“Do you hunt with ‘em?” This is a question I’ve gotten used to responding to over the years whenever I’m out and about with one of our bird dogs in a non-hunting scenario. The inquiry seems to pop up more often when I’m with just Oskar, our 100-pound Spinone. I guess people must be thrown off by his size because I get a lot of, “Can he even fit in a duck boat?”
Life with a Bird Dog
Before Rupert pushed his wiry self into our lives, I thought I knew what it meant to own a dog. Feed it, walk it, play with it, and make sure there is enough room on the bed for them to sleep.However, I didn’t know what it meant to own a bird dog.
Read MoreFlights of Fancy
I wonder what I’ll do when that king of birds flushes up through the thicket in a thunder of wings and feathers. Will I rise to the challenge and take a shot? Will I miss? As it turns out, I did neither.
Read MoreTurning Roadkill into Dinner
“I have a roadkill deer,” read the early-afternoon text message from my husband. “Call around for processing.”
Without exhausting much effort, I learned the butcher shop in town was still accepting deer for processing into neatly packaged steak, roasts and hamburger. After passing the information, including the cost of services, along to Scott, my phone dinged with another message.
“Expensive,” it read.
Read MoreJethro: The Lovable Monster
No matter how prepared you think you might be, the loss of a beloved pet is always a hard blow to absorb. It doesn’t get easier the older you get, or the older they are when they pass or how long it’s been since they’ve been gone.
Read MoreOut on the ice
The days are starting to grow longer but winter still has a stranglehold on Wisconsin. While I daydream of spring flowers and summer gardens, I decided it was time to find a new hobby to help occupy my time during the winter months. But what to choose?
Read MoreSunshine daydreams
In the dead of winter I am missing the crunch on dirt under my fingernails, slapping away swarms of bloodthirsty flying vampires and, yes, even the smell of chicken-made fertilizer. The sunburn, the aching back and broken nails are all worth it when you pluck the first vine-ripened tomato from the bushes or slice into the season’s first zucchini.
Read MoreHo Ho Holiday Hunt
As I sit here, wrapped in my crocheted afghan and with the heating blanket roaring on the back of the couch, I thought I knew what cold was. Boy was I wrong.
Read MoreFrom Disney to Dinner
I signed up for hunter’s safety today. After nearly 30 years on this earth, those are words I never thought I would say…er write…
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