I Told You...

This is going to be a fast one...I just swallowed two Nyquil gel capsules so I will wrap this up before it turns into a bunch of incoherent nonsense...

Didn't I mention yesterday that Justin processed meat into a bunch of sausage over the weekend?  I believe he told me there were 60 packages...Wow there really are 60 packages!

Yikes that is alot of sausages!

Opening Weekend

This weekend was the opening weekend of deer hunting with a rifle (bow hunting is allowed for several months each fall and rifle season only lasts a few weeks).  Justin loves this weekend and he goes to his cousin's house for the weekend (although he doesn't only go there this weekend).  I usually go with for the opener although I don't shoot a gun or have Hunter's Safety certification. 

The first time I went hunting was when we were dating and I was 20 years old.  Opening weekend is always at the beginning of November and it is imopossible to predict what the weather will be like. That first year, it was very cold and snowy.  One year there was an ice storm that knocked down power lines and left us without electricity for the weekend and coated every fence and every blade of grass with ice.  It was very beautiful and also challenging!  One year it felt like summer and everyone hunted in Tshirts.  This year was very nice.  It was near 60 and the sun was bright during the day so walking outside was alot of fun.  Although I love warm weather, experienced hunters say that when it is warm the deer do not move around as much so hunting is usually not as productive. 

It is hard to see them in this photo, but Justin and his friend Aaron are pictured in the distance.  Justin is at the base of those two trees that form a V and Aaron is easier to see by the large tree trunk. They were wearing orange and were very visible in life! It is taken near Justin's family's farm (where his cousin lives and where his dad grew up).  There is a small river that runs nearby so there are areas with alot of trees where deer can be found.

This is our nephew, Dylan.  He is 6 and went out walking with use for awhile.  He got kind of bored with hunting but that is understandable for a young kid his age.  I'm sure his interest will increase when he gets older. 

This little house is a familiar landmark to me!  After all these years, I decided to take a picture!  It is a place where the person posting with thier rifle sits and waits for the deer to be pushed out of the trees and grass.  I believe it is an old dog house that was maybe intended for a herding dog. 

Usually the end of daylight savings time usually happens the weekend before this one but this year it took effect Saturday night/Sunday morning.  Justin and the hunters usually like to go out at sunrise to look for deer so that means we get up at around 5:45 am.  This year it was nice that sunrise didn't happen until around 7:00 am!  Also, it allowed them to hunt later into the evening.  On Sunday morning we were back to the old way of getting up at 6 and I snapped a few pictures of the sunrise. 

Our friends Aaron and Andy were parked about 1/2 mile away and saw my flash in the distance when I took the pictures!  Hopefully I didn't scare away any deer!

I love this picture!  Guys usually avoid my efforts at group photos but I caught them! 

Meanwhile, back in my hometown, opening weekend was also in full swing.  My dad and my brother and brother-in-law hunt with a big group of guys and on Saturday evening the local fire department holds "smoker".  If you are unfamiliar with smokers, they are events that traditionally have been held for men and involve drinking, smoking and heavy gambling with the proceeds going toward community purposes.  This specific one is held in the firetruck garages.  It is now acceptable for women to attend and smoking is no longer allowed in the fire department but the spirit is the same I guess!  I was sitting in the local bar with Justin and his cousins when I looked at my phone and saw that I had recieved this photo message...

That's my mom holding a shotgun!  At first I thought she was just being silly but I found out that she won that gun in a drawing!  The gun is from Scheels and she can either pick it up after passing her background check or take the value in store credit.  Since it is a gun intended for bird hunting and no one in my family does that she will probably take the credit instead.  That could buy alot of shoes for running or a nice new ski outfit! 

I left after lunchtime on Sunday and, of course, Justin got a buck and his friends got a buck and a doe.  No one shot a deer the whole time I was there (well, there were shots fired, but no success!) and as soon as I left luck started to change!  I hope they don't banish me from hunting from now on!  I don't have the photos of his buck on my computer yet so I will show it off later if he wants me to.  It is a 5x6 if that means anything to any of you!  It's severed head is in my garage right now but I will spare you any pictures of that.  I don't really relish the sight myself.  My dad's group hunts more for meat and population control so they don't really worry about size or racks but I heard they got three bucks.  They process it themselves into jerky and pepperoni sticks which are delicious.  My family usually doesn't eat the roasts but if my mom gets any unwanted ones she cooks them and uses them for pet food which I think is a good use.  Justin gets his meat processed professionally at a local butcher and they make delcious summer sausage and pepperoni.  We eat roasts sometimes.  I prefer them after being cooked in a crock pot for several hours!

