"LUMBER JACKS AND CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTER"

IT IS THE TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WHEN WE TRADITIONALLY GO, TRACK, PURSUE AND SNEAK UP ON THE EVER ELUSIVE CHRISTMAS TREE.

IT IS A TRADITION TO FIND A FRESH AND WONDERFUL TREE, AS WE APPRECIATE THE SACRAFICES AND WONDER EACH TREE GIVES IN ITS LIFE, WE APPRECIATE THE CHUCK (CHARLIE FOR THOSE WHO DONT KNOW HIM LIKE I DO) BROWN TREES, ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOkS IS "THE LITTLE CHRISTAMAS TREE".

I HAVE DONE THIS TRADITION SINCE I WAS A YOUNG MAN AND HAVE HAD GREAT AND POOR SUCCESS, ALWAYS BAGGING MY TREE, COMING HOME WITH A PRIZE.

IN THE PAST I HAVE SPENT HOURS LOOKING FOR THAT SPECIAL TREE, I HAVE COMPARED COUNTLESS TREES FOR THAT ONE THAT WILL FILL THE PLACE IN MY HEART THAT TREES GO AND WARM ME. THIS YEAR, WE WERE PRESSED FOR TIME, HAVING ARRIVED HOME AT 3 IN THE AFTERNOON ON SATURDAY IT LEFT US WITH LITTLE LIGHT AND TIME, WE LOADED THE 4 WHEELERS QUICKLY AND PROCEEDED TO THE GAS STATION(OF COURSE WHEN I AM IN A HURRY THEY ARE OUT OF GAS).

IT IS ABOUT DUSK WHEN WE ARRIVE IN THE FOREST, EXCITED AND FILLED WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF THE HUNT WE PARK THE TRUCK, UNLOAD AND HEAD INTO THE WILD WILDERNESS, BRAVING THE DANGERS OF THE UNTAMED MOUNTAINS.

PROCEEDING ALONG THE ROAD, WE TAKE TOTHE WOODS ON ROADS AND TRAILS THAT HAD NOT BEEN TRAVELED, YOU KNOW THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED AND KNOWING THAT A PRIZE LIE AHEAD.

LOOKING QUICKLY AT A FEW AS I PASSED I COULD NOT IGNORE THE LIGHTS SHINING ON A TREE FROM THE HEAVENS, THE CLOUDS PARTED, ANGLES WERE CAUGHT UP IN ANGELIC WHIMSICAL TUNES AND THE HARPS WERE PLAYING A HYPNOTIC TUNE AS I GAZED UPON PERFECTION................................MY TREE.

MY EXCITEMENT TOOK OVER, ONLY 15 MINUTES INTO THE HUNT AND I HAD BEEN BLESSED, I APPROACHED THE TREE WITH CAUTION, MAKING SURE THAT I WAS READY TO DEFEND AND PURSUE THE CAPTURE WITH THE NEW RANCHER 550 HUSQUAVARNA 20" CHAIN SAW.

AS BRYCE AND I APPROACHED MAKAYLA, MALLARI AND ZACH LOOKED ON (mal and zach had come along as expert guides, they had bagged a quite impressive one earlier) WITH SPARKLES IN THIER EYES, THEY COULD FEEL THE WARMTH THAT THIS TREE WILL BRING TO OUR HUMBLE CONDO THIS SEASON.

QUICKLY WITH THE SPEED OF A ZEPHYR I PULLED THE STARTING CORD OF THE SAW, AND NOTHING, PULLED IT AGAIN, NOTHING, THEN PULLED ONE MORE THE SAW LEAPED INTO ACTION WITH A MIND OF ITS OWN, HOVERING ABOVE ME AS IF TO SAY "I WILL SAVE YOU " THE SAW WITH EASE CUT THROUGH THE 3 INCH TRUNK OF THE TREE, WE HAD BAGGED OUR TREE.

