Took My First Shots...

I was standing there at the kitchen counter cutting up carrots, onions and garlic when I happened to look out and see two fairly good sized deer having an afternoon snack of grass, leaves or whatever else they may be finding out there in the grass.

I debated... Wally wasn't home yet and I knew he would be coming down the driveway before too long. Should I risk taking the shot and possibly hit the truck or even worse, Wally? hmmmm the deer were so close and so without worry that I was really, really tempted. But good sense won out and I went back to making dinner.

Sure enough, here comes Wally down the driveway and the two deer took off into the woods. I kept putting dinner together while he told me all about his day. When I looked back out, there were those two deer again. Now I didn't have to worry about hitting the truck or Wally so the game was on.

Wally got the rifle for me and since it had already been loaded, all I needed were my earplugs. I walked off the porch and stood behind his truck but the deer were either too far for me to see clearly enough or it was getting too dark for the shot. They both fairly blended into the scenery and through that little sight, I couldn't see anything but brown. I don't have a scope on the rifle...

After trying to get her in my sights for a few minutes I gave up and went back over to the porch. I told him I could see the deer when I have both eyes open and I look down there but once I close one eye - I got nothing. Darn vision! We went back in and we were getting ready to finish up getting dinner ready when the deer walked back into the clearing and this time, even closer to the cabin. Again I got the gun and got the earplugs but this time I took my aim from our spare bedroom window. It may sound silly to shoot from comfort of our spare bedroom but it's really the perfect spot. The window comes down so that makes for a great place to rest the rifle and take aim. I'm not out walking through the leaves making a ruckus and the deer were right in line with where I was.What the heck, might as well use whatever help I can get at this point. I watched as she lifted her head to look around and then she put it back down. I took my shot. She stood still. She didn't fall over, she didn't run, she acted like the shot never even happened. I must have been way off... lol 

I'm sure some of you pro-Bambi people are probably glad that I missed the shot. However, if you do your homework you will learn that if the deer are not taken during hunting season, within 5 years they will completely double their population thereby putting themselves at risk for starvation. We're actually doing them a favor. By "we" I mean respectful hunters. I don't mean poachers who kill anything that walks no matter the age, sex or time of year. Trust me, I'm not like that at all.

So back to my evening...

I looked out there and she was still there, still standing in the same spot, still eating. What else could I do but take another shot? I took it and I missed again!!! I guess it wasn't meant to be. Still they kept eating and before long there were four of them up there munching away like me and my gun didn't even exist. Curses! Wally and I both laughed at what a "great white hunter" I turned out to be and then we cleaned up and got ready for dinner.

That was my big night of hunting. I suppose now that I know where they are going to be feeding, I could just set up my chair this afternoon and give it another shot... (ha ha pun intended) Maybe I'll try it with a scope so I can't use my poor vision as an excuse for missing two perfectly good shots. lol!!

Well the freezer didn't get filled with venison last night but we did have the Hamburger Buddy recipe again. It was just so so compared to the first time. I was missing the mushrooms and thyme and apparently they are two critical ingredients. They really make a big difference.

If you're looking to make the Hamburger Buddy Recipe, go to a website called everydayheath.com and search their healthy dinner recipes. It should come up for you there. I'd type it here but the list of ingredients is kind of long, even though most of it you'll have on hand, and I don't want to take up your available reading time. Or, if you really, really want it, I can find it on-line and email it to you. Be sure and get the whole wheat macaroni noodles (unless you have an aversion to wheat), they make a big difference in not just flavor but texture too.

It's good, wholesome, filling, comfort food. Perfect for a chilly fall evening after a near fatal deer hunting escapade... lol!

I did leave the gun loaded for tonight. It's waiting patiently on the bed in the spare bedroom along with my earplugs and binoculars. We wouldn't typically leave a loaded gun lying around the house but it's just the two of us and we both know it's there and it's loaded. We're careful so don't worry.

We watched Seinfeld, Archie and a couple episodes of Two and a Half Men and then hit the hay. It was 7:00. LOL It had been dark for almost 2 hours so that made it feel like it was much later. I thought it was about 8 or 8:30 anyway.

I didn't even want to come to work today because it's supposed to be sunny with a high of 72 degrees. I could get out there for a morning hunt when my vision is at its best and the deer are hungry from being down all night. But alas I got up, got dressed and left. Again they get a reprieve...Wally says I have what's called "buck fever." I don't think I'm that bad... YET!  :)  LOL

My thanks go out to all who helped me get points on the "No Texting While Driving" pledge. I noticed that I never got an acknowledgment from Ernie saying that she would pledge for me. Does this mean we have a driving texter out there putting us all in jeopardy on the roads???????   watch out for her folks, she's a crazy driver as it is without adding in text messaging!! LOL j/k

By the way, if I win one of the phones, Neccy already called it. lol you gotta be quick around here.

