Something happened today that was rather upsetting to me. I lost a facebook friend because I harvested a deer.
Here's the note that was left for me in my inbox: (name withheld)
Hi Melody, I hope you're well. Melody I'm sorry but I have to drop you as my facebook friend. You have been very nice to me and was always so kind. The reason is none of my friends or family kill animals. We love them and try to protect them. You killed a deer and he never did anything to you. I don't understand people who do this. It must be a cultural thing where you live. I see one of your friends even wrote "wasn't it a rush pulling the trigger on the big gun and just killing something for once? What's the thrill of killing a defenseless animal. To me that's the same as stomping a cat to death just to watch it die. Hunting is not a sport. It's killing another living animal just for the thrill of killing. No thank you. Take care.
This was my reply:
So sorry that you think of me like that; because that isn't me. I am not a sport, trophy or thrill killer!! To me... hunting is a means of putting meat on the table. No different than going to the grocery store and buying a chicken or beef roast... just the elimination of the middle man. We EAT what we harvest. I came from a very poor background and from a family of nine children. If my father didn't HARVEST what the Good Lord provided I don't know how he would of kept us fed. We HARVEST our deer just as we harvested our chickens, their eggs, beef cattle, hogs and even the Thanksgiving turkey. Do you eat turkey, chicken, beef, ham? Do you wear a leather belt or shoes or have a leather wallet? We even harvest our own vegetables. So please... please... don't put me in the same category as a person who would stomp a cat to death to watch it die. That's horrible ... and it hurts me to think that you would think of me like that. I am not a cruel person
~~~
I'm sorry... but that was the last thing I thought this person would write to me and it shocked me and it really hurt and was upsetting. How can someone make that kind of assumption? or comparison about me? comparing me to someone who would stomp a cat to death to watch it die!!
I was raised by very strong firm Christian values. I am not an animal hater and I don't like being categorized as one. Our families have been members of the National Rifle Association since it's induction. We also were very active members with the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. My husband has been a Wisconsin Trapper's Education instructor for the state of Wisconsin in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources for over 13 years. We are firm believers in the ethical treatment of animals. When they are HARVESTED it is done in the quickest most humane possible way.
I can ... without a doubt ... say that any animal that is HARVESTED by us is done in a fashion that is more humane than that piece of chicken you might eat at KFC, or that burger from any franchise, or that beef roast or charlie chicken from the sea that you got from your grocery store.
If you want to be a full fledge vegetarian ... that's your choice... I don't care. But if you are... you better get rid of your pets too; because guess what their dog food or cat food is made out of? And take away the Elmer's from your kiddies school; because guess what that's made out of too? Quit wearing your leather belts and put away those leather shoes and wallet. Quit fertilizing your roses and petunia's too while you're at it... and do you know where your vegetables came from? What did that cow eat before it made that glass of milk? and what about good ol' Jello???
Do you even know what would happen if there wasn't a HARVEST season on certain species of animals? Or if they weren't kept under control and allowed to just go out and breed and repopulate themselves? Have you ever heard of tularemia or deer fly fever or CWD - Cronic Wasting Disease. Do a google search and look it up.... it's a problem that is spreading throughout the United States with deer herds. Believe me ... harvesting them and utilizing them for consumption and manufacturing is FAR more humane... for whom? The top of the food chain. Man.
Until next time,
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Monday
Sunday
hunting experience day 9
It's the final day of deer hunting. I stuck it out 8 of the 9 days. I even brought my camera along today ~ to show you where I've been this last week. I took some pictures before I got settled in for the day ~ then the camera is getting shut off because it makes too much noise turning it on and off.
We got a nice dusting of snow last night ... maybe Big Bucky will show up today.
Here's my hunting blind:
This is the front of it ...
notice the nice patch job on the door that the bear tore off:
Here's the stove ...
I told you I was practically sitting on top of it:
~~~
No cocoa w/Splenda in the thermos today - just straight up black coffee... keeps the gizzard warm and keeps me alert. I'm wishing though it was Mt. Royal Lite and Diet Coke. lol Maybe tonight I'll get to celebrate and have a cocktail.
~~~
Noon whistle just blew at the mill.
Lunch today is some homemade smoked turkey slices, a little bag of Frito's and coffee. Dessert is a handful of gumdrops! I did bake a chocolate cake w/pecan frosting early this morning for suppertime, before heading out to the woods today. But what's for supper? I haven't figured that out yet. Breakfast was left over homemade pizza from supper last night. Boy, am I ever slipping off my diet!! Starting tomorrow Dear Hubby and I are starting to eat healthier!! (after we clean up the cake - can't be wasteful) Now I know why I'm so WAIST FULL.
~~
OH MY GOSH!! An owl just flew in and LANDED on my opened window sill - 2 feet away from me. I think I startled him as much as he startled me! Then he flew up into the tree - camera ... QUICK!!!
Even if I don't see any more wildlife today - including Big Bucky - this was sooooo worth it. Now I just need my heart rate to slow down. What a cool experience!! I should have tried offering him some turkey and Fritos.
~~~
3:30
It's been pretty quiet this afternoon. It's just me and my thoughts.
Dad has been on my mind - Big Time
He passed away two years ago and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and miss him.
You know how some people are just miserable human beings when they're alive; but when they die everybody talks about them like they were the sweetest, kindest person on this Earth: Well ... that wasn't my Dad!!! He really was a kind, loving man.
He had such a love for life and the best sense of humor. Oh how he loved Mom and all his kids! What he also loved was being in the woods. He was an avid hunter right up until the end.
He loved hearing about everybody's hunting experiences and had some pretty good stories of his own to tell. Even after becoming disabled, and had to walk with 2 canes, he still hunted. He made it to Ontario for moose and Quebec for caribou and even Texas for wild pigs.
These woods that I'm sitting in today gave up many deer to feed his family of eleven. I feel his spirit here today with me.
Daddy... if you have anything to do with this ~ fly on down with those angel wings and chase one out of the swamp for me.
~~~
hallelujah HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!
A doe came in and right on her heels was a buck!!!!
I got my deer ... the last 5 minutes of shooting time for the season. I finally got my first deer ever!
It's an eight pointer!
Praise the Lord and Thank You Daddy!!
We got a nice dusting of snow last night ... maybe Big Bucky will show up today.
Here's my hunting blind:
notice the nice patch job on the door that the bear tore off:
I told you I was practically sitting on top of it:
This is the my shooting lane:
Here's the other window that I can't use; because the bear broke it. I pray nothing comes in that direction:
~~~
No cocoa w/Splenda in the thermos today - just straight up black coffee... keeps the gizzard warm and keeps me alert. I'm wishing though it was Mt. Royal Lite and Diet Coke. lol Maybe tonight I'll get to celebrate and have a cocktail.
~~~
Noon whistle just blew at the mill.
Lunch today is some homemade smoked turkey slices, a little bag of Frito's and coffee. Dessert is a handful of gumdrops! I did bake a chocolate cake w/pecan frosting early this morning for suppertime, before heading out to the woods today. But what's for supper? I haven't figured that out yet. Breakfast was left over homemade pizza from supper last night. Boy, am I ever slipping off my diet!! Starting tomorrow Dear Hubby and I are starting to eat healthier!! (after we clean up the cake - can't be wasteful) Now I know why I'm so WAIST FULL.
~~
OH MY GOSH!! An owl just flew in and LANDED on my opened window sill - 2 feet away from me. I think I startled him as much as he startled me! Then he flew up into the tree - camera ... QUICK!!!
~~~
3:30
It's been pretty quiet this afternoon. It's just me and my thoughts.
Dad has been on my mind - Big Time
He passed away two years ago and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and miss him.
You know how some people are just miserable human beings when they're alive; but when they die everybody talks about them like they were the sweetest, kindest person on this Earth: Well ... that wasn't my Dad!!! He really was a kind, loving man.
He had such a love for life and the best sense of humor. Oh how he loved Mom and all his kids! What he also loved was being in the woods. He was an avid hunter right up until the end.
