Turkeys 1 /Hunter 0

Here is the flooded woods just South of where I was hunting. We got a lot of rain the weeks before the hunting season.

Thursday morning marked the first day of 4th turkey season. I was the one of the lucky ones to get a tag for this season and was excited about my first year of turkey hunting. The first morning when I walked in I did see one turkey out in the bean field and as I walked to where I wanted to set up my decoys, he walked into the woods and was gone. I heard a few turkeys in the distance gobbling but they seemed like miles away. I tried a few set ups but nothing seemed to work out. About 10:30am I sat down to eat a few snacks that I had packed along. Ever so often I would hit the slate call and just listen for a response. After a few minutes I hit the slate call and heard a call back. At first I actually thought it was another hunter calling back at me but in a few seconds the sight of 5 turkeys rounded the corner of the woods. I got excited as they walked by just out of range and off into the woods. If I had known this would be my only sighting of the elusive birds I might have tried to take a shot then but I waited to try to get them in closer. I did manage to get a few pictures while out in the woods. I also got some video footage of the turkeys I did see. Friday started out slow and it just went down hill from there. The wind kicked up and I couldn't hear anything in the woods. I called the hunt off early making it back to the house before 10am. Friday afternoon we ventured North to Baylee Ella's B'day party but that s another post. Saturday morning I again got up dark and early to make the half mile walk to where the turkeys live. As I walked to the woods I heard 2 bunches of turkeys and made the wrong decision on which one to go after. The ones closer to me were across the large ditch marking the Eastern property boundary. Other than being a feeding station for hundreds of mosquitoes, I heard a few gobbles but that was it. The wind was already blowing and as the sun came up it just got worse. I called my friend to get the forecast for tomorrow and was informed that the forecast gave for wind gusts of up to 21 miles an hour for Sunday so I decided to call the turkey hunting season over. We returned home and have settled in to relax the rest of the day but tomorrow holds laundry and mowing.

Here is a furry friend that helped entertain me while setting in the woods.

Hot on the trail of this critter . Unfortunately I was too far away for a shot.

One of the signs that the turkeys has been here. The trees in the area were a bare of leaves around their bases. Another sign that turkeys have been there.

This is me in hunting mode. I set this shot up with a timer and hurried into position for the shot. The ladder behind me is Needle's Uncle "B" deer stand. This is the stand I harvested both of my deer last year.

The 2009 Turkey hunting season is over and I wish I would have had a little more luck but we will see if there will be a 2010 season for me.

I BOUGHT IT....

I waited as long as I could stand it.

Thanks Bart!

About a month ago a "so called friend" called and asked about digital cameras. I told him what I knew about them, which wasn't much, and told him that going from film to digital would be a dream. It really hammers on the immediate gratification thing that I love. Anyway he was trying to select a nice camera and so he started doing research. He ended up with this little beauty and already had the lenses so all he needed was the camera body. A few days later he had purchased his first digital SLR and a few days after that he was taking shots of critters (bald eagles) to his delight. Why within the first week of owning his camera one of his photos was published on a Southern Illinois Tourism website with credit to him. All in all I seemed unfazed by this whole ordeal and then one day out of the blue I found myself thinking about my friends camera. OK there is a little back story here so let me add. Just after he got his camera he wanted me to come over and show him how to use the new digital crack infested pry it out of my fingers because I wanted to take it home camera. After a few hundred shots that seemed to be a little off we traced the issue down to a faulty 2x telephoto lens. Anyway after we removed that we were snapping pictures left and right that made me think and like and crave....Maybe a little too much. Telling my friend about our upcoming vacation wasn't any help when he offered to let me take the camera with me...Did he not know that if I took this camera with me I would probably never return and he would never see his new camera ever again... Now back to the story and the reason for the title of my post. I have now begun stalking the same camera on eBay and have pretty much decided that I will be purchasing one shortly. The only problem now is that later next week I will be turkey hunting and if I order the cocaine camera now it will be most likely delivered when I am gone. No way am I letting this item set on the front porch for more than a few hours. Anyway my friend started looking for a new camera and now has flung me head first into camera lust. Hmmm this seems like a similar story that happened between Jenny from the Blog and Needlefingers. You should ask Needles about it. Have a great weekend everyone. Especially you Bart... Can I come over and visit the camera.....please?

A Step Into The Future.

For what seems like an eternity the small hospital I work at has been working on a long needed upgrade in my dept. It has been a lot of hard work, not by me but by mostly my boss to get this project off the ground and moving in the right direction. It was scary a few times and I was afraid we weren't moving in the direction that we needed to but finally a decision was made and we got back on track and headed down the path to get this project approved only to have several more hurdles thrown up in front of us just moments from the finish line. I got an email from my boss last night that stated we have cross the finish line and now the work to implement new and better technology will hopefully be the only issue we have to deal with. I am excited as to what this will mean for the department with streamlining work flow for all involved. I am glad we are finally making that step into a filmless future.

