Oh Christmas tree - 2008

The Christmas season is upon us again! In keeping with our family tradition we went out this week and cut down our Christmas Tree.

We have been getting the same kind of tree the past 3 years - it is a conifer that smells like citrus when the needles are rubbed.

It was a nice cold day and we enjoyed ourselves despite the fact that there is no snow on the ground - something that was corrected the next day!

As in years past the first tree we found was the one that we ended up taking.

I enjoy the time that we spend together looking for a tree each year and even though we almost always find a tree immediately after walking into the tree farm - I always spend at least a half hour walking around before cutting it down just so we can enjoy the experience and develop life long memories.

The kids with the Chosen Tree
Me and the Love of my life - Rebecca


My Awesome Family

Me and my Kids

Ariel and Alex posing with the

2008 Christmas Tree

Be on the look out for the next post tomorrow which will be of the tree in our home with all its glorious decorations and lights!

Friends + Sports = A Night of FUN!

It has been awhile since I have sat down and tended to my Blog and I realized that there have been several events worth blogging about. A couple of weeks ago we had a family night out with one of our good friends family. We went to a UCONN Hockey home game.

I recommend that anyone with a family who is looking for a great night out as a family without draining the savings account take a look into attending a college game. I spent less for a family of 4 than it would have cost for a large 2 topping pizza!

After picking out our seats behind the penalty boxes Mitch and I made our way over to a table which the kids could sign up for a chance to participate in a friendly competition on the ice between periods. There were several different contests and raffles that we signed up for along with everyone in our family.

The game was exciting and it was nice to spend time with friends and watch my kid's competitive spirit come out. Despite our Team losing in the final period we had a great time.

The highlight of the evening was between periods when Ariel's name was called out over the loudspeaker as one of the chosen contestants for "Dress like a Husky" - It was at this time I realized that we never mentioned to the kids that we had entered their names! Ariel was really excited thinking that she had won something - it wasn't till she realized that she had to go out onto the ice in front of everyone there that she started to get nervous and wanted to back out of the competition.

After a little teasing and lots of encouragement she made her way out onto the ice. She competed against another little girl by moving down the ice putting on a UCONN hockey uniform and shooting a puck into the goal. She moved swiftly through the competition until she took the shot on goal! Thankfully due to her speed in the beginning of the course she had just enough time to recover the puck and send it to its home in the net!

The Omelettes are coming - The omelettes are coming!

No, its not the British its the chickens! It seems like just yesterday the "girls" were nothing more than a bunch of tiny puff balls - they sure do grow up fast!

This past week the Girls turned 20 weeks old and right on schedule they started presenting us with our much awaited little golden eggs. Well OK they might not be "golden" eggs but they sure are golden delicious on the inside.

Last Sunday Ariel found 2 soft shelled eggs under the deck then on Tuesday we found 1 egg in on of the nesting boxes - then Wednesday there were 2 more eggs. Today there were 2 eggs that were broken due to the hens dropping them as they flew off their roosts this morning and 2 more in the nesting boxes this afternoon!

The kids have enjoyed checking for eggs throughout the day and I will soon be enjoying my first omelet!

Autumn Bounty

So today was the opening day of the 2008 Shotgun/Rifle Deer Season here in the Great North Woods which means I am on VACATION! This past week I completed my normal chores before heading out into the woods - ensuring all of my deer guns are still sighted in, a thorough cleaning of the guns, organizing all of my cold weather hunting gear, etc...

Both of my hunting buddies spent the day with me from sunrise to sunset. We were in the woods in time to watch the sun rise and the temperature drop this morning. It was one of the first cold days we have had in the area which meant the deer were moving.

During morning stand Seth and I sat back to back and were lucky to see 2 nice deer - not nice enough to come within the range of our shotguns - but it was still a treat to watch them as they made their way through the woods, and we all got an up close and personal look at one of the local fishers.

After 3 hours of sitting and waiting we were all trying to remember what our fingers and toes felt like so we hiked out of the woods and decided it was time for a nice warm late morning breakfast.

We all got a good laugh as we drove down the road and spotted a nice sized buck standing in the farmers field at the end of the street - it almost seemed as if he was mocking us by standing there in all his majestic beauty on a farm that we can't hunt on! All I can do is pray that he makes his way through the woods to my back yard - then we will see who has the last laugh!

