My WIldlife Viewing Tower

Between spinal stenosis, leukemia, and being sick more often than not from my medications, I just can't get around very well anymore.  If I am on soft ground I can stand up for maybe 20 minutes.  If I am in the house, I may go ten, but if I am on a hard floor like in Walmart or Lowes, five is the best I can do.  I either take my wheelchair of use one of their supplied motorized buggies.  It sure beats sitting in the truck while my wife is getting groceries.  

As some of you know, I live in the mountains.  My land is steep and thick with pines and mountain laurel.  It is hard enough to get around on if one is healthy, but in my shape I can't do it.  Not on foot, anyway.  

My property had been logged before I bought it, and there are logging roads going all over the place.  I can get a truck some places, but mostly I use my Honda Rubicon ATV.  It is my "Hov-a-round" for my property.  I still can't get everywhere, but without it, I would be stuck at the house all the time.  I just would not be very happy if I could not get up on a ridge and look around some once in a while.

I even built a special structure on my place so I could enjoy the woods any time I want.  Actually, my wife, daughter and two nephews built it for me.  I can't do that kind of stuff anymore.  All I can do is supervise, and sometimes the supervised don't like me super imposing my managing skills.  So, nobody likes the boss.  Who cares?  HA!  

Anyway, at the top is a picture of my favorite place on my property.  It is my tower stand.  Since I cannot climb a ladder anymore, a walkway was installed.  All I have to do is drive up, park, step onto the walkway, meander about twelve feet into my tower, and take a seat.  Most of the time I can not sit there very long as my back succumbs to the pain of sitting on the chair, but what little time I can be there is very enjoyable.  I should have made it big enough for a recliner!  I also should have made the door and the walkway big enough for a wheelchair in the even I won't be able to walk at all one day.  As I keep getting worse, I feel that is a probability.

 I have seen lots of deer while sitting in my tower blind.  I have also watched coyotes, raccoons, grouse, and all kind of birds.  Turkeys like to come through there occasionally, but I have not seen any there yet since we built the stand a couple years ago.  I just have not been there at the right time.  Below is a picture I took recently from inside the blind.  That is a piece of netting in the top right corner.   You can see the poplars getting some green leaves and the red buds are flowering.  I do not know why the are called red bud.  They should be called pink bud.  But I didn't name them.  I just like looking at it.  

A Modern Day Mountain Man

My family comes from a long line of mountain folk.  Being in the mountains is in our blood.  We just can't get situated on level ground, and nothing will get us lost faster than a big flat section of land.  That is scary stuff!  In the mountains, however, we are right at home.  It is next to impossible to get lost in the mountains, but if it happened, we would not care.  Many a time I have just laid down where ever I was at and went to sleep.  Get up the next morning and off I go again.  

When I was nineteen years old, I bought a small cabin on an acre of private land in the heart of a wilderness area.  I moved into it and lived there alone until I was almost 28 years old.  I did have a few dogs during that time, and I had two cats once.  Other than that, I was on my own.  There was a girl or two who tried to impress upon me they would be good living companions, but I did not have time for any of that stuff.  Anybody could get a girlfriend.  Not everyone was free as a chicken on Sunday like I was, and there were plenty of jealous guys who wish they could live the life I had.

 I hunted, fished, and searched for various kinds of edible mushrooms and berries to live off of.  I have even eaten cattails.  Believe it or not, it tastes much like corn on the cob.  Sort of tough though if you pick it too late.  Sometimes, however, when you live off the land you got to take what you can get. 

I had a topographic map of the area on the wall in my cabin.  By the time I moved out there was not a place on that map that was not highlighted which indicated everyplace I ever walked.  Or climbed.  Or waded, or swam.  I loved living in those mountains.  Every hollow was like a room in my house.  Every stream was my water fountain.  Every high place like being on the roof of the world.  I walked the old logging roads at night talking to the Lord all year round unless the weather got too bad.  Eventually it always does get plumb terrible on that north facing slope during the winter.  The sun hits the ground there very little then.  Snow and ice lays heavy on the ground for weeks, even months; and the temperatures in that area are at least ten degrees colder than anywhere else in that county.  Makes it nice in the summer though.  

I left out after living there almost nine years.  I reckon the Lord done did all the work He could do on shaping me up in that neck of the woods, so He had me move down to the evil village.   My dad, mom, and two of my four brothers had bought a place in the adjoining county and moved there.  Yes, it was in the mountains.  I started going to church out there in that valley, and the next thing I knew I was an assistant pastor and married!  We bought us a place next to my family, and I have been living here ever since.  It is almost the same scenario as where I lived in that cabin.  A big mountain behind me, a big mountain in front, with ridges and hollows running all over.  The house sits on the North facing slope and the snow and ice lay heavy on the ground for weeks or months at a time.  I still hunt, fish, and look for mushrooms and berries.   Only difference between here and where I used to live is I can be at Walmart in thirty minutes.  I like it here. 

A Touch of Springtime Color

After a horrible winter things are beginning to green up around here.  It is about time!   I got so tired of being stuck in the house with a foot of snow on the ground for two solid months.  I did not think spring would ever arrive.  It is here, however, and the bitter memories of  February and March are fading away.  It it time to enjoy the sunshine and the flowers.  

