clouds: two layers of anxiety

Trouble is rarely ever simple:

two layers to this anxiety.

better run.

Damaged calm

Time to run!

2014 deer season

Had a GREAT time out in western nebraska with this year's hunt.

because of my work schedule i am only able to take off friday through monday

but 

that was enough to completely recharge myself.

friday starts with food, drink and a ton of carrom!

that combination right there will drop the blood pressure of the most stressed out person.

2014 deer season starting off with carrom

saturday had two very different weather patterns. we knew there was a front that would be coming in mid morning and was hoping for some good snow to put some contrast in the terrain. with some more white in the background it would be much easier to pick out the deer. we were seeing quite a bit of movement and were VERY hopeful for the afternoon. 

then the front came in. unfortunately, this had the opposite effect we were looking for. with the snow came bitter cold and wind gusts up to 30 mph. this pretty much forced the deer to bed down.

that afternoon there was basically no activity in the fields. 

snow to help pick out the deer in the field

sunday was the same as saturday afternoon, but even colder. started the morning in the negative degrees and the wind was gusting in the upper 20s. it took 3 hours to see our first deer (and even he was bedded down). with the weather as it was and because i only had one more day of hunting, i felt like i needed to take the shot. this little 3x3 mule was now going to be heading home with me. definitely no trophy but younger meat will taste better. there was also a good amount of fat on the deer.   

i was able to spend the afternoon and monday hunt relaxing and helping the guys i was with go after their deer. 

what this picture doesn't show is the less than comical scene that happened moments before. after field dressing we were flipping over the deer to drain when my boots (that didn't really have any tread) lost their traction and slipped right under the deer cavity as it dumped blood. boots still have that old blood smell to them.  needless to say the others thought that was pretty damn funny.

Independence Day games

Around mid afternoon every Independence Day we shoot the daisies.

when we are fat from food and DRINK, around mid afternoon we take on our Independence Day Challenge. we pull out the boys old BB guns and take turns seeing who can shoot off the designated daisy blooms.

Independence Day Challenge, Lewis's turn

sitting on lawn chairs we take turns until, "mama had a baby and her head popped off".

Flowers at 3 oclock

Storms tonight

but

here are the flowers at 3 o'clock

the breeze was starting to pick up

Flowers at 1 oclock

Storms tonight

but 

here are the flowers at 1 o'clock

Working while the storm comes and then keeps coming

I do try to leave time/space between my posts but wanted to give a 

before and after shift shot of the weather.

i want to emphasize how important storms are for getting my blood flowing. yesterday we had a great front come in and it contributed to an entire evening of wave upon wave of intense rains.

i would rather of enjoyed watching from home, but instead took the show when i could from work.

early/mid afternoon the party started with a great textured air show of "rolling" clouds

when it was time to go home, i was given a quick calm for the ride and then the next wave came.

the short motion clip is from before i got in the vehicle to head home.

the lightning is real, but the thunder i was recording was to washed out from the wind. I had to cobble an "approximate" thunder noise.

it was a good shift!

Chronodex week 18 and the mammatocumulus

Some weeks are better chronodex weeks then others.

this week i allowed myself a bit more time to organize my day. the results were better preparedness and some entertaining bottle/can themed chronodex.

chronodex 5.5.2014 bottle theme

chronodex 5.6.2014 bottle theme

chronodex 5.9.2014 can theme

the week ended on a more dramatic note.

a nice storm front came in and leading the way was this magnificent ceiling of mammatus clouds. 

mammatocumulus over eastern nebraska

there really is something very energizing about such a site.

European mount removing deer head from the ground

Catastrophe hits my 2013 deer head for mounting.

This is the largest deer i had ever took and this beauty deserved a proper mounting.

unfortunately

the freezer storing it failed and i am now on to plan b, a european mount (like my other heads).

i am not going to dwell on the loss but will look forward to the alternative.

to clean the skulls, i bury them to just below the antlers. after burying i cover with a large tote and let the bugs do the rest. when i excavate the skull a quick rinse with hose is about all i need. 

in february the ground is still frozen so i had to hang it up a bit. life got busy and kept putting off burying it. needless to say that by the beginning of april the weather turned nice and I was at the point where i could not put off getting it in the ground. 

i have a dedicated spot to bury the heads and it was currently occupied with another one.

the below image is what a person will see when the tote is pulled off.

just the antlers periscoping above grade.

removing deer head from ground

i was very surprised to see how much skin was still on the top. i blame this on last years heat and drought effects on the insect population. the only other area that needed some attention was some mass in the eye sockets and that just poked out. all in all it just needed a brief scalping. 

what i really like about letting the insects take care of business is that the membranes are picked clean and no damage is done. plus there is no stink from boiling. this is as simple as it gets.

removing deer head from ground, never have i seen so much skin still attached after pulling from the ground

a bit of a shake and the lower jaws and some dust fall off. 

after hosing i will need to do some skinning.

the leather has hardened a bit but in about 20 minutes all traces of skin are gone. 

20 minute scalping and this deer is ready for the next step

the next step is to cover the antlers with an opaque wrap and then hang the head to sun bleach.

after awhile the head will whiten. when all is said and done i will have a white skull and natural colored antlers. what i really like about this process is that it is about the closest "controlled" method to what would happen out in nature. 

there are many ways to do a european mount and this happens to be mine. i have no issues with any other techniques. some people like to peroxide the skull for an ultra white hollywood smile, but that is not my aesthetic. some people take their skull to a professional to have the meat removed with dermestid beetles or buy then and do it themselves. i would actually be willing to do that. what i like the idea of the entire process happening in a drier environment.  

when i buried the 2013 head i actually had to use 2 totes, one for each antler!