I stopped at the farm after I parted ways with Justin on Sunday just in time to trudge through the woods around the house to push out two bucks that Pete and Kirk (my brother and brother-in-law) had seen run in there.  They came out but escaped to live another eay!  I feel bad for the deer during hunting season but I also agree with the concept of population control to reduce starvation and disease.  Also, I know alot of people donate the venison to charities and homeless shelters so I think alot of good comes from deer hunting.  Not to mention, it is a good time to spend time with friends and family doing a wholesome outdoor activity!

Shooting Range

Yesterday afternoon Justin called me and asked me if I wanted to go to a nearby shooting range that is located about 20 miles north of here so he could sight in his hunting rifle.  Although this sort of activity isn't usually something I enjoy, it was really nice out and the trees are turning lovely shades of gold and red so I thought it would be fun. 

Here is Justin getting down to business.  That green case is full of his "reloads" that I mentioned awhile back. 

This attractive shot is to show the earplugs that Justin so kindly bought for me before we left.  They look like headphones! 

This photo kind of gives me the creeps, but it also makes me laugh.  I don't look too uncomfortable, do I?  Well, I was.  I don't really like shooting.  I don't like the noise or the way guns kick back.  Oh well, it was an enjoyable evening.  We were the only ones there so there was no one to laugh at me. 

Speaking of the leaves changing, this whole city is so beautiful right now.  I want to take photos so badly but it makes me uncomfortable to be walking around snapping random pictures.  I'm afraid poeple will think I'm a creep or something.  I tried to take some pictures of the trees and houses across the street in a discreet fashion but the pictures didn't turn out.  I have never seen it like this because we moved here in late October after the leaves had fallen and last year there was some sort of wacky phenomenon where it got really cold really fast and then it got warm again and the still green trees dropped thier leaves before they could turn.  I remember posting about it because it happened to the tree in my front yard (which is still mostly green).  I am frustrated because I won't get to see how it looks when it changes.

I won't get to see how it looks because I am going to start working in Fargo again for a few months.  I start tomorrow.  I was supposed to start two weeks ago but there have been delays beyond my control.  I'm glad to be working again, but I am pretty despondent about not being home for the fun things that will arise in the next few months.  I won't be here to decorate my front step with pumpkins or for trick or treating or to decorate for Christmas.  And of course I will be very lonely for Allan and feel guilty about not being around him.  Last time I think he forgot me.  (Of course I will feel lonely for Justin also, but I will see him every weekend and he can actually communicate with me!)  But at least there will be fun things to look forward to in Fargo such as football games and tailgating and the fun and comaraderie that accompanies hunting.  And I will enjoy the sprawling flatness of Fargo.  People make fun of it but it feels familiar and welcoming to me.  I will also enjoy the shopping in Fargo.  While it can't compare to a major metro area it is about 85% better than the shopping here.  So, back to my sister's basement I go...sigh...

Justin's Interests

I know I mention my own hobbies and interests on here alot more than Justin's, so today I am going to share one of his with all of you!  He has taken up reloading over the last few years.  Reloading refers to the reloading of shotgun shells, or should I say hulls, that are used in a hunting or recreational shooting context.  I really don't know what I'm talking about right now, but, according to my internet research,  I know the terms "wad" "primer" and "load" are important vocabulary words to reloaders.  There are different recipes (yes, recipes) of what type of gunpowder and how much to use for different types of hulls that go with different types of guns.  Apparently you can improve your shooting accuracy after some practice with reloading and many hunters feel that they can make better ammunition than they can buy in a store.  I even came across a "recipe" contest where reloaders could submit their favorite recipe! 

Many reloaders feel that they save money bye reloading instead of buying new shells.  However, I believe you have to shoot alot of rounds (a guy on a website said you would have to be like Rambo) to really save alot.  Who cares, though, if it is something enjoyable for the reloader?  If Justin thinks this is a fun activity to share and talk about with his friends and relatives then that's great.  Well, it's great as long as he follows all safety precautions and my house stays free from gun powder related mishaps!  (Don't worry, when it comes to guns he is very safe).

Here is the workbench he built in the basement where he does reloading.  He wired in the outlets and the floursescent light above. 

Another view.  I might have featured this work bench in the past but if I can't remember you probably can't either!

On a related note, when I arrived home from the Y this morning the mail had arrived and I saw that something big was in the box.  I thought, "Oh great, another phone book...who even used one anymore anyway?"  But no...it was a limited fall edition of a Cabela's catalogue that said "Thank you to a very special customer" (Justin has a Cabela's Visa).  It has a hard cover like a text book!  He will get hours of entertainment from this thing.  It's kind of like the old JC Penney Christmas catalogue that was filled with pictures of toys. 

Ooooh YEAHHHH. . .

