What does the New Year mean to you? Part 1

Back when I was 20, thirty seemed so far away.  When I was thirty, 40 seemed so far away.
Now that I'm forty, I see death right around the corner.
What kind of bullshit is that?
Why can't I see fifty?  Why now do I feel rushed?

I've taken the plunge over the cliff.  Perhaps a midlife crisis (which means I'm going to live to be 80)
but a mild one.  I have no plans of having an affair or dying my hair (even though there is almost more silver, grey and white than black).
I probably won't go out and buy a motorcycle or a boat and start shaving my chest.  (In reality a few plucks would do the job anyways)

I most likely will not hit the gym.  I'm more prone to hit the Jim anyways.  Splashed over the rocks with a shot of cola.

Why even yesterday I found a lump on my chocolate lab Gunner.  He's even getting old.  He has little white hairs on his chin just like me.

My yellow dog, Remmi is also showing signs of aging as he is headed to the vet at the end of January to get "Tutored".

With middle age comes a bit of acceptance.  Some major ones I notice are:

I can't be as physical as I used to be.  My body aches for two days after only one day of wood cutting.

I can no longer stay up all night partying and drinking without paying severe consequences the next day.

A bucket of fried chicken leaves me with guilt in my eyes and a notice of a cholesterol screening from my Doctor. 

Of course with the lovely age of 40 also comes the dreaded Dr. visit that all men cringe about.

After a little bit of counseling I was fine.  I haven't cried in a long time.

So in attempt to regain part of my former robust exuberance I have decided not to wallow in my superannuated state but to relish all that it brings.

With that being said here is a list of things that I plan on changing.

I will not over work myself (yeah right)

I will cut down on fried foods  (am I dead yet?)

I will enjoy more time with my family  (they might not enjoy it)

I will start my empty nester life (close enough)

I will go to lots of places I haven't been (no, not church...are you crazy?)

There are lots of other things but you get the point.

My favorite one of all is I'm going to start prepping for grandkids.

Grandkids you ask?

I know.  Neither one of my kids even has a boyfriend/girlfriend but nonetheless the preparations must begin.

First thing we need is a retreat.  I've been talking about it for awhile now.  Pulling the trigger.

I figure by the time one of my kids gets married and has a baby and the child is old enough to head north with his Grandpa I will be ready.

Let's hope I'm still around!

So here is the precursor to my new years resolutions or whatever you want to call them.
I will finish this post off in the new year.
I need to get out the door as I have to meet a guy about cutting some firewood.
Then I have to come home and smoke 20 lbs of summer sausage and then I have to clean the chimney and then I have to split some wood and then I have to....what?
It's not the new year yet.  I have two more days!

Old age is like wine,
The older it gets...

Oh who am I kidding!

Beer me please.
Cheers,
-Bushman

Sunday is the new Friday

Happy Sunday!

Not usually my favorite day of the week but because I am on Holiday until January 5th so I will enjoy today as if it were a Friday.

I spent yesterday morning making venison snack sticks.  I started early.  In fact I was in the garage by 8 AM.  I had to get the meat weighed and mixed and then stuffed into casings early enough so that they could rest for awhile before putting them in the smoker.

I took the meat out of the freezer the day before to thaw.  Which left me with a feeling of dismay because I had worked so hard to get it in the freezer and here a few short weeks later I was pulling it back out.  I know, I know, I just wish I would have had the time to skip that step.

After stuffing

I made 15 lbs of regular snack sticks and 7 lbs of pepperoni sticks.

(On Monday I will be stuffing 20 lbs of summer sausage with cheddar cheese in it.  I will smoke this on Tuesday.)

I put them in the smoker around 2 pm and took them out around 8 pm.  I have to cut and package them this morning.


That is before I head to the woods to cut some more firewood.  My neighbor secured a little woodlot down the road just a few miles that we can get a few loads of wood out of.  It will be nice to be so close to home.
The firewood collecting task can be tricky.  There is a little bit of math to it.  If your collection spot isn't close you need to start figuring out how much fuel your equipment will consume.  Gas for the truck, gas for the saw, oil for the saw, bar oil for the saw as well as overall effort to get the wood out of the woods.  Some spots you have to haul it on a snow sled or carry it out by hand.

If the costs associated with collection start to inch up close to the price of just buying it you need to re-think.  I can only carry so much wood in my truck and trailer.  (safely)
So I make sure I haul as much as possible at one time to offset the overhead enough to make it justifiable or I don't go.

Today's spot is just over two miles away.  It also has great access.  I can drive the truck really close to most of the wood.  I plan on spending the whole day out there.

Almost the whole day.  The Lions are playing the Packers today and if they win they get a bye week in the playoffs and home field advantage.  We haven't had a year this good in a long, long time.
Of course we haven't beat the Packers at Lambeau field since 1993 so we have our work cut out for us.