Noble ignitus sky

With some days of warmer weather have come greater texture in the sky.

i am looking forward to start getting some images back into noble ignitus sky.

even though i greatly enjoy winter, by february i am ready for textured skies and the green of growth.

Small leather saddle bags as another winter project

A fool i am.

i have added another winter project on the list of to do's.

this is going to be a good one thought. 

when i go off to deer hunt i always get more than good times. i get caught up with good friends that i can only see once a year. i also bring back food and some other gems.

this time i was given some old leather saddle bags.

the leather is very pliable and will condition nicely. 

there is a bit of stitching i will need to do, but that is it.

the character on these bags are amazing.

projects like this one fit the space where i want to do sitting down work.

since this photo i have already cleaned the dirt off.

next will be to condition the leather and then do the stitching work.

Deer hunting 2013 - sunday morn

The day started out and continued to be windy as HELL.

40mph

this type of wind will only keep the deer in shelter and not moving one damn bit.

not only does this wind mess with the deer but when given opportunity can absolutely foul up a shot.

if there is anything that i DO NOT want and that is to have a bad shot.

we after hunting the first part of the morning it was obvious that the day could be as fruitful as saturday.

the first have we hunted the south

then

the second part we hunted the north

in this vid we took a quick break. it sort of shows a bit of the wind but by no means shows its force on the body. literally 5 minutes I took after this i found my buck.

sorry about the finger.

from about 125 yards I went at this nice buck. 

fortunately it was from my position that I could claim him first.

2013 mule buck with 24 inch spread

what this photo doesn't show is that this buck actually has a 24 inch spread and there is a nice thickness to the base,

then on top of that, the antlers were very symmetrical. my favorite though was the G5s. they were both curled up evenly.

was able to get a fair amount of meat with this gem. 

as most know we are huge fans of deer meat.

in the end, this may not be a monster buck but damn if it isn't the closest i have ever been (so far).

GREAT hunt.

the next day two other fellows we were hunting with took theirs.

both were good but doc's was a very nice one. another big boy with some nice brow tines and 

great height on his 2s and 3s.

i am already motivated for next year.

Deer hunting 2013 - saturday afternoon

The ridiculously nice weather continued.

the dry spell runs though the afternoon.

at the end of the day, we spotted a monster of a buck.
he stood with 3 does at about 400 yards.
the light was all but gone and the distance was far enough away it is best to try for him in the morn.

saturday night is a full moon. not a good thing for deer hunting.

Deer hunting 2013 - saturday morn

The first morning of rifle season was too nice, nothing to drive the deer. 

Saw a total of 12 does and 2 smaller bucks. 

2013

Bale with cat skin and free range running

A visit out to father's means the boys run untethered.

bales of hay act as elevated running platforms. jumping from one to one.

as long as they don't go tearing into them it is good.

i don't dictate on free range movement

but

every now and then they do need a second set of eyes.

this particular moment involved reminding the youngest to watch out for the 1/4 cat skin that had fallen off of the top of the bale.

at least one fox has been thinning out the cat population.

some days before the fox took this cat to the top of the bale for some dining privacy.

now the cat serves as another jumping obstacle on free range bale running.

Monarch butterflies

The monarchs are in every flower bed we have.

The past few years of drought though, both up here and all the way down to mexico, have really raised hell on their population. there are not nearly as many as before.

the dry conditions have hampered the milkweed and the past wild fire from way down south in texas:

neither bodes well for getting them up north.

we have a pretty good mix of butterfly garden plants, but i think we will be adding milkweed to the mix.

for myself, the monarchs are a definite sign that high summer is gone and the hot days are in decline.

Words of wisdom

Buy Nebraska,

Drink Nebraska.

a poster from my barber shop, 1940's paper ad

buy local is too true for all states!

actually,  when "local" is expanded to a regional borders,  than the variation of land and microclimates should increase the variety of products. this is a win for the individual and for the self-sufficiency of the immediate locality.

(i am more than happy to drink beer from my neighboring states).

just for the record there is nothing wrong with imports either

(from outside our region but within the states or from outside the states), 

we just need a much greater presence/variation of regional product.

Back from branched oak sra

The family had a great couple of days trailer camping.

 excellent weather and no injuries (minus one spider bite that blistered on lochlann's leg).

the first day clouds teased, but the rain stayed south.

second day walking along the shoreline looking for treasures

end of the second day.

Crossing the bridge

Coming into town, traveling from the east.

whether coming in from the north, east, south or west,

i have a landmark that indicates that i am at the "almost there" moment. 

crossing the missouri river from Iowa, this bridge is it.
damn it good to be home.

5:55a sky

Morning is my favorite time of the day, the earlier the better. being outside first thing is better yet, it really defines the day. it is my first influence to organizing what i can physically tackle and mentally accomplish.

on job mornings i will give one last look up before walking into the building.  i get that last image of all sky to contemplate during the shift and to organize all that i can accomplish when i clock out.

the past two days have given me two completely different scenes to think about during my shift.

this diversity of sky has been great for diversifying daily goals.

at 5:55a on day one, there were layered clouds traveling at different speeds.

a few hours later there was a fast front that pushed 69mph winds through.

thoughts seemed to be as dramatic.

5:55a sky day one

at 5:55a on day two, light winds and the sky remained cloudless all day.

a clarity of a bright blue predominated all day as thoughts followed suit.

5:55a sky day two