After a filling breakfast we headed out to another piece of property and settled in for the afternoon. It wasn't very long until I saw a doe walking along the edge of the brook and around the same time my buddy Jayson had one walking past him - once again deer in the area but not close enough to take a responsible shot.

Just about the time my hands and feet started to lose feeling I noticed movement about 100 yards in front of me. To my delight there were 2 deer working their way towards me but every time they were about to enter my shooting lane they would veer off into the thickets. The area I have my stand was dry when I picked the spot for my stand but due to all the rain we had last week it is now back to its swamp form and all iced over. To my surprise they kept working the edge and after about 30 minutes one of them stepped out of the underbrush and presented me with a clean shot.

My trusty 35 cal. rang out and my shot was true. As I was thanking God for allowing me to provide my family with another seasons bounty of meat I realized that I never saw the second deer run away! I began to scan the area when I spotted it bedded down just behind the one I shot, as I was moving around in my stand I banged metal against metal and the second deer immediately stood up. As it came out of the thicket I took aim and once again my gun rang out into the silence of the woods. The deer ran towards me and I took a second shot which finished the deed.

I wish that everyone in my hunting party had harvested a deer today but I know that I have always been happy when a friend has a good day in the field so I will take comfort in the fact that today was my turn to fill the freezer first.

I look forward to many more relaxing days spent in the woods hunting but for tonight I am reflecting on the great day I had today and the fact that Rebecca won't have to worry about me being home in time for Thanksgiving Dinner!

Peek - A - Boo we see you...

So here I sit at 6:05 pm with about 20 minutes of light still left in the day...

What relevance does the above statement hold you are asking yourself - Well anyone who knows a deer hunter knows that you stay in the woods as long as physically possible.

Today I actually finished my scheduled jobs and made it home in time to get in a few hours of hunting. It is archery season here in the great north woods and now that the mercury has finally dropped as well as the majority of the leaves from the trees I have been itching to get out and spend some time in God's majestic creation.

I decided to hunt the property behind my house. I set my smaller ladder stand up in the woods a few weeks back but due to my recent injury and the amount of work in our area I have not spent any time hunting or scouting until today.

I made my way into the woods and settled into my tree stand. In order to cover up some of the noise I made coming into the woods I blew my doe grunt a couple times. Like most of my hunting trips there were lots of squirrels, chipmunks, a red tailed hawk and a Big ol' owl (unsure what kind - I think it was a great horned owl due to its size).

The squirrels were making LOTS of noise moving the acorns to and fro when I began hearing some crunching of leaves that just sounded different from the squirrels and stood out from all the other nature sounds. I focused in on the noise and sure enough it was behind me, as I turned my head I spotted 2 does coming towards me. They were about 15 yards behind me so I stood up grabbed my bow and waited for them to step out into the logging road. Instead of committing suicide they began to walk away from me and as soon as they were in the only spot I didn't have a shot they jumped the road and into the woods directly behind my stand. I lifted my bow over my head and twisted so that I could face the other side of the tree and immediately realized that due to a large branch there was no way I could draw back while standing. I took and put my left leg up on the seat of the stand and went to kneel down on my right leg when I heard the sound all hunters dread - a loud wheeze and several foot stomps! I never even saw the other 5 deer getting ready to cross the logging road until it was too late, in an instant they were gone.

When I looked back the original 2 deer were still standing in the grove of saplings (at this point I was really wishing it was gun season) and continued to stand there for over 15 minutes trying to figure out what spooked everyone else. They finally felt at ease and started browsing around.

I calmed myself back down and waited for them to work their way into the shooting lane on my left. They teased me for almost 30 minutes and despite being just over 10 feet away they never stepped into the opening. Then all of a sudden they threw their flags into the air and bounded through the opening and over the knoll. As I turned to sit down I found out what spooked them - it was me! Just as I began to sit down I noticed the original 5 deer that I scared - they had worked their way back around and were standing in the logging road, directly below my stand and all 5 of them were staring up at me trying to figure out what exactly I was! Needless to say this all took place in a matter of moments and before I could let out a sigh of frustration they were gone.

Now if this was the last day of the season I might be upset and feeling defeated - but its not - this was my first day in the woods! So despite walking home without a deer dragging behind me I have a smile on my face - not only did I see a deer - I saw a whole bunch of them and they were up close and personal - not 200 yards away like the shots made on most of the hunting shows they have on TV.

I hope the rest of my 2008 hunting season is as eventful as today's trip was but even if it isn't I will still enjoy my time in the woods, whether it is with my kids, my friends, or all by myself.

