The Ole' Smoke Pole

Warning, this post contains no pictures of dogs and a couple pictures of dead animals. If that is not your thing than this would be a good post to skip....

Here are two pictures of me.... back in the early 80's, 1983 to be exact and no, that is not a mop on my head that is actually my hair. Earlier that year I had purchased a muzzleloader kit, a Thompson Center Renegade .54 caliber to be exact. After putting it together, sanding, staining and varnishing the stock I was ready for my fist muzzleloader hunt!

The article below was written by my friend Dan Sobieck detailing that hunt. Back then he wrote articles for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Yes, that's right, I am kinda a big deal with my name in print. Signed copies are available, to receive yours, just send $9.99 and you will receive your own signed copy of this article! Well, actually Dan is the big deal. 

Dan was not kidding when he says it was cold. I remember that cold, well below 0F, we were freezing! And yes, we did sleep in the back of my truck in an uninsulated topper. I remember we had one of those old Colmen dome heaters. You know, those one that you fill with kerosine (or something like that) and the dome glows orange as it heats. We were lucky that that window was broke out or we might have died of carbon monoxide poisoning!

I did harvest one other animal with that rifle a couple years later when we went bear hunting up near Dryden Ontario.... 

As you can see from this picture it was about the same era... in the early '80's. But since then that gun has pretty much been sitting idle for the last 35 or so years. 

This year I was determined to dust it off and get it out hunting again! But first I needed to sight it in. Sighting in a muzzleloader is not exactly like sighting in a centerfire rifle. There are so many variables when it comes to muzzleloaders. First is the powder. You have to measure and pour the exact same amount of the powder down the barrel each time to make things as consistent as possible. Then you place a patch between the powder and the ball. Next, you seat the ball on top of the patch and push them down the barrel with a ramrod. Back then we shot round balls sized exactly for the caliber rifle one has. This is what that combination looks like. 

Powder, patch and ball. Quarter for comparison

I was not sure if the rifle would even fire. The balls, powder and patched were purchased over 38 years ago but I loaded it hoping for the best. Next comes the percussion cap. 

This tiny little cap is what ignites the powder charge and makes everything go boom. All set, I went outside to sight it in. I put out a target, lined up the sights and pull the trigger. POP! The cap goes off but not the powder. Now, this can be a very serious situation as if just the tiniest ember reaches the powder, it could ignite it several seconds later..... or not at all. So you have to continue to point the rifle downrange for several seconds before checking to see what went wrong. Eventually I put another cap on, lined up and pull the trigger....POP! Dang it! Something must be clogged. After a minute or so I take the firing mechanism apart and sprinkle a couple of particles of powder under the cap next to the port that ignites the main powder charge and try again...BOOM! After years of sitting idle the ball hit the target just an inch low. 

Now I was ready to see if I harvest a deer with it! I knew just the deer I was hoping to get. A couple of days before I saw a nice wide 8 pointer come by, and he was dragging his hind leg. He was obviously injured and there was no way he could outrun a pack of coyotes. Out I went in the hopes of seeing him again! I saw several deer but not The Wide 8. Just as I was thinking he was not going to show up, here he comes limping through the wood....As he got into range, I lined up my sights, and slowly pulled the trigger....BOOM! Through the smoke I could not see if I hit him as he ran/limped through the woods out of sight.  

I decided to wait overnight before I go looking for him as the roundball does not do near the amount of damage as a conventional bullet or an arrow. Plus, it was plenty cold (in the teens) so the meat would not spoil overnight. Early the next morning Barb and I took up the trail and found him piled up a couple hundred yards from where I shot!

I could not have been happier, after 38 years I shot my second deer with that gun! Although not TBO, he is definitely a nice one!

As long as the gun was out, I thought I would make a video shooting it, some in real time, some in slow motion. It is only about a minute long and I think it turned out pretty cool!

Our friends Doug and Connie from Wisconsin showed up later that day. If you recall, Doug is a very talented taxidermist who has done all our mounts. The reason for their visit was not only to see us but also deliver our two mounts from last year. My archery whitetail.....

