Good Morning World!

Good Morning World! The crisp air at sunrise gave the perfect setting for all the birds to erupt in song. What a perfect greeting for the day to begin! Later in the day hubby took advantage of some smooth air to get off the ground for a short hop around the patch before the sunset. Clouds had moved in to set the stage for future moisture. It has been a wonderful day with forays into the timber to see what flora is erupting with the warmer temperatures. Time lapse photography would have been fun today. The Mayapples are erupting swiftly from the ground. It won't be long until they are blooming,an indicator for us to be looking for the coveted Morel Mushroom. Gooseberry,Wild Raspberry, Honeysuckle and Multi-flora rosebrush are among the plants putting on new leaves preparing for fruiting blooms. The Wild Honeybees have been awake and buzzing for almost three weeks. They would invite themselves into the house when I opened the back door during some of the cold snaps. It didn't take them long to find there wasn't anything they needed andwould head back out the other direction. It wasn't very long ago there were cooler temps. I was wondering if it would ever end. True Spring has arrived at Timber Life and the hope to see new life begins anew. Hope things are improving in your neck of the woods too! ;)

Shed Hunting

The weather has been absolutely wonderful for Shed Hunting. I have spent portions of three days looking through the pastures and timber areas. Sadie accompanied me yesterday. Then she went with hubby and I to take a look around the southside of the property today. Our goal was to find a match to get a pair for #4. I found that particular shed sticking out from under pasture grass, bent from the winter snow,in the north pasture yesterday before noon. It looks like it has already gone through a whole year of weathering to me. Number 3 was the first shed I found yesterday in a very conspicuous location just feet from the fence line between the pasture and the infamous corn field of last Fall and Winter. Shed #2 was found in a totally different direction. Close to a fence line too...This time along the ravine south of the house. The chewed shed, #1 , was found last year, behind my big garden. I left it outside on the front deck for decoration. As you can see, the little creatures came to reclaim what they considered to be theirs. The squirrels came to file down their teeth. They were the only ones caught in the act of wittling, but the groundhog tracks left yet another clue to the ever shrinking antler. If it should be that I don't locate another antler this Spring I will be happy...The collection is starting to grow. ;)

Sadie Says - A Year Old and Counting

My goodness of all the days that have past since I started exploring the big old wide world. Yes, on March 18th, mom and dad gave me a little party to celebrate my 1st Birthday. Just to think it won't be until May 15th, that we will pass another milestone, a year since I made the trip from Madison,SD., to Central Iowa. Mom met Dorothy Sanborn from South Dakota's Countryside Kennels at the Sioux Falls, SD., Pilot to bring me home. Mom and I have had some growing pains, but we are getting to know each other real well. There is a very strong mutual admiration society happening here. A real plus is that I was house broken by the time I was 5 1/2 months old. Mom has heard it is hard to get a Springer Spaniel potty trained...not at my house it wasn't. I am a smart girl. My favorite new tricks are to twirl and roll-over,for a treat of course. Mom has started trusting me to run off my leash when we go into the timber. How very happy that has made me! We get to go together now. There are a couple of small creeks with water running, you should see the M-U-D up to my shoulders. Can't possibly avoid it don't you know?!? All I would like to say in closing is that this is turning out to be heaven in my book. Just a chance to live the Timber Life... ;)

Dancing with the Stars - Shawn Johnson

It is fun to see Miss Shawn Johnson, a fellow Iowan, and 2008 Olympic gymnastic medalist, sharing her bubbly 17 year old character with the world once again. When she smiles and laughs it is hard to keep a straight face. I wish her well in her new endeavour in Dancing with the Stars...

Surprise!

After the whole of last week without rain,or snow... The weekend arrived,giving us some honest to goodness thunder, and lightening starting off at 1:40 A.M. on Saturday. I sat down to the computer to do some blog reading around 11:30 A.M. today, it was just raining. I turned around at 11:55 A.M. to go into the kitchen, looking out the sliding glass door, I was Surprised that it gotten cold enough to allow snow to fall for a few hours. Tonight all the snow has gone, but while it lasted, the white, huge, heavy flakes filled the air with beauty as they rushed to cover the ground...;)

2009 Iowa Deer Classic

The trip to the Iowa Deer Classic this year came on the second day, March 7th. Hubby and I arrived around 10:00 A.M. to get our tickets and get down to the show floor to see what was available.
My check list this year included getting information on the Shadow Hunter elevated blinds. Given the opportunity that would be the brand I would invest my money on. The other things on my check list included a ground blind,a bow,some trail cameras, to checkout the deer heads and sheds. I wanted to see the antlers rated from 180-200. I didn't take the time to see every deer head there, but I did find one that was impressivly scored at 227 1/2. It was taken in a county just to the southeast of us. Hope some day his offspring will find it's way in our direction. The crowd developed while we were looking things over,to the point trying to move from place to place became a challenge. A good indicator of the interest of the huntresses and hunters in Iowa. ;)

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. ;)