Fall is a funny season in Manitoba. It spans the time from when the weather is nice and warm and sunny, to bitterly cold and snowy and windy. All bets are off as to when the transition happens. I've sat in my tree stand with the wind howling, watching the sunrise on frigid, 30 below mornings. And I've sat in a ground blind with a warm breeze on my face in the sunshine, as dusk falls around me.
This hunt was on one of the warmer days. It was a couple degrees above freezing- had been all week. It wasn't great hunting weather, too warm for the deer to really be moving, but I'd seen a few bucks in the area over the past few days (why those particular ones weren't in my freezer is another story) and it was getting to the end of the season, so there I sat.
Comfortable isn't usually the first word to come to mind when you think of sitting in a blind, but that's what I was this day. So comfortable, in fact, that I kept dozing off. I'd jerk awake every few minutes thinking I'd missed that monster buck. That would be just my luck, looking back at the trailcam footage at me, asleep, while huge racks grazed around me.
But not today. My blind was set up right beside a fence, and all of a sudden it twanged, jolting me out of yet another catnap. That could only mean that something had jumped over it, maybe catching a hoof on the top wire. I slowly turned my head, and sure enough, a small buck was sniffing the ground about 100 yards away. At this point of the season I had told myself that I couldn't be choosy. The old hunters' mantra kept running through my head: don't pass on anything that you wouldn't be happy to get on the last day.
This buck, however, was bordering on Bambi. Not much more than a snack, really. He kept looking behind him, and I decided that if it was a nice doe on his tail, I'd rather have that than a small buck. Give him time to fill out and grow a few more points for next year.
What jumped the fence was not a doe. It wasn't a trophy buck, either, but it was a decent looking 4x3. Earlier in the season I'd gotten Buck Fever on a distant buck and shook so bad that (among other reasons) I hadn't come close to hitting it.
This time I was as steady as a surgeon. I sighted him in, slightly overcompensating for my gun's tendency to shoot high and left, and brought him down. It wasn't the perfect shot placement, but it killed him quickly and cleanly. Maybe next year I'll wait for a monster.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
blah blah blah
Wow, it's been over a year since my last post. I apologize to those of you who have been faithfully checking this site for new updates, maybe they will be more frequent, maybe not.
I really don't have a lot to say, which is surprising after a year of no posts. Right now is the slow season at the turkey farm, i work about 15 hours a week. (I know it seems from these posts that i don't work at all, but i do in fact have a job.) My grandmother was called home to heaven last friday, and the whole family is out to plan the funeral and support each other. It has been good to share stories and pics of grandma.
I have been doing quite a bit of blog reading lately, and have quite enjoyed reading old posts from when we were in europe. (I did blog there in the past year, so i guess that counts!)
I would love to post something really controversial and have hundreds of people comment and argue, so if anyone has any ideas or if i think of something i will throw it on here, but this is most likely the most boring blog post ever, so i will sign off now.
I really don't have a lot to say, which is surprising after a year of no posts. Right now is the slow season at the turkey farm, i work about 15 hours a week. (I know it seems from these posts that i don't work at all, but i do in fact have a job.) My grandmother was called home to heaven last friday, and the whole family is out to plan the funeral and support each other. It has been good to share stories and pics of grandma.
I have been doing quite a bit of blog reading lately, and have quite enjoyed reading old posts from when we were in europe. (I did blog there in the past year, so i guess that counts!)
I would love to post something really controversial and have hundreds of people comment and argue, so if anyone has any ideas or if i think of something i will throw it on here, but this is most likely the most boring blog post ever, so i will sign off now.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Catchin' Some Sun
Last nite Sean and our cousin Peter VI from Hamilton or Dundass or somewhere out East came over to play cards. Lindsey won. Today i slept in pretty late (11:30, i guess i was pretty tired after all that work this week.) so that was nice.
I made myself some sandwiches for lunch, i had no choice because the meat was about to go bad, and then i did some cleaning up around the house. I've been pretty good with dishes lately, i guess i never put two and two together before: if you do dishes every day instead of once a week, it takes much less time, and i don't get those hideous dishpan hands!