Doug positioning the new mount

.... and Barb's very first archery harvest, her nice tall mule deer!

Barb's very first mount!

The next day we butchered The Wide 8 and got most of him in the freezer. Unfortunately, one hind quarter was too damaged from that previous injury to use the meat. Doug then aged the deer by studying the buck's teeth. The teeth were well below the gumline aging the deer somewhere around 7-8 years old. Doug said even if this deer was not injured, he probably would not have made it through the winter given his age and the condition his teeth were in. Definitely a good one to harvest and more than likely saved him a lot of pain and suffering. 

Doug and Connie left on Tuesday and headed back to Wisconsin. It was so nice seeing both of them, just wished it could have been longer. I was a bad host and did not even get a picture of Connie this trip!

So now it is time to oil up the gun and put it in the safe, store the powder, balls and caps in a dry place and wait until 2059 when I will be 96 to see if I can do it all over again!

I'm a Believer!

I am going to date myself. When I wrote this title the first thing I thought of were The Monkees. But this title has nothing to do with the 1984 classic (correction,  apparently it was 1966!).

So, what am I a believer in? Well, after 6 weeks of knee pain I found a remedy that not only relieved the pain, but I think it also fixed it altogether. I was working on the porch roof the other day on a ladder when I shifted my leg sideways and I had excruciating pain in my knee. I literally could not move. Of course, I was home alone (Barb was still in AZ) with no one to hear my cries of pain. It took me 10 minutes to get off the ladder as I had to build up the courage to bend my knee and fight through the pain to get down and hobble back to the couch. Usually, I can fight through the pain but this was a whole new level. 

I looked through the medicine cabinet for something a little stronger than the ibuprofen I usually take but could not find anything. So I texted Cheryl who recently had knee surgery and knows first-hand the best thing to do for knee pain. She said that CBD did wonders for reducing the swelling which in turn relieved the pain. Now, I am not a big CBD guy but it hurt so bad I would have drank bleach had someone suggested it, and I knew Barb had some CBD somewhere in a drawer so I tried a couple. 45 minutes later I am walking around like nothing happened! No buzz, no drowsiness, no nothing and no pain! After that I took two every day for 3 days and I have not had any knee pain since. I even went on a hike the other day! So, yes, I am now a believer.

As cool as that was, what happened on last Sunday was even cooler. No, I did not get TBO, but Forrest, Somer and Lily arrived for a 9-day visit!

We did a variety of things throughout the week including the aforementioned hike. We were going to do a Needles Highway hike but it was closed due to snow so instead we did a hike around Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.

The lake was frozen which really gave it a unique look. 

One of Barb's favorite pastimes is to explore the local auctions sites for treasures she just cannot live without. Well this past week she won not one, but two accordions! This now brings us to three of beautiful "compact" instruments. Barb has never played one, but she loves them and wants to learn and as a bonus, Zoey absolutely goes through the roof anytime she tries to play them!

Wednesday night was of course burger night. Our table was a little bigger with not only Forrest, Somer and Lily but our neighbors Jim and Carmen joined us as well. We were just finishing up dinner when this woman approaches Barb and said, "You look familiar". They started talking and it ends up Barb had sold them a horse over 20 years ago when we lived in Wisconsin! The weird thing about it is that the woman who recognized Barb could not have been over 30 so she would have been 10 or so when her family bought the horse. What are the odds of a 10-year-old recognizing Barb 20 years later?

For those of you who know us from way back then, the horse was Forrest's pony Shamrock. Ends up she married a Pringle local that she met on the circuit when she was 15 and they are now married and live in Hot Springs. Crazy coincidence. 

Forrest and Shamrock at a show in the fall of '97

As I was looking for a picture of Shamrock I ran across this picture of Barb and just have to include it. 

Yup, that's my Barbie....

Thanksgiving was Thursday, and we have so much to be thankful for. It was a very special day being able to share it with Forrest, Somer and Lily.  It is not always easy disrupting your life, not to mention the time and money it takes to travel. We really appreciate them taking the time to come and visit us!