Me and the Rooster Thugs woke up at 3am again this morning. Wally says their timers are off. LOL I guess mine is too... I think I already told you about my idea to have them dig the holes for the bulbs I want to plant, right? I plan to just toss their scratch in the area I need dug up and let them go at it. They have the claws and persistence to carry out my plan so why not take advantage. They aren't about to stop scratching as long as there's corn to be found. Yesterday was their first attempt and they did a fine job. All the leaves were scratched out of the way which saved me from having to rake them and a little bit of the dirt was scratch up and cleared out of the way. A couple more days in the same spot and it will be bulb planting time for me :) Who needs a post hole digger and a shovel when you've got roosters around? lol!
Good work roosters :)

I know some of you get sick of reading about food but I'm still reading Connie's Mom's cookbook and this morning I came to the page with Popcorn Balls. Who can pass up a good popcorn ball? Not me! So here goes... "Discard all imperfect kernels and put the popped corn into a large pan. Cook sugar (1 cup), syrup (1/3 cup white corn) and water (1 cup) to the medium-crack stage (280 degrees). Add flavoring (1 tsp lemon or vanilla) and salt. Pour over the corn, stirring with a spoon so that all kernels will be evenly coated. Shape into balls, lay on waxed paper and wrap in waxed paper. How darn easy is that????????? and just in time for the holidays :)  You're welcome :) :) :)

November has proven to be a pretty good month to be in Tennessee. While the leaves have mostly fallen and the temperatures have become fickle, it's still nice enough to be outside and since the leaves have mostly fallen, I see things I couldn't when the woods were thick and green.

Yesterday on my way home, I saw two houses that I didn't even know existed. They are tucked into the woods and up on a hill. They are what you think of when you think of a nice, cozy, little shack in the woods. They are wood and they are painted white, they appear to be older. One has black shutters, the other has red. They both have tin roofs. On their porches are a couple chairs, stacks of firewood, possibly a little table and usually a dog or two. They look like exactly the kind of place where you would like to sit, put your feet up and watch the Mother Nature do her thing. You can bet I'm now on the look-out for more of these little treasures and I can't wait to see the smoke from the fireplace billowing up out of the chimney letting me know they are warm inside.

I forgot to tell you about the last basket for the 2010 growing season. Well it was loaded with goodies and I'm really going to miss all the fresh, good for me, organic vegetables that have come my way.

For the finale I got a nice, big, crisp head of Napa Cabbage. I plan to saute it with the bok choi and add red pepper strips, chicken strips, garlic and ginger. There were 4 or 5 Hakurei Turnips with the greens. The turnips will get mashed like last time with garlic, cream and black pepper. The greens will get rinsed over and over and I'll mix them with the mustard greens that were also in the basket and then they'll be bagged for the freezer until another time. I got a huge head of "Gourmet Lettuce" which has already and will continue to make up salads for my lunch along with the lettuce mix that was also in the basket. The lettuce mix breaks up the monotony a little bit as it is full of dandelion greens, arugula, spinach and a variety of other lettuces/greens. Lastly there was a nice bunch of green onions.

In all I truly enjoyed getting to know and support my farmer and her family. I especially liked having the Monday delivery to look forward to, helping support my community and thriving on the delicious fruits, vegetables and herbs that my basket brought me throughout the seasons. As my spring, summer and fall come to a close I've set my sights on winter and what the outdoor scenery will hold when it finally comes.

Already I'm looking to collect the tiny branches with the tiny pine cones still attached that fall when the winter winds pick up speed. I've got a bird feeder (the one Rebel tried to raid) and it's going to be moved to the front porch so it shines in the winter sunlight. I haven't had any birds visit it yet but everyone tells me they will. I've learned to be patient - if I feed them, the birds will come. I have plenty of cedar trees from which to trim the bottom branches and once trimmed up I'll set them around the cabin as an air freshener. aaaahhhhhhhh
I'll probably become very good friends with the library :)  

As days go by, we're enjoying the last of the Fall season with morning low temperatures that force us into coats, gloves and thick socks (well, me anyway) and afternoon high temperatures that have us shedding all of that in favor of a well worn t-shirt and jeans.

"Cabbage: a familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head."  ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary