Relatives, Labs Labs everywhere, food and laughs... the hunt is over and so we say, Thank God for Roadkill!

Opening weekend & silence in the mist...

WHAT a week! Thanksgiving brought the deer hunters, family & friends… Fog and warm weather, no snow, sneaky deer, hunting boots everywhere, a pair of Labrador Retrievers, “No! Don’t let her ou…. Crap. Go get the box of dog treats to shake. Stupid dog.”

Disappointment, “What’d ya’ see?“ “A squirrel. What about you?“ “Nothing I sure would like to find those magical herds they say we have to thin out!” “Ah… they‘re such a bunch of morons!”

I watched the only buck seen as it glided nearly silent through the woods on it’s way to the area that is zoned no hunting. I could have hit it with a rock... while in the hot tub! And I throw like a girl!

The Labs kept us entertained. Really entertained. If they weren’t dragging one another around by a pair of socks, or pretending they were “Killer Dogs” (which can be somewhat scary when you realize just how long, sharp and bright white those teeth really are!)

"No, I beg to differ. I believe it belongs to ME!"

Killer Dogs

Mine! Mine! Mine!

OH! Look! A squirrel!

Hurley & Louie, taking a break

But, as they were visiting from two separate homes, (I guess that would make them cousins?) they wanted to do nothing but play. Loudly. A trip or two to a nearby dog park helped bleed off some of the excess excitement in ball chasing and socializing. The dogs had fun too.

So there were smelly hunters, smelly dogs (Eau de Wet Dog) thanks to the rain, conversations taking place everywhere. Sometimes from room to room, which meant the dogs weren’t nearly as loud as we were!

On Thursday, we had roast beasts aplenty, beef, pork and a last minute add on… a turkey sliced cleanly in half… boy was that good! (Guess it’s been so long since I had one, I didn’t mind a little bit of it!)

Of course, the day was full of the natural order of a bunch of people, hanging out, in a house, finding a place to sit and chow down between hunting gear. (“Hey! Whose gun is in the bathroom?” Oh, ok.”)

“What do you mean you don’t want potatoes!? Cripes I made six giant bakers!”

“Where’s the bread or rolls? Ooo… heated and already buttered! Sweet!”

“You goin’ tomorrow? Yeah, me neither.”

“Is there any stuffing left? Ha, ha, ha… score!”

“Seriously? We used up all four gallons of milk already? Okay, I’ll run down to the gas station for some more.”

Of course, the best for last… Dad’s made-from-scratch pumpkin pies and deep chocolate cake. We’re nothing if not diverse!

Sadly, the hunting season drew to a close. Of our immediate family, there were no tags filled. Friends did get three. So it was lucky that we had the road kill or we wouldn’t have had any venison at all!

Of course, that is not as ‘Bubba J’ as that sounds. A deer was hit by a car in front of my brother by a guy that had no interest in it. He called the cops, to get it authorized and took it home.

This is an improvement over past years… usually he’s the one that hits the deer before deer season. So it was a happy Thanksgiving in many ways… the love and happiness connected with being around those you love, good food, lots of laughs and no insurance claims.

Let’s hope next year is just as happy and safe but with just a bit more venison tagged (& not by the cops with a legal road kill possession tag!)