Once it warmed up (a little) I fired up the tractor and we went for a tractor ride down the road and around the property.  

 The next day they went on a train adventure in Hill City! It was a special Christmas Express, so they got to talk to Santa while on the train

Barb even got to whisper into Santa's ear????

While they were enjoying the train ride, I had special visitors myself back home when Farmer Bob and DeAnne stopped by on the way home from Thanksgiving at their daughter's place in Denver. We visited for an hour or so and they continued on their way back home to North Dakota. 

When the "kids" got back from their adventure, they had a Christmas tree with them. Lily and Barb spent a couple hours decorating it. It was a special moment watching those two decorate the tree, we have never had any of our grandchildren around this time of year and it was very special to us. 

The hunt for TBO continues. I have been switching it up between my ground blinds and tree stands spending hours on my quest. I am seeing lots of deer and seeing some great sights. Here is the view from one of my tree stands. This one is about 20' up in a big pine. 

I put together a short video of some of the deer I saw last week. The rut was going on so every buck in the area was searching for hot does... Dino, the last clip in the video is for you as I thought of you when I put this together.....

As cool as all those experiences are, there was one experience that I have never had in my life when I saw something moving off in the distance. After looking through my binoculars I saw it was a bobcat! I was able to try and take a picture with my phone through the binoculars and if you zoom in on the picture below you can see the bobcat. That was a first for me!

Overall, it was a great 10 days, and it went way too fast. We appreciate them taking time out of their busy lives to come out and visit us create memories for all of us that we will never forget!

Finally!

With Barb gone to Arizona for over a week now my life has changed. Oh, the basic schedule is the same…. Get up somewhere between 4 and 5am, go hunting…work on the porch (and a few other things)… go hunting again then supper and bed. Except I have two dogs to care for and I have to scrounge up my own food. My main goal for the week is to have two dogs here when Barb gets home. Preferably the same two dogs that were here when she left!

I created a list of things I wanted to get done while Barb was gone. Besides working on the porch roof, I wanted to install outside lights under the porch, do some trim around the doors, finish taping/mudding the bathroom and get it primed, ready for painting.

Meanwhile, while I am working my @ss off here I keep getting pictures from Barb, Jessica and the grandkids who enjoying fun in the sun down in Arizona.

They are spending their days hiking the Saguaro National Park, visiting Kartchner Caverns, eating ice cream and spending lazy days at the pool. 

Kendall (Baby K) and Barb at Saguaro NP

Kendall, Dylan and Barb 

Barb and Jessica conquering a hill

Oh yeah, and they went out to eat constantly!

And ice cream!

And pool side drinks

Meanwhile I am toiling away here at the jobsite. Barb left a week ago last Thursday and when I went to the store this past Thursday I realized it was the first time I left the property since she left! Oh wait, I take that back, I did go to Kevin and Cheryl's on Sunday for supper and to watch Yellowstone. (Thanks guys!) But besides that I did not go anywhere. I did not even go to burger night on Wednesday, life without Barb is just not the same!

I was able to get quite a bit done though. I finished taping, mudding and sanding the main floor bathroom. I even got it primed! Don't tell Barb though as it is a surprise for when she gets home tomorrow. I am not afraid that she will read this as I think she only reads the blog when I ask her to proof read it. 

I could have painted it too as we had some leftover paint from one of the bedrooms but I was not born yesterday, as a matter of fact it has been just over 21,500 "yesterdays" since I was born. I am leaving the paint color decisions to the CDM (Chief Decision Maker) of the house. 

Bathroom ready for paint!

It turned out really nice and the mirror in the picture is the one Barb made the frame for, it fits in perfectly! We are waiting for bids on the glass for the shower. That will really finish it off. 

And FINALLY, I got the porch roof done! A good two weeks behind schedule but weather delays (mostly wind), and issues with my knee prevented me from working on it as much as I thought I would. 

It turned out great and really transforms our big rectangular house into something else. Something with a little more character. 

