Guest Post by Seth: "Turkeys in the Mist"

After several weeks of scouting around and a few close calls, I slipped into my blind very early on a Saturday morning feeling confident that this was going to be my lucky day – the day I killed my first wild turkey. The day before I watched through binoculars as a half dozen toms strutted their stuff in this very clearing and now I was positioned right at the edge of it. Well before sunup, a young deer passed within 10 yards of where I was sitting. I made some turkey calls and that little deer turned around and stared for several minutes at this strange, shadowy creature in the oak brush but never spooked. Not long after that, a moose came grazing right up behind me. She was so close I could see her eyelashes and hear her chewing. But again, the moose simply moved on past with little more than a few curious looks. I felt like I had passed some sort of inspection and my confidence increased even more.

I was sitting on the ground in a small thicket with my back against a tall, sturdy scrub oak and my shotgun resting across my left knee so it would only take the slightest bit of movement to bring it to my shoulder. It had rained the night before so the ground was soaked and I was grateful for the old wool coat I had brought along to sit on. On the ground to my right I had my calls laid out within easy reach.

Beginning at daybreak, I could immediately hear toms gobbling and hens yelping. After a long night up in their roosts, they were flying down to meet up just as they had been doing every morning for over a month. However, they were probably a good half mile away so all I could do was listen to their calls and try to join in whenever it seemed most natural. With a combination of a slate/scratch and mouth diaphragm calls, I was doing my best to sound like a hen who was waiting eagerly – but not too eagerly - for the right tom to come along and sweep her off her feet.

Over the course of the month-long season, I had learned that turkeys are like elk and most other wild animals in that they like to follow the same daily routine. This makes ambush a good strategy and I was determined to remain as motionless as possible and simply wait them out. This is easier said than done however and it took a lot of willpower to hold tight. Earlier in the season, I would have been sneaking down the hill towards them at the sound of the first gobble but I’d learned the hard way that turkeys have excellent vision and are especially good at picking up movement. So this time around, I merely shifted into a slightly more comfortable position and continued to wait.

I had been holding tight for a good 2 – 3 hours when suddenly I heard a much louder gobble no more than 100 yards away. I made one last hen yelp on my scratch call and then settled into shooting position. And - just as I had hoped - my yelp drew an immediate response and I felt certain that at least one tom was heading my way!

A few minutes later, I caught motion out of the corner of my eye – three hens moving up the hill about 20 yards behind me. I didn’t twitch a muscle. I moved my eyes again and saw what looked like two toms winding their way through the brush. They looked big. I shifted ever so slightly so the barrel of my 12 gauge was pointing at the spot where I thought they were most likely to appear. As they approached, one tom turned left to follow the hens but the second turned right and took his first tentative steps into the opening. I held my shotgun tight to my shoulder and remained absolutely still. With my heart pounding, I watched out of the corner of my eye as the young tom took his sweet time and milled slowly towards me. And then – just as I thought he might come into the blind and sit down next to me – he turned and stepped right where I hoped he would. The shotgun roared and the turkey was down. I couldn’t believe it! After starting out the season as a complete novice, I had actually pulled off a successful turkey hunt!

After the turkey finished its inevitable thrashing and I knew without a doubt he was dead, I was immediately filled with a combination of elation and gratitude. I felt deep respect for the bird and I also felt grateful for many things – grateful that I was alive and able to experience a wonderful spring season of turkey hunting, grateful for my very good fortune, and especially grateful that I was able to deliver a quick, clean kill.

Eventually, I picked up the surprisingly heavy bird and slung him over my shoulder for the long hike out. As I was walking, a pretty little hummingbird came buzzing by to see what was going on and – for whatever reason – this little fellow accompanied me almost all the way back to the car. It was the perfect ending to a great hunt and I can’t wait until next spring when I can get back out there and do it again.

Conversations with a Small Town Boy

I was standing at the kitchen sink the other day, getting ready to clean up the pile of potato peels I'd left there while making dinner when the following conversation took place:

Seth: Well I guess I should scoop out all those potato peels and put them in the trash.

