The Thrill of Turkey Hunting

With turkey hunting, the idea is to plant ones concealed ass in the forest and then call in the gobblers, that would be a fat male turkey. In my case, the slate scratcher is the chosen call of choice and if I don't say, the performance is now taking on a very romantic tone. Once the big boy is in sight, at say 30 yards, the trick is to shoot him in the head and then get the brute out of the forest and into the freezer. Doing this is not as easy as it might seem.

First off, it might be cold, which it was earlier in the week, meaning my body temp dropped to what I suspect was about 85 degree which left me only inches from violent hypothermia and then a pleasant death. Part of the problem was that I got so excited when this jake (a younger male) came in close and wouldn't expose his beard--the woods was so thick I just couldn't get that one good look. I knew pretty sure that he was a male and fair game for my shot gun but even at fifteen yards, I couldn't be sure. As a result, he got the opportunity to give me the middle feather and ultimately split.

The big gobbler had himself some girls off about 100 yards and wasn't about to come to my call while he was surrounded by such feathered babes--I would have acted no different. So in the process of freezing my ass, I also got shivering from excitement and ultimately it took a hot shower to recover---and a nice drooling,open mouthed nap while flopped on the sofa.

While I have yet to secure my gobbler, or jake, the action has been hot and every day except tonight. I have been a player, not a contender but a player. I've had them all around me giving that turkey rush.

But there is a thing about turkey hunting that goes way beyond blasting a nice dinner. That is what goes on in the woods in the spring, and I don't mean just the ticks. This morning I saw a mink, a fox, multiple warblers, some thrush-like brown jobby, flickers, wood peckers of many stripes, bellowing Sandhills that really got my heart going this morning when they let loose 40 yards from me when I didn't know they were there. I think they were matting and the vocal blast was a post orgasmic response. I do the same thing. Off in the distance the Woodcocks were doing there woop-de-doo flights of love. Almost too much to take in.

To top it off, today the peepers and wood frogs emerged to begin there season of peeping and insentient high pitched gurgling. They can be so loud by the pond, one has to repair to higher ground for fear of ear damage. One day left this first season and it doesn't really seem like there are many turkeys, particularly gobblers, but at 70 degrees today and tomorrow, I am not sure I care. I have not fallen asleep in the woods once this year which is a first and have only found one tick to date. I am warm tonight in the new sweater Ann made me.

Earth Day---The Brighter Side

The day before Earth Day, that would be a Sunday, my day for doing want I want, like worship. So even though it was spitting ice pellets, blowing 25 mile/hr gusts, and holding a temperature at a pleasant 39 degrees, I decided to go down to the river. Now, I know that has biblical implications and that is OK because I was looking for religion. I was looking for the earth.

I walked, which is fitting, because after all, earth day is a day to consider the health and wealth of the ground on which we stand. I consumed no fossil fuels to pollute the air. I simply walked like a deer or a raccoon, just not so gracefully for reasons having to do with age more than my basic lack of animalistic skill. It is true, I was probably wearing clothing made form at least some unsustainable products (no silk underwear) and the fishing pole was not made of cane but of carbon composite that had petroleum components.

I felt generally organic and within a reasonable range of sensitivity to Mother Earth. Most importantly, I was out to see what this earth had to offer right here in town. The weather was dynamic, if not testy in its attitude, much like a nice glass of red wine, even robust, maybe contentious. I was delighted to think that I could put my face to the wind and adventure to the Tomorrow River to embrace the gifts of nature.

I took to the east side of the river on the lawn that had been manicured just for me, just below the roaring dam, where I drew out my trusty fly rod and launched a very favorite Purple Egg Sucking Leach, better known as a Lawyer Fly. This went on for some time with my efforts being thoroughly ignored by what I knew to be numerous trout---I had been told by Rick that they were laying in there like cord wood. Not discouraged, the line was launched out numerous times as I put on my best crouch of disguise. Nothing.

Somewhat distracted, other opportunities had to be considered. Earlier I had noticed a small rotund bird visiting niches in the rocks at waters edge, a bird with a yellow rump. I took it for a Warbler but they come in such variety, non of which I personally know, I tried to ignore the pairs efforts but finally decided to snap a photo with camera I brought along to take pictures of the six pound trout I was going to catch.

At about the same time, it was impossible not to notice six, that would be six, Osprey working the air waves above the south end of the pond. They were doing a wild spattering of moves and occasionally would do their hover routine probably looking for the same fish I was, but never doing the dive bomber attack. Mostly they were doing what we used to call grovin'.

Somewhat distracted by the chattering Cardinals and love-struck Robbins, I moved to the west side thinking a new presentation was needed. I was, after all, a fisherman. While stumbling across a snowbank, that is right, a snow bank on Earth day which I suspect is still natural but irritating, my next move with the Lawyer fly (Barristers Delight)  was placed mid stream in A-River-Runs-Through-It fashion---or just like Brad Pitt which was how I saw myself.

There it was the big hit. He went left, then right, struggled against my efforts, a 10 inch Brown Trout surfaced fifteen feet out and then gave into my skillful efforts (remember Brad Pitt). I snapped a photo and told him to go back and grow up. Full of myself and ready for the movies, I cast for another 30 minutes without attracting a minnow, then moved up the dredge bank to see what was happening in the pond.

Across the way, some 100 yards, a pair of spectacular Hooded Mergansers drifted in contentment almost admiring the ice crystals, the geese jabbered, and the Ospreys did some nice aerials while seeing if I had any fish. A couple of Woodies screamed over, and then in mid pond a Musk Rat appeared much like the Lock Ness monster, but slightly smaller. I moved in for a shot and he did a U2 dive not really wanting to see Brad Pitt. He disappeared under the dock and if he could have bitten me I am sure he would have.

So on this glorious day, I paused and reflected, realizing I had had a incredible outing, and reflected on the town in which we live. Wow, we have nature, we have the earth right here. In southern France we saw no song birds as is the case in many places in the world. We have cold pure water with fat trout that have fed on abundant aquatic insects, we have a lake where some healthy fish live to feed those wild diving Ospreys, Even the musk Rat that hates me.

In looking around the town from that vantage point, I realized the community had not grown is size in over 100 hundred years.  While in 1900 most of the trees had been cut down and many of the local assets plundered, in the last decades much had returned as land and river use had been improved in thoughtfulness. I was not hard to imagine that it was this lack of growth that had made this all possible. Had there been uncontrolled development none of this would be here. We were living in a stable state economic condition, probably not by choice but by default, and as a result, Mother Earth had returned. It was a great day here in the upper Midwest

Earth Day and the Revolution

Last night I had a chance to see a first run of McKibben's new movie 350 about global warming. Unfortunately, like so many efforts, it went to great lengths to show the affects of the climate change. The subtitle of the film was Do the Math which is something I like to do.

While there is little doubt that there is Global warming. It is so obvious that even George Bush admitted it and he doesn't even do science, much less math. It had interviews with the usual crowd including James Hansen form NASA and a raft of others laying it on the line about what was going down. Even had a few elected idiots and CEOs demonstrating their idiocy. It was real easy to get the message, particularly if one has had the message for 7-8 years already. It was aimed to convince the folks on the street.

He pointed out all the things that are causing the warming, mostly concentrating on the burning of fossil fuels. Really made the big oil companies look bad showing all kinds of smoke stacks and their concerted efforts to prevent action due to their financial concerns.

 Well, he says we need to divest ourselves from these companies and use less energy. All sounds real good but I found myself feeling the statement was missing something. Then, I realized that what he was talking about was treating the symptoms and not attacking the disease. In fact, there was almost no talk of the real problem, that would be the disease called growth. I mean economic growth, population growth. I'm talking about the very sacred tenants of capitalism. Some even say it is civilization itself.

I came home rattled because it is becoming obvious that growth has to go. It is not possible to increase the population by 85 million a year and have a chance. That means the increase of the population of the USA every 4 years. Toss in exponentially expanding GDP and it doesn't take a nuclear physicist to figure that math out. Truth is the economy of China has to be brought to a standstill, as does ours. All expansion of GDP and population will require more and more energy and most of that will come in the form of fossil fuels. Wow!

