Random Thoughts After Thanksgiving

This past week was a pleasant blur, though the weekend was a slow relaxed time. It was nice to see at least half of the family and have good adult discussions. The non-adult talks were fun as well. The time allowed for thoughts to brew inside, so I thought I'd spill some. Please be forewarned, the topics will be all over the table.

--The turkey harvest was better than I thought. Not just the meat produced, but it wasn't as hard physically, mentally or emotionally as anticipated. I liked going out each morning to feed Dinner and his friends, and he would greet me during the day with a gobble when he heard my voice. But maybe naming the turkey as we did focused on the final end and helped.

--In vain moments I look at the pictures of the event and think, "Who is this goob with the knife in his hand?" The rubberboots were a good idea because of the water and other fluids.

--Baseball is starting and though I enjoy the season, I don't always enjoy the starting up. I am behind in planning and the ordering of equipment.

--Baseball also means the startup of shaving. Even with the onset of gray beard, I dislike shaving. Especially during the cold season. I am reminded of this each morning riding my bike to school. Makes you feel alive though.

--My frugal ways are rearing its head gain. I've been thinking about the clothes I'm contemplating buying now. They may be some of the last clothes I buy. And items like pants are chosen for their strength and wear characteristics. Brands like Carhartt and Dickie and Ben Davis. Wish I could afford Filson. I had a pair of their Tin Pants once and they lasted longer than any other pants I've owned and fit the best also. Just too much money.

--I have come to really like vests in cool weather. Use as an outer garment, or under for more warmth.

--I do enjoy being in my new room. It's smaller, forcing me to get rid of unwanted stuff accumulated through the years. It's also away from the office so I can stay off the radar so to speak.

--The turkey also taught me not to be afraid of something new. I cleaned a fish this summer and was more tentative than I expected. Both are skills that may come in helpful in the near future. Jumping in to the turkey felt good. I used to be more willing to try new things, and not be so hesitant. The turkey project reminded me to jump more often instead of standing a watching.

--Cell phones are a blessing and a curse.

I know there's more floating inside, just have to wait for another time.

The Deed Was Done

Warning! There will be few pictures here but the descriptions may be graphic.

We ate Dinner last night. The majority of guests, actually they are family, said it tasted like turkey. In the next few days we'll try to post a story of the processing on the Suburban Sharecroppers blog. Until then I'll share a few highlights. I also have to give thanks to brother-in-law John for his help. We had quite an audience in attendance. I think some couldn't believe we were actually going to perform the deed. The event was documented with two cameras at times.

Dinner was a big bird. The plan was to hang him upside down to calm him and facilitate the bleeding out. After finding a limb strong enough on the pecan tree the area underneath was cleared. With good reason. With a wingspan of over 4 feet, When the neck was cut his 4 feet of wingspan went into overdrive and Dinner was swinging back and forth. So much for calming. After subduing the bird and finding the other vein to speed up the bleeding, he did calm down. He was dead.

Warm water was next and the plucking of the feathers. John did yeoman's work helping with the feathers, and there were plenty of feathers. It didn't take as long as we had been told to pluck the carcass, but there were some pen feathers left that I needed a pair of needle nose pliers to get out later. John also wielded the pruning loppers used to take off the feet (which will be used for stock), the head and the neck later.

The evisceration went smoothly other than the finding all the parts that needed to be removed. The last animal I cleaned was a fish and there isn't too much going on there. The pig I helped with was large and the opening was big. With Dinner the hole was smaller and it was dark in there. At one point I wished I had a headlamp on to get a better look.

After the cleaning was finished the bird was washed and weighed, 40 pounds! We don't/didn't have a pan big enough to fit. We cut the carcass in half, froze one side and cooked the other.

How Did I Get Like I Am

I was recently thinking about a couple of things. Our daughter came home with a story about me from one of her teachers. Fortunately the teacher is a very good friend and we happened to be a roommates for two years in college. He has wisely not told her, nor her brothers, all of the stories he has at his disposal. I was drawn though into a time of reminiscing about college.

