Horns

So, a week ago Friday, Cody was able to get his buck’s horns back.  He had a local taxidermist do a European Skull Mount. 

He realized, sometime after he had dropped off the horns and before he picked it up, that he really hadn’t had a chance to check out the horns.  He’d been in a rush to get out of the woods before it got dark.  Then, he made quick work of getting it the meat into the cooler.  Then, of course, we made a mad dash to the house since we needed the cooler space.  We dropped off the horns fairly early that next morning.

As he looked at the pics I’d taken, he was finally able to study the horns on his buck. . . but it wasn’t the same as being able to see them in person.  So, Friday, he spent some quality time with his horns- and the horns of deers past.

It was often hard to have a conversation with him- I’d find him staring off into the dining room looking at his horns.  I think the fact that he shot a buck was such a shock and then to see just how wide and tall the buck was became yet another shock.

Truth be told, the horns were so wide that it was hard to get a good shot of them from our dining room.

Cody has spent the last week proudly showing off his horns to all of his friends.  I suppose his joy has gotten to me. . . I’ve told him to hang them on my fireplace. . .  and if you’d have told me even a year ago that I would be saying that now, I’d say no-way.  But, I just feel like that’s where they should be

This Week at the Lease

We ran into town and I thought I’d share a short blog post by cell. I’ve loved having our own little humble abode. Each time I make the beds I start singing Daryl Lee Rush’s “White Trash Paradise.”

Cody is in “paradise” with his buck that he got last night. For those who want to see pics, click here:

http://www.jenkinsprojects.com/Deer/Deer11-12-09/index.html

Things are looking good ’round here.. .

A Day of Rest: Sunday Scribbles

Today, well at least this afternoon, has been a day of rest in the Jenkins household.  I declared later last week that we would rest. . .no matter what the weather did.  Sunday we would get some rest.  Sundays should be filled with faith, family, and rest.  We haven’t observed that rest part in quite some time.

I thought scribble down some goings on just to keep you all in the loop.

- I said the day was a day of rest- THIS afternoon because:

1) I woke up at 1 something this morning.  Our old bed left me so achy that I got up and went to the living room to sleep.  I never do that.

2) We got to church and there was no power.  So, after arranging chairs/hymnals/etc into the Narthex, we had our monring services by windo light and piano.

3) Since the church service was a bit warm, we needed something to drink.  We stopped at the convenience store for a fountain coke and donuts (Shame, Shame, I know but the donut shop was right next door.)  We wound up having a leak on the truck. . . Cody said it was a major antifreeze leak.  I start thinking the worse. . . we’ve spent so much getting the trailer ready at the deer lease that the thought of a repair bill stopped me in my tracks.  It turned out to be a hose that came loose.  We walked over to Lowe’s for hose clamps, screwdrivers, and pliers (Cody’s tools were in the other truck from our trip to the deer lease yesterday.)  Cody fixed the problem in the convienence store parking lot.

So, the day did not start of normal at all.

- Watched the Royals win again today!  They’ve one 5 out of 6.  That’s been fun.  Now, it’s football games and hunting shows on TV.

- I start my new photography class tomorrow (Karen Russell’s) and I’m super excited about that. 

- Cody and I are being sure to get some rest today because it’ll be a busy week.  My class starts and Cody has an Elder’s meeting tomorrow.  Then, next weekend, Cody has big hunting plans with some old college roommates.  (I’m still finger crossed that it all works out ok for him.)  I’m trying to figure out what I want to do next weekend. 

- I mentioned my jelly roll purchases last weekend.  I can’t wait to start sewing them into a quilt.  But, first I need to finish a few other sewing projects including curtains for the deer lease trailer.

- We’ve got the trailer all painted- Olympic Morning Fog (my favorite color).  We’ve started moving stuff in and it’s nearing it’s final stages for this deer season’s preperations.  Can’t wait to have it done!  Here’s a few fuzzy pics of the trailer just to prove it’s nothing fancy.  Though we’ve poured our work into the inside and it looks much better than the outside at this point.  (We’ll clean up the outside- when the water gets figured out- and someday paint it too!)

(You can see all the mess we have outside of it too!  Can’t wait until we can burn and quit looking like white trash in the yard.)

Hunting on the Horizon

Hunting season is on the horizon for the Jenkins household.  Really it’s all ready here.  It’s time to plant, time to get all the last minute preperations done, start the feeders and cameras, etc.  The season officially starts the first of October- for archery season.  This is that time of year though when you can feel like you are speeding closer and closer to that horizon.