Here is to hoping for a full freezer and my next hunting post being filled with photos!

Grand Stand 2 - In the woods!

Once upon a time there was a boy.
A boy who loved to play in the woods.
No, he wasn't raised by wolves, although being partially Italian he and his kin were often quite hairy!
The boy grew into a man and in doing so he took on the responsibility of a job and a wonderful family. Despite this, he still took time to reflect upon his upbringing and during the calm days of fall and winter he would retreat to what was familiar to him - the enchanted forest know as the Deep North Woods.

The Boy

In the woods there was a special place that the boy spent reflecting on past memories. Sometimes he was alone in his thoughts and other times his memories were shared with a friend. The spot was marked by a large majestic white pine. This tree was there long before the boy and will probably be there long after he's gone. A tree that's been witness to laughter and tears, the occasional frustration (at not seeing the deer standing behind the boy!) but more often than not it has been witness to sheer relaxation!

The tree (in the back center of the picture)

So once again the air has turned cool and the leaves have begun to change from green to bright hues of orange and red. Yes, autumn has arrived - and the boy has become restless with thoughts of days spent from sunrise to sunset while sitting in the calm of the woods. With daylight hours shrinking he has called upon his fellow woodsmen to assist with the placement of his tree stand. Without hesitation this friend leaps into action and within mere moments the boy and his friend are once again in the calm of the Deep North Wood.

BFF - Uncle Jayson - My fellow woodsman
As the afternoon slowly ticked away the boy and his friend transported the Grand Stand deep into the woods. Past the special tree and into the swamp. The boy was amazed at the ease of raising the stand with the help of his 6'7" friend. The stand was assembled and raised to its resting place for the remainder of 2008 - which resulted in much celebration. The small obstructions were cleared to make way for clean shots - whether they be by bow and arrow, or shotgun, or rifle. The blind was hung around the stand with care, in anticipation that soon a deer would be there.

The Grand Stand - Can you find it?
For now my responsibilities call, but vacation is nearing and with true aim a deer or two will hopefully fall. My freezer is longing for steaks and for stew, not to mention the jerky and venison burger too! So if my blogging is scarce and posts are far in between - fear not I'm still with you but in nature I'd much rather be!

Futbol - The PVCS Eagles

Much to our kid's delight PVCS allows Homeschooling kids the ability to enroll in school sports. Alex has been asking to play soccer and was thrilled to get accepted onto the school U8 team. They practice at the school during the week and the games have been on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. The first game ended with a tied score, the following 2 games have been won by the Eagles. The kids all have a great time and get lots of exercise, they all take turns playing different positions and their coaches do a great job of teaching them how to play a sport while having fun doing it. So far I think Alex's best position is goalie but due to taking a swift ball to the face it is not one of his favorites! Here are and assortment of pictures from the past few games. Ariel will be playing Basketball later this year so I will be sure to post those pics too!

Let's get ready to Scramble!

Everyone has been patient with me due to my crazy schedule and now I am patiently waiting for some yummy eggs! I finally got around to making my new nesting boxes and upon completion I actually installed them into the coop.

My original design was 9 14"x14" cubes but after some thought I decided on a simpler set-up that will be easy to clean and access for our daily bounty of eggs.

We have a couple of weeks before I am actually expecting any eggs which is a good thing as we still have several roosters. Roosters who are starting to act like I did as a teenage boy - after eating and drinking they are consumed with girls and fighting!

My next chicken related post will be the meal we make after I finish slaughtering the roosters (some time during the next week). So feel free to post any suggested chicken recipes under the comments section!

The Grand Stand!

I have been saving up my Cabela's points and when I thought about what I wanted to purchase it was an easy decision. With archery season upon us here in the Great North Woods and gun season just around the corner, I decided it was time to upgrade some of my equipment. The entire time I was considering what to purchase the faces of my two wonderful children kept flashing before my eyes, It was then and there that I knew what I needed to get.

Anyone who knows me is aware that some of my best memories were made while hunting and fishing with my Dad. I have been blessed with 2 kids who started showing interest in hunting at an early age (Ariel's first deer hunt was at the age of 3!) and we have already started making some memories of our own.

Now when I went hunting as a kid my tree stand was just that... a tree! I can remember fall afternoons spent wandering the woods looking for the perfect pine tree to limb out and the cold winter mornings spent sitting on a branch in said tree wishing I had a commercial built tree stand with a nice comfy seat.