I read outside on my hammock, trying to work on my tan for about an hour today, i might go out again later. We won the hammock at the Hecla Teetotaler Tournament last summer, and then bent the crap out of it later on while we were camping (it has a metal frame so you don't have to search for two trees exactly the right distance apart). Lindsey and i tried to lie on it together and it didn't support us. After that it wouldn't even support one of us, but i guess i've lost almost 15 pounds since last summer (actually i've lost almost ten since being diagnosed with the hernia, so i guess there is a silver lining to it all) and now it takes about three hours for it to slowly bend out of shape, so it's tolerable.
Me and Peter- i mean Peter and i- are going to Gimli with lindsey tomorrow when she goes to work we are going to sit at the beach. I hope that will work out.
Well, gonna run,
Eric
I made myself some sandwiches for lunch, i had no choice because the meat was about to go bad, and then i did some cleaning up around the house. I've been pretty good with dishes lately, i guess i never put two and two together before: if you do dishes every day instead of once a week, it takes much less time, and i don't get those hideous dishpan hands!
I read outside on my hammock, trying to work on my tan for about an hour today, i might go out again later. We won the hammock at the Hecla Teetotaler Tournament last summer, and then bent the crap out of it later on while we were camping (it has a metal frame so you don't have to search for two trees exactly the right distance apart). Lindsey and i tried to lie on it together and it didn't support us. After that it wouldn't even support one of us, but i guess i've lost almost 15 pounds since last summer (actually i've lost almost ten since being diagnosed with the hernia, so i guess there is a silver lining to it all) and now it takes about three hours for it to slowly bend out of shape, so it's tolerable.
Me and Peter- i mean Peter and i- are going to Gimli with lindsey tomorrow when she goes to work we are going to sit at the beach. I hope that will work out.
Well, gonna run,
Eric
Thursday, July 19, 2007
It's a dog's life
Whoops, i guess i let a few weeks slip by there, eh?
Well, life post-surgery is pretty sweet, if not a little boring. The first couple of days started off as follows:
11:30 a.m. - Get up.
12:00 noon - eat.
12:30 p.m. - watch t.v.
4:30 p.m. - wake up watching a completely different show. Turn down volume, go back to sleep.
4:30-6:30 p.m. - drift in and out of sleep, change ice pack for frozen rasperries which quickly melt into a red goo all over p.j. pants, change, watch t.v., read, sleep, etc.
6:30 p.m. - lindsey gets home and makes me supper.
7:30 p.m. - watch more tv, try to have a b.m. which is nearly impossible because of T-3s, read, stand on the deck and watch the dogs go pee.
12:00 - bedtime.
So you can see that it is difficult to deal with the overwhelming boredom of it all. Lindsey dragged me off to a wedding the saturday after the surgery, and i got tired and sore really quickly because i had to stand for like three hours. We went to the states the next day to pick up a new stud dog for her chihuahuas, and finally on Monday i got to relax again.
I visited the doctor for a post op check-up on friday, and he said everything is healing nicely, and not to lift anything heavier than 15 lbs for five more weeks. We were camping at Lilac with half of Riverton, and my parents lent us their camper so that i wouldn't have to set up/sleep in a tent, so that was kind of nice, and lindsey loaded all the heavy things for me so we had a lot of fun.
I couldn't go swimming, which kind of sucked, but i'm going to call the doctor tomorrow to see when that will be possible because we are going to Star Lake next week and i want to get in the water.
I worked a few days at the farm this week injecting turkeys, so it was mostly sitting around, i spent a total of 16 hours sitting and needling over three days, so my butt is really sore right now, but i'm banking my hours while i'm off work so that i can collect pogey at the same time (shh, don't tell the government)
Well, the couch is calling my name, so i'd better go and lay down for a while, after all that work i'm hoping to repeat the above schedule until sunday when we head off to Star Lake.
Take care,
eric
Well, life post-surgery is pretty sweet, if not a little boring. The first couple of days started off as follows:
11:30 a.m. - Get up.
12:00 noon - eat.