A Windy Easter Weekend.

Last night Needles and I started our preparations for Easter and no Easter is complete without coloring eggs. So we started with a couple dozen.

Then we got the color tablets dissolving in vinegar.

Going for a quick dip.
Here is a picture of one dozen of the final product.

All we need now is the Easter Bunny and family.

Today Needles and I packed up and went South to have Easter with her family. We enjoyed Ham Ala Kristi with cabbage slaw, al gratin potatoes, asparagus casserole, deviled eggs and home made rolls. For dessert we had raspberry pretzel salad. It was a very good and of course I ate too much. The sky started to cloud up so I thought we better head home because I had 2 lawns to mow and a load of laundry to do before my head can hit the pillow. Here are a couple pictures I took while walking about today.

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter.

Weekend Reflection.

As you read in my previous post we went to Fine Dining Friday last Friday but what happened the rest of the weekend? Saturday, Needles and I slept in per her B'day request and then lounged around the house in our PJ's until Rudy, Brando and the Funky Bunch stopped by to invite us out to eat with them for. We scrambled to get dressed in clothes more suitable for public viewing and off to the Trace Inn we went. Needles had the Blackened Salmon and I had the Catfish. Thanks Rudy and Brando for treating us to a lovely B'day meal. It was very good. After dinner we were invited to visit at Rudy and Brando's and watched a movie. On tap was Changeling... It was a good movie but the subject matter was depressing and to think this actually happened to someone is horrible. Sunday morning we woke up around 7:30am and thought I would sleep a bit more. When I opened my eyes around 8:30am I thought it was 8:30pm. It was almost dark outside with the storms approaching. We headed South to Needles Mom's house for her B'day party with her family. Pork steak and Sauerkraut was on the menu and we had a nice visit with her family while the rain poured down outside and before long it was time to return home. Sunday afternoon was time to catch up on laundry in preparation for the return to the work week. I hope everyone had a nice weekend, even though the weather wasn't so nice.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Fine Dining Friday

Today after work I drove over to the big city and meet Needles at work. We had a dinner date. A fine dining Friday dinner date. The menu was Cream of Broccoli Soup w/ Tillamook Cheese Salad Mixed Field Greens tossed with Crumbled Bleu Cheese, Glazed Walnuts, & Balsamic Vinaigrette. Your choice of Herb Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Washington Caramelized Apples & Sweet Onions or Baked Tilapia and Shrimp En Papollote with Julienne of Fresh vegetable Served with Roasted Red Potato and your choice of Iced Tea, Lemonade, or Coffee. Dessert was Creamy Blackberry Marbled Cheesecake. Needles had the fish and I the chicken. Needles said hers was rather bland. The chicken was OK but sweet with the apples and onions which is not really my taste. After the meal we returned home to collapse on the couch and enjoy the start of hopefully and very long and relaxing weekend. Have a good weekend everyone.

Quick Weekend and Vacation Planning.

Friday after another busy day at work Needles and I had plans to head South to visit Cynical and Ragged. We arrived around 5:30pm and was greeted warmly by our hosts and soon to be co-vacationers. The first thing on the agenda was to get our belly's full and we weren't disappointed. Cynical's homemade lasagna and salad. For dessert was yellow cake with chocolate icing ala mode. Yummy. After our hunger pains were gone we settled in and visited to catch up on current events and also to make reservations for one of the legs of our upcoming vacation. The second day of our visit we enjoyed fresh baked blueberry muffins and fresh fruit to appease our belly's until lunch were we enjoyed the Shogun. As always they did not disappoint. On the way home a few stops allowed us to walk around and settle our fully stomachs. That evening we had some weather move in and tornado sirens blared a few times. With heavy rains and hail the size of marbles we were glad the worst of it moved on by.We started to play a few games of Yahtzee and then a craving for a Blizzard from the DQ overtook us and out the door we went in search for ice cream. When we returned home it was time for Earth Hour so we played the final game of Yahtzee by lantern light. This morning we were treated to a fritata ala Cynical with fresh fruit and fresh coffee. Before long it was time to head back home and the weekend is again too short. Thanks Cynical and Ragged for a enjoyable weekend and I wish the weather would have been more conducive for porch setting.

