Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise behind the grazing Elk

Sunset behind the Big Horn Mountains

Reflections From November

Well, today is December 1, 2017. How did we get here so fast I wonder? I didn't blog once in November. Oh, I thought about it all the time, but it was a busy month. And I'm going to share with you a few reasons why it was a busy blessed month.

On October 30 this little peanut arrived into the world at 6:32 pm.

Meet Harper Kay VanDyke - our first grandchild!

Such a miracle and a blessing. Her due date to arrive was supposed to be Thanksgiving Day but she decided she wanted to enjoy Thanksgiving and Halloween with her family in little person.

Ha!

She was 5# 5 oz. when she was born. Yesterday she weighed in at 7# 6 oz.

November was also a busy month because we spent much time at deer camp. The dogs love deer camp.

All situated in my deer blind.

I got my buck opener morning. So I really spent lots of time at camp rather than in my blind. 

Meat in the freezer!

Steve also got a buck. But for some reason we just didn't take a pic. Maybe it was because we were very tired after dragging that bad boy through all the water and then back to camp. We didn't have a four-wheeler handy so we went with plan B.

Or maybe it was because his was a three point and mine was a six. 

More meat in the freezer!

And now, for the last three days, I've been canning herring that we caught in June and July.  We love this stuff!

Fish in the pantry!

(I don't have a pantry...did I ever tell you how small our house is? Ha! My pantry is under our bed :))

Happy shopping, wrapping, baking, and decorating everyone! Happy December!

~Debi

Pssst...not all the above pics were taken by me, but they were taken by family members.

Full Moon Ghost Birds

We had a full moon over the weekend and of course I was out on the deck with my camera trying to get a good shot. I don't take night pictures very well, something I need to learn, however I thought it was kind of neat how this picture turned out - Moon Ghost Birds? Something unseen to the human eye? Ha.

Around the House...

Everyone and everything seems to be getting ready for something:

• cold weather 
• winter
• hunting
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

Or putting something away:

• shorts
• outdoor furniture
• canned goods to the cellar or cupboard
• sunflower seeds

Or taking something out:

• blankets
• bird feeders (the bear should be hibernating soon)
• heavy coats
• hot cocoa
• sunflower seeds

Yep, everyone and everything seem to be busy with something - that transition of seasons: 

• seasons of the equinox and the solstices
• seasons of life
• seasons of abundance and seasons of lack

I'm sure no one told 'ole Mr. Downy Woodpecker or Chippy that they better get out there and stock up and harvest the seeds from Debi's sunflowers.

They just know.

And the sky never ceases to amaze me!

Stay tuned...a hunting update will be posted soon.

Firearm Deer Hunting Season 2015

And yet another season falls upon us.

Firearm Deer Hunting Season!

We have been busy getting things ready for next week. Sunday is the first day of the firearm deer hunting season. It will last for two weeks here in Michigan. 

This week we swept out our blinds (those mice find sneaky ways to be squatters in our blinds during off season), tested our heaters (I had a problem one year - the mice built a nest in my heater and it started on fire - You can read more about that mishap HERE), and went through our hunting clothes and all the bells and whistles that go along with the sport. Tomorrow we'll go out for supplies and such essentials like batteries for camp, and sight in our guns. Oh yeah, I still need my license, too.

Whew, lots of preparations, but so worth it. Really worth it if one of us harvests a deer!

Oh, and I have some baking to do.

Now I'm getting that butterfly feeling - will I get everything done in time? Have everything we need? Enough food? See a buck? Why am I writing this post when I have so much to do?

Steve has already informed me I may not take as much "stuff" to camp as I did last year.

Gotcha.

This year I'll leave behind all those throw pillows and doilies.

You may have seen these pics on Instagram but I'll share again. Here are a few photos I took of the sky this past weekend back in the woods by our blinds.

I was hoping to get a shot of a rainbow but no success.

And on November 6, this little grandpuppy of ours turned one!

He is the wallpaper on my phone and I smile every time. 

He is so spoiled loved.

Happy Birthday Gus! See you in a few weeks!!

And good luck to all you hunters out there! Stay safe!

Camping!

Three years ago, Steve and I bought our first kayaks. Last year we upgraded our fishing boat from Two-Buck Duck to a Lund (a much safer ride on the big lakes and the St. Mary's river). This year we upgraded to a much larger tent, one we had had our eye on for the past three years. It's big enough for us and our livestock - Ike and Bear, and even a kitchen sink if we weren't rustic camping. Ha.

I haven't downloaded all of my pictures from my camera yet, but here are a few from my phone.

Our campsite was on an inland lake near the Lake Superior shoreline and this is where we had our morning coffee.

We took the dogs to Lake Superior the one day it hit 92 degrees.

We sat in awe on the shoreline of our campsite as amazing sunsets unfolded before us.

Our tent.

The front has a screened in porch.

Back view.

Well, this is just a sampling of our little trip. We went kayaking, fishing, four-wheeling, swimming and road trippin' to Grand Marais and Lake Superior.

But it is amazing how much laundry piles up in one week's time.

Gotta go...my dryer's buzzing!

Wyo Weather

This has been a beautiful long spring in Wyoming.  I love the above photo - a colorful peaceful Wyoming sunset.

I put away all the heavy winter clothes this past week and next on my list I was going to pack our winter coats but ran out of time. Well, the joke is on me. 

I know in Michigan we say if you want the weather to change, just wait a few minutes. Well, that's true for Wyoming, too, folks. This week Mother Nature gave us a bit of everything and had the poor weathermen hiding their heads in the sand, though there's not much sand in Wyoming. Everyday this past week was different from the weather report.

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll remember I posted a Blizzard Warning for us in Wyoming a week or so back. Guess what happened? It never happened. Not here anyway.

We had storms roll over the mountains and drop a little rain while thundering and lightening like the clouds were carrying much more rain than what they shared.

Another unique sunset. This was at the trophy pond.

And usually there would be a rainbow on display after the storms pass.

This cloud was mesmerizing and hung out in the same spot pretty much all day leaving us in the shade.

This photo makes me chuckle. I told Steve we were being observed by Martian clouds resembling two sets of eyeballs and the pair on the left looked angry with bushy eyebrows. Or were they spaceships? UFOs?

Yesterday wasn't suppose to be too bad of a day so we drove to our fishing hole. We stopped the truck on this hill here and watched the clouds envelope the mountains. Then the rain started up so we decided to do some exploring in northern Wyoming. We found a teeny tiny town with a local watering hole. We decided to stop in and meet some locals. Oh what fun we had. We heard more cow stories and train stories and jokes leaving my stomach hurting from all the laughing. The guys all looked like they were related to the Duck Dynasty's clan. There were two woman in there, too, who also made me giggle with their stories.

When we got closer to home, we stopped at the trophy pond to let the dogs run. More dark clouds coming over the mountain.

But it was mostly clear to the north.

This group of mule deer were waiting at the top of the hill and didn't run off before I could get their picture. Thanks guys!

Below are some closer to home shots of the sky.

And below is why the joke is on me!

This is what we woke up to and have been watching all day today. Earlier in the week they said it would be rain. Oh well, I can hear the ground sighing in thankfulness for the drink, even if it is sloppy wet snow.

Have a great week everyone!

~Debi