12:30 p.m. - watch t.v.
4:30 p.m. - wake up watching a completely different show. Turn down volume, go back to sleep.
4:30-6:30 p.m. - drift in and out of sleep, change ice pack for frozen rasperries which quickly melt into a red goo all over p.j. pants, change, watch t.v., read, sleep, etc.
6:30 p.m. - lindsey gets home and makes me supper.
7:30 p.m. - watch more tv, try to have a b.m. which is nearly impossible because of T-3s, read, stand on the deck and watch the dogs go pee.
12:00 - bedtime.
So you can see that it is difficult to deal with the overwhelming boredom of it all. Lindsey dragged me off to a wedding the saturday after the surgery, and i got tired and sore really quickly because i had to stand for like three hours. We went to the states the next day to pick up a new stud dog for her chihuahuas, and finally on Monday i got to relax again.
I visited the doctor for a post op check-up on friday, and he said everything is healing nicely, and not to lift anything heavier than 15 lbs for five more weeks. We were camping at Lilac with half of Riverton, and my parents lent us their camper so that i wouldn't have to set up/sleep in a tent, so that was kind of nice, and lindsey loaded all the heavy things for me so we had a lot of fun.
I couldn't go swimming, which kind of sucked, but i'm going to call the doctor tomorrow to see when that will be possible because we are going to Star Lake next week and i want to get in the water.
I worked a few days at the farm this week injecting turkeys, so it was mostly sitting around, i spent a total of 16 hours sitting and needling over three days, so my butt is really sore right now, but i'm banking my hours while i'm off work so that i can collect pogey at the same time (shh, don't tell the government)
Well, the couch is calling my name, so i'd better go and lay down for a while, after all that work i'm hoping to repeat the above schedule until sunday when we head off to Star Lake.
Take care,
eric
Friday, July 6, 2007
I let a stranger cut me open!
Oh the joys of dial up internet. It took me no less than five minutes to reach this darned page. Oh, well, i've got the next six weeks to kill so i guess time doesn't really matter that much.
Well, my surgery is complete. It all began at 12 o'clock on wednesday night, when i had to stop eating and drinking. Thursday morning (the morning of my surgery) i had to get up at 6:30 to go and load turkeys, which sucked, because for one it's loading turkeys, and two, i couldn't have anything to eat or drink.
I had to be at patient registration at 10:00, so i checked in and got a wristband, and shed my skivvies for a stylin' hospital gown (yes, it was assless). Luckily i got to bring my own housecoat, which kept the draft down a little. Then i went to get my first shot, Heparin, to thin my blood. Next, it was off to pre-op where the nurse attempted to thread an IV in. Here is a paraphrased transcript of what happened:
Nurse: (putting a tourniquet above my elbow) Hmm, i can't seem to find any veins.
Me: It's a good thing i don't do drugs.
Nurse: Yeah you'd be a lousy drug addict. I think i see a good vein in your hand. Oh, crap.
Me: Hey, that's not something i want to be hearing when you're jabbing me with a needle.
Nurse: I must be up against a valve or something.
Me: Great, now i'll have a varicose vein in my hand.
Nurse: No you won't, there, i've got it.
After that reassuring quip, i had a hot-air filled blanket placed over me to keep me warm in the room's seemingly sub-freezing temperatures. Shortly after that i was rolled to the pre-op room, where i was visited by Dr. Hutfluss, me anestheologist, and an OR nurse, who then wheeled my into the OR. I was given some sedatives, which immediately took effect and i passed out like a cheap drunk. I have no idea how they did the epidural, or for that matter the surgery, because the next thing i remember is being rolled into recovery, and someone saying something about a suppository, which i prayed was a misunderstanding on my part.
I was asked to move my legs (couldn't do it) and then passed out again, and slept for the better part of the next three hours while my beautiful wife sat beside me, bored out of her mind, i'm sure. When i finally woke up again, a nurse was there to check my temperature (i was already hooked up to a blood pressure/heart rate/oxygen level machine) and then told me it was time for another suppository. I reacted with dismay, and she said i was welcome to self-administer. She presented me with a rubber glove and some lube, and needless to say, i was a little uncomfortable groping at my frozen ass while a nurse and my wife looked on, so i allowed the nurse to do it. It was a mercifully short event.