VACATION PLANS:
The first leg of the vacation for us will be arriving at Cynical and Raggeds home for the first night and then we will be up with the chickens to head out to Ashville, North Carolina where we will be staying at Cumberland Falls Bed & Breakfast in the Daydream Room. After visiting with Ragged's family and attending LEAF we will be moving on down the road to our next destination. Our second destination is Washington D.C. and we will try to see as many museums and monuments that we can fit into our limited visit. We will be staying at The Intown Uptown Inn in the Corleone room. After 4 nights there we will be on the third leg of our trip and heading the direction of home. We plan to find something along the way with no set plans and if we want to drive more or less then it will be optional. The final day will be returning to Cynical and Raggeds and the return drive home. I am excited that Cynical and Ragged has invited us along for vacation and birthday party with her family. We now have our reservations and before we know it will be time to go. Its just a few weeks away. I can't wait.

PS. Hope the hand is better Cynical.

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A few winds. A little marble size hail. Alot of rain. Otherwise OK.

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Do they look happy enjoying their vacation... I know he looks happier.

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More Storm Damage Pictures From Kentucky.

Enjoying the outdoors.

This weekend even though it was a little on the brisk side has been nice for some bird watching. Around noon I received a call from my friend wanting to know if I wanted to go to Mt. C to look for the eagles. I haven't been down there for awhile so I thought I would tag along. We arrived around 2 o'clock and the initial drive though seemed fruitless until we spotted a rather large bird just over the ridge. It was a large golden eagle soaring into the area I started snapping picture before he even got close enough to see him on the screen of the camera. I would have to say that my camera doesn't have much of a zoom but for what it is I got some decent pics.

This is a golden eagle in flight.

This is a bald eagle soaring on a windy day.

The bald eagles nest. The female is on but is down in the nest. This image was taken through a binocular.
This is what the nest looks like from the road. The nest is about the size of a mid size car.

This is the golden eagle at one of his favorite perch.

A few deer grazing off almost to the tree line.

One of the nice things that is new to the area is a viewing platform that was built for bird watching.

The view.

Neat looking tree.

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Bad weather in Mt Erie. High winds and heavy rain.

This was a picture taken with my cell phone. From reports coming in it looks like there wasn't a tornado but some severe straight line winds. Some reports stating 90 mph plus. About 30 minutes after this picture was taken I was standing at the back door of "L's" house and watching the rain when I first heard a loud "SNAP" and then a flash of lightning and the power went out for about 3 seconds. After the storm moved out we went outside and a limb in the tree just outside the door I was standing by was black and looked burnt. A little too close for comfort.

Another Weekend Post.

Today Needles and I awoke somewhat earlier than our usual weekend schedule. After lounging away most of the morning we decided we needed to go to town to pick up a few groceries and some medication since Needles is still getting over the crud. We must have needed more than what we thought or we were hungry because before we knew it our grocery cart was about 3/4 full to the top. After we hauled our items to the car we stopped at our second destination and again did a pretty good job of filling the cart. For just needing a few items we pretty much filled the trunk of the car. I guess we wont need to go grocery shopping for a week or two now. I need to do laundry next. Yuck...

Were Back.

After an all too short 3 day weekend, we are back from the promise land. After we arrived Friday we had a late supper and settled in and visited with my Mom and Dad until late in the evening. The next day my Aunt "R" came over a prepared homemade pizzas. She made 1 sausage, and 2 supreme and they were all very good. Sunday was the day of my cousins baby shower but since my Mom was down with a upper respiratory infection She thought we should stay home. My Dad and I ran the gifts over and dropped them off since I also have been suffering from a head cold. Sunday evening my Father started to get a sore throat so I think he is coming down with the crud going around. Today after we had breakfast my Mom and Dad made appointments with the doctor. After they left for their Dr. visit we decided to head back North. We arrived home shortly after 12:30pm and unloaded all of our stuff. I called my parents a short time later to see how the Dr.'s visit went. They were given meds and I hope that knocks it quick. Since then I have settled on the couch procrastinating the laundry that needs to be done so I will have something to wear for work tomorrow.

Here is a few pics from the ice storm in Kentucky that I got from my Aunts camera.

A bush in my Grandmas front yard.
The power lines that run several feet over the carport is almost touching it.

My Uncle and Aunts pop up camper has seen better days. The ice covered branches snapped off and fell into the roof punching more than a dozen holes in the top. Some were 2 inches in diameter.

A very large tree fell across the road in front of my Grandmas house. The lines you see going diagonal across the image are still down across the driveway almost a month later.

Weekend Anticipation.