I decided my kids deserve better than that, so I went out and bought a tree stand that would make their hunting experience a good one, (this is my excuse for spending so much $$ and I'm sticking to it)!

I spent last night putting my new purchase together all the while my children squealing with excitement behind me. They were quite surprised at how high the stand was but both declared they were up to the challenge. Tonight with the help of my hunting season widow, (aka. My Wife - Rebecca) I put the stand up in the back yard, minus the add on camo blind and before we could blink - the kids were up, up, and away into the "GRAND STAND" as Alex called it!

I look forward to many mornings spent watching the sun rise while sitting side-by-side with my kids and the satisfaction of watching the sun set after spending an entire day together. There is also the anticipation of the conversations we will have and the life long memories of spending time together in awe of God's awesome Creation and possibly filling our freezer with healthy low fat venison.

So. until my back is well enough to move the stand into the woods of our favorite deer hunting grounds it will be in the back yard; where if you look closely as you pass by - you just might see one of our next generation of deer hunters sitting quietly looking for their next dinner!

Life is good...

I want to start by thanking everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers the past week and a half. The first several days after my injury I was bed ridden but after a week of making the trek to the chiropractors twice a day and a follow up visit to my family doctor I am feeling much better.

Even though my job can be quite demanding at times and I am always looking forward to time off to spend with my family I was actually looking forward to my doctor letting me return to the daily grind.
Due to the extent of my groin injuries I am on a 30lb lifting restriction for the next 2 weeks. Despite my restrictions I have managed to book my work schedule full for the next 2 weeks and will meet all of my monthly requirements despite missing over a week of work - Something my boss will be happy to see/hear, as will my wife when she gets my paycheck!

During my down time I was able to spend some time assisting with my children's education as we are joining the growing number of homeschooling families. I have really enjoyed watching the wheels turn inside my children's growing minds and the satisfaction they exude when they succeed at learning something new. Ariel has always enjoyed reading (and unlike me there doesn't have to be pictures) and devours any reading material you place in front of her, Alex on the other hand has a gift for anything mathematical. Alex is still attending Pioneer Valley Christian School twice a week for a 1-on-1 tutoring class. We decided to let both the kids enjoy the summer off and were pleasantly surprised when they asked if they could start school early. While we(Rebecca and I)were enjoying the carefree summer we were more than glad to get back into a daily routine. The first week was a big adjustment for the kids, Alex has enjoyed getting his work done and enjoying the extra amount of "free time" as he likes to call it. As I said before Ariel really likes to read which has been an easy way to get side tracked, she is taking a literature/creative writing course and tends to lose track of time while she reads ahead rather than working on her other subjects - resulting in long days of school work. We are now 3 weeks into the school year and both the kids are moving along with their curriculum.

I have also enjoyed catching up with several of my old school mates via "Facebook" who are now spread out across the country and beyond. It has been nice rekindling old friendships and spending time reflecting upon the past, present, and future. (well everyone knows that the future doesn't exist but you know what I mean). I have also enjoyed expanding the blogs I frequent as several of my facebook friends are also regular bloggers.

As I stated before the first several days were spent in bed and as I began to desire to escape from my bedroom the rain started falling. The ran fell and the grass grew - then during one of my daily trips to the chiropractors my amazing wife completed my weekly task of mowing the lawn! Not only did she mow the lawn she actually mowed it at a right angle(I am rather anal about mowing the lawn a different direction each week)! Unfortunately I was unable to capture this with my camera - something that Rebecca is not disappointed about.

Once I was up and about I enjoyed watching the kids ride their bikes in the race tracks they designed with chalk attached to the back of Alex's John Deere tractor. I even had enough energy to pitch baseballs to the kids - a task cut short when I almost got drilled in the groin by a line drive!

I was content the rest of the time sitting in the backyard. Time well spent watching my kids be just that, kids. No worries about work, politics, war, bills, etc... It's amazing how content one can be sitting on a lush green lawn with a cool breeze blowing though one's hair (yes I know what your thinking but facial hair is still Hair!) while chickens free roam around you looking for their next juicy bug with the sound of children playing in the background.

I have truly been blessed with an amazing family. All of my needs have been provided for - we have a beautiful house in God's amazing country! Despite the occasional set back (ie.. back/groin injuries) life is not only good - it's great. The silver lining in this cloud has been the time spent with family and the quiet time reflecting on and nurturing one's personal relationship with God. As a matter of fact the only thing that could be better is doing it while sitting in a tree stand - a task I hope to tackle soon considering Archery season opens next week in the North Woods!

