30 years of vacation a husband and Hunter

I am writing tonight with little Belle curled up at my feet and a fine cigar. Thinking back over this past week of another great week of vacation. This is the thirtieth year of having this week off an the last time that I will be taking the whole week off , at best a couple of days only. I will be taking more time in October and staying on the farm. My week began with a wonderful dinner with my family over for Thanksgiving, with Mom , my sister's Lisa and Jennifer and their families and my Uncle Ken. Then on Friday Kenny Ray and I went on our second annual pheasant hunt, and once again the little boy put it on the old man. He made me so proud of him with his shot selection and his accuracy , the guides were impressed as well. As that same morning they had an accident with a eight year old boy who shot one of their best dogs that morning, and they are now considering no longer letting kids hunt there. It would be a shame this is the first time in over thirty years of hunting that I have seen such a accident. Kenny Ray and went to the farm after the hunt and on Saturday, Kenny Ray fixed baked pheasant with sauteed mushrooms onions and celery, with bake potatoes and a salad. Over the weekend we were joined by my father-in-law and brother-in-law and his two sons and my cousin, all of whom came down for the deer gun season.

                            On opening day Monday Kenny Ray and I hit the point together I seen a doe but did not get a shot. After about two hours we got up and began to back toward the cabin slowly trying to sneak up on some deer, when we came to briar thicket at a small white oak that Kenny Ray killed his first squirrel, he motioned to me to watch the lower end as he busted the thicket and just has he started thru something jumped and took off and what I seen took me by surprise a big coyote the first I have seen on the farm in twenty four years I have heard them howling at night but never seen one. On Tuesday morning I awoke with the ground covered in snow and chose not to hunt as I was going back to Dayton , to take my wife Tari out to supper for thirtieth wedding anniversary. I spent the morning out by the pond with my father-in-law Richard Boninsegna, we burnt trash and smoked a cigar while we watched Belle play in her first snow. I believe she enjoys the farm just as much as I do, she evens heads to the truck went let out to use the potty, looks up to me with ears perked up, like she is saying come on old man open the door and get driving.
                   On Wednesday Kenny Ray and I went duck hunting for the first time. I had posted on Greene county fish and game web site that we were looking for someone to take and show us the rope's, as I have never done any duck hunting. Fellow member Shane Davis called and said he would be happy to take us.
We arrived at C.J. Brown reservoir at four thirty am and took a boat ride and set up and just as if planned just after daylight two hooded merganser's came in and only one left, the little boy got his first duck a hen with one shot. A little while latter a drake flew in and the old man busted it. and then Shane got himself a drake. We only killed three ducks but we seen lots of birds and had a good time and are hooked, I can not thank Shane enough and neither can my taxidermist. I had planned on going back to the farm Thursday, to continue deer hunting, but I woke that morning with a cold and decided to stay in Dayton, as I don not like going to the doctor and letting them robe me. I am going to have to finish as Belle is chewing on my toe's and demanding my attention, her and I will go to the family room and turn on the western channel and see what is on.

Dad we are home

 

We have been busy around the farm this October cutting firewood and mowing around the farm. Kenny Ray his friend Matt and Shane and I finally built are dock/ deck on the pond I have planned it for two years. It was also a lesson for the boys on simple construction and how to hit your thumb with a hammer. Shane and I overseen the framing and the turned it over to the boys to put the decking on.

Kenny Ray had to be the first test pilot / cannonball , he and Matt tested it repeatedly and they even were able to trash talk Shane into flight. I have since installed two solar lamps and Kenny Ray is now able to run his remote control boat at night. Kenny Ray has also started taking his meals there and he continues to say Dad , I love my dock only wished we would have built it sooner. I am lucky that Kenny Ray loves the farm as much as I , for the last two Sundays when I have said son it is time to get ready and go home, his reply has been Dad we are home and I am never leaving

                                                                              

It is time to hit the woods again

It is Monday September 17 and 5 a.m. breakfast is over and I am trying to get caught up on some writing. I would rather be putting on my hunting pants this morning but I have to wear trained monkey clothes and go into the office.But before I go i will drink another cup of coffee and write some. Hunting season 2012 started in the great state of Kentucky , the opening of deer bow season on September 1. I was joined by my son Kenny Ray , my mother Pearlie she did not hunt she spent time with her brothers Bob and Earl and sister Monnell. I was also joined by Uncle Ken he spent time with his sister Mary and brother E.C. and I spent most of my time at the Brewer farm, 226 acres of home.
 On opening morning I had a deer come within about 40 yards but I was winded and the deer went to blowing and stomping it's feet at me but never let me see if it was a buck or doe in two and half days all we seen was turkey's and they never got within range as always.
The last remaining barn on the farm is about to be taken down as it took allot of damage back in the spring from the large hail. I spent my dinner time in the barn thinking back to all the work filled days and jokes and laughter that was done there thru the last 75 or 80 years. I cut some of the siding off the barn to bring back , to make a picture frame and to decorate inside of my cabin. I just found out this week after having some of it planed it is Chestnut and it looks very nice.
I took September 6 off from work to bring Squirrel season in and spend some time with Uncle Ken.