Karen: I was just going to put them down the disposal.

Seth: Won't that fill up the septic tank?

Karen: Stands there looking confused.

Seth: We don't have a septic tank, do we.

Karen: No. No we don't.

Better with Age

Today is Seth's 31st birthday. Unfortunately we both had to work today (following a long weekend vacation...), but we should be able to squeeze in a little more celebrating. Seeing as how I'm a steward of the Birthday Awareness campaign, I thought I should publicly tell him...

Happy Birthday!

and

I Love You!

(And don't worry, I think your salt and pepper hair is sexy.)

And I'm Not Even Pregnant!

Saturday evening Seth and I were sitting on the couch watching some football when I casually mentioned a sudden craving for pie. This is something I do on a somewhat regular basis... voice random cravings. Not that I expect Seth or anyone to do anything about these cravings, I'm mainly just thinking out loud.

So I've just verbalized my latest craving for a food we don't have and Seth immediately says, "I'm going to go get you a pie." WHA?! I assure him he doesn't have to run out during his football game to get me a pie, I'm just fine. But he insists. He wants to go get me a pie. Says he's been "looking for a way to spoil his lady." I know he will not relent until he has a pie in his hands so I offer up answers to his questions...

"What is your favorite kind of pie?"- Mixed Berry.
"Where can I buy a good pie around here?"- Marie Callenders.
"Is Dreyers Vanilla Bean icecream a suitable companion for this pie?"- Why yes. Yes it is.

And just like that he was out the door on a quest for a pie and some icecream.

About a half hour later he returned with a box from Marie Callenders and a Target bag containing a half-gallon of Dreyers Vanilla Bean icecream.

If Seth was looking for a way to "spoil his lady" he sure picked a good way to do it. That was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. He's got some serious bonus points now.

By the way, the pie was awesome.

Coming Down the Home Stretch

After trying on and off for several years to get his Bachelors Degree, Seth is finally going to graduate this week. He's been working so hard and studying a lot during this last year. I can't believe how well he's done. This week he's got a couple tests and a very large paper due so he'll be busy up until the very last day of the semester. I just wanted to let him know how proud I am of him. I know he's going to finish strong and come this time next week, he'll finally have that piece of paper in his hand. Job well done, sweetie! I knew you could do it!

30 Years of Excellence

This post is a little late for various reasons, but it's something I've been thinking about and really wanted to do. Seth turned the big 3-0 this year on February 9th. As we get older, especially when hitting bigger marks such as this, we tend to evaluate our lives and measure our successes. I want to tell you about all the many wonderful things Seth has accomplished in his thirty years.

Seth is a fountain of knowledge. He is constantly wanting to learn new things and is usually engulfed in many things at once. He reads no less than five books at any given time and is excited about so many different subjects it’s almost unimaginable. During his lifetime, Seth has studied many areas including range science, Spanish, fisheries science, history, and botany. He has an associates degree in electronics with an emphasis in laser optics and is currently working on a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. He has also expressed interest in studying raptor biology, math, business and teaching.

Seth is also an avid hunter and fisherman. He knows just about everything there is to know about the sports and is always willing to share his knowledge. I usually come to him with my hunting and fishing questions because 99% of the time he knows the answer. He’s an excellent marksman and I find it very enjoyable to watch him shoot, whether it’s guns or a bow. Seth is proficient at reading maps. He has a special interest in topographical maps and loves to study them. He is always pointing out different areas on the maps he has and showing me the places he would like to explore. Seth knows a lot about different animals and how to track them. He knows how to do many elk calls, mainly because he has practiced for hours and hours to get them just right. He also knows a lot about fishing techniques and is an excellent teacher. He is very patient with me and has taught me just about everything I know. He really makes it easy to learn because he has such a passion for the things he loves to do that it radiates to everyone around him.

Seth is a great leader. He has a strong countenance that causes people to naturally gravitate towards him. He is always getting people coming to him for direction, advice and comfort, even those he doesn’t even know. The people that know Seth have a great love and respect for him because he has such an inner beauty and peace that is readily shared with others. He is an easy leader to follow because of his strength and knowledge. He shows genuine care and concern for people and this has allowed him to gain many friends.