We were going to go to Kentucky this evening but after a little scheduling issue that made me feel a little guilty for being gone Friday with my co workers being short handed made me delay our extended weekend plans by a day. I think they would have gotten along just fine without me. Lord knows I am not that big of a influence, but if I would have left today I would have been thinking to myself, I wonder how today went? Anyway we are leaving tomorrow after work and we will be gone until Monday. I think Needles might go to my cousins baby shower while we are down there. It was originally scheduled for next weekend but surgery plans for my Aunt "T" has bumped it up to this weekend. So I hope to enjoy the weekend as I know that even a 3 day weekend will be too short. Have a great weekend everyone.

The Winter That Wouldn't Stop.

Its snowing again in this here parts. I am sooooo sick of the snow. Today we have decided to stay inside, sip coffee and do some movie watching. Max Payne is playing right now and I think we might knock out a few I have been wanting to see. Stay warm everybody.

Valentinos Day felices!

Today is Valentines Day and I have to say that I have been getting a little cabin fever with the nasty weather and not being able to be outside. I told Needles that I wanted to do something and get out of the house. We had plans with a friend but since she is feeling a bit under the weather we thought we would postpone plans for another time. We thought we would go to town and pick up a few items I missed on my grocery getting day last week. We got all the items I missed and more and since it was Valentines Day and nothings too good for my baby we ate out so she would get a break from cooking. Since Chinese was closed until 4pm and since I have been craving Taco Bell, I choose to take her to the local Mexican place. Needles had the Quesadilla Yucatan and I had the Chimichanga Monterey. They were both very good and when we left we were ready for a siesta. Nothing says I Love You like gassy Mexican food that makes you sleepy. Happy Valentines Day Needlefingers.

PS. For Valentines Day my Needles got me a pair of Sketcher shoes. We are nothing if not practical.

Quickie...

Today there was a lot of wind. I mean a lot of wind. When I pulled into our driveway after work the neighbors small metal building was in a pile in their back yard. This was the same building that was toppled over into our driveway the last wind storm. When I got in the house I called my parents to find out that they had lost power around 3pm today. Our TV antenna was turned by the wind so that we didn't get any channels so I had to get my oil wrench to turn it back. They have been doing a change over of the phone systems at my work and to say it has been a total cluster would be an understatement. Tomorrow will be the third day of the mess.

Asian Culture Night.

After work I came home just in time to retrieve a couple of packages off of the front porch and then grabbed a jacket and was whisked away to Asian Culture Night. Needles and I joined Rudy, Brando and the Funky Bunch and G and H for the Asian experience. We first sat and waited on our table companions to arrive. Once they did it wasn't too long before they opened the buffet line and guess who's table was first to be let go. Let me tell you I scrambled down the hall way like a mad man. I think I was first to load my plate and return to my seat. They served several authentic Asian dishes like Kimchee, Korean beef BBQ, fried rice, egg drop soup and for dessert green tea pound cake. It was all very good and after I scarfed it down it was time for the entertainment. The University Band played some Asian Music with gongs, drums and a flute.

Next on the agenda was a dragon dance that snaked his way around the room. Several of the Asian students attending the University had small skits telling about their culture and how things are similar but different. All of the Asian attendees stood on stage and announced their names and their country of origin. By far the most were from Hong Kong, China with several from South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. It was very interesting and a lot of fun to experience this with my family and friends. To end the evening there was a couple that played very unusual instruments from Vietnam. The sounds they produced were unlike anything I have heard before. I can't say that it is my kind of music but it was neat to hear and see how some of instruments worked and how the sounds were made. I had a lot of fun.

Enjoy Old Suzanna Asian Style.

Silly Cat...

Here is Copper playing in a sun beam.

A Call...

Last night I got a call from my parents. They finally are able to get cell phone signal. The regular phones and electricity is still out with no real ETA except for 2 to 3 weeks. I didn't know that they were also without water for almost 3 days and had to wait a couple days before they could get out due to down trees and power lines. I am glad to hear from them and even though thinks aren't back to normal it is good that they can contact us if needed.

Pick Me Up.

If you need a little pick me up and don't mind profanity then click HERE, and if you do then F@&* You!

Snow Snow Go Away.

Today my Rudy and Brando packed up the kids and headed South with a generator and gasoline on a rescue mission to my parents house. I wish my family would have just packed up and headed North to us but they think they will ride it out. This afternoon I walked out the back porch and noticed that we have some damage from the snow. The metal awning over the back patio is bent and bowed down. The water is dripping through the split metal covering. I had plans to redo the area in the spring so I guess this will give me a reason to really go ahead with it.

myFarm picture

This is a picture of myFarm on Facebook. Click on the picture to enlarge. It is Barack Obama with the words CHANGE and HOPE. It was inspired by this picture.

It took a little time to move well over one thousand trees to create this.