I passed the time reading magazines that lindsey bought for me while i was in surgery, and slept on and off until my 'supper' arrived. (if you could call it that.) It consisted of chicken broth, hot tea, pineapple juice, and orange jello, not exactly what i was looking forward to after not eating for over 17 hours, but i ate it all like a good boy.
Lindsey had to leave at 8, and i was allowed to get up and watch the Bombers game once my lower half finally thawed out. I was hoping i would be able to go home that night, but my last dose of antibiotics was scheduled for 2 in the morning, so i stayed the night. I slept well, except for the 80+ year old lady across from me who wheezed and gasped and moaned most of the night. (there were about five of us in the recovery room) I didn't even notice getting my antibiotics at 2.
I was woken up at 5:30 for a hearty breakfast of two pieces of toast with cheese whiz, and another suppository, which was inserted much further (really a lot further than necessary) than the previous three, she may have used a pen to shove it further, and watched some news until lindsey picked me up at 6:30. I don't have a lot of pain, i'm taking tylenol 3s and some stool softeners, and spent most of today (friday) sleeping, reading, and watching tv. I will be at home most weekdays, and would love company or anything to help me pass the time, so if anyone wants, drop on by.
Well, cheers, and have a good night,
eric
Well, my surgery is complete. It all began at 12 o'clock on wednesday night, when i had to stop eating and drinking. Thursday morning (the morning of my surgery) i had to get up at 6:30 to go and load turkeys, which sucked, because for one it's loading turkeys, and two, i couldn't have anything to eat or drink.
I had to be at patient registration at 10:00, so i checked in and got a wristband, and shed my skivvies for a stylin' hospital gown (yes, it was assless). Luckily i got to bring my own housecoat, which kept the draft down a little. Then i went to get my first shot, Heparin, to thin my blood. Next, it was off to pre-op where the nurse attempted to thread an IV in. Here is a paraphrased transcript of what happened:
Nurse: (putting a tourniquet above my elbow) Hmm, i can't seem to find any veins.
Me: It's a good thing i don't do drugs.
Nurse: Yeah you'd be a lousy drug addict. I think i see a good vein in your hand. Oh, crap.
Me: Hey, that's not something i want to be hearing when you're jabbing me with a needle.
Nurse: I must be up against a valve or something.
Me: Great, now i'll have a varicose vein in my hand.
Nurse: No you won't, there, i've got it.
After that reassuring quip, i had a hot-air filled blanket placed over me to keep me warm in the room's seemingly sub-freezing temperatures. Shortly after that i was rolled to the pre-op room, where i was visited by Dr. Hutfluss, me anestheologist, and an OR nurse, who then wheeled my into the OR. I was given some sedatives, which immediately took effect and i passed out like a cheap drunk. I have no idea how they did the epidural, or for that matter the surgery, because the next thing i remember is being rolled into recovery, and someone saying something about a suppository, which i prayed was a misunderstanding on my part.
I was asked to move my legs (couldn't do it) and then passed out again, and slept for the better part of the next three hours while my beautiful wife sat beside me, bored out of her mind, i'm sure. When i finally woke up again, a nurse was there to check my temperature (i was already hooked up to a blood pressure/heart rate/oxygen level machine) and then told me it was time for another suppository. I reacted with dismay, and she said i was welcome to self-administer. She presented me with a rubber glove and some lube, and needless to say, i was a little uncomfortable groping at my frozen ass while a nurse and my wife looked on, so i allowed the nurse to do it. It was a mercifully short event.
I passed the time reading magazines that lindsey bought for me while i was in surgery, and slept on and off until my 'supper' arrived. (if you could call it that.) It consisted of chicken broth, hot tea, pineapple juice, and orange jello, not exactly what i was looking forward to after not eating for over 17 hours, but i ate it all like a good boy.