I was also thinking of my frugal ways. I wasn't always of such a mind. College changed and formed that. I was thinking of the less expensive ways of doing things, and I concluded I learned many of those habits in college.

I lived on $200-225 a month. For Everything. I shared a "tiny house," before there was such a term, with three others. My double sized mattress took up half of my bedroom, so a roommate, now teacher of my children, and I built platform beds to utilize more of the floor. Maybe that is why there are three built-in platform beds for the children.

The kitchen in this house was also the hallway to the bathroom and two of the bedrooms. If you had a journey to the bath, the person at the sink had to squeeze in to let you pass. The house, though was just part of the frugal ways I learned.

Even 30 years ago $225 wasn't much. I learned the fine art of window shopping and no spending. Goodwill, Salvation Army and used clothing stores could provide a nice wardrobe with selective purchases. Top Ramen, tortillas, cheese and eggs can be arranged in many ways to eat. Wish I had chickens then.

Most of all I realized I didn't need everything I saw. I could, and did, live a wonderful life with little spending. Saving for a twice a month night out to listen to bluegrass was an example of spending in a meaningful way.

Oh what a time.

Dinner is Going to be Dinner

If you have followed the past posts about our flying turkey, Dinner, you probably realize why he was named such. The idea was with the onslaught of all the festivities, it would be nice to have someone else do the deed in a time saving way. We have spent the part of the last few weeks trying to locate a meat locker to process Dinner, but have no takers. The usual response is, "Have fun with that," followed by a chuckle.

Well T-Day is T minus three days and counting. So now brother-in-law John has agreed to help. I find this may be one of those events that is part spectacle, part horror show, part side show and will end up on YouTube sometime.

My question to you all is, Do you have any advice besides run for the hills? I found some help online and have decided on some details, but what tidbits might be helpful for a rookie making turkey dinner?

Three Day Weekend

Another weekend gone, but things did get done. Three day weekends have a special air to them in that the extra day allows time to do something different and still get tasks accomplished. Because of the nature of the different events attended this weekend, I have been a bit reflective.

Friday, the reason for our day off, was Veteran's Day and the local National Guard Armory was renamed for a fallen soldier. It is the first renaming for a CA National Guard soldier that gave the ultimate sacrifice, and is fitting and is supposed to be the beginning a more re-namings. The soldier is Spc. Daniel Unger. I was fortunate to have him in class as a student and on the baseball field as a player.

As we drove home we drove past the ceremony unveiling a statue honoring the soldiers from our town that died in Vietnam. The statue is a replica of the boots, rifle and helmet that symbolizes a fallen soldier.

Saturday as a funeral for a family member, a cousin of my mother's. Got to see many family members, but also community members. This cousin was involved in our small town, so he was well known.

These made me think about mortality more than I should. More though, I thought about the life I'm living now. Seems to be that I am involved in jobs, tasks and events that I don't want to be, isn't good for my family, or isn't preparing us for the future. Interesting thoughts, but not always the best for moving ahead.

What I did do is, as shown in the picture, build an elevated bed in the outside room. This is the third room that I've built an elevated bed. Kind of like a permanent or built-in bunk bed. My daughter reminded me that this trend started when I was in college. Whenever the start, elevated beds make sense to me, especially in a small house. Shelves can be placed or built underneath for storage. That is what we did to help us store more outside.

We also started the winter garden. We cleaned up some garden beds and they got planted today. We cleaned out the chicken coop a bit also. General cleaning up and that is good before the rains.

Also had talks with a workmate about guns, prepping, and overall thoughts about where things are going. His wife is just coming on to the idea that the life we have may not be the life of the future.

Overall a good weekend.

A Reverent Veteran's Day

After a day at the ceremony honoring Spc. Daniel Unger and renaming the Visalia National Guard Armory after him,I can think of no better way to say thank you than how Maureen did here. Daniel was a student and baseball player I had the pleasure of teaching and coaching. He died in Iraq in 2004 leading two Iraqi contractors to cover during a mortar attack.