AFTER DRAGGING OUR TREE TO THE 4 WHEELERS, AND TIRING OURSELVES OUT FROM THAT 10 FOOT WALK WE TIED THE TREE BEHIND AND PROCEEDED TO EXIT THE UNTAMED AND DANGER OF "THE WOODS OF GROVER PARK"

AS YOU CAN TELL FROM THE PHOTOS, I AM VERY PROUD

"respondant----defendant---accused----loser"

the court system in small town,( ride in on a pony judge) has become a mockery of what the definition of justice is.

obvious as i make it i lost my last go around with the judge, not too proud of my actions in court either, I need to find that fear again that renders me respectful and beholding to the postition of "your honor"

spending a time in my life attending court and being part of the system i have had the chance to see proper procedures, and protocol for a court room, i have seen justice, BUT THIS TIME,

i witnessed lies, perjury, ingnorance, and anger, mine, hers, and the judges, so the question is what can be done to ensure fairness and equity.

i dont have the answers, but i am reminded of the instruction to turn the other cheek, i know that i cannot be totally innocent of everything, heck i was in there, but i do know that the real test will be how to handle, and respond, with dignity or with anger. i must say that i have found a mix of dignity and anger, and they do not do well together, but i will find the way to resolve and put to rest all of this with the dignity it deserves, strike that, with the dignity i need to possess.

i do get to smile about all of my legal woes, and i do feel good about my actions, however i need to have a lawyer speaking for me, i say too much with the passion i feel in court and we all know that there is no place for personal passion in court.

i share this blog so it reminds me that not all in my life is roses, or funny or at all going my way, but that i appreciate it when it does.

"4wheelin, mud boggin kind of dude"

oh the joy and passion of the hunt, the last weekend of the hunt was this weekend, the kids got in from utah late we made the plan and got up early, fresh snow with a misty rain greeted us, oh the excitement, we will find their track and get em, yahoo.

we set out on our journey arriving on time to watch for elk as they go into the woods, and nothing, but I knew that it was a matter of time, we needed to get to the spots no one else has gone. as we moved into a canyon on a road that had not been traveled, we came to a spring, it looked tough but others had been through before,I could tell because they had put logs and rocks in it to dig their vehicle out and make it stable to drive (1st clue), we decided at the last,,,,,,,,,,,,oops not the last moment not to go into it, my wheels had gone over the edge too far and I could not back up, so we decided to go down the canyon, though the road looked like only a 4 wheeler trail (2nd clue) so I hit the spring hard with all that the 24 valve turbo boosted dodge mega diesel mean and hot 4 wheelin machine could do, and we went right through it was pretty frozen, hmmmmm so we meandered our way down the canyon, again coming to another spring to cross, this time as wise as I had become I decided not to, though my daughter suggested we cross where it looked like others had crossed, I worried that we would not be able to come back across.

we turned in defeat and retreated to go the way we had come, we got back to the first spring, and it was suggested that a prayer be said, my youngest said the prayer asking that we get through the spring. so instead of going through where I had gone through earlier, I chose a new path where all of the logs were that had been used before, again a red flag should have popped up, it had become warmer, snow was melting and we were ready to hit it, so after the prayer I went to it, gritted my teeth and hit the spring, front tires in, front tires out, and bam,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, there we sat, front bumper air dam was on the ground, we had sunk the rear to the axle and put the frame of the truck on the bank. it was 9 am.

we got jacks and rocks and worked it and worked it, I chose a new language to speak several times, and the kids gave me the "this is quality time" and "I come 200 miles to get yelled at" look, well it worked, I finally had to laugh, we were going no where, we were stuck in fact to put it blunt

**we were in the middle of no where, on a road that no one should be traveling on in a quad cab long base truck with poor factory tires, trying to help pull the truck out with a 2000lb winch hooked to a 500 pound 4 wheeler and going no where**

i made the decision to go for help, I had a 4 wheeler, and enough food and things for a couple days for all of us if need be, I went several directions to the tip of the hills, no cell signal, so I knew I had to get out to a phone, I rode down the canyon the way we chose not to go, within a mile I was on a main dirt road and 4 miles the highway, ugh. I went to the little tavern motel at the idaho stateline, made some phone calls and help was on the way.

