Meat Men

I'm a little behind posting on hunting season. That's just the way life's coming at me right now. So...better never late but better late than never.
Four of us venture to my grannies (and yes, we really call her granny) farm in north central Missouri every year to pursue deer, turkey, the occasional coyote, some good conversation, and good food. While we do like to fill our tags it's more about getting together. For those of you who haven't enjoyed venison - it's delicious. And for those who don't get in the woods - it's life changing.

Here is your author returning from a morning bowhunt empty handed. This is how he returns from every bowhunt, but you'll notice he's still smiling.



This is my friend, neighbor, co-worker Shane who sat frozen in a deer stand with me one morning not too long back trying to get some sausage and jerky meat. Neither of us did but he made a nice shot on Wiley Coyote.

This is Little Tony. He's not all that little, we just know a bigger Tony so he's stuck with the name. He makes a mean brat....and also supplies the generator for camp. Needless to say he gets invited back every year.

Camp is not the Hilton. It's not even the Motel 6. If either was located nearby we would probably book a reservation. The camper on the left is now vacated due to its' state of disrepair. The right camper is occupied by Tony and my bro-in-law Little Dave. (yeah, he got stuck with the moniker too) And that grain holding structure is actually our cook shack. It works quite nicely.

Shane's father owns the trailer in the foreground and was nice enough to let us borrow it for our sleeping quarters this year. Now Shane gets invited back too.

I just realized I don't have a picture of the other David from this year. Well he is my brother in law, so forgetting him is probably allowed. You can see him at my post on our spring fishing trip here.

Things are getting back to normal for me. Got my balance back, if not my boyish good looks. I go Tuesday for the initial turn on, then back several more times to get programed. With six Christmas' on the books this year I don't know when I'll be posting again so.....Merry Christmas guys and girls! (Happy New Year too)

Stir Crazy

I'm not used to being inside. I don't live in the jungle mind you. I'm Mr. Suburbia now. (not entirely by choice, but you do what you gotta do) I just don't reside inside much. I'm an outside kinda person. So being pretty much stuck in my house these past four days waiting for the dizziness to pass (it hasn't yet) is starting to drive me a bit mad.


I've come to the conclusion that no matter how many channels a man has on his TV, when he's truly bored he'll find nothing to watch. The irony is dangerously thick! I have managed to self educate myself on various interesting topics via the net, but as mentioned above, I need some air.

I'm saving the actual surgery pictures for people who are into that kinda stuff. I'm myself am not, and sometimes wonder why the doc's give you those things to begin with. If I needed to see it they shouldn't have knocked me out prior. Here is my current condition. All the goodies go in and they tape me back up. As far as surgeries go it's pretty straight forward. I'm just having some temporary balance issues that should soon be gone.

Thanks for the prayers and well wishes! And take a second (or two) and click the follow button on the right side of the column. You silent stalkers scare me a bit! You'll notice poor Phoenix is sitting there rather lonely. You should check out her blog, a very enjoyable read, and the others listed as well. Enjoy!

Post op

Do you ever feel a bit freakish? You know, a little different from the crowd. Like you wore red on brown day? Well, I don't feel freakish, I am freakish. I have a regular family. One wife. A girl and a boy. I work a normal job. Construction pays my bills. I'm a regular dude...with electronics poking out of his head. But oddly this has never bothered me and probably never will. I'll admit I get a bit of a kick out of people staring at me while I'm checking out at the store. In my case, being a freak is a good thing. (what ever happened to Martha Stewart?)

So...I started to lose my hearing around age 13. No known cause. Nerve damage. I'm just one of those lucky bastards that wins one of life's lotteries every now and then. I've worn just about every type of hearing aid at one time or another...they range from tiny to "oh my lord"! Around my mid 20's my ears broke more than a normal aid could fix. Fear not....they've got an app for that. So I got implanted with my first CI (cochlear implant) in April of 2006. With a little rehab (my wife tirelessly reading words to me) I was back to talking on the phone and being a sarcastic pain in everyones butt in no time.

That was my right ear. Ol lefty was still sitting there numb. I guess I felt sorry for him...I'm left handed and all. So two days ago I had him cut open and implanted with the same electrodes emitting from my lucky right ear. Freakish. But hey, now my head at least matches. The next time you see something that makes you stare...an artificial limb...someone missing an eye...perhaps someone in a wheelchair...and they catch you staring. Don't look away fast and feel bad. Give em a smile. They might just be like me...enjoying the fact that you find them that interesting in the first place.

