Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The sweet smell of...

My house stinks. Literally.

Evidently, early yesterday morning, we had a nocturnal visitor. The perpetrator was never seen, but left evidence in a most olfactory way.

I smelled him when I woke up.

I smelled him when I took my bath.

I smelled him in the kitchen.

I could really smell him out in the shop.

One kitten was killed--by the odour by a personal assault, we're not sure which.

We were still smelling him last night.

This morning...not so much. Either the scent has wore off or we got used to it.

Stupid skunk.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Episode 3 of Huntin with Shell

I'd like to say that in Episode 3, we see a successful hunt. But we don't.

Miss Kat and I spent Friday night at Mom's house. Miss Kat was going to do the jewelry thing on Saturday while I was going out to hunt and leave the house by 6 a.m. Miss Kat and I shared a bed in my old bedroom. I wasn't terribly concerned about sharing a bed with her, because she used to sleep with me every weekend--at least one night every weekend.

But, at home, I have a King size bed. At Mom's, we shared a Full sized bed. And Miss Kat is bigger now, and she's more used to sleeping in the middle of the bed and she kicks and talks in her sleep and, well, it was a rather sleepless night. But, when Dad got up at 5:30, I did too.

I drove out to the hill to try for one of the Whitetail bucks that we know live and bed down in the draws amongst the sagebrush. I parked at the house and cut across the CRP to the pasture. Not a bad walk at all, but let me tell you, it was DARK. I used my red headlight on my headlamp to see. Supposedly, the deer can't see red light, making them safe for hunters to use to navigate dark pastures and fields.

I took a chair in with me because I couldn't see down the draws if I sat on the ground. The chair is a burnt orange in color, but Kev thought it would work because it would be hidden by the sagebrush. Whatever. I decided to give it a try. (Just a reminder, it was one of those camping chairs--folding, lightweight. I'm not a complete idiot and would never carry in a heavy chair.)

I got settled right in front of a big 5 foot tall sage. All I had to do then was wait for it to get light and for the deer to decide it was time to come to bed. There was a storm front coming in, so we figured the deer would be up and moving trying to fill their bellies before the storm hit.

At 6:55--maybe 6:57, I looked to the south, from whence I traveled, and there was a stupid little spike buck following my trail. He had his nose down, sniffing my tracks. Now, I know that Lynn once shot and killed a deer by shooting it in the nose; but that's not recommended. My target could have been his chest or his nose and I was really surprised to see the idiot. I hadn't heard him at all until he snorted. By then, he was 10-15 yards away. He looked up and saw me, sitting there in my chair. He jumped and took off, stopping on the other side of the draw. I probably could have shot him from that distance, but he was so young and really, to be honest, I was amused that we surprised each other. (And, I was somewhat relieved that he wasn't a Rabid Killer Deer.) He then jumped the fence and took off.

But, it made me think...that maybe I picked a bad spot to sit. So, I relocated to another sage brush, a little farther back from the trail that I could now see--which I inadvertently followed into my spot.

And, I sat there for 2 more hours--not seeing another deer. Instead, I composed a blog--a rather poetic blog about the beauty of the morning and the colors of the sage brush and the imaginary deer that I could see and create from various sage plants and shadows as the sun came up. I imagined how I'd wax poetically about the scent of sagebrush, and the colors and textures. and, maybe, someday, I will write about how pretty the prairie is and how many different colors there are out there.

By 9 a.m., I was cold (the wind was coming up) and Mom's bathroom was calling my name. So, I called it quits and walked back to the car and then to town. Once in town, I visited with Mom and the bead junkies as they got creative. It was a nice, warm, and dry way to end this episode of Huntin' with Shell.

Note: We'll have a 2 week break for episode 4. We're going out of town next week and won't be able to hunt. Stay tuned for another "exciting" episode!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

today...

Today, the shoes are cool. Yep, "everyone" loved the Basketball shoes.

They are the coolest shoes ever!

so, all is good...

for now...

Teenage girls...gotta love them.

Monday, November 09, 2009

revenge...I can't wait

Someday, I'm going to print out all these "Miss Kat" posts and give them to her. I think I'll wait until she's a mother of a girl though. Revenge...yes, it will be sweet revenge.

I love my daughter dearly. I do.

Really.

And yet, she can frustrate me like no other person in the world. sigh. And, yet, I understand her...most of the time. Her father doesn't have a clue, but I do.

Saturday I took Miss Kat down to Mom's for a jewelry making extravaganza.

See, Miss Kat has always had an artistic bent. She writes stories (watch for her someday to be the female Stephen King.) She draws. Yet, she hasn't found that artistic outlet that she's passionate about. We've tried painting, ceramics, glass etching, sewing, cross stitch, crocheting, knitting and lots more and yet, we keep searching for that one thing that she can be passionate about. Jewelry was next on the list.

My Mom has discovered the art of jewelry making, and I asked if she'd show Miss Kat how to do some. It was a Grandma/Granddaughter day--not only for my "girls" but for one of Mom's friends. Three girls, 2 Grandmas and 1 Mom who observed. ( I am not remotely interested in making or wearing jewelry.)

It was a slow start, because the Grandma's have lots and lots and lots of beads and wire and string and beads and other... ... stuff. However, once they got started, the girls went to town!

Miss Kat had a ball. She wants to go back next week. She wants to make more and more and more jewelry. Which is great! I loved watching her work and really enjoying herself. She needs that outlet.

