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2005-01-04 - 10:43 a.m.

Oops a few details I forgot in that last entry- Jim the Grey Haired Hunter hasn't been around because although the neighbors ALLOWED him to continue to hunt, their Dog was not as welcoming and both Jim and Parker actually were BIT by the crazy dog! So even though they are STILL allowed on our remaining property on our side of the street, they have been afraid to come here. It was marvelous to hear the big Hunter express his fear of the dog! Funny in a way.... and he was afraid!
And Iforgot his hunting story. It was THE LAST day of hunting season this Sat around 4:00. Jim had told his wife Caroline that he was tired and was not going out that day. He'd been going out EVERY day at 4:00 (I'm not sure if that's AM or PM.... meant to ask... oops... but I think it was EARLY morning) Jim said he had told her "WE just got our deer. The only way I'll get another is if one comes right up to the house." He said about a minute later a whole herd of about 25 deer came literally up to his house! His gun was already packed away in the rafter of the porch outside where he stores it (so as to not have any dramatic temperature changes- he keeps it outside the whole season) His ammunition was locked in his truck! He couldn't go get it or the deer would flee. He said he went and grabbed Caroline's rifle and loaded it with the only bullet he had in the house. He had only one shot- and quietly slipped outside, standing in his wet socks- and BAM, got that last deer of the season.
Caroline's comment was "I've never seen a show like that before!"

The part of the story that interested me most was the one I asked about "Calonie's gun?"

Jim excitedly told me of the gun he bought his wife, who is a baker, as a gift.

I was reminded of Katerina, my rifle team roomie, and wasn't surprised when Westley said "See- you can be the one to get the gun."

Westley has wanted to be given my blessing to hunt.... I have vetoed it. The power of the veto in our marriage.He used to do target shooting back as an Eagle scout, and in high school was on a team as well. We have agreed to wait until ALL CHILDREN are grown up and out of the house before we'll consider taking up hunting. No GUNS ALLOWED BEFORE THEN. (Westley does not own one.)

ITs hard when you grow your own food and live in the country to NOT understand the whole circle of life and that all things while a beautiful creation are made and here for use and enjoyment. There is a wonderful respect for nature and apprechiation for its gifts, as well as respect for its powerful harsh force we have come to be aware of. We live in a pocket of land that tornados rip through every year.
The sumani is making us all more aware of the wonderous and destructive force of nature. I heard an Indian man on NPR who said he understands his ancestor's worship of wind and rain and sun now.
Part of understanding and apprechiating nature and the cycles of life seems to me to be having a comfort in our place within it.It entails having respect for and being a steward of the land, along with a comfort at utilizing the gifts of food from both plants and animals.

Every day I am grateful for this life of working our own land for our own food. Similarly, Its remarkable to sit and eat a meal from an animal we know roamed and lived of the berries that are abundant right here. To me that too is part of apprechiation and use of the gifts we have been given.

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