What a Week!

 Life is a struggle. Especially with two black eyes and several broken fingers. It took two days before someone told Barb that I posted that video of her dancing. I will always remember the exact moment when she was told; it was Wednesday, 6:23pm, we were at the Custer Beacon with the entire family waiting for bingo to start.

Dan and Bonnie were there too, we were having a great time when Bonnie said something like; "I loved that video of you dancing on the blog.". The next few minutes are a little foggy. Barb said; "Oh no you didn't". The look she gave me would turn most men to stone, but after 38 years of marriage I am impervious to her death stare. What I am not impervious to is her left/right hook combination that left me dazed and confused as I regain consciousness laying on the barroom floor with two swollen eyes. I would show you pictures, but she would not allow them as they could be used against her in a court of law. 

What I do have a picture of is our youngest grandchild Kendall, Baby K, as I like to call her with her winnings from bingo night! Our table finally won! The odds were stacked a little better in our favor with 11 at our table this week. It was so cute. She said she was one away from bingo and when they called the exact number she needed I heard a little squeak of a "bingo" from her side of the table. I could barely hear it from a few feet away let alone 20' where the callers were seated. Mother Jessica called out a much louder "Bingo!" that everyone heard. 

The verifier came over and started calling out the numbers off of Baby K's card while she stared at the ground with guarded anticipation. When it was successfully verified a big smile came across her 10-year-old face and she was handed $87. 

The week went so fast with a mix of family activities, hunting and work. The weather turned around and we had several days in the 50's and I think we even touched 60 one day! With the weather this nice Kevin snuck in two more concrete projects. Who knows, this might have been the last of the nice weather until next April!

First up was an addition to the Pringle Fire Hall. A 14' x 42' pour. There were three of us; Kevin and I and another guy from the fire department. Here was the issue with this pour:

See that temperature in the top of that picture? 22 degrees is more than a little chilly to pour concrete, but pour we did!

Kevin had them add a chemical to the concrete which aids in the hardening process in this cold weather. I snuck inside a few times to warm up and took some pictures of the trucks...

The other pour was at Dan and Bonnie's where we put a sidewalk and sitting are on the east side of their house. The weather was in the 50's during this pour, and being so small, it was much easier. 

I had to leave after getting the concrete laid and doing a quick edging. I told Kevin I would rather have him mad at me than Barb. Looking at my two black eyes, he told me he totally understood. So off I went to our next activity for the day. 

A hayride! I had not used our wagon in several months and when I pulled it out to put the hay bales in it, I found one tire flat. I pumped it up told everyone to jump in and hoped for the best. We did a tour through our west pasture and Jim and Carmen's pasture next door. We brought refreshments, apple cider for the kids and Apple Pie Moonshine for the adults. 

We stopped by Jim and Carmen's so they could meet the gang. By that time, the tire was flat again so we webble and wobbled back home.

Speaking of moonshine, that night Barb put together a blind bourbon tasting for Shane and me of all my bourbons under 100-proof. 13 of them to be exact. Barb and Jessica numbered 13 tasters for each of us and poured a tiny bit into each one. Our goal? To try to identify each one and place them in the order of our preference before they reveal what they really were.

Here is the flaw in that approach. No one can taste 13 bourbons in a short period of time without totally blowing out your palate. By the time we got to the 8th or 9th, they all started tasting the same. 

The next night we tried it again with 5 bourbons over 100-proof with much more successful results. 

Other activates for the week included bowling and hiking. I was not able to go on either of these adventures, but fun was had by all. The hike was at the Cathedral Spires in Custer State Park. Another beautiful hike. 

The deer have been going crazy as I continue my quest for my bow buck. The rut is in full swing, and I have been seeing bucks chasing does every day. Just one short video for you this week of two bucks chasing a doe near me. You get a glimpse of the doe running by, but the majority of the video shows two bucks posturing to each other. The darker buck, which had a smaller rack, had a much bigger body than the lighter colored buck with a bigger rack. If you listen carefully, we you can hear the darker buck do what is called a snort-wheeze. A vocalization meant to intimidate other bucks. You can definitely see that the darker buck is dominant over the other one. So cool to watch in person!

On their last day here, we went to Jewel Cave National Monument for a cave tour. Something we would never consider during peak season. This cave tour was a first for several in the group. Even though we have been on this tour several times over the years, it is always interesting to see the formations and experience it with first-timers. 

After that, it was off to the airport for their 3:00 flight. We received a text at 12:30am from Jess saying that they had made it home. 

This morning, at 5am, as I am preparing to go out hunting, the house seems empty and quiet. Almost too quiet? Forrest, Somer and Lily are still here, out in their camper, but the house is empty. We had a great time with them and are so grateful for Jessica coming out.  With luck, we can make this an annual event!