For Sale or Trade

[BackCast]

I'm offering for trade this:





for this:

[Shorewalker]

You don't have enough money to make that trade with me!

[BackCast]

You don't have enough money to make that trade with me!

Apparently you saw my electric bill last month.
I actually don't mind the snow but I could sure live without the record cold temperatures. Can't say that I was excited to hear Tuesday morning that my little hometown had been the coldest spot in the US the night before.

[BigIrish]

-22,

[BackCast]

-22,

That's been my strategy. Some times laughing is the only choice! But the good news is, it's going to get better. Following ice, snow and records low temps the 10 day forecast is calling for a high of 60 at the end of next week. Floods can be exciting!

Anyway, it has warmed up that I was able to put my bourbon down, move from in front of the fireplace and take the dog for a walk/hunt. Not much foliage left...


Sometimes I like to have him wear an orange vest when we have heavy snow cover...


This is why (you can see his eyes and tail if you look carefully)....


It was a chilly walk back to the truck...


Sadly, my buddy is getting old and just can't handle running hard through the ice and snow the way he used to....

[Shorewalker]

You have a very cool, well mannered, and dependable old friend there. It reminds me of my grandfather's dogs that used to hunt out on the deer lease. If they "got" out (my grandfather's way of calling us off the stand for breakfast / lunch) they would figure out which stand you were in and start working the birds. If they found quail, you just pretty much had to climb out or they would just keep waiting on point for as long as the birds sat down. After you busted the covey, they gave you strangest stare when you didn't scope down on a quail with your .270 and at least give it go. By then the deer were run off anyway so then we hit breakfast and traded the rifles for shotguns and headed to the fields for quail. It's a shame that fireants seem to have decimated that huntery from Texas. Lots of memories were made on that old piece of property.

[BackCast]

You have a very cool, well mannered, and dependable old friend there.

Thanks. As the song said, two out of three ain't bad! Chester's a pretty good bird dog and a great buddy but most folks wouldn't describe him as well mannered. Of course the same can be said for most of my human friends too!

We don't have many quail left here either. I used to be able to flush a covey within 5 minutes of my house but a hard winter of ice and snow, followed by the year we experienced a severe blizzard, nearly destroyed them. I'm sure pesticides, habitat loss and predators haven't done anything to help. I spend a lot of time outdoors and haven't seen a single bird (in the wild) for a long time. Too bad, they're a wonderful little bird.