Out and About

Wednesday turned out to be a positively delightful respite weather wise. Even the morning temperatures were warm enough only to need a sweatshirt on an outing to check out all the noise from Hendrickson Marsh three quarters of a mile away. Timber Life gained a different set of 4x4 wheels on January 24th, to help traverse the terrain . Sure do appreciate what a machine can do. ;) This year proved to be a challenge, even with a tractor to maintain our travel route. The diesel fuel, for the first time in 6 1/2 years of tractor ownership, had a problem providing sure performance, even with winter additives. We were not the only ones to fall victim to the evil malady of "gelling". It is just hard to tolerate when things are so awful cold and the tractor quits working a quarter of a mile from the nearest stationary plug-in. You would think with the piece of iron coming out of Russia it would start in all kinds of cold, but it isn't to be. It sat until a day got up to 25 and the portable generator turned over to get the block heated up so the oil would move. Encouragement comes now that we can see the end of the drifts that had us driving through the field to gain access to home from forays to the outside world. Things are looking a bit rutty still, but there are signs this week of warmer temperatures. Maybe some wind to give us some drying. Then the Belarus 572 can once again "Spring" into action to create a smoother ride...;)

2009 Iowa Deer Classic

Many of you have already had the chance to get together and share fantastic times at your state hunting exhibitions. Deer heads hanging from makeshift walls,shed antlers lining tables to be judged, put out there for all the other huntresses and hunters to gander at...Made to wonder what the other part of the animal might have looked like. Next weekend March 6th - 8th,at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. It is Iowa's turn to go check out the displays, attend seminars,and find out what new products they can't possibly experience the outdoors without. There seems to be a lot of good event deals on this and that to give us the edge when it comes to getting a wild animal to put on the dinner table. Last year was my first time to attend and I found it to be exciting to see people I had seen on television, or read about while searching Google for "Deer Hunting" and all that goes with it. Byron Ferguson Seminar

Altoona,IA Bass Pro Shop Updates

This picture I posted on July 18,2008, heralded in the public advertisement of the intent for the Bass Pro Shop chain to become an anchor store of the new Shoppes at Prairie Crossing Mall that is being developed at the corner of U.S. Highway 65 by-pass loop and Interstate 80. An article in The Des Moines Register on February 9, 2009, reported that the man behind the development, Mike Whalen, felt good about the progress that had been achieved during one of the coldest winters Iowa had experienced in the last seven years. Yesterday gave me the opportunity to check on the building myself. The picture to the left is the view presently seen from the U.S 65 by-pass as you travel to the on ramp to Interstate 80 East. Traveling further, another angle presented itself overlooking a water feature. I am sure it will be developed to add peace and serenity to what will be a very busy location. Familiar markers are seen in the picture to the left - the Bass Pro Shop sign, and the Altoona water tower, along with the east edge of the building. This building is impressive in size,3 1/2 football fields worth of merchandise will fill it when completed. Could take days to see it ALL. ;)

Hungry Deer

The deer have been populating open areas to feed. They are hungry and continue to search for food at all hours of the day now. Timber floors still being covered with layers of snow, takes the deer out where the sun has opened ground in the thawing spells of last weekend. These deer are only a sampling of what I saw and what has been seen. Notice all the young ones...that number continues to grow because of the capability of 6 month old does to conceive and become mothers. I continue to see a very small deer,which I assume was born at the end of last summer, running with the herd. Too much attention sent them off to look just over the fence for somewhere else to enjoy a nibble...

Iowa Youngster on the Hunt

In The Des Moines Sunday Register, out of Des Moines, IA. last weekend. This little 7 year old hunter's story from last April's season inspires all of us to keep trying... With the support of his family Andrew took his first turkey on the second day of the Iowa's 2008 Spring youth season. The weather was less than ideal, winds ranged between 30-40 miles per hour, mixed rain, sleet and snow . His dad said they had practiced for shots at 15 -20 yards,nothing over 30. However, if Andrew was to get a bird that day, before the two turkeys that came into view disappeared, Andrew would need to take a long shot of 41 yards. Andrew drew his Remington 870, positioned it in the shooting sticks as his dad called in the birds, his mom was catching the event on video. Success! He got a 20 pound gobbler with an 8-inch beard with 10 additional bristles that created another 2-inch beard. What a wonderful way to get a "First" turkey. In the presence of mom, dad, sister and brother, a family affair... ;)

January Projects

January was somewhat of a rough month for me weather wise. Oh yes...I am not alone in this, not at all! However, I decided that I would work on things I could see change from time to time. I went to the Michael's Arts and Crafts store after Christmas and found some good deals on pound skeins of yarn. One skein down...two to go. Looking online for patterns I keep finding and saving things I want to do, but that would mean another trip to the store. Some day I will take my list if I can find another good sale. My favorite way to shop and find exactly what I am looking for is online.

These scarves were made for a specific person. The same person I made this Christmas scarf for.I have found a way to keep occupied on top of keeping Sadie happy and working on my schoolwork. What are you doing on top of your responsibilities to help chase the winter blues away? ;)

Survival Aides

There are times in our lives when we wish we had ways of hearing the news,or possibly break the monotony with a little music. They would certainly come in handy in the areas struck by the ice storm last week. Having gone through an ice storm ourselves a couple of years ago... We know how important having a distraction to the constant quiet can be. News of the outside. Oh yes! They would be great to add to the kit for the car if you should have to travel long distances. No matter what time of year. Today, I will be telling you about two emergency devices produced by a company called Emergency Essentials. Hubby and I received them from a friend for Christmas. Both independent of batteries that need to be changed,no need for a direct electrical connection. Nothing more than a way to crank the crank is necessary to power either the solar radio, or the emergency flashlight. Just 5 hours of full sunlight will provide 30 minutes of listening time. However, if you are able to fully charge the NiMH battery,which takes 35 to 40 hours,listening time increases to 7 hours. Another attribute for energy production in case the sun isn't available is the hand crank.Cranking for one minute will power the battery for 20 minutes or more of continuous radio play. An additional positive characteristic for this little radio is it's capability to pickup AM/FM and Weather band stations. We haven't taken it out of the house yet,but were impressed after taking it out of the wrapping. Maybe even a little extra light on the subject wouldn't be a bad idea either. As you can see we haven't tried the flashlight as of this date. Better get it out of the package before we need it. I am always looking for ways to have some normalcy when things are in survival mode. One of my thoughts presently is "How will extreme cold effect performance?" Do any of you have experiences with these products or others similar to them? ;)