On Sunday, Miss Kat, Kev and I went to Garden. Kev and I needed things from Home Depot and Miss Kat needed Basketball shoes. Kev had to work at the hospital for an hour or so, and while we were waiting, Miss Kat and I ran to Walmart and got a few beads and tools for her new passion.

Then, on to Garden. We had a nice lunch at Applebees, ran by the Crazy House to look at some cowboy boots and shirts, but they weren't open yet, so we decided to go ahead and get Miss Kat's basketball shoes.

Went into one store, and they were out of shoes in her size. Went into another store. The sales clerk wanted to measure her feet. They've grown again. She's now a perfect 10. Except she's not happy being a perfect 10. She hates having big feet. Then, the sales clerk noticed that she's flat footed. So, he got an insert and had her walk around. Her dad instantly noticed the change in her gait. Me...not so much.

She said the shoes were ok. I paid an astronomical price for them, and out the door we went. We decided it was time to run to Home Depot. Once we got there, Miss Kat refused to go in the store and she was crying.

And, she wouldn't tell us why she was crying.

So, we left her in the pickup, and went inside assuming she'd be right in soon.

But she didn't.

When we got to the pickup, she informed me that she hates the shoes and wants to take them back. She hates them so much, she'll just do without basketball shoes. And, then she started crying again.

Ugg.

I knew what the problem was--it was the SIZE of the shoes. It was the fact that she thinks her feet are so big that they are all anyone will ever see.

But, she didn't want to admit this, instead, the shoes were evil. They were ugly. They weren't what she wanted. It was the shoe's fault. It was my fault.

Her Dad blew up. (and that is NEVER a pretty sight.)

He drove us back to the shopping center. We pulled into the parking lot so we could return the shoes. And then we heard this small little voice say...

"I'll keep the shoes."

Dad blew up again while I burst out laughing. Which made Dad blow up a little more.

But, Saturday was so great! She found something she truly enjoyed and can be passionate about. She was so happy. And then, yesterday, it started out great, but crashed so quickly and so badly. Emotions from ecstasy to despair. High to Low. Happy to the most miserable person in the world.

It's frustrating.

And, someday, I'll get my sweet revenge when I print this out and give it to my daughter who is the mother of her own teenager. It's something to look forward to!

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

annoyed

I'm not in a very good mood today.

Miss Kat is home "sick" today and is skipping school.

Except, I don't think she's "sick" enough not to go to school.

But, I decided, she's almost 14, and is old enough to take some responsibility for her own decisions and their repercussions.

But I'm really annoyed with her because I think it's allergies and sinus drainage again.

Not something serious like H1N1.

And, somehow, I feel like a bad mother for not believing she doesn't feel well, and for thinking she should go to school and I feel bad because I think she should be just like me and go even if she doesn't feel 100%. I have no patience for "sick" people...especially when I don't think they are really sick and should just suck it up.

Gee...maybe I should make a career change and become a nurse...I have such empathy...want me to be your nurse?

Monday, November 02, 2009

This week on...Hunting with Shell

This past Saturday morning was a much better hunting day for me. No fears of rabid deer, elk or cougars plagued my mind, nor was I distracted by pesky sunflower pods or grass seeds. Nope, I was intent on the hunt!



We got into our positions before 7 a.m., and let me tell you, it was dark! Kev and I decided to walk in on the south side of the fence which made for much easier walking. The south side of the fence is a pasture, "virgin" grass. It's never been plowed. It's so much easier and quieter walking in a pasture than it is wading through weeds or a wheat field. Our only difficulty was the 3 times I stumbled into old barbed wire that was on the ground. (Kev also walked into his share! It was DARK people!)



I hadn't been sitting/kneeling long when I heard a deer snort. It was too dark to shoot, but I could see his basic shape and knew he was a nice sized Muley buck. He walked by me--about 15 yards away. Nice shooting distance, if it's light enough to see what your shooting at! He walked to the edge of the draw where Kev was sitting. He stopped, snorted, and turned around and trotted off. I think he caught Kev's scent.



About 30 minutes later, after it was light, I saw a doe being chased by a buck. They were about 250 yards away. At the same time, I heard a deer snort below me, in Kev's draw. I couldn't see any deer, but I heard them snort as they tried to catch Kev's scent. My deer, the buck and doe, also heard the snorting. The doe ignored it, but the buck stopped and listened. You could tell he was trying to decide if he should check it out...but, the lure of the doe was greater and they went on their way, staying well out of bow range.



A little while later, I saw two does come down from the north. They walked towards me, and then cut down into Kev's draw. I assumed they'd stay down there, but nope, next thing I knew, they were 20 yards away! They'd come back up into the wheat field. I picked up my bow, but the doe saw me move and they took off, hell bent for! Right down the hill by Kev, and then up the other side, over the fence and through the pasture. Darn deer were Whitetails! What on earth were they doing in Muley country?



Shortly after their rapid exit, it was time to go. The snorters that Kev had were 4 additional whitetail does. He's wanting one particular buck. so he didn't shoot. I would have, because I want meat, not necessarily antlers, but he wants a big boy.



We had a nice walk out, the sun was out, shining, it was a beautiful day, and the deer had cooperated...somewhat, all in all, it was a good morning...even if we didn't bring home a deer.

Note: No deer, elk, cougars, birds, sunflowers or weeds were harmed or killed during this weeks episode of Hunting with Shell. Tune in again for another exciting episode!