Go Lions

I will be home by 4:30 and I will have my new Lions shirt on as well as my hat.  I will have a cold beer in hand and I will most likely be screaming at the TV.  Stop by if ya want.  LOL
There will be plenty of beer.  As they say,

Happy Sunday to all,
-Bushman

No Chance of a White Christmas

It's Christmas Eve morning.  Outside the temperature is 40 degrees.  It is raining.  There is zero chance of a white Christmas.  It's quite the bummer.

Oh well,  it saves on firewood I suppose.

Yesterday was the official start of my holiday break.  I am off work until January 5th.
Wouldn't you know it, I am coming down with a sinus infection.

Oh well,  it saves on beer I suppose.

My wife's birthday was Monday the 22nd.  We went to dinner and a movie.  The extreme theater.  The seats are cushy recliners.  So nice.
We had our annual Christmas party on Saturday the 20th at our house for all our friends (the ones who showed anyways)
I gave her a birthday present on that night.  You see, about 5 years ago she lost her engagement ring.  She has wanted a new one ever since.  The timing was finally right and by timing I mean, I finally had horded enough cash, without her knowing, that I was able to get her a replacement.

Today will be our family Christmas.  Of course everyone is still sleeping but in a few hours they will awaken and we will open up gifts.  I have a ham that I will start cooking here in a few hours and I will box it up and take it to the in-laws for Christmas dinner.

After that Momma and I will come home while the kids go to their dad and step mom's for their second Christmas on the 25th.

Not sure what we will do on the 25th.  Sure wish we had a cabin!  LOL

I have already purchased a bunch of ingredients for making summer sausage and snack sticks out of the venison we brought home from deer camp.  I plan on making that before the week is out.  I will get it wrapped and headed south to my deer hunting companions in the sunshine state of Florida.

After that I have zero plans for my break.  I am hoping to cut some firewood but who knows.  The weather looks as if it will turn cold and freeze up by week end.  We can only hope.  Getting out in the woods right now would be a challenge with all the rain we've had.  It would be a mud fest.

I think I may get my writing studio up and going.  I've been saying that for awhile now but maybe this time I will.  I need something to do anyways.

I was browsing through some of my old blogs this morning.  It's hard to believe that I started blogging over 5 years ago.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1914 days.  With 518 blog posts that is equivalent to a post every 3.5 days.  

Doesn't seem like it.  Of course a few A to Z challenges really help the average out.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and  a Happy New Year!

Cheers,

-Bushman

The Attacker

"I don't know what to do, I've tried everything," he muttered.

The raspy scratch of his voice echoed the exhaustion in his eyes.  The bags under his eyes were dark and swollen.  Sleep had not been a companion for some time.

He turned towards the kitchen, taking three steps he stopped and turned his weary self towards the front window, checking.  Every few steps he would repeat the process.  Always checking, looking and listening.  He could not hold out much longer.

The trickling water from the faucet as he filled his glass was the only sound in the house.  A cold and unwelcome sound that seemed to cut the silence like a band-aid being ripped from the skin.
The faucet shrieked as it was turned off and goose bumps raised upon the neck as the house once again turned back into silence.

As he shuffled his way back towards the front room he kept his eyes locked on the window.

"Did you hear that?"he asked.

The visitor shook his head silently.  He was getting concerned.  It was not like his friend to be so uptight.

"What is going on?" he asked him.

"Oh he'll be back, don't you worry.  Only this time I will be ready for him."

"Who?, What?  I don't understand what your talking about", he almost yelled at him.
"Your not making any sense at all and frankly, I'm beginning to get a bit worried."

He looked at his friend with a cold, hardened look.  "You might want to leave, it may get ugly."

As he said those words he reached behind the couch and retrieved an old battered pump action shotgun.

"This time, he won't get away."

"Whoa, whoa what the hell are you doing with a gun," he stammered.

"I told you, I'm tired of the torment, I'm tired of waiting and watching for him to return.  I'm tired of this mess.  Either he goes or I go, it ends today!"

His eyes welled up with tears and his friend could see the true exhaustion that had overtaken him.
He could not imagine what kind of trouble he was in that he would warrant the use of a gun.

"Let me call someone-the cops?  Who is doing this to you?"

"It's too late, I hear him coming back already."

"Who?  Oh my God what in the hell are you talking about?"

He looked at his friend and whispered," Shhh...get over here and duck down behind the couch with me, it will be over shortly."

Fear began to creep into the visitors face and without hesitation he ducked behind the couch next to his now apparently insane or very troubled friend.

He peered up and over the back of the couch.  His friends eyes were locked on the window, partially blocked by the Christmas tree which was in a terrible state of disarray.

Light strands hung loosely and some were even dragging the floor.  A few ornaments lay scattered on the floor and some were shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.  Tinsel and garland strangled the disheveled tree in tied up knots.

He stared intently at the window behind the tree wondering what was going to happen in the next few moments.

Then he heard it to.  A slight thump.  Then a very soft squeak which sounded as if it came from a very small door hinge.  Another thump.  The noise was coming from down the hallway but his friend's gaze was still drawn to the window behind the awful Christmas tree.