He loved hearing about everybody's hunting experiences and had some pretty good stories of his own to tell. Even after becoming disabled, and had to walk with 2 canes, he still hunted. He made it to Ontario for moose and Quebec for caribou and even Texas for wild pigs.
These woods that I'm sitting in today gave up many deer to feed his family of eleven. I feel his spirit here today with me.
Daddy... if you have anything to do with this ~ fly on down with those angel wings and chase one out of the swamp for me.
~~~
hallelujah HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!
A doe came in and right on her heels was a buck!!!!
I got my deer ... the last 5 minutes of shooting time for the season. I finally got my first deer ever!
It's an eight pointer!
Praise the Lord and Thank You Daddy!!
the buck stops here
mom and i
Saturday
hunting experience day 8
It's Saturday morning and I'm not giving up. Today is a fresh new day. I felt a bit quilty not sitting yesterday; but my body was demanding a day off. Today I'm feeling much better, physically and emotionally. My phone call of encouragement from Colleen and Mike cheering me on helped. Thanks You Guys... which is the equivalence to the southern y'all. lolToday, while sitting here waiting for a deer I'm reading "All Quiet On The Western Front". It's an old book that I found in our attic of the old house. The original copyright to it is from 1928 by Ullstein A.G. "Im Westen Nichts Neues". I'm reading the translated from German to English version by A.W. Wheen. It's the 13th printing from 1956.
I remember this book as a required reading in my high school literature class back in the '70's. Now... 30+ years later it means something and I'm grasping it's full impact. War - It was horrible then as it is now.
~~~
12:00 The noon whistle just blew.
Eating a turkey sandwich for lunch. I had a piece of pie for breakfast ... eat dessert first.
~~~
I just read a paragraph in my book that reads:
" He proposes that a declaration of war should be a kind of festival with entrance tickets and bands, like a bull fight. Then in the arena the ministers and generals of the two countries, dressed in bathing-drawers and armed with clubs, can have it out among themselves. Whoever survives, his country wins. That would be much simpler and more just than this arrangement, where the wrong people do the fighting."
~~~
2:15 - Just heard a plane fly over.
The little red squirrel is chattering.
Heard a shot way off in the distance.
Two more hours to go - where are the deer??
Some kind of bird just flew overhead. I don't know what it was; but it was pretty good sized. It sounded like it was saying, "Que que que." Possibly, a pileated woodpecker???
~~~
2:20 - Just heard six more shots one after another far off.
I have Dear Hubby's rifle again today. A Browning Bar II 30-06 w/ 9x40 Tasco scope - certainly capable of taking down the big buck of my dreams - if he'd only show himself. I want some meat for the table. I only have 1 quart of canned moose left on the pantry shelf and some canned venison sure would be nice.
~~~
2:30 - Another way off shot.
I heard our neighbor Bill W. got a nice 12 point buck 2 days ago. Why couldn't it have been me??
3:45 - Just heard six more shots - way off. Someone must be near a field or open hardwoods to take that many shots. I'm in such heavy brush I'll be lucky to get off one - of course that's if the opportunity presents itself. My aim has to be a good one.
~~~
~~~
Once again... in for the night. Another unsuccessful hunt. Tomorrow is the last day of deer hunting season in Wisconsin with the rifles.
They had the big prize give away tonight on the Deer Hunters Round Up radio program; which I had an entry in ... no luck there either.
Oh well...
Until next time....
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Friday
hunting experience day 7
I'm taking a break today from hunting. I don't want to have anything to do with Wisconsin weather. I don't even want to look out my window at it. Instead I'm sitting here at my computer... in my nice warm house... day dreaming about a beautiful tropical beach. Oh how I would love to be walking in the sand and dipping my toes into some nice sun warmed waters.
hunting experience day 6
Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along. In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~~
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It's Thursday morning - and I'm out in the deer blind - praying this will be my lucky day. I was up early today at 5:00 a.m. seeing Dear Hubby off to work. I made another dessert for tonight's big meal - grasshopper pie. I turned the kitchen over to the kids and here I am. Waiting. I'm staying out here all day until it's too dark to shoot unless the Big Boy Mr. Bucky comes in and changes my plans.
~~~
I'm reading the Wisconsin Outdoor News. It's a monthly publication where hunters can brag and boast on the picture board; but more importantly it's about all the hunting news going on in the state. It always has feature articles on the pro & cons of issues. It's by no means one-sided. If there's an issue to be debated everyone gets a fair voice. It also keeps everyone abreast of hunting and gun regulations and it always has great articles on what our government is up to in regards to the sportsman.
My favorite part of the newspaper though would always have to be the "On The Trail" report given by Dean Bortz - the editor - who is also my cousin! He always manages to give a more personal story of things that are going on. When my Dad passed away 2 years ago in October he did the best story ever of him and his dream of building a boat. Then when my Mom shot her 8 point buck the following month he did an exclusive on her. Dean ~ you're the best!
~~~
11:00 a.m. Still no action - still waiting on Mr. Big. It sure does feel strange being all donned out in blaze orange hunting clothes instead of being in the kitchen on Thanksgiving . This is tough - cooking has been a part of me my whole life.
Ever since my first job as a kitchen assistant at Boyd's Mason Lake Resort when I was 15 and excluding my secretarial stints with North End Machinery and Dr. Enzinger - and being a bartender at Dixies, JR's & MP, all my other jobs were in the kitchen. I cooked at Just Drift Inn, Lake Bastine Resort, Fort Flambeau, and a 15 year run at the Northwoods Supper Club.
After all those cooking jobs in 2003 was when we opened the bait shop and I finally stayed home to work. Then this last September we closed shop ~ so I'm really starting a new chapter in my life.
Now I'm a couch potato.
~~~
12:00 I just heard the noon whistle blow at the paper mill in town - 7 miles away. I was happy when the mill started up after it's shut down between buyers that the new owner had it restored. I think a lot of other people were happy about it too. It's a part of the town; just like it's people and it was good to have it back.
~~~
RE: Dar-- on your comment about my post about my memory and remembering the names of the indian tribes in the state? You went to the same school I did - weren't you paying attention in history class? Don't you remember Mr. Warshall saying, "Pay attention, you might need to know this some day." LOL He used that line a LOT... I guess I must have paid attention.
~~~
A flock of sandhill cranes just flew over - heading south for the winter - are they ever getting a late start - and are they ever vocal.
~~~
2:30 - Just heard my first gun shot of the day. It sounded more east of me than south - where Mom is sitting. Then again - its really hard to tell when you're sitting in the middle of the woods surrounded by balsam trees, maples and tag alders. Plus there's a lot of downed trees and brush by me, from a tornado that touched down in the woods here about 4 or 5 years ago. I wish Dad was around. He had a really good memory when it came to stuff like that. He could probably give the exact year, day and hour when that happened.
~~~
You all heard of DeJa Vue? What about DeJa Moo? You probably all heard this line of bull s#*t before.
~~~
3:30 - Heard a shot to the south west
--- I'm so ready for a long hot shower and a good evening with my family. I called Staci this morning to remind her to turn on the TV so the kids could watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I always liked watching that while cooking. Next year - if I hunt - I think I'm going to stay in on Thanksgiving Day. It's kind of depressing for me today being out here all alone in the woods. Just me, myself and I and a little red squirrel who's even lost interest in me.
~~~
4:10 - The two does are here again.
4:30 - It's getting dark - quitting time.
I'm going home to my family and a nice meal.
Happy Turkey Day everyone!
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
~~~~~
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It's Thursday morning - and I'm out in the deer blind - praying this will be my lucky day. I was up early today at 5:00 a.m. seeing Dear Hubby off to work. I made another dessert for tonight's big meal - grasshopper pie. I turned the kitchen over to the kids and here I am. Waiting. I'm staying out here all day until it's too dark to shoot unless the Big Boy Mr. Bucky comes in and changes my plans.