Another Season Ends

Another sports season is over. 10-10 and 6-6 in league. An average year statistically and otherwise. But, last night the Monarch Girls Water Polo team lost their first round playoff game to Hanford High 9-8 in a thoroughly un-average way. After missed opportunities, strong defense and average offense the Monarchs were faced with a 8-4 deficit for the last quarter. We traded goals to make it 9-5, and with 1:28 left in the game the Hanford coach called time out and made some substitutions. That made the difference.

We scored at :41 left in the game. We stole the ball and scored at :31 in the game. We stole the ball and scored again at :06 to make the score 9-8. On the ensuing play we stole the ball again and called time out with :01.5 left in the game.

The play was drawn up, or at least concocted and explained. The girls lined up in place expectantly. The last pass was passed, then the planned shot was shot and the ball headed towards the goal to hit the bar. And went out.

I've had many exciting moments in sports, both heart-stoppingly disappointing and ecstatically joyous. Last night will make the short list of those moments and memories.

Someday I will be excited.

New Addition, With Subtraction

We have a new addition to the family. We also have a subtraction. After Calvin our German Shepard was put down with ALS, we also lost Pedro the Chihuahua to the farm. With only two dogs we needed another for the 'Zoo.

Enter Khloe the Golden Retriever. A puppy. Just like a baby human, a baby puppy likes attention and is up when she should be sleeping. And unfortunately I've trained her to get up early to be fed and use the facilities outside. And the time change made that one hour earlier.

She is cute, though.

Book Review

This past summer I was looking for a book, Living the Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing. I was in northern CA and couldn't find it. While looking in a used bookstore I came upon The Longest Silence by Thomas McGuane. I had in the long ago past read some of his short stories in Outside magazine and had pleasant memories of his writing. The price was right and we needed to get up the hill to rest before another day of grape pruning.

This book is a collection of non-fiction stories about fishing and people that fish, specifically fly fishing. I used to carry a fishing pole when backpacking and would throw in a lure from time to time. I in no way consider myself a fisherman, but in the last few years have considered starting. Probably it started with romantic visions of a smartly dressed fisherman in plaid from a Filson webpage. The reality is I like the taste of fish and especially fish tacos. I figure I should at least make an effort to catch the fish I eat in my tacos. Especially living near a good source of fish, I should take advantage of local resources.

The book seems to be a progression of McGuane's fishing life. Stories of his childhood adventures give way to fishing in Ireland. While living in San Francisco during the 60's, he tells stories of the competitive fly fisherman in Golden Gate Park. He progresses through the West Coast fishing of Oregon and Washington to the rivers in Montana and British Columbia. Eventually we are treated tales of Argentina and Northern Europe as well as the Florida Keys. One might get the idea this is another "look where I've been" book, but that would be a false judgement.

McGuane has a pleasant, calm voice with a twist that comes through like a fellow sitting near a fire sharing stories with long-time friends. The title comes from the story of the same name, and gives a clue to the beauty of this book. "What is most emphatic in angling is made so by the long silences — the unproductive periods." These stories aren't just about the fishing. The silences and dead spots between catching fish are like the time between notes of music. The silences allow the mind to ponder and guess about life. McGuane shares those moments with the reader. We are given glimpses of different people that are fishermen, but it is their character and qualities that are important. The fishing brings out these attributes of their humanity.

Maybe it says more about here my thoughts lie at this time, but I enjoyed reading about the pondering silences. I enjoyed the manner in which McGuane transported me to rivers I will never fish and allow me to be with him. I laughed at his humor and felt respect for fish and man.

Here is a example of the twist in his writing. Any parent will have had a moment like this, though probably not with these elements. From the story "Wesley's River" in The Longest Silence by Thomas McGuane.

"Recently, and among people we didn't know that well, my eleven-year-old daughter said something that made jaws drop. Having heard the phrase "the F-word," possibly from a potty-mouthed sibling, and assuming in our house that it must mean fishing, she told a group of guests, "All my dad cares about in the F-word." In the astonished silence that followed this showstopper, she added, "When he's not doing it, he's reading about it."

I certainly will be looking for more reading from McGuane.