Dead-Eye is Ready to Hunt
As Lisa told Jack he would be coming up the weekend before last, Jack told his mother that he knew this weekend would be the weekend that Cody let him shoot the .243.
Of course, he was right. Jack has been bred a hunter. Cody and Jack fed the deer when he was just a little guy. Poor Jack, at the age of 2-4 thought that seeing deer was as easy as throwing corn out for them. It almost always worked for him. In the past three or so years, Jack has begun to shoot. Starting, at first, of course, with a Daisy Red Rider. Last year he began using the .22 and a .17.
As Cody took Jack with him to the deer stand this year, they discussed that Jack was ready to try the .243. And, that shooting the .243 meant Jack could shoot a gun with enough power in order to actually hunt deer or hogs. Jack couldn’t wait. But he had to wait. They couldn’t shoot at the lease during deer season.
So, along came the first weekend he’s been up since deer season ended. He and Cody went out along with some friends to shoot. From what I’m told Jack did quite well with the .243. He also shot some sorta pistol and one shot with the .410 single shot. Lisa and I stayed home but Jack kept us informed of how it was going with a couple of texts:
Cody said they were down there looking at the laundry detergent bottle when the cap to the bottle finally came down from the sky- perfectly in tact.
(OK, so it was just pictures. Mind you, not a big fan of him having the phone at the deer lease but loved knowing how it went. . . ah, texting in an 11 year old’s world)
Monday, because we were all off, we went out the deer lease for another round of target practice. So, of course, I had my camera. It was strictly the .22 and .243 this time. And it was more real life hunting situation. Cody had Jack shoot coke cans, a water bottle and the remaining portion of a case of cokes from inside the deer blind.
Jack’s a great shot and amazed even Cody. It’s great that Jack is a dead-eye and I get a real kick out of the confidence boost that it gives him. One thing is clear, this year Jack will get an opportunity to hunt for deer himself this year. He’s ready! He’s been bred for this.
When the Rains Came. . .
Yesterday morning, as I do so many Saturdays, I went ahead and got out of bed early only to return to bed later and catch a little more rest. Yesterday morning, I remember noting just how bright it was in our bedroom when I crawled back into bed. I remember thinking of all the things that Iwanted to get done. I felt productive and the day seemed filled with promise.
As I laid in bed, I guess the clouds came out. With Cody’s arms around me, I realized just how long it had been since we had a morning where we could just stay in.
Then, the rains came. All hopes of being productive went out the window. We wound up sleeping the better part of the day away. But, I realized just how much we needed that time. In fact, my day was productive but it wouldn’t couldn’t been seen by the looks of my house, or yard, or even on my computer. But, I knew better.
After we rolled out of bed, I walked on the treadmill and then took my shower. Because we hadn’t thawed anything out, we decided to go out to eat. As the sunset on our way into town, we both remarked at how wonderful our day had been. We needed yesterday. I thought about how glad I was that Cody had not gone to the deer lease and that my plans for the day had changed when I crawled back into bed.
It’s a Girl!
or perhaps a boy! I don’t know, but it’s a baby. I do know that for sure. . .
A baby calf that is! One of the great things about where we live is that we have several different ways to get just about anywhere. Our favorite way is the back way though time often doesn’t permit us to go that way as much as we’d like.
Yesterday, after I mailed that CK kit, we ended up taking one of slower routes home. Then, we came across a train. So, so sad, we had to go the back way home. I had not yet taken my picture of the day so it worked out great. We’d seen a baby calf the other day so I was hoping we’d see another.
Sure enough, we got to see this little guy (or gal) and his momma. Momma let us get pretty close and didn’t seem to be as nervous as most Momma cows. So, I was able to get several shots. Of course, we didn’t stay long because we really didn’t want to disturb them.
Opportunities to see little bundles of joy like this are just one of the many little pleasures of getting to drive the backroads to our house.
God’s Blessings
This beautiful woman, Mandy, and her husband Billy are expecting a baby girl soon. Cody and I could not be happier for them.
Billy is our best college friend, Bennie’s, little brother. When we moved back up here to East Texas we lived with Bennie for quite some time with Billy and his parents just down the road. We became really close to Billy in that time. We often wonder why we ever moved from that little bit of heaven. We so miss being close to them.
Billy married Mandy who he started dating back when we lived out there. I’m so glad we get to hang out with her. She’s been a great friend and she’s super easy to talk to.
Unfortunately, they shared many of the same struggles that we did with infertility. We’re super thankful that their path took a different turn than ours. It was great to get to celebrate that this month at the baby shower. I know their baby girl will be so blessed. These are parents that know just how lucky they are.
I can’t wait to meet their precious baby. . . and to find out what her name will be.
3-Day, 365 Raffle Winner
I’ve shipped the CK Kit of the Month raffled off today. It’s off to my favorite state. . . my home state. It’s also the home of Tina who won the kit. Congrats again Tina! I’m so excited that someone else will get to enjoy this kit.
I’m also so appreciative of all the support given to Lisa and I for our 3-Day walk. While our fundraising and training work is far from over, it’s off to a great start. Once again, thanks to all who participated in this raffle by either donating or spreading the word.