Seth is very goal oriented. He loves to set goals and gives his all to achieve them. When he sees something he wants, he does everything he can to make it happen. He learned how to play the guitar just because he wanted to and found the avenues that he needed in order to do it. Seth is constantly reassessing his goals and what it will take to meet them. It is not uncommon for him to talk about goals he wants in 5, 10 or even 20 years. He is always looking at the big picture and trying to plan just how he wants things to be.

People tend to think that success is measured by the amount of money you have or how big your house is. While this is one kind of success, it is not the only kind. I can think of many financially successful people who have failed in life. Success can be measured in many ways including talents, knowledge, friendships, and life experience. Seth is very rich in all of these areas and is not only continuously increasing his wealth, but also sharing it generously with others. He has accomplished so much already it is exciting to see what another 30 years might bring.

Happy Birthday sweetie, I love you!

Tribute to Seth

OK so I'm copying this idea from my sister, Corinne, because I saw it on her blog and thought it was a good idea. I hope you have a strong stomach because this may get a little mushy....

I'm usually not as proficient with words as I want to be when trying to get across something as important as telling someone how I feel about them. So, even though I know this won't be anywhere near good enough, I'm going to try anyway and use this as my way of shouting from the rooftops what an amazing man my husband, Seth, is and how much I love him.

The first thing you'll notice about Seth even before he speaks are his beautiful blue eyes. I don't think I could ever get sick of looking at them. Sometimes when he laughs he cocks his head to the side and his eyes sparkle. It makes my stomach flutter every time.

One of the best things about Seth is his mind. I love how he is constantly wanting to learn new things. He's always reading something and when he's not reading he'll tell you about all the new bits of exciting information he's come across. Whenever I'm around him I just want to pick his brain and try to learn everything he knows. He has such a passion about everything he does whether it's playing his guitar or the book he's reading or fishing or hunting or the people he comes in contact with. His energy and knowledge are so captivating I wish I could bottle it up an take it with me everywhere.

Seth is always coming up with all these crazy ideas that sound so exciting. He could probably convince me to move to Antarctica or to sell all our stuff and live on a small boat in the middle of a lake somewhere just from the enthusiasm he would surely exude when describing it to me. He gets me to think outside of my normal boring box and open myself up to possibilities I never would have thought of.

Seth also has a mysterious side to him. Even after all the time I've spent around him he still keeps me guessing. I have always been one to people-watch and can usually tell what they're thinking just by their body language. Seth is a bit harder for me to read and I find myself constantly wondering what is going on in that great mind of his, sure he is thinking about some great complicated theory or idea. Maybe it's that side of him that makes him so good at surprising me as he occasionally does with flowers or a spur of the moment get-away.

Whenever I'm around Seth I feel encouraged to be a better person. He supports me and my interests and tries to help me improve. He doesn't complain when I make a mess in the kitchen trying out some crazy recipe I've found and happily volunteers to do the dishes. He encourages me to practice my painting or to play the piano and makes sure to laugh whenever he reads the stories I write. He always shows his gratitude for the things that I do which makes me want to continue to do them. He accepts generosity without taking advantage and is quick to show appreciation. He is also always there to contribute his fair share and to do any task I'm not very fond of.

Seth has a very good heart. He is constantly thinking about other people and how he can help them. He doesn't like to see others in pain or suffering and is always there to lend a comforting ear. He's compassionate and forgiving and one of the most non-judgemental people I know. I think that's why so many people naturally gravitate towards him. People who hardly know him will ask him for advice and share their problems and concerns with him because they can tell just by looking at him that he is truly concerned about their well-being. They know that he won't judge them or put them down for making mistakes.

I want Seth to know how much I love and admire him. He's a great inspiration to me and I feel very lucky to have him as my husband. Not only is he incredibly hot, he also has a great mind, heart and personality. He is everything I could have ever hoped for. I love him more and more everyday and thank God for allowing me to have him in my life.