~~~
I'm reading the Wisconsin Outdoor News. It's a monthly publication where hunters can brag and boast on the picture board; but more importantly it's about all the hunting news going on in the state. It always has feature articles on the pro & cons of issues. It's by no means one-sided. If there's an issue to be debated everyone gets a fair voice. It also keeps everyone abreast of hunting and gun regulations and it always has great articles on what our government is up to in regards to the sportsman.
My favorite part of the newspaper though would always have to be the "On The Trail" report given by Dean Bortz - the editor - who is also my cousin! He always manages to give a more personal story of things that are going on. When my Dad passed away 2 years ago in October he did the best story ever of him and his dream of building a boat. Then when my Mom shot her 8 point buck the following month he did an exclusive on her. Dean ~ you're the best!
~~~
11:00 a.m. Still no action - still waiting on Mr. Big. It sure does feel strange being all donned out in blaze orange hunting clothes instead of being in the kitchen on Thanksgiving . This is tough - cooking has been a part of me my whole life.
Ever since my first job as a kitchen assistant at Boyd's Mason Lake Resort when I was 15 and excluding my secretarial stints with North End Machinery and Dr. Enzinger - and being a bartender at Dixies, JR's & MP, all my other jobs were in the kitchen. I cooked at Just Drift Inn, Lake Bastine Resort, Fort Flambeau, and a 15 year run at the Northwoods Supper Club.
After all those cooking jobs in 2003 was when we opened the bait shop and I finally stayed home to work. Then this last September we closed shop ~ so I'm really starting a new chapter in my life.
Now I'm a couch potato.
~~~
12:00 I just heard the noon whistle blow at the paper mill in town - 7 miles away. I was happy when the mill started up after it's shut down between buyers that the new owner had it restored. I think a lot of other people were happy about it too. It's a part of the town; just like it's people and it was good to have it back.
~~~
RE: Dar-- on your comment about my post about my memory and remembering the names of the indian tribes in the state? You went to the same school I did - weren't you paying attention in history class? Don't you remember Mr. Warshall saying, "Pay attention, you might need to know this some day." LOL He used that line a LOT... I guess I must have paid attention.
~~~
A flock of sandhill cranes just flew over - heading south for the winter - are they ever getting a late start - and are they ever vocal.
~~~
2:30 - Just heard my first gun shot of the day. It sounded more east of me than south - where Mom is sitting. Then again - its really hard to tell when you're sitting in the middle of the woods surrounded by balsam trees, maples and tag alders. Plus there's a lot of downed trees and brush by me, from a tornado that touched down in the woods here about 4 or 5 years ago. I wish Dad was around. He had a really good memory when it came to stuff like that. He could probably give the exact year, day and hour when that happened.
~~~
You all heard of DeJa Vue? What about DeJa Moo? You probably all heard this line of bull s#*t before.
~~~
3:30 - Heard a shot to the south west
--- I'm so ready for a long hot shower and a good evening with my family. I called Staci this morning to remind her to turn on the TV so the kids could watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I always liked watching that while cooking. Next year - if I hunt - I think I'm going to stay in on Thanksgiving Day. It's kind of depressing for me today being out here all alone in the woods. Just me, myself and I and a little red squirrel who's even lost interest in me.
~~~
4:10 - The two does are here again.
4:30 - It's getting dark - quitting time.
I'm going home to my family and a nice meal.
Happy Turkey Day everyone!
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Thursday
Wednesday
hunting experience day 5
Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along. In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~
~~~~
What did I see today, beside the one red squirrel that the bobcat hasn't gotten yet? Two girl deer or does as they are called.
There wasn't much action ~ it was a pretty boring day. It is amazing though how quiet a deer can be and also how loud some of them are.
Today when the first doe; which was also the biggest and undoubtedly the oldest, came sneaking in by the bait she was hardly audible. There was one very small twig crack and there she was. When the younger doe came in about 10 minutes behind her ... I could here her coming about 50 yards out before she even got there. I suppose she already knew it was safe enough to come in ... seeing as how the other doe had already been there eating and nothing happened to her.
I don't have a tag to harvest a doe; but I do have a buck tag.
I like having the does come in by my stand even though I can't take one. It gives me something to watch to pass the time. It helps me keep calm and alert at the same time in anticipation for a buck. The biggest plus though about having the does there is that it increases my chances of seeing a buck ~ looking for a mate. But today it didn't play out that way. No boyfriend in the vicinity.
It was a late start again today for me to get out hunting; although I haven't been seeing anything early on in the day so I don't think I missed out on anything. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to get into the woods a little earlier.
In anticipation for Thanksgiving I made up a pie today, and another dessert and some homemade dinner rolls. I was told that I don't have to worry about cooking anything else tomorrow. Staci, Sara, Sam and the granddaughters are taking over the kitchen. This is great news! I can't wait to have Thanksgiving dinner all ready when I come in from hunting. This is going to be a real treat!
This could be the start of another family tradition being passed on down through the generations. My mother hardly ever made the Thanksgiving dinner. It was usually up to us girls when we were living at home to cook the meal. Mom was out hunting; as she does to this day at 80 years young. Oh ... she'd do a lot of the prep work, and bake pies, etc... but getting it cooked up and on the table usually fell on to us.
I just got off the phone with her a bit ago and she said she already had her Thanksgiving dinner last night over at my nephew Mark's place with my oldest sister Linda and her family; but she'd be more than happy to come and eat again tomorrow. She said she'd be sure to save more room this time around for the dessert. She's so funny.
She didn't have any luck hunting today either. Maybe tomorrow will be the day ... finger's crossed.
Dear Hubby and Sam's girlfriend, Ashley, ran over to Minocqua this afternoon and picked up the new television, sound system and TV stand. Tonight, Sam and Ash are in the basement setting up the old TV and console that I had upstairs and Sara and Slim are having a bonding father and daughter moment putting together the console and TV upstairs. I opted to stay out of everybody's way and came in the office to go on the computer. By the sound of things in the basement and in the living room ... I know I made the right decision.
Our HD receiver won't be here until next Wednesday though for the upstairs television thru Dish Network. The technician that they are sending out will have to set that up and then set the one in the basement up at the same time. So in the meantime we'll be using the old receiver upstairs. The television quality won't be that great; but it'll be better than nothing. I'll be so happy when all this gets figured out and done with.... and I can get the two rooms back in order.
Because of all the commotion of getting supper on the table, dishes washed, the television sets getting moved; I missed the Hunter's Round Up on the radio. I guess that too will have to be put off until Friday. They aren't broadcasting it on Thanksgiving eve. Saturday will be the drawing for the bigger prizes... including the 42 inch plasma TV that I got put into the other night. Wouldn't that be a hoot if I won that! Then the guys would have to move the TV's around again! Let's keep our fingers crossed once more.
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Tuesday
hunting experience day 4
Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along. In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~~
~~~~~
Day 4 already and I'm still hanging in there. This hunting takes it's toll on a person both physically and mentally. It's doubly hard on me to be out here while battling this darn fibro. I took an Aleve last night when I went to bed, than another this morning and two of them at 1:00 and I'm finally starting to feel a little better.
~~~
This is the first time since Dear Hubby became old enough to deer hunt that he hasn't purchased a hunting license. He's leaving it up to Sam and I this year to put the venison on the table. I'm starting to think we're going to be eating a lot of chicken this year. Good thing he's working at the mill for some of his buddies so they can hunt ~ maybe he'll make enough money to buy the chicken.
~~~
It's an over cast day and quite damp out; but still not that bad of a day weather wise ~ it could be raining or snowing. The sun just refuses to break through the overcast and shine ... I won't be able to use the excuse "the sun was in my eyes" if I do get to shoot ~ and God forbid ~ miss.
I'm using Sam's rifle today. He missed a deer yesterday by the power line because it was such a long shot. Mine is sighted in for a longer distance and has a better accuracy shooting 400 yards; so we swapped. I wish him luck. He's got a place over there - it's like a deep depression in the ground. He literally lays right down in it alongside this well used runway. Yesterday, 2 guys came walking by and they didn't spot him until they were right on top of him. He can watch the power line both directions. It's a good blind - for a young healthy kid. It would kill me to have to hunt like that. First - I'd freeze like a popsicle and secondly - I'd have to struggle like a wallowing pig to get up quick enough to shoot if I did see something. I'll leave that kind of hunting up to my GI Joe Sambo Rama Lama.
~~~
It's really quiet in the woods today.
About an hour or so left of day light. It's getting dark early being so over cast.
Come on bucky - let me be lucky.
~~~
3:45 Just heard my first shot of the day - someone got meat - hopefully.
I hear a plane flying over really low. I'm guessing it's the DNR - checking out stands and how much bait is being used and on the ground. With the leaves off the trees; a pile of corn sticks out like a sore thumb from the air. Some guys bait with apples and even sunflower seeds; because of that reason alone.
I suppose they do flyovers too looking for someone who may be lost or in distress. You hear about it every year of someone coming up to the North Woods and getting lost. There is a lot of territory up here that is uninhabited and a person could walk a long ways if they didn't know where they were going. Even locals on occasion have been known to get lost for a while. You can walk for miles and miles up here if you're not careful about direction.
There's a LOT of national and federal forest land such as Chequamegon and Nicolet, land owned by big corporations, state and county land and big sections owned by the private sector. Also, some pretty big tracts of land that are indian reservations. We have a pretty big population of Indian in our state. There are the Bad River Tribe of Lake Superior Chippewa, The Potowatomi Tribe, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Court Oreilles, Lac Du Flambeau, Menominee, Oneida, Red Cliff Tribe, St. Croix, Sakoagan Mole Lake and Stockbridge Munsee or Mohican and Ojibwa that I know of. There's also a lot of casinos in our state now too. Go figure.
~~~
Well it's dark out and quitting time. A pretty boring day in the woods. One red squirrel was chattering; probably looking for it's mate that the bobcat got the other day. Other than that... nothing.
~~~
~~~
We were listening to the radio station tonight again for the Deer Hunter's Round Up to get the daily report. Boy... it's a slow season for everyone today. One guy down by Kennan reported getting an 11 pointer, and a few camps called in with a spike or doe.
The one thing that is a common complaint from a lot of the camps though is the wolf population. I hope the DNR is listening in and addresses the problem soon. The deer herds of Wisconsin are being hurt bad by the wolves. One guy had a good suggestion. Doing a relocation of the wolves in northern Wisconsin and putting them in the southern part of the state where the CWD is such a problem. Makes sense to me.
Here's some of the camp names that called in tonight.
Camp Goose Grease, Camp Pop A Top, Sagwine Lumberjack Camp, Holding Down The Fort, Camp Wart Hog, Roller Dam Shack, No Name from No Specific Camp, Woodshack Rack Camp, Camp Buck Nuts, Elmer Fudd from Clam Lake, Camp Longshot, Camp Lean To, Camp Kill 'Em Dead, Toothless Beaver, Polecat at Camp Stinkypoo, Green Acres from Peeksville, Deer Hunter's Round Up Camp, Sloppy Pig, Camp So This Is It, Camp I Don't Shoot 'Em, Camp Up Chuck, Toaster Struedel, Lard Lake Lodge, Camp Cut Throat, Camp Beechnut, Camp Nosralj, Apple Creek Deer Camp, Camp Ya Dah Heh Dere, KO Shack, Hodge Podge Lodge, Low Impact Gang, Camp Red Neck Winnebago, The Rocky Carey Crew, Camp MT, Camp What's That Smell, The Kozak Shack, Camp Tamp On and of course yours truly - Camp No Does.
~~~~
To my niece Hannah... I apologize for forgetting to mention your doe tonight on the radio. You should call it in from your hunting crew... and get put into the drawings for the prizes.
Way to go Hannah!!! Hannah got a doe!!!!! Do the Happy Hannah Dance Hannah Got Her Doe!!!
I tried to post your picture up on my blog here and something is going on and I can't get anything to upload. Maybe tomorrow I can get it on here. sorry babe ... maybe your G'ma Dar put it up on her blog???
~~~
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
~~~~~
~~~~~
Day 4 already and I'm still hanging in there. This hunting takes it's toll on a person both physically and mentally. It's doubly hard on me to be out here while battling this darn fibro. I took an Aleve last night when I went to bed, than another this morning and two of them at 1:00 and I'm finally starting to feel a little better.
~~~
This is the first time since Dear Hubby became old enough to deer hunt that he hasn't purchased a hunting license. He's leaving it up to Sam and I this year to put the venison on the table. I'm starting to think we're going to be eating a lot of chicken this year. Good thing he's working at the mill for some of his buddies so they can hunt ~ maybe he'll make enough money to buy the chicken.
~~~
It's an over cast day and quite damp out; but still not that bad of a day weather wise ~ it could be raining or snowing. The sun just refuses to break through the overcast and shine ... I won't be able to use the excuse "the sun was in my eyes" if I do get to shoot ~ and God forbid ~ miss.
I'm using Sam's rifle today. He missed a deer yesterday by the power line because it was such a long shot. Mine is sighted in for a longer distance and has a better accuracy shooting 400 yards; so we swapped. I wish him luck. He's got a place over there - it's like a deep depression in the ground. He literally lays right down in it alongside this well used runway. Yesterday, 2 guys came walking by and they didn't spot him until they were right on top of him. He can watch the power line both directions. It's a good blind - for a young healthy kid. It would kill me to have to hunt like that. First - I'd freeze like a popsicle and secondly - I'd have to struggle like a wallowing pig to get up quick enough to shoot if I did see something. I'll leave that kind of hunting up to my GI Joe Sambo Rama Lama.
~~~
It's really quiet in the woods today.
About an hour or so left of day light. It's getting dark early being so over cast.
Come on bucky - let me be lucky.
~~~
3:45 Just heard my first shot of the day - someone got meat - hopefully.
I hear a plane flying over really low. I'm guessing it's the DNR - checking out stands and how much bait is being used and on the ground. With the leaves off the trees; a pile of corn sticks out like a sore thumb from the air. Some guys bait with apples and even sunflower seeds; because of that reason alone.
I suppose they do flyovers too looking for someone who may be lost or in distress. You hear about it every year of someone coming up to the North Woods and getting lost. There is a lot of territory up here that is uninhabited and a person could walk a long ways if they didn't know where they were going. Even locals on occasion have been known to get lost for a while. You can walk for miles and miles up here if you're not careful about direction.
There's a LOT of national and federal forest land such as Chequamegon and Nicolet, land owned by big corporations, state and county land and big sections owned by the private sector. Also, some pretty big tracts of land that are indian reservations. We have a pretty big population of Indian in our state. There are the Bad River Tribe of Lake Superior Chippewa, The Potowatomi Tribe, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Court Oreilles, Lac Du Flambeau, Menominee, Oneida, Red Cliff Tribe, St. Croix, Sakoagan Mole Lake and Stockbridge Munsee or Mohican and Ojibwa that I know of. There's also a lot of casinos in our state now too. Go figure.
~~~
Well it's dark out and quitting time. A pretty boring day in the woods. One red squirrel was chattering; probably looking for it's mate that the bobcat got the other day. Other than that... nothing.
~~~
~~~
We were listening to the radio station tonight again for the Deer Hunter's Round Up to get the daily report. Boy... it's a slow season for everyone today. One guy down by Kennan reported getting an 11 pointer, and a few camps called in with a spike or doe.
The one thing that is a common complaint from a lot of the camps though is the wolf population. I hope the DNR is listening in and addresses the problem soon. The deer herds of Wisconsin are being hurt bad by the wolves. One guy had a good suggestion. Doing a relocation of the wolves in northern Wisconsin and putting them in the southern part of the state where the CWD is such a problem. Makes sense to me.
Here's some of the camp names that called in tonight.
