Is it Fourth of July Yet?

Tis the season to be jolly. And nothing makes me more jolly than some venison in the freezer. I am not jolly right now....no deer...no jolly. I have not been able to hunt as much as I would like to because of the shift I am on, however I have been trying to hunt as much as I can in the mornings.
But when you get off work at midnight and try to get up at 5:30 every morning...lets just say it brings some challenges.

I hunt this field that is privately owned and my brother Scott is very good friends with them. '
A couple years ago Scott and I built a shack to hunt out of. Best thing we ever did. We built it on a trailer so in case we wanted to move it we could. Great idea right? Well it would have been even better had we of built a tornado shelter around it. Last year we found our shack and the trailer blown 20 feet back from its original spot. The shack was off from the trailer and the trailer was another 10 feet behind the shack. I was taken back by the sight of it. We had to flip the shack over a couple times and move it into a good position. So now its a permanent shack. This year we put insulation in it to help with keeping the cold outside. What can I say... I am a wussy when it comes to getting cold. We have a new heater in the shack this year too and it keeps it rather toasty in there. There is nothing like sitting in a very warm spot and watching the snow fall. It is hard to leave the shack sometimes because its so darn warm.

Hunting with Scott is something I really enjoy. We have many laughs and share something that we both love to do. I wouldn't change it for the world. Our shack is big enough to easily fit four people in it so once in a while we will bring a guest to sit with us. Scotts oldest son Justin is starting to hunt too and its nice to share our tradition with him. I really cant wait until he shoots his first deer. Of course is is still more into his video games right now but he loves to come out with us.

I am using my muzzle loader this year vs. a shot gun. I am learning more about it every year. This year I had a beautiful looking 6 pt. come in and I got all ready. Steady....take a deep breath ....relax...wait for it....wait....ok get ready ...I slowly pulled the trigger and it sounded just like a bottle rocket went off in the end of my gun. A Bottle rocket? WTH...Isn't it supposed to go BOOM?
The deer even looked puzzled....they gave me a look like "Hey dude...its not fourth of July...get with the times bro" and he slowly trotted off. Well...apparently if you take your gun inside after its been outside in the cold...it collects moisture and causes your powder to go bad. Who knew? Not me...but I do now. Its just one of those things you learn as you go.

I still have a few more weeks until the season is over so I am not losing hope just yet. But in the end of the season if I still don't have a deer...I wont be too upset. I am spending time with the people I love and doing something that I really enjoy doing. It really doesn't get any better than that does it?
Well..it kind of does..... I could have the 6 pt. come back and I could show him what I learned.  : )
 

Chess with Family

I have this routine every morning, I get up and get a cup of coffee and my phone and proceed to start my day. First and foremost…. I check my Chess with Friends game to see if my dad has made his move.   Chess with Friends….or even regular board Chess is a game in which I have only beaten him twice….EVER.   But those two times that I did win, went down as huge accomplishments on my list of “Ian’s Life’s Accomplishments” that I don’t really keep but I always say I do.(like now)

 I can only compare that feeling of beating my dad in chess  as the same one when you finally win that level of Candy Crush that you have been struggling with for 3 months….okay… 6 months.  Only beating dad in chess has more like a 10 year window before I win. So, when it happens, it makes my whole day, in fact I think it makes my whole week a better one because I have this sense of accomplishment that I carry around with me.  I will go to work and my boss yells at me for something, I can look at him and say: “Do you even know who I am?” “I am the guy who just beat my dad in Chess with Friends” “Yeah…I know …I am a bad MoFo” “Now go get me a cup a coffee and quit your bitchin”.  Okay, maybe that’s a bit much but still….. you know that feeling I’m talking about right? It make my chest stick out a couple more inches.

I still remember when my dad taught me and my brother how to play. I was all of 9 years old, and we had gotten a chessboard for Christmas one year.  We played every day for about 3 days….that’s how long it took until we lost our first pieces. But we always used coins as a substitute for missing pieces. I lost a lot back then just like I do today, which just goes to show….well I guess it just goes to show that once you get used to losing it isn’t so bad. J

I could be a much better chess player if I had the patience that my dad has. I am always in a hurry no matter what I do.  I don’t check to see what the other player is thinking of doing. I am only wrapped up with what MY plans are. Hmmm I am seeing a pattern here with my life. J  Once I master that aspect of the game …..I might actually win more often.  However, its been 40 + years so I am doubting I will get it any time soon.  And besides…if you think about it….does dad really get as much enjoyment beating me as I do when I beat him? I doubt it….actually he probably just goes in a state of shock when I win, just because he never expects to lose to me.

I enjoy our games of chess…win or lose just because it’s been in our family for so long…it’s kind of like tradition. With the actual pressure of an actual tradition. We can take a break for a few days and start back up fresh or we can play game after game after game….it’s all fun to me.  It makes my mornings special to make a few moves in the game thinking that “This could be the day that I win”                        Once I have my cup of coffee and actually wake up from that dream of winning….I realize that I might not win but I will always try to win. And that my friends…..That’s what Life is all about.  

F

How Big is Yours?