I had a perfect start to the Ohio season I was six for six , seen six squirrel's shot six times and six pieces of meat on my belt and back to my truck by 10 a.m. I split them with Uncle Ken . He stewed and made gravy with his on Friday and I fried mine. This past weekend was a work weekend Kenny Ray and I had to bring down new couch for the cabin on Friday. I was planning on burning the old one but Kenny Ray said  no dad let's put out by the pond like that couch in the movie Grumpy Old Men . Well as you see in the above photo the couch for now is by the pond and Uncle Ken and I both
relaxing after cutting firewood all day Saturday, we were both to tired to fish. On Sunday I decided to hunt that morning and had another good bushy tail hunt , not perfect but good I seen seven on the ground and killed three, I gave them all to Uncle Ken and I think he going to cook them today for him and is great granddaughter  for supper. Kenny Ray and I put up my tree stand Sunday afternoon and just farted around in the woods. We got back to the cabin around two thirty and he took a nap on the couch and I sat on the porch with a  cup of coffee and listened to the Reds  game on the radio in between snores. So far in the season deer 0 squirell's 9

Dad, those Swamp People have nothing on us

Kenny Ray got back last night after spending three days in Appalachain American heaven, the farm in Bainbridge. We went fishing Friday afternoon fishing after spending the morning with my cousin Lester. Lester came down that morning to visit and he brought down his deer mount to hang on the wall above the fireplace , it is in Ohio big bucks record book and was taken just below my pond. That afternoon Kenny Ray and went over to the river and fished up until dark. River fishing is new to Kenny Ray he has to learn to deal with the current. I did manage to catch one Saugeye. On Saturday Kenny Ray rode the four wheeler while I mowed around the pond, he finally grabbed a fishing rod around nine thirty am and staretd catching some small large mouth about five of them which he released. We then decided to try and fish my neibors pond which he has told me for the last five years and I have never taken the time to do so. Now from my pond it is only about a hundred yards thru the woods. I do not think this pond has been fished in ten or twenty years to my knowledge as the banks are all grown up and it is very difficult to casy and is covered in ant hills about two feet high where you can cast.but boy does it ever have fish. just as fast as you would cast the bobber would disappear. We caught and kept ten fish and I think we released twenty nice Bluegill. I had been promising Kenny Ray a fish fry like I used to do over a open fire.
As we sat around the fire talking and watching the fish fry Kenny Ray said Dad what about some frog legs I told him not tonight as frog season was not in yet but he could try and catch some if wanted to. He grabbed my spotlight and hit the banks and managed to catch one bull frog with his hands which totally amazed me. He turned the frog loose washed up and we ate some nice fish for supper, as we were eating we heard a splash behind us , it was his fishing pole going into the water as we forgot the pole he baited and cast out. We laughed and Kenny Ray said Dad those Swamp People have nothing on us.
It started raining on us around midnight and we called it an evening and went back to the cabin.
I woke around five am and it was pouring a rain , I got up turned on the coffee pot and sat out on the porch and listened to the rain hitting the metal roof, as it got daylight the fog began to roll in from the valley below and thru the woods and in the disatance I could hear a turkey gobble. about eight I ran out of coffee in the first pot and decide it was time for sausage and eggs . Kenny Ray got up and we cleaned up around the cabin , went out and Kenny Ray added some new sugar syrup to his bees{ which I thought were mine} and headed back to Dayton in the rain.

Dryland fish/Morel mushrooms

Kenny Ray and I took some time out from working on the farm yesterday to go look for some dry land fish. it was a beautiful sun filled spring day. We started in the woods just below the cabin, I have never had a whole lot of luck when it came to finding Morels, always to late or to early in the season as I hunted them in my spare time which is has hard to find as the mushrooms. But this year the waitress at Timbers told they were just starting to be found as some of the customers were just beginning to tel what they were finding. Kenny Ray and I finished opening up my new spot for my Honey bees, which I have decided to keep again after a few years of not having any fresh honey. The fish had been fed and all that was left was to burn some trash and cut two loads of firewood for the day. Kenny Ray was more than ready to take a break from working. I walked over the same ground as in years past searching the same wood lot checking around Ash, hickory, elm under all the May apple and just when I was about to quit and back to cutting wood and there at my left foot was the gold at the end of the rainbow. I looked to my left and there was more and then to might right even more. I yelled at Kenny Ray and he was more excited than I. As we pinched them off at the ground, we talked about everything that a person needed could be provided on a small farm and woodlot, food as in wild game berries, nuts , dry land fish and poke salad. Dad what is Poke salad ? Kenny Ray asked.

Son that is another lesson Dad will be teaching in a a few weeks.