Camp Goose Grease, Camp Pop A Top, Sagwine Lumberjack Camp, Holding Down The Fort, Camp Wart Hog, Roller Dam Shack, No Name from No Specific Camp, Woodshack Rack Camp, Camp Buck Nuts, Elmer Fudd from Clam Lake, Camp Longshot, Camp Lean To, Camp Kill 'Em Dead, Toothless Beaver, Polecat at Camp Stinkypoo, Green Acres from Peeksville, Deer Hunter's Round Up Camp, Sloppy Pig, Camp So This Is It, Camp I Don't Shoot 'Em, Camp Up Chuck, Toaster Struedel, Lard Lake Lodge, Camp Cut Throat, Camp Beechnut, Camp Nosralj, Apple Creek Deer Camp, Camp Ya Dah Heh Dere, KO Shack, Hodge Podge Lodge, Low Impact Gang, Camp Red Neck Winnebago, The Rocky Carey Crew, Camp MT, Camp What's That Smell, The Kozak Shack, Camp Tamp On and of course yours truly - Camp No Does.
~~~~
To my niece Hannah... I apologize for forgetting to mention your doe tonight on the radio. You should call it in from your hunting crew... and get put into the drawings for the prizes.
Way to go Hannah!!! Hannah got a doe!!!!! Do the Happy Hannah Dance Hannah Got Her Doe!!!
I tried to post your picture up on my blog here and something is going on and I can't get anything to upload. Maybe tomorrow I can get it on here. sorry babe ... maybe your G'ma Dar put it up on her blog???
~~~
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Monday
hunting experience day 3
Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along. In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
images from the web
This is what I'm after...
~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
It's day 3 ~ 1:00 and I'm FINALLY out in my deer blind. Little did I know three months ago when I scheduled my mammogram it would be during deer rifle season. Three months ago I don't think I planned on hunting. So I went and got the boob squeezed - went to the drug store to get Dear Hubby's insulin - went grocery shopping - came home and ate a huge lunch ~ pork roast, potatoes and sauerkraut (that I put in the oven before leaving this morning) - made a rhubarb custard pie for later on for Slim's lunch box dessert - walked my lunch off getting here to the blind and here I am. Hopefully, prime time.
Sam came out this morning and sat in my blind and put some corn out for me. It looks like it hasn't been touched yet.
~~~
It's nice out today. A little overcast; but warm. Almost 50 degrees! That's hot for this time of the year in Wisconsin. No fire in the wood stove today ~ (claps hands silently in joy!) No long johns either.
I was debating about bringing the camera today but decided against it. I think it makes too much noise when you turn it on and off. So photos will have to wait.
~~~
2:00 - Just heard a rifle crack in the distance. I think it was beyond Mom. Probably the Weik's boys. They always seem to fill their tags with nice bucks.
~~~
It's 3:00 - I've been here 2 hours and I bet the temperature outside has dropped 20 degrees at least. It's overcast and feels like it could snow any minute. Now I wish I had long johns on. I'm making a small fire. I don't need to get myself chilled. Yesterday, I felt like the flu was coming on; but today I know better. It's my fibromyalgia acting up. Typical Wisconsin weather ... wait 5 minutes ... it will change. It's hard to believe just 2 hours ago it was such a nice day.
~~~
I did a little furniture rearranging. I moved the coffee table (a little stump) over about two inches and put a board on it - balanced it against the wood pile and made the coffee table twice it's size. Pretty ingenious of me if I say so myself. Like Daddy always said, "I ain't raised no Idgits." An idgit is a dummy ~ in case you weren't smart enough to know that. lol
~~~
Come on deer ~ I have an itchy trigger finger ... and heart burn ... stupid sauerkraut.
~~~
Dang .. It's 3:25 and I'm thinking maybe Daddy did raise an Idgit. My fire is way too big and hot. If I was a man I would be sweating my balls off! It doesn't take much to heat up a 4'x8' area; especially when you're practically sitting on top of the stove! I smell rubber - I think my boots are melting - just kidding; but it sure did warm up in here fast. My fire making skills have improved 100x's over in the last 2 days.
~~~
I have three of the four shack windows open so I can hear something coming in and to cool it down in here. I can't open the fourth window because the bear broke it this summer and now it's precariously sitting in it's frame. My luck that's the direction the big buck will come in ~ if he ever decides to show his face.
~~~
4:10 Another shot ~ way off
I have to pee - but I'm not leaving this blind - I'll go into kidney failure before that happens.
~~~
I have about 20 more minutes to go until shooting hours are over.
More shooting ~ way off. The deer must be moving or else someone is emptying their gun out of sheer frustration. Probably the latter.
~~~
A doe came in; but I don't have a doe tag. Now where is her boyfriend???
here is what I saw
images from the web
This is what I'm after...
~~~~~~
In for the night.
I called over to check on Mom. She didn't see anything.
Dave filled his doe tag.
Mark saw a doe.
Randy saw a doe and a spike.
No report from Darla.
Sam missed an 8 pointer
No report from the my daughter Staci's bunch ~ the Beaver Lake crew
~~~
Our local radio station host a program during hunting season called the Deer Hunters Round Up. People call in and give the daily report on how things went at their hunting camps. I called in under the name Ex Baitlady from Camp No Does to give my report. When I told them I passed up a fork horn opening morning they asked why? I told them it was so little I swear I could see milk dripping from it's lip. They got a chuckle out of that. I also told them about Sally missing his 8 pointer. A few minutes later another hunter called in to thank Sam for missing ~ now he'll have a chance to shoot it. I also gave a shout out to the KO Shack and was wondering if Dan changed his underwear yet? Dan called in a few minutes later to let us know he got a doe and his underwear are changed. Thank goodness for that!! Also, when I called in I was the lucky caller number something... I didn't catch that... and won a new camo blaze orange hunting hat and for doing a shout out to another group I got put into a drawing for a 42" Plasma TV. woohoo... wish me luck.... I sure would be happy with that!
~~~
So from camp No Does this is the Ex Baitlady signing off.
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Sunday
hunting experience day 2
Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along. In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
It's day 2 of my hunting the elusive white tailed deer. I made it out to my stand around 7:30 a.m. ~ yes ~ I have a watch on today. Although, it's set an hour ahead of time. It's Sam's old watch which he seldom wears and he didn't turn back the time at daylight savings. Maybe I'll figure it out while sitting here and put the correct time on.
~~~
My fire starting skills were much better today ~ it only took a few pages of the deer hunting regulations booklet and three magazine pages. I swear... those magazine pages are made of fire retardant material. I grabbed some dry balsam branches from outside before coming into the shack this morning. Once I get in here for the day ~ this is where I stay ~ unless its for an urgeant potty break. I'm trying to not drink too many fluids while sitting here. Not easy ~ considering how much I love my morning coffee.
~~~
8:00 a.m. ~ heard four shots in a row
8:10 ~ heard one more shot
8:15 ~ Just heard another shot
If someone is shooting at the same deer it must be hamburger by now.
8:17 ~ another shot! mercy
~~~
Lumber Jack - image from the web
It's been quiet now for awhile. I do hear a Lumber Jack, or Gray Jay or Canada Jay as it's also known, and a blue jay is squawking out a warning. I suppose he's telling the lumber jack that this is his territory.
~~~
I love being out here in the woods listening to the sounds of nature and enjoying the peace and quiet. I sure can understand why Mom took such a liking to coming out to her little hunting shack for a week out of the year. Especially when all us nine kids were little and all still living at home. This had to have felt like the equivalence of a luxury spa.
~~~
9:26 ~ Just heard another shot to the south of me
9:26 1/2 ~ Just heard another one. That could be Mom. It sounded pretty close. It's so hard to tell when you're sitting in an enclosed building; even with the windows open.
9:35 ~ another shot - but this one was way off in the distance - maybe Balczewski's or Troutman's crew.
~~~
I have a pounding headache. I hope it let's up and I can sit all day. Come on deer - give me a break.
~~~
I have to bring my camera out here and take some pics. I'm looking at the different tree trunks. The balsam are unique in color - wherever there was a growth spire the coloration all the way up the tree is darker - interesting - and they're so evenly spaced. The one straight out from my window in particular is very neat. The coloration from gray to green is so distinct.
