My Favorite Llama

If you travel I-64 through Southern Illinois you might be lucky enough to see this llama along the way. It is at a llama farm, but this one is a statue made of steel. Many years ago it was in the news because it had been stolen. It is an odd thing to steal, and I don't know how anyone could ever display it or fence the ill-gotten gains, because it is unique.

 One day I was looking at timber in the next county over and was walking down that track you see. It is an unused oilfield road, and comes off a dirt road that is difficult to drive in dry weather. Off to one side I saw an animal head. When you see deer while woods-walking you don't stop or turn your head. Make eye contact and the animal will bolt, but a solid sideways glance showed that this was no deer. It was a welded up, all-steel llama! This was before I had a smart phone, so I finished looking at the timber and got back to the office, where I called the neighboring sheriff. "Are you still looking for a llama?" "You Found The LLAMA?" A backhoe operator was called and a local game warden went out to collect it and make an official report, and it went home to its place by I-64. I look at it every time I drive by. 

Real Life Lessons To Avoid Impact Injuries

Open face falling and bore cutting applied through the five step plan will go far to protect you from injuries and death. Learn proper cutting methods from trainers like Tim Ard, and you will avoid the drama of ambulances, helicopters, and emergency rooms. Tim Ard's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ForestApps

Tim Ard's Struck-By video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB-iBn5grCk

Took A Little Hike Today,

...and found no trespassers! They were probably in a turkey coma this morning. I did find a shed antler from last winter, and that was a nice surprise. Mama Deer and her two babies spent some time in the yard today and hardly noticed me when I was out in the driveway.

Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms

Deer Season Report

 Our friends, Dusty and George have spent a bunch of time this Fall in our timber bow hunting, and this weekend, firearm hunting. Saturday was windy and the deer stayed out of sight until dusk, when they came out in bunches. Sunday morning was calm and at 6:45 we heard Dusty shoot. He got a very nice buck through the heart. Dusty lost sight of the deer and came in so it would lie down. When we went out again to look for it, it had gone about 75 yards before going down. 

Ten days ago, George bagged a good buck with a crossbow and we retrieved it with the tractor.

A few days after that buck, George got another one! Dusty came to help him retrieve this one, and he had a meaningful deer blessing before they loaded it. "Thank God it died by the road!"  I gotta say that I am impressed by the hunting skill of our friends! This photo is by Dusty.

Firearm Deer Season Starts Friday, November 18

...and I am hoping we don't hear cannonades in the morning. Sometimes it sounds like a war firing up on the first day. It will be cold in the morning with a NW wind, so hunters will have to climb down early and retreat to their 4WD pickups and coffee bottles. I wish young bucks like these two were safe, but many hunters will shoot any deer with antlers. These two crossed our driveway during the morning, Thursday, November 17.

 

A Brief Reading From Ernie Pyle

  I always like to pull Ernie Pyle from the bookshelf on Veterans' Day and reflect a bit on the experiences of World War II vets. Here is a brief excerpt from Ernie's time at Anzio. It's not the stuff of movies or war novels, but it's real. From Hospital Ship in Brave Men, (At Anzio) "Once out there we had to lie off and wait for an hour or so while other LCTs finished unloading their wounded. As we lay at anchor, the officer in charge decided to transfer the walking wounded off another LCT onto ours. So it drew alongside, threw a line, and the two ships came against each other. The slightly wounded and sick men jumped across whenever the ships hit together. 

A heavy swell was running and the ships would draw a few feet apart and then come together with a terrific bang. It was punishing to the wounded men. I stood among them, and every time we hit they would shut their eyes and clench their teeth. 

One man, nearly covered with a cast, looked at me pleadingly and said, "Don't those blankety-blank so and sos know there are men here who are badly hurt?"

Occasionally shells screamed across the town and exploded in the water in our vicinity. The wounded men didn't cringe or pay any attention to this near danger, but the pounding of the ships together made them wild."

Firewood From Our Dead Ash Trees

 After thinking on this a while, I think Susan and I planted these trees between 1995 and 2000. We are going to toss a bunch of walnuts in here and hope that the squirrels plant them for us.

Bradford Pears Have Got To Go!

The Bradford pears have been here for a bit more than 35 years, and it is time for them to go. We started today, taking off limbs that throw off the balance or tangle with a neighboring tree. Stand back a bit and be ready to step back when out-of-balance stems pop as this one does. They move fast!