This year is bringing extra preperations.  We now have a small old trailer in deer camp to fix up.  Each week we get closer and closer to having in prepared.  I’m “fixing it up” to be a little retreat.  Cody has pretty much given me free reign as far as decor goes.  He knows I won’t spend much and trusts me not to make it too girly- it is deer camp afterall.   And, this trailer isn’t going anywhere. 

I’m planning on painting it my favorite color- the same color that’s in my bedroom: Morning Fog, Olympic Paint D61-1.  I pretty much knew instantly that I would use that color.  I can’t wait to finish priming so I can add that small amount of color.  It’ll will really brighten the little space up and I love the way the color will change as the light does.  The little trailer has different wood tones and this will help to unify it- and make it more washable.  (There is a practical side to painting.)

I’ll have hard wood floors too!  It’s going to be my little haven.  Seriously though, we knew we had to pull the carpet (who puts carpet in a deer lease trailer?).  What does that mean- you put down linoleum.  We went to Lowe’s and priced it.  . . and there was a remnant of the hard-wood look.  Of course, in a dream world it’s what I would have wanted- but this is the deer lease.  Well, it turned out to be about a half to a third of the price of the plain jane stuff.  So, we picked it up.

Two weekends ago, we got power to the place thanks to a friend from church.  Friday evening it was the new AC unit thanks to Billy’s help.  Next steps- we need to figure out the refrigerator and a shelf for the microwave we bought.  Then I can finish priming and painting.

That’s just a small glimpse at all the stuff we get to do out there in camp.  But, then, all this is taking away from the time that Cody can spend on the lease doing work.  It will all get done in due time. . . and wasn’t doesn’t get done, won’t get done.

Flashback Friday: Robber’s Cave and Broken Bow

While going through my old pictures, I decided to implement Flash Back Friday’s here on my blog- a chance to tell the unblogged stories our snapshots tell.

Today’s Flashback: September 2007.  We took a week off and headed north to Oklahoma.   We got a room at the lodge at Robber’s Cave.  That was super cool in and of itself.  It’s 20 rooms that look like hotel rooms.  We were only one of two rooms filled that night and it was like we had the place to ourselves. . . Your room- like a hotel, step outside, like you’re camping.  What a view we had!

(Here’s the problem with blogging this far after the fact. . . I have no idea.  I don’t know if he just didn’t want to cooperate or there was, at that time, some type of story behind this one.)

Robber’s Cave in and of itself was quite a feat for me.  I’ve become so scared of heights as I’ve grown older.  (This didn’t use to be the case as I loved the Astroworld ride that dropped you 8 flights in a matter of seconds.)  Robber’s Cave also meant lots of climbing.  The views were spectacular from up high as well. 

I was a tree hugger.

 They were my friends.

Cody had no fear.

Even after this.

He was no worse for the wear.

And, I had a great time despite my nerves being shot.

We took a windy scenic drive before we headed back down south to Broken Bow.  We aren’t likely to take that drive again any time soon.

But we were anxious to get to Broken Bow.  We knew they were stocking with trout.  We knew the trick to geting them.  And we knew it would be perfect fishing the next morning.

Or so we thought. . . Turned out the lake must have turned over.  There was too much sulfur in the water (and it stunk too) and no one was catching fish.

But we still enjoyed the beautiful water while we tent camped there at Beaver’s Bend.

And, we enjoyed getting on and in the water- but thankfully that was two activities instead of one.

Oh, and then there was the No Tell Motel Cody took me to. . . .

I created a little post card to myself to commemorate this great moment in our marriage.  It reads:

“Just a Note

We’re having a great time here in Oklahoma.  I really enjoyed climbing around at Robbers Cave.  You should be proud of yourself for not letting your fear of heights keep you from climbing.
But, stopping at this no-tell motel was not one of your finest moments.  This sign which seems to be from a by-gone era had been captured in my memory from our last trip here.  Cody obliged your request to stop and take pictures.  But as I took pictures I slowly realized that this was not the kind of establishment I should be parked in front of and began wondering what those on the highway were thinking of you.
Me, Myself, and I”

Driving and Walking Around the Deer Lease

Last month, I went out to the deer lease with Cody to start preparing the trailer to be moved over to our campsite. That’s a long story. . . as the trip really wasn’t very productive. And of course, Cody isn’t going to pass up an opportunity to drive around the deer lease. I had my camera ready.

