It's coming!

Christmas is almost here & I am not quite done shopping yet. Can't we have a little postponement? It's not like I have any excuses, but I could use a wee bit more time!

Today's shopping jaunt included the mall (lots of good finds), Bed, Bath & Beyond (ditto on the deals) & the grocery store to start stocking up for the holiday weekend.

So far the main menu for Christmas will be chipped deer gravy for brunch & prime rib for dinner. We're off to a good start!

The ex is feeling much better, even though he 'forgot' to take his cough medicine to work with him. Yeah right. I was born in the morning, but not this morning!

Another hunting day!

Even though today was not as nice as yesterday, it is still just below 60 degrees & I decided to go on another afternoon hunt by myself. With fresh deer tracks through my neighbors yard, I should at least see something.

After scoping out the area a bit more, I end up in the same spot as yesterday. The squirrels hardly wait for me to get settled before going to their routine. I finally get to see the two squirrels behind me that make such loud noises. They are huge! They are constantly running after each other; at one point even getting into a fight with the most wicked squirrel noises I have heard.

For some reason the afternoon drags by so very slowly as the temperature drops down fast. It does not take long for me to put my jacket on & pull out my heavy gloves. There are a lot more birds in the area today than yesterday & the tapping of woodpeckers goes on steady for a long while.

Just as I am thinking that today's hunt is probably a wash, I hear a dog way out in front of me & it is running a scent for sure. As the barking comes closer, I get my gun ready. I can hear the sound of a running deer in front of the yelping dog & mentally cross my fingers.

There is it! A flash of brown! I watch the deer run through the woods towards my direction. The deer comes to a stop & looks right at me. Holding the gun steady, I wait for the deer to move again, as I do not have a clear shot. The deer & I are both frozen ... waiting. A much closer bark snaps the deer out of its frozen stance & it bounds away from me; a large white tail is the last glimpse I get.

As soon as the deer is out of sight, the hound comes running through, barking away. I listen to the dog for another 10 minutes, following its path by sound. I never hear a shot go off, so I am pretty sure that the deer has won this round. As darkness approaches, I pack up & head for home.