Today seems to be dragging on. It must be because I have a watch on and I know what time it actually is.
~~~
image from the web
I'm reading a book today while I wait for my monster buck to show up. It's by James Campbell called "The Final Frontiersman". It's a true story of a Wisconsin man named Heimo Korth who gave up life in the lower 48 to live a life as a trapper by the Arctic Circle in Alaska. It's very well written and really makes you think about life in general. The adventures of the Korth family's daily lives are those that many will never experience in a lifetime. Myself ~ being the wife to a trapper and living as we do in the north woods of Wisconsin can relate to many of the Korth's experiences. Thank you Porky for lending this book to us ~ and I promise to get it back to you. It's a treasure.
~~~
It's a little after 11:00 - I just ate a ham salad sandwich. The ham salad sandwich has become symbolic of hunting season in my family. The only time I really ever make it is during the gun deer season. I don't know why - I guess for the same reason you don't put out candy canes at Easter or make colored eggs in July. I guess it's another one of those traditional things passed down the generations by my mother. She on the other hand would usually cook up a big beef roast before hunting season and would grind that meat up and add pickle relish and mayo to it for a sandwich spread. I loved that ~ but my crew always favored the ham instead of beef ... so I do ham.
Note to self - cook a beef roast. Maybe I'm eating the wrong sandwich to bring me luck on my deer stand.
~~~
11:45 - a big bobcat just walked in. He was only here for a fleeting moment and moved on; but the red squirrels are chatting non stop. He must still be close.
~~~
1:00 What a gloomy day. Now it's starting to rain.
1:10 The rain quit.
Still no deer. I'm having remorse and thinking I should have taken that 4 pointer yesterday. I'm always the first to say, "you can't eat the horns" but when I was given the opportunity myself I didn't shoot. I know there's bigger deer around. Let him go so he can grow.
1:30 I heard a shot to the south
I still have a headache and my body aches something fierce. I feel almost like I'm getting the flu or a bad fibromyalgia flare up coming on. Let's hope it's the lesser of the two evils and it's the flu.
~~~
I just read in my book that the name Coleen is a French word meaning "little hills" - and I know my maiden name Obernberger means "over the hill" - so my sister Colleen's name must mean "little hills over the hill".
~~~
4:00 ~ I'm just jolted to alertness ~ Just behind the shack I hear a red squirrel let out a chatter and at the same time a low cat growl. The brush starts cracking and snapping. I think bobkitty just got supper.
~~~
~~~
I'm back to the house ... it's just about 5:00
I called Mom to see if it was her that shot earlier today. It wasn't. She didn't see anything.
I called for a report out to Darla's bunch... nothing there either.
Staci stopped over. Nothing by her either; except for 3 turkeys that roosted right above her. Brooke got to see some does and fawns run around... but no bucks.
~~~
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Saturday
hunting experience day 1
Over the next few days I'm hunting and taking a notebook along. In the evenings I'll post how my day went.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's opening morning of the gun deer season. I'm joining the ranks of thousands and I'm sitting here in my blind, as I write. Waiting.
My blind is a building constructed of 2x2's and 2x4's with chip board walls and ceiling. It's about 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. Just big enough for a chair, a little woodstove and a small woodpile in the corner. It has two sliding windows ~ homemade out of acrylic plastic with small bolts attached in the corners to use as handles for opening.
This little shack was built by my Dad years ago for use by my Mom for deer hunting purposes. It has served her well, as she has several nice bucks under her belt. One of them was even a 16 pointer! Now that Dad has gone to his eternal hunting grounds in the sky, Mom is using his stand ~ thus giving me the privilege of using hers. I hope that I too can have a productive hunt from this stand as she has. I also hope Mom has a successful hunt this year off of Daddy's old stand.
Mom is 80 years old and still hunting. I figured it was time to carry one more family tradition this year and try to put some meat on the table myself. I've gone hunting in the past; but I never shot a deer. Hopefully, this will be my year!
~~~
Several hours have passed ~ still no deer.
I was hoping I could tough it out this morning and not have to make a fire in the wood stove. It isn't that cold out ~ only 30 degrees ~ but my toes are cold.
~~~
Well ~ at least half an hour has passed at my futile attempt of making a fire that will keep burning. I brought along a magazine that I figured on reading this afternoon; but I already burned half of it up starting the fire. I forgot to bring newspaper and kindling. Note - if I have to be here tomorrow bring paper & kindling & WD40 for the squeaky wood stove door.
~~~
another note to self - Bring a watch! I forgot that too. I must have been in too big of a rush this morning to get in the woods.
~~~
I heard several rifle shots in the distance, someone must be seeing deer. The only wildlife around me are mosquitoes. Now that I have the fire going and it's starting to warm up in here they are waking up out of the wood pile. There were two red squirrels chattering back and forth and a nuthatch and a chickadee fluttering around in the trees; but even they are gone now.
The woods is quiet ... except for the occasional buzz of a mosquito.
~~~
Another shot ~ this one sounded closer; but still too far off to be Mom. Although, I could be wrong. Wouldn't it be nice if she and I could bag our deer on opening day? I wish I knew what time it was.
~~~
It's noon. Sam just came out by my stand with the 4-Wheeler and a bucket of corn. Hopefully, this little tactic will serve as a dinner bell to all the hungry deer in the area. The deer are so used to the 4-Wheeler running through these woods and I think they are starting to associate it with the feeding of corn.
Come on Big Boy ~ lunch is served. Come and eat so I can eat.
So far ... at least through this year yet ~ hunting over bait in Wisconsin is legal in some of the northern counties. It is regulated though by the Department of Natural Resources; you can only use 2 gallons per 40 acres of land.
~~~
It's mid afternoon ~ still no deer.
The wind is starting to pick up and the temperature outside is cooling down. I sure am thankful to be sitting in a blind..
Just a few moments ago a hawk came flying down the trail right past me. It wasn't more than four feet off the ground. when it flew past my window it was almost as if I could reach out and touch it. What a pretty sight.
~~~
I don't know what time it is; but I'm guessing it must be getting close to 4:00 p.m. The woods are starting to look darker and shadowy. I have about half an hour then it's time to head out for home. I don't have far to walk and I do have a flashlight along; and even though I'm carrying a rifle there's too many wolves in these woods and they give me the willies. Call me a sissy if you want ~ I don't care ~ they freak me out.
~~~
~~~
I had every intention of heading out the door when a deer walks in. It was a small bodied deer with fork horns... should I shoot or let him grow? I watched him for about 10 minutes and opted to let him grow. When I got home and told the guys that I passed one up .... they said I should have shot ... no one was given an opportunity today to get a buck. But I don't feel bad about letting it go. I may not see another deer the rest of the season; but I still feel good about how the day went. Just because it's brown does not mean it's down in my book.
I've waited this long ... whats another day?
~~
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Friday
thanksgiving humor~
Black November ~
When I was a young turkey, new to the coop
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of ...
Black November
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three
And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin."
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head.
Then she'll pluck out your feathers so you're bald 'n pink,
And scoop out your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink."
"And then comes the worst part," he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear end with stuffing."
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat.
I decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked.
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola.
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes.
I maintained my weight of two pounds a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed.
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and chewed,
ever closer to death.
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the whole compound.
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap.
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said,
"Christmas is coming..."
~~~~~~~~
Don't you just love the holidays!
And all the humor associated with it.
This next one is more fitting for me ... I'm sure you'll agree??
~~~~~~~~
~Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving
Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the kitchen;
I was cooking and baking and moaning' and bitchin'.
I've been here for hours, I can't stop to rest,
This place is a disaster, just look at this mess!
Tomorrow I've got thirty people to feed,
They expect all the trimmings - who cares what I need!
My feet are both blistered, I've got cramps in my legs,
The dog just knocked over a bowl full of eggs.
There's a knock at the door and the telephone's ringing;
Frosting drips on the counter as the microwave's dinging.