Yesterday afternoon, around 5 pm, the doorbell rang. An unexpected doorbell is pretty rare, and if it happens is usually a politician or one of the nieghbors. I ran to the front door and no one was there. Then I ran to the side door, only to find Justin, unable to open the door because his arms were full of antlers and taxidermy types of things that have been hanging in his office because I don't like to look at them. Oooooh yikes. In my delight, I had forgotten that the basement is "his" and the new room will be decorated with these items.

Oh well, whatever. . .he's excited and trying to plan everything so it will be just right. He wanted camoflage pillows and whatnot so right after he got home we went fabric shopping and bought fabric and forms for pillows and also fabric for some curtains. These items are easy to make, so I did it last night. FYI, you just cut a square (or rectangle or whatever shape you have) one inch bigger than the pillows. These were 18x18 so the square was 19x19. The you cut two rectangles for the back. They should be as wide as the front square and half of it's height plus a few inches. So I cut them each 12 inches. Then you sew it front sides together, flip it inside out, and shove the pillow in! (Of course, you have to make a hem for the back rectangles so they won't fray).

There was extra fabric, so I am going to make one more.


Here are the curtains for our little non-conforming window. I am also making these for Justin's office to replace the faded ones that were left here and are probably 30 years old.

On another topic, the impossible has happened. I am tired of eating grilled hamburgers. I love grilled hamburgers and there are so many options for making them unique! Yesterday was really hot, too hot to cook with the oven, so I searched the internet for help and discovered the concept of grilled pizzas. . .you make mini pizzas using pita bread! Add the sauce, cheese and whatever else you want and grill it for about 5 minutes and it's done! I made pizzas with canadian bacon and pineapple for Justin and for my own I added green peppers. Delicious! I took a picture. . .I usually wouldn't post pictures of food because I think they look discusting. I have read the consumer reports about how professional photoraphers paint, shellack and do all sorts of wierd things with food so it looks beautiful in advertisements and I believe it is a necessary sales tactic.

Yeah. . .not the prettiest picture but you get the idea. . .

Hunting

This weekend Justin and I both went to Eastern North Dakota for the deer rifle season opening weekend. He's actually still there until Veteran's Day.

It was a beautiful fall weekend that reminded me of some reasons why I miss Eastern North Dakota. Yes, I know Bismarck is not far from the "Valley", and it has a lot of aspects that I appreciate (less wind, generally warmer weather, more topography). But Eastern ND is still home and the connection will never be cut, regardless of where I am!

I headed home to Hatton on Thursday because I hadn't been there for awhile, and on Friday I went to meet Justin in Lankin, ND, which is North and West of Grand Forks. The first aspect that made me feel so at home was the familiar vibrations of agriculture that basically fill the air when harvest is going on. Although it is hard work, the energy can be felt by everyone and it has always been in the background as my life progressed since we moved to Hatton. In Fargo, I went to NDSU, so agriculture was always an influence in addition to the fact that there are still some farm fields still being planted in between developments and stores since Fargo is growing and sprawling fast. In Grand Forks, semi trucks hauling beets and the smell of Simplot were a constant presence, and when harvest started, the smell of wheat (a good smell, in my opinion) and dust permeated the town. I didn't realize I missed it until I was away from it. Harvest is behind this year, and the weather has been adequate so the farmers are trying to finish. At each town I drove through once I left the interstate, trucks were lined up, sometimes through the whole length of the town, at the elevators waiting to drop off their cargo. Combines and trucks rumbled by (or I guess I zoomed by them!) on every road. In the cabs, I could see the drivers dressed in blaze orange caps, sweatshirts and jackets because not only is harvesting on their mind but also deer hunting is on their mind!

Deer hunting season also exudes vibrations of excitement. I have always been amused by the way some people (almost exclusively men, at least in my experience) can talk about deer and hunting for hours. During rifle season, it makes me laugh to myself to see two or three guys squeezed into a pickup wearing their hunting clothes.

Although I don't actually shoot, I usually participate, at least for opening weekend, every year (or I have since I met Justin, anyway). I believe it the 7th year that I have been in Lankin for this weekend. I love eating junk food all weekend, walking around oustide (especially if it's nice out!) and heading to the crowded, cozy bar after dark to see the deer that were shot that day and indulge in several drinks surrounded by people wearing orange. We wake up before the sun comes up to drive around looking for deer that might be walking around as daylight comes.

If you know Justin, you know that he loves this time of year. He loves to go to Lankin (Lankin is where is dad grew up and where his relatives still live) for hunting and prepares for it like I prepare for trips out of the country or my wedding.

Here is a picture of Justin is his natural habitat. As of right now, I haven't heard that he has shot his buck, but he shot a doe/fawn with a tiny pin head this weekend! It's OK though, those are good to eat! It was a good weekend with great weather (I didn't even have to wear my coveralls!) and I didn't want it to end on Sunday.