How big is your shell?  I’m talking about the shell you live in. No…I’m not talking about the size of your house either.  I’m talking about your entertainment shell. The shell that is either big or small that you live in and you do your socializing or have fun in. For example…take the internet.  I think that this internet thing is very cool but yet I only explore a miniscule part of it all. I stalk Facebook and my blog and check my mail. And that is about it. But yet I get bored so easy. There is a whole world of new and exciting things on the net but yet because I live in such a small shell I don’t ever explore any new things on it.

But it goes beyond the net…what about what you do for fun?  I work, I come home and eat and sleep and repeat for the most part. But where’s the fun in all that? (Besides the eating part) (Ok and the sleeping part too) The shell I live in doesn’t allow me to travel past the county lines very much for any type of entertainment or socializing. Obviously I could if I wanted to but that is not the life I lead. I like my little shell life for the most part. We go into town and gamble a bit but that is about the extent of our “fun factor” of our daily shelled life.  Please don’t get me wrong here…I am not complaining at all. But in contrast I see people who live in a very large shell and they do so many things. These large shell people always seem to find fun things to do because they are not confined to a small shell.  They will go to where the people are or the fun is.

We pick what shell we live in. But sometimes when you look at the other larger shells and what they encompass….you sometimes can’t help but get a little antsy to think that you might be missing out on some aspects of life.  However, if I look at it truthfully and honestly….I am too damn lazy to live in a large shell. I enjoy having a nice little routine of waking up, drinking my coffee while I play candy crush and do my morning stalk on Facebook.  I enjoy coming home after work and watching late night television on the boob tube. And I also enjoy the company of my wife while we run to town in hopes of winning it big at the gaming place.

So what would I be missing really? The shit I am to lazy to do at home would still be there for me when I got home only I wouldn’t have to spend hours in the car. Maybe one day I may think about expanding my shell….but for now…I am content with the economy size shell I live in. Besides....my motto has always been...its not the size of your shell that is important, but how you fit in it ...is. 

The Reality Of Getting OLD

Let’s face it….getting old sucks. It doesn’t suck to the point where you start hating life…it just sucks because so many things happen in your life that you never really thought about much.

I believe that life goes in stages…

Stage 1- (1-6 years old) You have your baby years where you get pampered because you there is no other way you can survive without it. You’re only  learning the very basics of life as you get pampered.…I know some who still get pampered and they are 50 but I’m talking about normal lives here.

Stage 2-(7-17 years old) Then you get in that annoying, awkward, clumsy, acne, puberty stage of life where you learn so many things about life but nothing to really prepare you for your later years. You are only living for the NOW. You haven’t gained any wisdom at this point yet.  Of course I know some 50 year olds that still don’t have wisdom but I’m still talking normal lives here.

Stage 3- (18-35 years old) this is the stage where you really think you have grabbed life by the balls and you’re running with it. Yes, you are still learning but really you are on top of the world at this point. You may have graduated college, got married, perhaps you had a couple kids and you are really starting to realize that Mom and Dad were right about a lot of things. And you start to think more like them.  And you start telling your children the same things they told you. “That will make you go cross-eyed” or “Don’t make me come in there”. But even at this point in your life you still haven’t been prepared for the later years in your life.

Stage 4- (36-49 years old) This is when you really think your hot shit….Your 40 now so you’re  considered in an old timer now….your  hair is gray or at least salt–n-pepper colored. You are in debt past your limit and you still have 20 years to pay on your two bedroom home. The kids are old enough that you don’t need a babysitter and you and your spouse start to spend more money on yourselves….oh wait….that was just a dream you had….actually you’re are spending all your money on the kids dancing lessons, gymnastics, hockey, piano lessons, or anything else they might want to do that you yourself never had the chance to do. Your grandpa or grandma may pass away during this stage of your life and you start thinking about life insurance. Your life starts to be a bit boring going to work every day but “you have to do what you have to do” (at least that what you tell yourself ) And you have been so busy living your life that you still haven’t learned a damn thing that will help you in your later years.

Final stage- (50-till your final breath)  Your now 50 something and you only have a few years left before retirement….but wait….you didn’t put away enough money in stages 3 & 4 so you wonder how you will ever retire. Deep down you know you won’t be able to afford it especially if you refinance your now 30 year home. This is the stage where you start blaming the government for everything…some justified…some not.  This is the stage in life when you really start to understand that perhaps you should have done things a bit differently.  It’s also the stage in life where you start to recognize that you may not even live long enough to retire.  You start to hear of some of your classmates and friends dying and you really wished you would have taken better care of yourself. In fact you start dreading the class reunion because you know you will see less and less people there each year. But it all comes together for you during this stage….you now have wisdom. Because you now know what you should have done in the past. Not only do you think of the past but you’re really looking closely at the future…..the near future. And perhaps you may wonder why no one prepared you for all this. But you also realize that you’re not alone…..everyone is like that….No one is prepared. Perhaps that’s the way it is supposed to be.  But the ironic thing and also the most important thing that you learn during this stage is the same thing that you have heard so many times before, and only NOW you get it ...…”Life Is Too Short”