In the next instant all hell broke loose.  The slow thumping down the hall turned into a machine gun rat-a-tat of smaller thumps and a howl pierced the silence of the house unlike nothing he had ever heard.  Through the noise of the howling and thumping he heard the small distinct click of the gun's safety being turned off.  He almost vomited.

From his perspective behind the couch, it all went down in slow motion, just like he saw in the movies sometimes.  It was a cat that came leaping down the hallway, teeth exposed and snarling.  An awful moaning howl came from deep within its belly.  As it reached the edge of the living room it leaped through the air, teeth and claws exposed and he could see the whites of the cat's eyes as it prepared to attack.
It flew over the coffee table, knocking a candle and a potted poinsettia  to the floor.  The pot that held the once festive plant shattered and potting soil spewed from it covering the white rug.

The cat still airborne landed smack dab in the middle of the Christmas tree and proceeded to convulse wildly.  Shaking and biting the tree while thrashing with its legs.  Ornaments flew in every direction and shiny silver tinsel rained down in tatters as it was shredded by the evil feline.

In the next instant the shotgun appeared over top of the couch.  The snarling menace stopped its terror briefly but it was too late.  The gun roared and everything went silent except for the painful ringing in the ears.  The cat exploded in a spew of blood, the tree almost cut in half by the shot slowly fell to the side and the window behind it shattered outward into the night.  Instantly the house began to fill with cold air and snowflakes as the wind now poured in through the blown out window.

"Got ya, ya little fucker!"
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And that my friends is how I kept the cat out of the Christmas tree this year!
-Bushman

I Finally Found Another Use for Firewood

The days are getting colder and although we do not have any snow on the ground I can hear winter's footsteps just down the hall.  The clear starry nights drop the temperatures into the low 20's and being outside in the early hours of the morning, when no one else is awake, is quite exhilarating.
I would venture to say it wakes me up more than ten cups of coffee ever could.

So of course this is my dreaming time of year.  I love to nestle into the couch with a cup of hot coffee, two snoring dogs and my laptop.  I spend countless hours searching the world for interesting tidbits, things for sale and things for free.  I come across so many things that I have never seen or even heard of.  It's great fun and because I get up so dang early in the morning (pre 5am) I can search for hours before anyone is even awake or worse yet, I feel like I'm committing the ultimate sin of "not getting anything accomplished".

Many of you know I am on a mission topprocure property in Northern Michigan for a vacation spot.
I have been researching a lot of properties and even though I am not financially committed at this exact moment, I do feel as though I am within a years time of pulling the trigger.  Planning, planning and more planning.  Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will my dreams.

So anyways to tie it all together, in my countless hours of research and exploring I have discovered a very unique way of constructing my dream cabin.  Yes the property comes first and then the cabin!
It is unique in that it is a sustainable way to build, it is energy efficient, it is unfathomably creative and artistic (huge selling point for me) and last but not least (as my wife reminds me) incredibly inexpensive.

If you have never seen it let me introduce you to cordwood construction.

It is a construction technique that uses basic firewood splits and mortar to create the walls.  A row of mortar is laid on each side and filled with sawdust in the middle.  Wood is then laid on top of it.  Any pattern and most sizes apply.  You can even tuck in little bits of artwork like glass bottles and colored mason jars.  

The possibilities are endless.  Single story and even two story houses can be built.  It is incredibly strong.  The neat thing is the outside and inside walls are already finished once you build them.  No need for drywall and paint.  

With careful planning you can place all your electrical and plumbing within the walls and you would not see the runs at all.

Remember what I said about artistic?

The pic below is how I would start mine.  I would like a timber frame structure with high ceilings and a loft.  All beams on the interior would be exposed and then I would just fill in the framed spaces with cordwood.

The wood is cheap and most likely I would be able to cut it myself.  I've certainly proved I'm capable of that part!

The major expense would be the concrete foundation slab.  Plumbing and electrical I can do myself although the cost of well and septic would be added in the future.  It might be an outhouse type of cabin for a few years.

I really like the idea of cutting my own posts and having them look natural.  I would go with steel roofing for that part of the country with a steep pitched roof to ward off the snow load and with the high pitched ceilings a loft would be perfect for the sleeping quarters.

There are some incredible photos of this type of construction, too many to even scratch the surface here but I urge you to search it out on the web and see for yourself.

One article I read a family built the entire shell of their cordwood cabin for just under $5000.  ( I spent that on my living room furniture, the washing machine and a dishwasher)  That included the concrete, the plumb and electrical prep work and the roof and windows.  It was in upstate New York where it gets pretty cold and snowy.  The house was 1700 sq. ft.  No tiny little cabin really.  In the end they spent $15,000 total to complete it.  

So the way I see it, with careful planning, a lot of hard work and a nice big batch of serious dedication I can have this complete in a few years.  Virtually mortgage free! (property will most likely be mortgaged but still fairly cheap)

So what did you dream of this morning while enjoying your coffee?

Cheers,

-Bushman