I wish Bill well, for if he is successful, he will kill the economies of the world, but that will be our savior I am afraid. Odd earth day for me.

This Ain't no Revolution but it is Cool

I know that many people make their own pizzas, and I know that for the most part the event isn't reason to go in a froth. However, in our world, a couple of things have a happened that might be froth inducing.

We spent a little time in Italy last year and just for the event of it all, went into a small pizza shop for our evening experience. The hot spot didn't even open until after 6:00, In an American sense, it didn't really amount to much but it did have a very nice authentic flavor. It was crowded, most of the patrons were locals, if not all of them, and the action was fast and furious. In the back of the rather tiny establishment was the kitchen which included a wood fired brick oven. Everything was crowed and the makers of pizza were ferociously active. It was a happen place full of warmth and vitality, and much Italian gesturing.

The garconas ( just learned the French don't like that word-- like being called Boy)  were yelling out the orders and the cooks were tossing stuff willy-nilly. The smells of the oven drifted through the animated clientele. Everything was close. Even the wine was intimate, and there was wine like we have water, and it was good, and the prices were also within reason---unlike France.

The pizzas were not the giant, and super giant, or supper, supper gargantuan monstrosities of the USA, they were not the deluxe bloat bodacious, cheese infested monsters we are used to. They were almost delicate, simple expression of cuisine. Only a few ingredients, but superb. Perfect crust, not heavy, not to thin, just like Jesus wanted it. We were impressed. We didn't see Jesus but after a liter of nice rose, maybe. We were close to St Catherine who said, " All the way to heaven is heaven..."

So back here in the states, Jerry builds this missionary Pizza oven. Proud as any father, he caressed his oven as if he had just found God, the warmth, the smells of life, the pleasure of all things food seemed to emanate from his part-Italian mind. So he puts together what he thinks is the perfect crust, slaps on only a few items, fresh Basel, appropriate fresh cheese, maybe a meat choice of his own making and in 3 minutes in the 600 degree oven, bingo.

He is all full of himself and after one bite we thought this grinning American was a saint. My God, what a pizza. Simple but exquisite. All his boasting of carefully selected Italian flower, the right multi-virginal olive oil and fresh everything, paid the big dividend.

So in admiration of these adventures, we too tried to do the right thing. Turned the in-house oven to 500, threw in a stone, tried to make the perfect crust, delicately applied cheese (not as fresh), less virginal olive oil, and whatever was laying around for meat and vegetable (venison and chard)  and fired the concoction up. Well, it wasn't perfect, particularly the part of trying to get the pizza in the oven without a paddle, but by God it was revolutionary--Che Quevara would have loved it. We are moving in a new direction here.

Revolution Watch----Water in Wisconsin

Right smack-dab here in the middle of Wisconsin one would not think there could be a water problem. Ya, we do have some water quality issues involving nitrates, Aldacarb and Artizine but we all know where they come from, and we DO need our potatoes and dairy products. There are not that many folks who can't drink there water for fear of going into some catatonic fit or have dripping open lesions covering their bodies. It is not like 13th century Europe where most people had one malady or another.

Truth is, we have a water quantity issue if you can believe that? As a result we have some lakes and streams, like the Little Plover mentioned above, that have hit the road, done the dirt nap, kissed it off and left town. So, even though we get substantial rain, and we have had a few dry years, the lakes are disappearing and taking the entire biological community with them as they head out here---not like they can go somewhere else.

The Little Plover River was once a trout stream with beautiful Brook Trout flitting about. They were not giant fish by any estimation but still their presence also would indicate that there was a rich environment of another sort here in the river valley, and that included a few bold fisherman.

Well, it turns out that in the last how many years, there has been, and still is, a rapidly increasing number of high capacity wells being punched all over the place in the central sands to irrigate potatoes and some GMO corn. In the past there was no irrigation because folks were pleased with an adequate yield, but then someone decided they had to feed tatters to more and more people, and make more and more money. The idea was to keep the sands saturated, dump on tons of chemicals and get these giant potatoes that could be perfectly sliced for Mc Donald s.

Turns out we are sustaining lots of potatoes but not our streams and lakes. Just goes to show what has value---at least on the surface. In the long run it might be questionable what is the most valuable but for right now the Revolution is going poorly---maybe the so called Green Revolution of Borlaug is still going but for what? Maybe the citizen of the future will forget what steams were as the baseline of perception shifts. They will not even know they were there. I'll remember fishing on Pickerel Lake.

Oh, the Spring---Part of the Revolution

This morning I went to the river to find a trout. Ice pellets were falling with a little push. The breeze was noticeable from the east. Water visibility was negligible due to the darkness of the day---and this is not the first day like this and the attitude around here is getting irritated because this lingering of winter is nonsense in the normal flow of things. April 14 and the sun is still gone and it has been for some time.

The trout told me to kiss there collective fish assholes so it was homeward bound. On the lake I noticed geese and ducks hanging out but they too didn't appear to be catching any fish either. Mergansers, Hooded and Common, skirted the mill pond probably as pissed as me. Still, I enjoyed the outing just because I still can do it. I can still go out and fish and feel the cold on my face. I like the ducks have not given up.

Had I caught one of the damn big old trout that I heard was released by the DNR the day would have been perfect. I ain't no candy ass.

Rather than fishing I should have been back at the homestead boiling my maple sap but the cold and the gloom has at the moment gotten the best of me. Then there was the snow that fell only hours ago and covered the wood pile one more time. The middle of April and still the snow stays, a foot or better and more today as if it is permanent.

What's with this bullshit? Last year this time the freezing nights were all gone. March had days of over 70 now the Ice Age is back. Ya, yesterday I read that in the Uk they are going to have a conference to discuss the possibility that they may have to confront a mini ice age like they had in the 13th century. Really? Oh that's right we have climate change. So me and that squirrel by the sap bucket have to get used to it, embrace it. Doesn't mean I can't bitch. Still, it has been on hell of a year for collecting sap, there are some trout in the stream and at the moment I am tight up against the pot bellied stove sucking up the warmth while looking at the red birds chucking seeds from the feeder.

It is a revolution out there but at the moment I'm still traveling first class. Tomorrow it will be after the Brown Trout again and the sap will boil.

The Special Painting----Just Waiting

In our travels we have always kept an open eye for that one great painting tucked away in some 2nd hand store or antique parlor. It is true a person can look and look and never really find much. Oh, there is tons of junk and a few mediocre things but really not all that much.

We like most have heard stories about some Van Gogh being found in an attic or flopped out on some flee market table---and they do happen. In fact, a good friend of ours went to some yard sale and found a really great frame he thought his wife could use, snatched it up for $25 and hauled it home. She got to looking at the painting held therein and decided it was a bit beyond the usual copy of some Hudson River school ditty. Once trucked off to a gallery in Santa Fe it was quickly learned it was a Crosby and fetched a handsome $25k. Oh ya, dude.

So the other day we drifted into a antique mall in Madison and began the usual wondering around looking for "stuff" which could include carburetors for Porsches, musical instruments (usually Martins)  and paintings. All three of us regathered and mulled our observations. It seems that back in the corner was this painting that caught our discerning eyes.

I was struck by the quality of the craftsmanship and noted the frame which itself was a notch above the normal fare. It was old, probably pre1900 and painted in a realistic style not unlike some of the masters, almost Rembrandty, or Millet but probably American. (Just remembered we did find a nice small painting that was determined to be probably one of Rembrandt students in Elizabeth Colorado in  JUNK shop).

What caught my eye here was the presentation, simple but elegant, almost a touch of the Girl with the Pearl Ear ring. There is an intensity in the young girl that asked many questions. Why the dark clothing? There is a touch a magic of intrigue, a mystery. Very nice piece that would look any wall look important. But like the $600 1963 Porsche I once passed, the $900 was just more than we could stand. Oh, to be flush! There it still hangs waiting for that one special person.

Revolution Watch---Fracking for Goodies

Up until recently, I had only read about fracking wells that have begun to crop up all over the west, mostly the west. Like everybody, I had seen aerial shots of vast tracts of land honeycombed with pads and connecting roads. It didn't take an ecological environmentalist to recognize that landscape was being altered.

Not long ago while on the road to Colorado, we began seeing these new wells cropping up where we had never seen them before, lots of them. While we had seen drilling rigs when we lived there, and yes we even had them in Elbert county where I was some sort of two-bit politician, never had I seen such monsters. The amount of gear was astounding and it certainly left no doubt why these things cost many millions of dollars. Tank truck after tank truck brought in various liquids to shoot down the bore holes at great pressure. They were, from a technological point of view impressive.

While some are cheering their arrival, it would seem a bit odd for all the joy in that the burning of hydrocarbons is proving to possibly be our undoing. Ya, we get more energy and that will drive the system, but at what cost?

 Right off, I find myself asking a couple of questions. These things are able to squeak huge amounts of gas, oil and condensates out of the this tight shale, like get most of it. It seems a bit strange to me that we should work so hard at getting all of it so quickly. Are we going to leave any of it for future generations? It will clearly not last forever.

The odd thing about these wells is the decline very quickly,  up to 80% in two years. That goes for all types of wells. Now, if they heavily drill all the sweet spots first, which they are doing in the Bakken and Eagle Ford, and they are cleaned out in 2-3 years will they not have to move out to the peripheral holdings and then drill more and more wells just to produce the same amount. No wonder they are talking about the Red Queen affect. They have to drill faster and faster all the time just to stay even. Independent analyst don't think these beast will ever increase our net energy production by more than 1.5 million barrels a day. Whoopee! We use 19 M/b/d  now.

During all this we keep hearing that because of this fracking we will be energy independent. What? It is mind boggling to me how the American people can be so easily duped into thinking this means anything. It does not bode well for the Sustainable Revolution. The longer we get duped, the harder will be the news when we are told to back off consumption as the stuff runs out. Humans are idiots.

The Wine Bottle and the TP---Revolution Watch

I read so much about sustainability sometimes I forget to look around and make assessments of my own actions. Here are a couple of items that recently got my attention. The first one is the much loved toilet paper. Now, I know this is not that exciting, well, it can be, I guess, if a pleasant time was had sitting on the hopper reading the Economist, but generally it is just an everyday item of necessity. Ever entertain a good movement only to find there is not a single patch of tissue--then we find out it's value.

The first thing that got my attention was the thought of what folks did when they didn't have "bum roll" as it is called else where. I mean, the stuff has not been around that long---I figured. Well, it turned out there was some form of it in China in the 6th century but the arsewipe we had, and that includes the printed stuff found around the elections with the candidates pictures on it, has be around about 125 years or so. It would appear the aristocrats may have had it longer but the average yahoo, not so lucky. They had to resort to cobs and leaves, or nice bunch of grass maybe Au-natural. That would be a nice chick magnet.

What I noticed, and I was reminded of today, is that we go through the stuff with great gusto. Today she wanted to know if we consumed an entire roll in one day. I took pleasure in the soft paper only once today, so I assumed if it was all gone, either a ghost used it or Ann engaged the remainder which would be 90%, by herself.  Fact is, it appeared to all be gone in one day. I say three days would be more common but if there were guest around or kids, ya, one a day.

Two issues, the rolls now cost $1 or damn close unless purchasing it by the pallet load (we don't) which implies $30/month. That is astounding even if it is half. To top it off, forest are consumed and energy plundered and chlorine is used to make it nice and white--it could be brown. What a drain on me and the environment. 15/month, wow! Where have we come?

Then there is the wine bottle. Just in looking at the bottle it is real obvious that the cost of the beer, which is the good part, the healthy part, is obviously much less than the glass. What? How the hell does that make any sense? In the 50s we returned every beer bottle. How can it be cheaper to make new ones all the time? Do you realize how cheaply we could drink our beer and wine if we didn't have bottles? I noticed in France we could go into a hardware store and get wine out of a huge vat by way of a gasoline type hose and dump it into a 5 gallon carboy and the great stuff cost $2/liter. My God, what a savings. We could be ripped most of the time for nothing more than a song.

Sweet Jesus, where is our sustainability. We need to make some changes---but I can't visualize corn cobs.