My wife took these pictures of some flowers that are blooming around the yard.  I really like the lilac with the Monarch butterfly sitting on it.  The aroma of lilacs is my favorite of any flower.   My favorite all round flowers are tulips.  My wife planted a bunch of them here and there around the property.  Speaking of tulips, the pink flower pictured above is supposed to be one.  If so, it is certainly not the typical type of tulip I am familiar with.  It is pretty though.

I hope you are able to get outside and enjoy the plants and flowers as they resurrect from their hibernation.  

My Puppy has a First Name, It's...

We finally settled on a name for our new German Shepherd female puppy.  Her name is Erin.  She is getting a little more animated everyday revealing new personality traits.  Mainly, she is a little stinker.  

I took her to the vet the other day for vaccinations. The veterinarian said she is healthy which is always a good thing.  I hope we can get her fully inoculated before anything bad happens. This area is notorious for Parvo.  

She is eating her Puppy Chow, but seems to like the big dog's food better.  It is funny to watch her eating out of the adult dog's bowls as they will not go near her while she is eating.  It seems they cannot figure out what she is exactly.  They are slowly getting used to her, and Cody, my big male GSD is beginning to play with her a little.  The picture below right is of Cody running across the yard.  He is beginning to fill out now at three years of age.  He is such a good boy, and he loves kids.  He has even tried to get on the school bus a couple of times!  

The last picture is of Nicky, Cody and Erin together.  It is hard to believe Erin will grow into a big dog like the other two.      

Professional Refinishing

One thing I feel fortunate about is having many friends in various parts of the country.  So, if I can't think of anything to write about concerning myself, I can always tell good things about someone else.  Dave Hawksford is one of those people who I think a lot of.  He is a jolly fellow, easy going, and we enjoy poking fun at each other.  Dave is also a very talented guy.  He is an artist, and his wildlife drawings and paintings are simply beautiful.  Using colored inks and brushes, his skill is phenomenal.  After watching him bring some waterfowl to life on canvas I had to give it a try.  I am pretty good at drawing myself, but I learned that ink and brush art was not as easy as he made it look!   You should check out Dave's blog and see some of his work.  The address is:  http://colonialrestorationstudio.blogspot.com  and the blog is called Inks of Passion.  

Dave is also the owner of Colonial Restoration Studio in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  If you are in need of furniture restoration, Colonial Restoration Studio is the place to get it done.  Dave offers several services.  Some of these services include chair caning, hand stripping, faux finishes, murals, veneering and marquetry.  He even offers artifact and painting restoration.  To learn more about his business go to www.colonialrestorationstudio.com  

Dave began his career after becoming an art major.  He also learned painting conservation from a painting instructor in college as a side study.   Dave started off painting murals and faux around the country in the DC area, then went into the refinishing business in the 80's.

Yes, old Dave is a talented individual, but he is a down to earth kind of guy as well.  I'm proud to have him for a friend.  

Hooked For Life Ministries

Ten years ago Trevor Ruble was working part time for the Virginia Department of Fish and Game’s fishing division as a contract writer and trainer.  The job entailed writing curriculum and traveling around the state to train fishing educators.  It was a cool job, and he really enjoyed meeting new people and working with them.

Then Trevor was asked to work for them full time.  “It was a great opportunity,” Trevor explained, “but I felt God tugging at me to create materials churches could use instead.  I was sitting in an interview for the state job, which was more a formality than anything, and I felt the Spirit telling me this was not where He wanted me to be.”  The game department had already told Trevor he had the job, but he knew God had another purpose.  “I know it sounds crazy to some,” he said, “but I wanted to do what would honor God.  Working with the state I would not have been able to do that.”

So Trevor declined the job offer and started a fishing ministry called Hooked For Life Ministries.  His training as a teacher, his love for fishing, and experience writing fishing curriculum laid the foundation for creating the HFL materials for churches.  Using the Hooked for Life materials, churches across the United States are reaching kids and adults through fishing.  As the HFL website indicates, fishing and faith share many characteristics.  One reason why Hooked For Life has been so successful in reaching many souls is because fishing is not considered a church activity, which can open doors to those who may have had unpleasant experiences in formal religious settings.   

Trevor is uncomfortable taking the credit for the success of Hooked For Life Ministries.  “The way I see it, “he says, “HFL belongs to God.  I just feel honored that He used me and allows me to be a part of it.”  As a personal friend of Trevor’s, I feel honored that God has allowed me to know such a wonderful person and witness the work Trevor and others around the country are doing to win souls for Christ.  

To learn more about Hooked For Life check out the website at www.hookedforlife.org.   You can also contact Trevor personally through the site if you or someone you know would like to be part of a unique and growing outreach for the Lord.

Jeff

What Else Could He Be But A Communist?

I read in the news where an Oregon teacher is being investigated by his school for misconduct after making statements he would disrupt and disband the Tea Party at all costs.  Seems he does not like the idea of anyone protesting big government.  

You know, I can understand (a tiny bit) that someone may not agree with all of the Tea Party philosophy, but to hate the movement to the point of trying to disrupt or discredit it is beyond my understanding.  The main premise of the organization is to promote our constitutional freedoms.  If you are against that there is only one thing I can conclude:  You may be a citizen, but you are not an American.  You must be a communist.