Have you ever wished you could fly? Like a bird? What about when you see a vulture? I knew, it a grotesque bird but when it’s gliding around, sometimes I wish I could at least glide through the air like that. (But don’t ask me to eat what they eat!)

Cody hunts on a 10,000 acre deer lease- it’s owned by a timber company.  It used to be filled with trees.  But lately, they’ve cleared so much of the lease that I really think half of it’s been cut and cleared.  And what do you do when you hunt on a deer lease where they’re clearing?  You check it out.  One of the places is around the little lake.

Here’s part of an area near where Cody had a stand two years ago.  The year that they were to clear both of his stand sites.

He got rid of that stand site to get his main stand site now.  Which in the end, is where we headed.  I’m not even sure why we walked down there other than to just take a look at it.  I can’t remember that we did anything but walk around. 

Of course, when we got down to his food plot we found this lone flower.

I mean out in teh middle of nowhere- in the middle of his plot.

There’s always something about walking through the woods- and I love to watch Cody while he things and plots what he wants to do at his stand sites.

I’ve talked about how Cody will stop and let me take pictures of the flowers like the one above.  On this trip, Cody did the stopping to take a few pictures between his food plot and feeder.  (Of course, he had to borrow my camera because he hadn’t gotten his out.)

I managed to get a little picture of him too.

Hunting and Enjoying the Great Outdoors

I did not grow up around hunting. For my husband, it’s the opposite. It runs in his family on both sides.
It’s a family tradition that deeply rooted in his make-up- in what makes him who he is. To take hunting away from him would be to watch him slowly die. We all know things that are so intertwined into who a person is that you can’t take away from them- that’s hunting for my husband.

Cody’s Grandfather in Marfa

You can see just how much he enjoys it in his definition of a successful hunt. It’s not about whether or not you bring home meat but really about whether you enjoy the time spent outdoors. You might not see a deer but you can enjoy the trees or birds, or squirrels. Last season, Cody enjoyed seeing babies playing and turkeys while deer hunting. We had a great time the day I took the picture above just talking to a turkey that we never saw.

It’s that enjoyment that’s been passed down from generation to generation down to him that he’s shared with me. As any hunter’s wife knows, you either go with them or you’re a hunting widow for at least half the year. I choose to hunt with him. . . but I don’t hunt with a gun. My firestick is my camera and I take it with me. Cody recognizes that shooting a gun and hunting with one isn’t somethign I’m interested in. (Until the hogs make me mad putting us in dangerious situations or tearing things up, then I think about it for a short while.) And, as we’ve tried to figure out turkey hunting the past few springs, I’ve been the one with the turkey calls.

Marshmallow Woman- I really don’t enjoy the cold that much though

He’s also passing it down to our nephew. Who he’s bred for hunting from an early age. For the longest time, Jack thought all you had to do was throw out the corn. He’s been taught the same gun safety that my husband has taught me. I’m looking foward to seeing just how the true pleasure of hunting is passed down this year as Jack takes a gun into the field for the first time. The odds are that he won’t get anything though we really hope he gets something.

Because of the way that hunting and it’s true values have been passed down, we are not trophy hunters. As Cody will tell you, you can’t eat horns. We love it when we can fill a freezer. But, as we did last year, we still enjoy it even when the freezer stays empty.

A large part of hunting is giving back to the environment- improving animal habitation and managing populations. For us, hunting also means a lot of work. There’s fields to plant, blinds to build, feeders to maintain, and so much more. We know though that it’s part of what makes hunting so satisfying.

My Husband, the Nut- Weekend Review 2 of 3

Saturday. . . Well, I don’t have but one picture of the Cody’s hijinx from Saturday and it was only the beginning.  But I do have other pictures from the weekend to share as well. 

(Stayed Tuned tomorrow for some hillarious pictures that Cody’s likely to love seeing online. . .not!  That’s the price he pays for being a nut.)

Saturday was a busy day for us.  Cody and Jack headed out to the deer lease around 5:00 in the morning.  Lisa and I met up with them before lunch.  Saturday was the fish fry, the meeting, and the stand drawing for the club.  After the stand drawing, Cody took us to see the new stand site that he got in the drawing.  Well. . . Jack drove the four wheeler with Cody behind him and I followed along in the truck at the 5-10 mile hour pace that Jack was driving. 

Cody had Jack drop him off a  little ways up the road so that Cody could find the best path for us.  Jack then got to drive back to meet us- with his momma’s permission.  Of course, as soon as he got off, he asked me if he was driving fast on the deer lease. 

Jack got out the football and he roped his mother and me into playing catch with him.  Only, his mother decided to grab my camera from on top of the tool box.

