Winter storm

   We just had a pretty good winter storm go through.  Looks like lots of places got it worse. We got about 17" of snow.  Its just a muddy mess now. The weather is supposed to warm up.
   Good thing is I wasn't working in it. Got to stay home and actually enjoy snow. All the roads around town were closed.
Lots of art time, reading and movies.
We did get outside and play a little.  Did some snowshoeing in the backyard.

Surgery

    Just got out of surgery to repair a bulged  disk in my neck. Hopefully this will cure or lower the pain I've been in.
  Just eating lentil soup and drinking as much liquid as I  can.

Podcasts

   Anyone listen to podcasts??
I started a couple months ago.  There are soooo many out there. They cover anything that a person could possibly want to listen to.
  Im listening to mostly hunting and fishing podcasts. Its great to listen to so many ideas and different perspectives. The learning curve is amazing. So many tips and ideas on skills.
   Podcasts definitely help make the days go by faster. I get to learn and broaden my ideas of the world.
   If you have time explore the podcast world. There's something for everyone.  In fact my cousin now listens to a fly fishing show because of me. She really likes the broad spectrum of people being interviewed.
Take care

Hunting again

    Went trying to fill my deer tag last weekend.  I stayed local, about an hour from home. Lots of hiking and glassing. I saw lots of mule deer and mule bucks. But the area I was in was just for whitetail deer.
    I got a couple really good hikes in. My body is telling my I need to get out and hike/walk alot more.
  I found some old abandoned homes.  Love finding stuff like that really makes ya think about life. What happened to the people?
    My buddy called as I was leaving  and told me he just got his turkey tag filled. Then asked if I wanted to fill mine. Heck yea! Told him I didn't have my shotgun.  He said no worries,  I could use his. We met up and I got a nice little jake for Thanksgiving.
   Ruby was super excited when I got home. She helped me process and break him down. She was so full of questions.  It was great getting to show her where food comes from.  She kept asking about parts of the bird. What's this? What's that?
   One of the funniest things is when I split the crop accidentally and she saw all the corn and grain he'd eaten.  She said he didn't chew his food very well. I tried explaining to her her how that works but she was over it and on to something else.
Take care

Deer hunt pt2 & pictures

   I slept in the cab of the truck last night.  Sleep came pretty fast. Woke up cold a couple times. Turned the truck on for heat and back to sleep. Need to figure out how to keep the seatbelt out of my back though.
    Woke up to snow. Got dressed, drank a Gatorade.  Grabbed my gear and started hiking. Saw a doe but that was it. It was snowing pretty good and getting cold. Im thinking I hiked a mile maybe more heard a couple shots in the distance.  Decided to call it a day and go home. I couldn't feel my fingers.
    Stopped at the cafe in town got a good cup of coffee for the drive home.
  Stopped and checked out a couple spots I could hunt closer to home.  Just small areas.

    Home, kiss my girls and a hot shower!!!
  Some pictures from the trip.

Deer hunting

         2:30am
  Alarm clock goes off..... Turn the coffee on. Get dressed.  Grab lunch bag and coffee.  Glad everything was loaded last night.
    3:00am
On the road,  listen to podcasts, drink coffee. Stop and stretch twice and potty. Its as dark as the inside of a cow, no stars showing.
    6:15am
  Meet my friend at the cafe. Meet and visit with his friends. Eat a healthy breakfast of eggs, potatoes and sausage.  2 more cups of coffee.
     6:45am
   Drive to the hunt area, national forest. Hike down a logging road looking for deer in spitting snow. Listen to the wind/breeze whistle through to tree tops, but its completely still on the ground. The snow falls straight to the ground to melt. The tree squirrels chatter and scold us for imposing in their home.
   Drive to another couple spots, same deal. Not seeing any bucks. My friend shows and points out a couple areas I can hunt. He goes home.
   Now I'm on my own in an area I'm unfamiliar with.  Im liking this. It's a complete challenge. To me as a person and as a hunter.
   I decide to try an area he pointed out. The country is really steep and heavily forest. Lots of trees and brush.  I hike down another logging road.  Hear deer blowing.  Ok now??? Where are they? Still a gentle rain. Two deer blow from cover quickly. All I see is a flash of white tails and looked like big body's. Continuing down the trail I get a quick view of them break cover again, they're are gone now.
   Driving down the road I come across a flock of wild turkeys.  13-15 in the flock. They are in no hurry to go anywhere fast.
   It's now about dark. Time to find a place to park the truck. I go back to the place we started this morning. I'm just gonna sleep in the truck tonight.  Its so peaceful,  listening to the rain fall on the cab. There's no sounds other that nature and what I make. It's nice to be removed from the modern world for a moment.
  Hopefully I'll get a deer in the morning.  If not thats what it is. I'm just enjoying getting in touch with a primal human side that we as a people are neglecting.

Duck hunting

   I got to go duck hunting yesterday for the first time.  Lots of fun. Good bunch of dudes. Lots of laughs and good comradeship. We didn't get any. They were either to high or to fast. But I learned alot and had fun.

It's been a minute

   Doing good here, its been a minute since the last post.
  Just staying busy with work.  Ruby is getting settled into kindergarten. Still long days for her. She's pretty much exhausted at the end of day. Sharon is getting used to having a break from Ruby. It was kinda hard at first.
   Ruby and I saved a toad from the basement window well acouple weeks ago.  She has the gentlest, kindest heart.
 

Colorado

  We took a quick mini-vacation to visit some friends in Colorado. Sharon went to the Rock and Gem show in Denver.
  Ruby and I went fishing with our friend.  Great times.  Beautiful area! We fished the the mountain outside Ft. Collins. Nice to get away, even if just for one night.

First day of kindergarten

  Ruby's first day of kindergarten.....
Sounds like she did great, one melt down. Not a bad one but she showed her teacher her very stubborn streak....lol. She was exhausted tonight when we picked her up. 
   Ruby is going to a rural school. Its a two room school.  In her class there's 8 students.  Her class is K-3.
  It's such a huge step. It seems like yesterday she was born.