -- it is a tradition for our family to go out one last time approximately a week before season (which is now) just to be sure we are all ready.  Below is a picture of all three of our shots (9 total) -- I would say we are all ready for a deer to fill our sights -- what a fun family tradition!  :)

#12 - 30 Days of Thankfulness (Shadow)

#12 - Today I am thankful for our dog Shadow.  He has been having a really rough time for about a week -- he has a bulging disc in his neck (could it be because of the constant love and hugs of affection from a 10 year old...?!?  :) just kidding).  Anyway - I am thankful that Shadow has been such a good buddy for Skyler.  He sleeps with her, plays with her and protects her (if I chase Skyler through the house during a game of tag I can be guaranteed I will have a dog nipping at my backside).  Shadow has generally been Skyler's "shadow" since the day we got him.  I think every little girl should have a dog as great as Shadow to grow up with.  And here's hoping that he will be able to heal and continue to be Skyler's buddy for many years to come.