I also installed a security system that included a water sensor, temperature sensor and a couple of cameras. As many of you homeowner travelers know there is a certain level of anxiety every time you leave your house wondering if everything is alright. Now I can look in and see what is going on at home when we are away. Even when I am deer hunting, I can see what the dogs are up to while we are away!

Apparently this is what Dakota does while I am gone. Not sure where Zoey is. I could have talked to them but did not want to scare the deer or them!

What am I going to do now that that big project is done? Sit back and relax? I wish! Now that the porch roof is on I can finally finish the siding on the two corners at the end of the porch that have hips. Then I have the corner trim. We have all the door and window trim done inside but have yet to start the base trim. Then there is the scratch coat on the 135 or so feet of the house that is going to get stone on it. Once that is done then comes the stone. So as you can see there is no rest for the wicked. We will work on the trim on the inside but the scratch coat is weather dependent, ideally you want the temperature over 40 for 24 hours after doing the scratch coat. Not sure we are going to see that for a couple of months. 

As far as deer hunting goes, I am seeing lots of deer. Just not TBO. I actually have never seen him, I don't know if he even exists but he does in my imagination and that is what keeps driving me to get out there! 

A Day in the Life at the J-B

The past two weeks have been like ground hogs day. Day after day after day after day. Don’t get me wrong, we are enjoying our days it is just that they are basically the same. We get up about an hour before sunrise, have breakfast, watch the news and get terrorized for the day. It is amazing we are not all dead yet based on the perception the media put out.

Then I head to the deer stand for 2 hours to decompress from being depressed by the news and wait for TBO (The Big One) to come wandering by. TBO has not made an appearance but I have had some pretty cool experiences. For example, this guy walked but just before dark one afternoon. A nice one, but not The One.

Then there was this guy who not only walked by but stopped by to say hi. I had just enough time to slowly get the camera and make a short video before he decided that he was late for a meeting.

After the morning deer hunt it is time to work on the house. I have been working on two projects; the porch roof and taping and mudding the sheetrock in the main bathroom. Both projects are time consuming but are going well. 

I have the entire east side of the porch done and am now working on the south and east. 

Once the porch is done we can finish the siding!

I hate taping and mudding but it is going well,  A couple more coats and some sanding and it will be ready for primer and paint!

Barb (the overachiever), has been working on 3 projects; trim for the doors, staining the posts and beams on the porch and building a frame for the mirror in the bathroom. 

The mirror is almost done, I will save the picture for when the bathroom is done and it is hanging on the wall. 

Of course while we are working the deer taunt us by standing out front. 

Or they just stare at Dakota through the window...

We are in somewhat of a time crunch because Barb wants certain things done before Forrest, Somer and Lily come and visit on the 21^st. Seems like a lot of time but Barb is leaving me for 10 days on the 11^th to vacation with Jessica and the kids in Arizona. Meaning we have less than a week to get some of these things done.

Come about 4:00 it is back to the deer stand for 2 more hours of therapy.

Barb takes the 4 legged girls for a walk for a little therapy of her own. Then at night (when it is cold out) the girls hang out by the fire. Zoey has become quite the freeze baby. We often find her in this position…..

Or this one….

Or even this one…

Speaking of "cool" dogs, Zoey's mom recently had another litter. If you are interested in a puppy or just want to see some puppy pictures click here foe Foster Lake Frenchies website. 

Except for Wednesday night when we head to Pringle for burger night, and last Thursday morning. We kinda over did it. We had a great time dinner, music, pool….when we left we were the last cars in the parking lot. Barb was moving a little slow the entire next day. I managed to get some work done but at a much, much slower pace.

Amongst all this we had a special visitor when my sister Carol came out for 4 days to spend time with us. This is.... the 3rd? year in a row that she has come out to visit us.  It is always great to see and spend time with her. She knitted while Barb and I worked. She did not want her picture taken but I was able to sneak one while I was in the scaffolding working on the porch.

Then I turned around and took this picture of Barb as she was chucking some logs from behind the wood shed.

We did take one afternoon to drive the Needles Highway, just Carol and I. We spent so much time talking we did not take one picture! 

Day by day the cycle continues, little by little we are getting things done.