Mal and her husband showed up and one of my employees with my other work truck and chains, I knew getting in there over that 2nd spring may be tough and we may have to dig another truck out, the trucks drove right through them, we hooked a chain on my truck and shazam a mere 8 hours later we were out.

we saw no elk, we heard no elk and obviously we speak no elk, but we are mud boggin, 4 wheelin, jeepin dudes, who know a little better now, and we will wait till hunting next year to forget and do it again.

"Master and Commander"

Of the hound type, a few years ago I had a pooch that met an untimely death in my presence, and then while serving in Iraq, my hound had developed cancer and well, you know, my luck has been very poor and this is just the last 5 years of luck with the hound.

On thursday of this lovely week I got a late start and went to finish the winter wood gathering, loaded up and went 40 miles to a honey spot for good wood. I let my new hound out of the truck (she has been with us for months) and she went and layed under the trailer as we were cutting. I moved to a new area and she ran up when I started my saw, and then she bolted, the last I saw of her that night, we looked and looked, called and called, the canyon and trees echoed my voice and I worried that the echoes were dis orienting.

My heart sank, she was part of my family, you see she is the first hound that gets to sleep in each night, not in a outdoor kennel, she is the very first dog ever to ride in the front of my truck with me, and she always does never in the bed. she is my partner, my shadow and my freind. I lost her, I was up most of the night worried. How could I lose her, how could I let a pet get so close to me, and how was I going to share this with my son who loves her too. I offered more prayers, and pleadings to find her, that she would be takne care of that she if found would find her way home.

The next morning found me up early, I was the first one on the road in, but what made it worse it had snowed 4 o 5 inches during the night, it became an urgency to get there, and I boke out in a cold sweat worrying. I followed fresh track in the snow going along the road, none of them looked quite like my hound, dont ask me how I know, I got to the top of ridge where we had been cutting again tracks in the snow, not fresh, oh no.

I got out of the truck, the warmth I had driving up, and started calling, and calling, nothing, no baying no barking nothing. then I looked through th trees, and there she stood looking cautiously at me, when she recognized me, she sprinted to me, she leaped into my arms, she is not small, and hugged up against me, I put her inthe truck and she still climbed onto the center console and hugged up to me whining and making noises the whole time, this lasted for 10 minutes or so. After she had expressed her undying thankfulness or maybe love, she went to her spot in the truck layed down and slept all the way home, she slept all day and night, she had been there alone and scared, but she waited for me, and she and I were joined again. I am thankful for prayers that are answered.

"Impatient Man?"

Ok, I had a day this week that made me think of things we do in our life. Are there times we leave common sense when we are impatient. I think there have been times in my life, when I can absolutely say that is the case. What brought this to my attention, I drove 300 miles one way this week to pour 1 yard of concrete, a pad 10 foot long and 5 foot wide, 50 square foot. I have figured the cost of the trip I took, considering 2 men, drive time, truck time, materials and misc, it was approximately $1500.00 that is 30.00 per square foot, that would be 10 times more expensive than my normal charge. It was a need to be done, need it now and needed me to come get it done job. So this proves that (from my perspective) impatience of waiting for a couple of local guys to pour this, which in reality if I did this for someone would cost them 300, but this has driven out common sense. I measure this of course with my ruler and knowledge, I may not know all of the facts, it may be that with this not done to set the storage tank it costs this gas plant money, and therefore this price is affordable, but from my perspective this is a lack of comon sense. I have done it in life many times, Imapatience, leading to the lack of common sense. I think I am better than I used to be, but hang on this life aint over yet, and I am sure I will have more times that this theory gets proven.