Here’s the greatest hijinx of the day.  We’re in the middle of a 10,000 acre pine plantation.  The area that we were in has trees and overgrown brush on both sides of this narrow dirt road- on a windy day.  So, what would any logical person decide to do- Let’s kick the ball as hard as we can. . . right?  Well, if you’re a nut. 

That’s precisely what my husband, the nut himself, did.  Guess what. . . He shanked it. . . right into brush that was at least 15 feet high.  It looked at first as though the ball was just going to stay there on top.  But, it saved Cody from the ultimate disgrace and fell down to the ground.  Of course, it was in the middle of the stickers and thick brush.  Cody had to pay his retribution for this hijinx when he retrieved the ball.

And that was the end of the football on the deer lease roads.  We went on to see the site and then it was time for Jack to practice shooting the .243.  I got this picture before we went to shoot.  I love that his mom is there in the background of this shot.

After the meeting/fish fry, Lisa, Jack, and I went into town to get butter before we headed home.  Of course, Jack fell asleep during the 30 minute drive there.  He and Lisa stayed in the truck while I ran into the store.  This was the sight when I walked back to the truck.  He didn’t even wake as his mother rolled down the window and handed me the camera.  He was worn out.

My Husband is a Nut- Weekend Review Part 1 of 3

 I married a nut.  I know.  He knows it. Most of the people who know him know it.  This weekend was a prime example.  And over the next three days, I’ll share several examples.  Now, the pics from Sunday will make you spew. . . so consider it fair warning.  I can’t wait to share those pics but alas in order to avoid getting out of order, I’m going to back up to Good Friday.

Lisa and Jack were not due into town until the afternoon.  So, Cody and I went out to the deer lease for another attempt at turkey hunting.  Don’t even get me started on how little we know about Turkey hunting.

Cody decided to dig out a decoy and carry it with his hand in it. 

The next thing I know I met the Talking Turkey.  Cody channeled this brilliant child and her sister and the puppet shows they’d given us on Palm Sunday.

This turkey is explaining texting terms such as TTFN and OMG.  You see, those are terms we learned during the girls puppet show.

And like, this talking turkey won’t quit talking.  You know. . .

Funning thing is- He’s funny.  Not the Turkey, but him.  That Nut that I married.  And from the smile on his face. . . you can tell he knows it.

(Oh and Talking Turkeys up close and a laughing photographer with a longer lens does not make for the best pictures. . . Talking turkey didn’t give that lesson though.)

Dead-Eye is Ready to Hunt

As Lisa told Jack he would be coming up the weekend before last, Jack told his mother that he knew this weekend would be the weekend that Cody let him shoot the .243.

Of course, he was right.  Jack has been bred a hunter.  Cody and Jack fed the deer when he was just a little guy.  Poor Jack, at the age of 2-4 thought that seeing deer was as easy as throwing corn out for them.  It almost always worked for him.  In the past three or so years, Jack has begun to shoot.  Starting, at first, of course, with a Daisy Red Rider.  Last year he began using the .22 and a .17. 

As Cody took Jack with him to the deer stand this year, they discussed that Jack was ready to try the .243.  And, that shooting the .243 meant Jack could shoot a gun with enough power in order to actually hunt deer or hogs.  Jack couldn’t wait.  But he had to wait.  They couldn’t shoot at the lease during deer season.

So, along came the first weekend he’s been up since deer season ended.  He and Cody went out along with some friends to shoot.  From what I’m told Jack did quite well with the .243.  He also shot some sorta pistol and one shot with the .410 single shot.  Lisa and I stayed home but Jack kept us informed of how it was going with a couple of texts:

Cody said they were down there looking at the laundry detergent bottle when the cap to the bottle finally came down from the sky- perfectly in tact.

(OK, so it was just pictures.  Mind you, not a big fan of him having the phone at the deer lease but loved knowing how it went. . . ah, texting in an 11 year old’s world)

Monday, because we were all off, we went out the deer lease for another round of target practice.  So, of course, I had my camera.  It was strictly the .22 and .243 this time.  And it was more real life hunting situation.  Cody had Jack shoot coke cans, a water bottle and the remaining portion of a case of cokes from inside the deer blind.

Jack’s a great shot and amazed even Cody.  It’s great that Jack is a dead-eye and I get a real kick out of the confidence boost that it gives him.  One thing is clear, this year Jack will get an opportunity to hunt for deer himself this year.  He’s ready!  He’s been bred for this.