Pain in the Butt - I wish!

So this Post will be more of a "feel sorry for me" more than anything else but I have nothing else of interest to write about at this time.

Sunday I decided to work on my yard chores - mowing the lawn, cleaning the chicken coop, spread the left over pile of top soil around... you get the picture. Well I got most of it done when I notices the logs I have been using as seats around my fire pit. I was originally planning on burning them at my annual cookout but due to the lack of night owls we let the fire burn out before midnight and I left them for another day.

In my unorganized madness to clean up the yard I decided to move all the logs into a pile so I could mow the back yard and have ease in splitting them the next day. Well as my luck would have it while moving the last log I lost my balance and while trying not to crush my self with a log I strained myself and felt a pain like I have never felt before - I can only imagine what you

women go through during childbirth!

With the help of Ariel and Rebecca I managed to get back into the house and remained in bed for the next 2 days. After 2 days and no relief in site I made myself a doctors appointment. My first appointment was with the chiropractor who after taking x-rays was quite surprised with my happy demeanor. My pelvis was shifted forward and several of my lumbar vertebrae were twisted causing my spine to look more like a stair case than a curving seductive spine!

I received my first adjustment and decided to see how I felt. Later that morning the pain in my stomach/groin area was still quite noticeable so I made an appointment to see my general physician. After a morning of poking, pulling and pushing I found out that I did not have a hernia. It turns out the muscles in my groin were torn but had not intertwined with each other.
I was given strict orders to lay low which means I'm out of work for the next week and to ensure I remain in a useless stupor they prescribed me some muscle relaxers!

Hopefully I will be with it enough to post something interesting during the next week (maybe some pictures of my hot wife mowing the back yard in her Daisy Duke's outfit!) if not you will surly be able to find me entertaining my self on FaceBook!

Stealing first...

I want to start by saying I never advocate stealing anything, and this post is not about baseball - that's a different story. What I'm referring to a child first for... Their first word, first step, and most important in my mind, First Fishing Trip!

Now you all know that my kids are far from novice - they use the same poles as me and the bonus part is I don't have to cast for them, much to the surprise of the occasional person passing by. (A fathers pride showing - I know)

Where am I going with this story? Well Rebecca's brother took his wife to Block Island for their Anniversary and we are making their kids do all our chores - Um i mean taking care of their children, Noah and Lily. Today after doing my chores - cleaning out the chicken coop etc... I decided to take the boys fishing. As it turns out my nephew has never been fishing in his long 6 years of life! Gasp.... I know what kind of parents let a kid go this long without introducing them to the joy of impaling a juicy wiggling worm onto a sharp hook and in the process of the worm getting torn apart by the residents of the pond take personal joy in pulling them from their native habitat and then in an act of pure kindness, release them back into the water. These fish must be looked at by their peers like we look at southerners who claim to have been abducted by aliens and returned to there homes again!

Well despite the above mentioned fact I really do love my brother-in-law and admit he is an awesome father. The truth of the matter is I feel a little bit guilty about taking so long to introduce Noah to the sport of fishing.

Normally I don't fish with live bait but I wanted to ensure the kids would catch something and have a memorable experience. I collected some yummy nightcrawlers from the yard and we headed out to a local pond in the bordering state forest. In no time at all we were into the fish. Due to my inexperience with fishing with a bobber the first 30 minutes were spent feeding the fish a free meal of worms! After a little instruction the boys were setting their own hooks and reeling in a bounty of fish. The boys were giddy with all the Bluegills they were catching and after about 2 hours and 16 fish we called it a day, not just any day but an Awesome Day spent in God's glorious nature.

Above - Noah reeling in his first fish ever!

Below - Noah's very first fish!

Daily Life in the Woods.

Saturday was one of those days that around every corner was something exciting. The kids were out playing with the chickens as they free ranged in and out of the woods gobbling up all of the yummy bugs they found (the birds not the kids!)



We also found 3 baby ringneck snakes which are always fun to play with.

We also found a baby bird that was still learning how to fly and let us all take a turn holding him.

The Highlight of the day was when we found a larger Garter snake that had caught a nice toad dinner. We patiently sat and watched as the snake engulfed the entire toad - I realize many of you might find this morbid but it truly was an amazing experience. (click on the picture for the full effect)