Two pies in the oven, dessert's almost done;
My cookbook is soiled with butter and crumbs.
I've had all I can stand, I can't take anymore;
Then walks in my husband, spilling rum on the floor.
He heaves and he wobbles, his balance unsteady;
Then grins as he chuckles "The eggnog is ready!"
He looks all around and with total regret,
Says "What's takin' so long? Aren't you through in here yet??"
As quick as a flash I reach for a knife;
He loses an earlobe; I wanted his life!
He flees from the room in terror and pain,
and screams "MY GOD WOMAN, YOU'RE GOING INSANE!!"
Now what was I doing, and what is that smell?
Oh, shit, it's the pies!! They're burned all to hell!!
I hate to admit when I make a mistake,
But I put them on BROIL instead of on BAKE.
What else can go wrong?? Is there still more ahead??
If this is good living, I'd rather be dead.
Lord, don't get me wrong, I love holidays;
They just leave me exhausted, all shaky and dazed.
But I promise you one thing, If I live 'til next year,
You won't find me pulling my hair out in here.
I'll hire a maid, a cook, and a waiter;
And if that doesn't work, I'LL HAVE IT ALL CATERED!
~~~~~~~
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
When I was a young turkey, new to the coop
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of ...
Black November
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three
And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin."
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head.
Then she'll pluck out your feathers so you're bald 'n pink,
And scoop out your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink."
"And then comes the worst part," he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear end with stuffing."
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat.
I decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked.
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola.
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes.
I maintained my weight of two pounds a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed.
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and chewed,
ever closer to death.
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the whole compound.
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap.
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said,
"Christmas is coming..."
~~~~~~~~
Don't you just love the holidays!
And all the humor associated with it.
This next one is more fitting for me ... I'm sure you'll agree??
~~~~~~~~
~Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving
Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the kitchen;
I was cooking and baking and moaning' and bitchin'.
I've been here for hours, I can't stop to rest,
This place is a disaster, just look at this mess!
Tomorrow I've got thirty people to feed,
They expect all the trimmings - who cares what I need!
My feet are both blistered, I've got cramps in my legs,
The dog just knocked over a bowl full of eggs.
There's a knock at the door and the telephone's ringing;
Frosting drips on the counter as the microwave's dinging.
Two pies in the oven, dessert's almost done;
My cookbook is soiled with butter and crumbs.
I've had all I can stand, I can't take anymore;
Then walks in my husband, spilling rum on the floor.
He heaves and he wobbles, his balance unsteady;
Then grins as he chuckles "The eggnog is ready!"
He looks all around and with total regret,
Says "What's takin' so long? Aren't you through in here yet??"
As quick as a flash I reach for a knife;
He loses an earlobe; I wanted his life!
He flees from the room in terror and pain,
and screams "MY GOD WOMAN, YOU'RE GOING INSANE!!"
Now what was I doing, and what is that smell?
Oh, shit, it's the pies!! They're burned all to hell!!
I hate to admit when I make a mistake,
But I put them on BROIL instead of on BAKE.
What else can go wrong?? Is there still more ahead??
If this is good living, I'd rather be dead.
Lord, don't get me wrong, I love holidays;
They just leave me exhausted, all shaky and dazed.
But I promise you one thing, If I live 'til next year,
You won't find me pulling my hair out in here.
I'll hire a maid, a cook, and a waiter;
And if that doesn't work, I'LL HAVE IT ALL CATERED!
~~~~~~~
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Thursday
return~
My fabulous fur jacket arrived today ~ and it's too big on me... boohoo I'll have to send it back and get a size smaller. Who ever would of thought that I'd be saying those words? No... I haven't gone on a diet and lost a ton of weight (that doesn't even happen in my dreams). It's just that the jacket is cut a lot larger than I thought it would be. I guess that's the risk of ordering online; where you can't slip it on first before buying.
Nothing much is going on around here. The weather is gloomy ... to say the least. It's a misty rain right now; but it feels like it could change over to snow out there. A little snow would be okay ... it is November... and this is Wisconsin. We had snow in October; that's all melted off and it just seems so blah looking outside without it.
This weekend is the opener of the gun deer season in Wisconsin. The area is already flooded with the 'Orange Coats'. That's what I call the hunters. I've even had a few non locals stop in to the bait shop for bait and to say hello. They were surprised to see that I had closed my doors in September and no longer have the bait shop running. It's nice to see some of the old customers when they stop in. I have fleeting moments where I miss the bait shop; but it passes really fast!
Today I have my Grandlove Bailey Jean spending the day with me. She's been, "Grandma" this and "Grandma" that all day ... she doesn't quit. Where does that kid get her energy? Right now she's laying on the couch watching CMT ... giving me a bit of a break... but I know it won't last long.
This morning I drug out my sewing machine from it's cubby hole in the laundry room and sewed up another hole in Slim's jeans. Gosh... that guy is hard on pants. He doesn't even have to work that hard at the paper mill; but he keeps getting acid spills on his clothes and he's constantly needing patch jobs done.
I figured since I had the sewing machine out it would probably be as good as time as any to sew up a new Christmas tree skirt. I had picked up some material a few weeks back for that project. Any hoooooooooo.... I get my skirt all cut out and ready to hem up ... I have it laying on the kitchen table ... my scissors were laying there too ... I had to walk to the bedroom for my sewing box of thread, which took all of 1 minute ... I come back and little Miss Bailey has made a cut into my material that I have laying out. Geeezeeeeeee.... I take my eye off of her for one second. Her and scissors are not a good combo.
At least she didn't cut her hair this time like she did with her Mom just a few days before school started. Staci was in the shower and had left the scissors laying on her bathroom counter. She hears this noise of something being cut. Sure enough... it was Bailey... cutting off ONE of her braids. Staci just about fainted away... because she knew instinctively what she had done. So... Staci gets out of the shower and finishes the job... she cut off her other braid. Thankfully, she didn't cut it off too short. Now Bailey's hair comes to the middle of her back instead of reaching all the way down to her behind.
Some days that girl is just up to mischief!
She's the spitting image of her momma at that age; in looks and in actions ... Staci even cut her long hair off the day before Kindergarten picture day.
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Nothing much is going on around here. The weather is gloomy ... to say the least. It's a misty rain right now; but it feels like it could change over to snow out there. A little snow would be okay ... it is November... and this is Wisconsin. We had snow in October; that's all melted off and it just seems so blah looking outside without it.
This weekend is the opener of the gun deer season in Wisconsin. The area is already flooded with the 'Orange Coats'. That's what I call the hunters. I've even had a few non locals stop in to the bait shop for bait and to say hello. They were surprised to see that I had closed my doors in September and no longer have the bait shop running. It's nice to see some of the old customers when they stop in. I have fleeting moments where I miss the bait shop; but it passes really fast!
Today I have my Grandlove Bailey Jean spending the day with me. She's been, "Grandma" this and "Grandma" that all day ... she doesn't quit. Where does that kid get her energy? Right now she's laying on the couch watching CMT ... giving me a bit of a break... but I know it won't last long.
This morning I drug out my sewing machine from it's cubby hole in the laundry room and sewed up another hole in Slim's jeans. Gosh... that guy is hard on pants. He doesn't even have to work that hard at the paper mill; but he keeps getting acid spills on his clothes and he's constantly needing patch jobs done.
I figured since I had the sewing machine out it would probably be as good as time as any to sew up a new Christmas tree skirt. I had picked up some material a few weeks back for that project. Any hoooooooooo.... I get my skirt all cut out and ready to hem up ... I have it laying on the kitchen table ... my scissors were laying there too ... I had to walk to the bedroom for my sewing box of thread, which took all of 1 minute ... I come back and little Miss Bailey has made a cut into my material that I have laying out. Geeezeeeeeee.... I take my eye off of her for one second. Her and scissors are not a good combo.