Lindsey had to leave at 8, and i was allowed to get up and watch the Bombers game once my lower half finally thawed out. I was hoping i would be able to go home that night, but my last dose of antibiotics was scheduled for 2 in the morning, so i stayed the night. I slept well, except for the 80+ year old lady across from me who wheezed and gasped and moaned most of the night. (there were about five of us in the recovery room) I didn't even notice getting my antibiotics at 2.
I was woken up at 5:30 for a hearty breakfast of two pieces of toast with cheese whiz, and another suppository, which was inserted much further (really a lot further than necessary) than the previous three, she may have used a pen to shove it further, and watched some news until lindsey picked me up at 6:30. I don't have a lot of pain, i'm taking tylenol 3s and some stool softeners, and spent most of today (friday) sleeping, reading, and watching tv. I will be at home most weekdays, and would love company or anything to help me pass the time, so if anyone wants, drop on by.
Well, cheers, and have a good night,
eric
Monday, July 2, 2007
Clear as Mud?
Hello
I want to clear something up right away for many of you who probably have the wrong impression of me due to a picture i posted of myself a few days ago. Yes, its the group photo of the moustaches. I have an interesting look on my face as i am leaning over Evan. It is not, as some of you probably suspect, a look of lust over evan, although he does have a particularly thick and wide moustache (you can rest easy tonight renita). There is a simple explanation which i will now share with you. Somebody was holding out a cheeseburger, and if you will take a look at my ponch and roundish face in the picture, cheeseburgers are something that i was quite fond of at the time (i still am, actually, but i have learned to control myself somewhat).
Anyway. I buried the tractor at work today, i was dumb enough to drive it into a peat moss marsh the day after receiving over an inch of rain, and had to walk/jog back to the farm in the blazing sun and humidity. Luckily it was only about a mile away, but i still haven't burned off all of those cheeseburgers, so it was no easy thing. Ken Kornelsen was kind enough to bring out his 4-wheel drive tractor to pull me out, but i guess this means i'll be washing the tractor again.
ho-hum, i'd better go and eat some freezies before lindsey gets them all,
later,
eric
I want to clear something up right away for many of you who probably have the wrong impression of me due to a picture i posted of myself a few days ago. Yes, its the group photo of the moustaches. I have an interesting look on my face as i am leaning over Evan. It is not, as some of you probably suspect, a look of lust over evan, although he does have a particularly thick and wide moustache (you can rest easy tonight renita). There is a simple explanation which i will now share with you. Somebody was holding out a cheeseburger, and if you will take a look at my ponch and roundish face in the picture, cheeseburgers are something that i was quite fond of at the time (i still am, actually, but i have learned to control myself somewhat).
Anyway. I buried the tractor at work today, i was dumb enough to drive it into a peat moss marsh the day after receiving over an inch of rain, and had to walk/jog back to the farm in the blazing sun and humidity. Luckily it was only about a mile away, but i still haven't burned off all of those cheeseburgers, so it was no easy thing. Ken Kornelsen was kind enough to bring out his 4-wheel drive tractor to pull me out, but i guess this means i'll be washing the tractor again.
ho-hum, i'd better go and eat some freezies before lindsey gets them all,
later,
eric
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?
Hmm, no comments.
Does that mean that no one is reading my blog or is my content not interesting/controversial enough for everyone? Well, i guess it is Canada Day today, and i suppose everyone is busy with fireworks and whatnot.
Well you guys were all out in church and watching parades and catching candy and getting your faces painted with little Canadian flags (boy that paint itches after a while, eh?) i was stuck at work (by myself no less [i love how you can keep going with these things and they don't officially interfere with your sentence, although they get kind of confusing when you use too many of them {like this, know what i'm saying?}]) all day.
After work we headed to Gimli for supper at Brennivin's Pizza Hus. Dahlen, Chantal, Lindsey and i went to visit my grandma at Betel Home, she had lot's of visitors today. I like going there with other people because then we can all talk and it doesn't get awkward. There was a crazy lady that followed us into the elevator to the second floor. She was talking gibberish to us so we just smiled and hoped that someone would figure out where she was.
Well, i'm going to turn in for the night.
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