At least she didn't cut her hair this time like she did with her Mom just a few days before school started. Staci was in the shower and had left the scissors laying on her bathroom counter. She hears this noise of something being cut. Sure enough... it was Bailey... cutting off ONE of her braids. Staci just about fainted away... because she knew instinctively what she had done. So... Staci gets out of the shower and finishes the job... she cut off her other braid. Thankfully, she didn't cut it off too short. Now Bailey's hair comes to the middle of her back instead of reaching all the way down to her behind.
Some days that girl is just up to mischief!
She's the spitting image of her momma at that age; in looks and in actions ... Staci even cut her long hair off the day before Kindergarten picture day.
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Tuesday
cooling rack~
So what's on the cooling rack today? Well, nothing yet... but yesterday it was five loaves of homemade potato bread:
My breakfast concoction consisted of some bulk breakfast sausage fried with Yukon Gold Potatoes, white onion rings and button mushrooms. All a rather tasty combination. I just love Yukon Gold potatoes ... they have such a distinct flavor; as far as potatoes go.
They didn't rise as well as I would have liked them too. I guess I rushed them to the oven a little too soon; so they came up a little short on the height. It didn't affect the flavor though ~ just made it a little bit more denser of a bread. I had some this morning made into toast to go along with my little breakfast concoction. It still turned out pretty good.
My breakfast concoction consisted of some bulk breakfast sausage fried with Yukon Gold Potatoes, white onion rings and button mushrooms. All a rather tasty combination. I just love Yukon Gold potatoes ... they have such a distinct flavor; as far as potatoes go. ~~~
Last night we took a drive over to the Walmart store in Minocqua; 45 minutes to the East of us. Before we left, I had gone online to check out the television sets and to get a general idea on the prices. Luckily, for me... I printed out the one that I saw online; at a cheaper price than what the store was offering. All done and said, we were able to get a new TV with a home theatre surround sound system, dvd player and a television console all for the price of what just the television alone was at the store. I was a happy shopper. I did end up having to order it online though; but it's being shipped to the store (free of charge) and I'll have to go back some time between now and Dec. 8 to pick it up. I can wait ... besides that ... now I have some house cleaning to get done before it gets here. I'm putting my upstairs, in the living room, television and console downstairs in the family room. The television that is presently in the family room is getting trashed. I can't wait now for the Super Bowl ~ watching it on our new set up.
Only bad thing about this little spending spree of ours... I still need to come up with the money to get my computer where I want it to be. I need a job! Whenever I start to get the money saved up for one thing ... it seems another thing comes up and the allocation of funds gets side tracked. I hate budgets! I wish I could afford to spend as I'd like to. bummer ... such is life
~~~
I've also been surfing the internet for a vacation get away in February to Branson Missouri. I'm looking for tickets to some shows and trying to set up some reservations at a bed and breakfast for a couple days. So far, I haven't gotten anywhere. Anyone with some suggestions on where to stay and play down there?
We're going to Texas to visit my sister and her hubby and then plan on making the run over to Branson on the way home.... or possibly skip Branson all together and just cruise the Ozark Mountains for a couple days. I wish someone was coming along as a tour guide who knew the country.
Years ago, we came home from Texas through the Ozarks and it was so interesting. I guess what really stuck with me the most was the amount of poverty of some of those poor souls who live up in the hills. We had stopped at this one place that had a sign, EAT, painted on it. When we walked in, what looked to be just a small house, there was a counter with a few stools at it and two booths against a wall. My sister Darla and her husband Bill were with us. We sat in one of the booths. Towards the back of the 'dining room' was a table where it looked to be the family of the house, sitting having their breakfast. A mom and dad, and about eight little kids. It kind of reminded me of myself when I was a kid sitting at the table with all my siblings.... oldest to youngest, Linda, Lana, Darla, Doug, Cheryl, Randy, myself, Colleen and Eric.
When we came in, the oldest looking girl got up from the table and came over to welcome us. The sun was shining in our eyes and she had reached up to pull down a shade over the window by our booth. When she did some dried up flies fell on the table. She quickly swished them off, and took our order. I wish I had a picture of the place, because it really was a little ram shackled shack ~ and we were even considering leaving... but we were hungry and adventuresome.
The little gal that took our order seemed a bit flustered, not because she had just swished flies off our table; because half the things that were on the menu; they didn't have. Every other thing that we ordered, Mom or Dad would call out, "we don't have that." We all ended up ordering the same thing. Hash browned potatoes, 2 eggs, toast and a piece of ham.
Well... let me tell you ... that was the biggest breakfast plate you ever saw. The ham was a slice of REAL ham. It looked like it was cut right off of a prime smoked hind quarter of a well raised hog. The jelly for our toast wasn't from a little packet that Smuckers makes; it was straight from a jar of homemade. The toast was from homemade bread. The eggs were REAL eggs, not those pale yellow yolks of store eggs but the rich golden orange of a farm fresh egg. The meal was delicious!
Then it came time for the check. The total bill was under $20 for the four of us. BUT... did any of us have anything smaller than a twenty dollar bill on us. Nope... the smallest bill in any of our wallets was a $100. Slim paid the girl with the hundred dollar bill. She took it back in the kitchen to her mother. The mother stepped out of the kitchen and told us to hang on a moment while she got change. She went over by the table by her husband and an eldest son. She said something to them and they got up and left. We heard a back door slam. We waited and waited. The mother kept peeping her head out of the kitchen telling us to hold on for just a few minutes more. After about half an hour we heard the back door slam again. Here comes our little gal of a waitress with our change from the hundred dollar bill. I'm sure the father and son had to go somewhere to a neighbor or something to get the change.
By this time ... Slim already knew what he was going to do with the change. He left all of it for their tip. Oh... if you could have seen the expressions on those faces of that family. Priceless!
The whole family by this time was up from the table and was walking us to our vehicle. They were wishing us well and happy travels and telling us to please stop by again.
I hope we can find that place again on our next trip.
~~~
I know I balk on occasion about lack of funds ~ and cry about living pay check to pay check ~ having to scrimp and save for everything we do; but I am grateful for all I have. There are many out there who are more affluent than I am; but there are also many out there who are not. Life isn't about the money. It's about people.
~~~
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." ----- 1 Thes. 4:11-12Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
Saturday
moose, leaf blower and bobcat ~
moose stew
What a title to my post! lol Makes you wonder about me some times ~ doesn't it? Well... like I said, I'm just a gal living the simple life up in the sticks of northern Wisconsin. Not a lot of frilly, sophisticated stuff goes on around here. I live 60 miles from the beautiful shoreline of Lake Superior, 45 minutes away in either direction to a town with more than 3 stop lights. When I say I live in the woods.... I live in the woods!
~~~~
We need to go grocery shopping in Canada really bad... I only have a few quarts of canned moose left. The last time we went hunting up there was in 2001. Our moose supply has long run out; but thanks to our friend Mark, he gave me enough moose meat this summer to do up 7 quarts. I'm guarding it with my life ... and would love to be able to replenish it; but those hunting trips into Canada are so expensive! There are a few moose showing up in our area; but they're protected by federal law. I don't think there will ever be an open season on them here. I think I have to start buying lottery tickets... unless there's someone out there with extra cash just laying around and would like to donate it towards my grocery list ... so I can take a little trip??
It was a good day for stew. The weather was gloomy and misty rain all day long. The sun did shine for a bit this morning; but that was short lived.
Yesterday, while it was dry out ~ before today's rain ~ Sam and I finished getting all the maple leaves off the lawn. Before, we would leave them on the lawn in the fall and hope that they'd blow off; but then it's such a mess in the spring time. Then for the last 6 years we've been raking them off. Thankfully, my dear friend Porky, gave me a gift ~ an electric leaf blower!! THANK YOU Porky!!! Since he now has the resort, he needed something with a little more power; but it was enough power for me... it took a few extension cords to reach the edge of the lawn; but it was worth it. What a difference ... it sure does save time and your back and arms from raking.
Sam even crawled up on the garage and house roofs and did the rain gutters ~ that was right up his alley!
I have a couple more bobcat shots to share:
This one's so close you can count his whiskers!
Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
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