A semi-altered me

So, as previously mentioned, I'm getting my second cochlear implant this coming Thursday. It's been three and a half years since my first implant and I think I've done pretty good. For a quick video on what an implant consist of, you can click here. The surgery itself takes about 2 hours total and I should be able to return home in the late afternoon. It's not the most fun under the sun but by no means terrible either. You have to wear a pressure bandage for 24 hours post surgery, which I think is about the worst part of it.
About two weeks after the surgery I'll go back to be turned on. This is when I'll first get hooked up with my processor. With my first implant I heard very little and what I did hear I couldn't make out. The brain has to get used to hearing sounds and recognizing them again. It can get a bit frustrating as you practice hearing. It probably took me 4-6 months before I felt really comfortable with my hearing through the CI. But after that I gave up my hearing aid in the left ear because it simply didn't compare with the new sound I was getting through the implant.
I still find new sounds all the time, which can be pretty exciting. A lot of people want to know what the sound "sounds" like. If its squeaky or robotic. For me it sounds natural. The same way it did before I lost my hearing. I had about 25 years of hearing somewhat normal and I can't think of much that sounds different from before.
So...wish me luck for Thursday and I'll be back with some post-op pics. Nothing graphic I promise. (although they do give you some awesome pics from the surgery)

Gobble Gobble

Today marked my third and final Thanksgiving feast for the year. My wife's parents are married (1) and mine are divorced (2). But this isn't a bad thing. A few years back I was packing in seven Christmas' in a season....that got a bit nerve racking...we're now planning only six.

Today's festivities took place at my beautiful sisters house. The food was great and the company was wonderful. We were missing only my cousin Kerri. (she lives in Cali so she gets an out)





Here is the gracious hostess in a cooking frenzy...





My dad enjoying his coffee. (that wet spot is from my son who is teething...it kinda makes him drool some)...

And here is a Turkey. We actually enjoyed this one Thurday at my moms family dinner. I smoked it and thought it looked good (it was yummy) so that's why you're looking at it here.

I'll soon be posting an update on the "el cheapo" wine production progress. It should be in the bottles sometime this week. This is actually the second batch since that post, but the first one got consumed and gifted away before pictures could be taken. (it was good)

And for some upcoming post, here's a pic of the side of my head. I realize this doesn't go with the whole Thanksgiving theme, but I'm having some surgery done in a couple weeks to get another one of these bad boys put on the other side. I'll be posting more on that as it happens but for those who are interested you can google cochlear implant or Advanced Bionics. Enjoy!

Happy Turkey Day everybody! Eat like it's a competition.

Feeling My Age

I'm not twenty something anymore. In fact in about 10 days I'll be jumping into my 32nd year here on earth. Woo Hoo! This past Thursday my sis and I and our spouses went to the Zac Brown Band (zacbrownband.com) concert at the Independence Events Center. It was an awesome show with great music and......no seats. I got us floor tics because it's the best place to be, and it was, until hour three. I'd been on my feet since 6am, so by 10pm my legs were kindly asking me to find a damn chair. We had a good time anyway...and you need to check out Zac's stuff.


Crummy phone pic

Sis and Bro-In-Law awaiting the show.

Before my legs gave out.

Happy Birthday Princess

A Hannah Montana dance party. I'm no match for 14 little girls...

My b-day girl is in the middle with the red flower. Right behind her is my adorable niece.

Hey honey....

....I don't think he likes carrots.

Testing out mobile posting....out of boredom.

Halloween, Harleys, and Happy Apples

I was leaving church this morning I noticed a print out posted on the wall. It was informing me that a local dentist office is offering a coupon of $1 per pound for turning in your Halloween candy instead of eating it. Bummer. I wore the soles off a pair of shoes last night walking Macy around to get candy and now they're telling me I should convince her to sell it to a dentist so I can save a few bucks on my next visit. Here's my theory: 1. Letting your kids eat a plastic jack-o-lantern full of candy in one sitting is a bad thing. 2. Teaching kids to brush there teeth is a good thing. My girl already seems like she's growing up too fast.....she's keeping the candy!

We took our fall family and kids Christmas picks today at Watkins Mill State Park. Trying to get a 5 month old to look at the camera and smile on cue can be challenging to say the least. We did have beautiful weather and some great backgrounds and I'm sure you'll see the finished results posted here within the next month.

Speaking of beautiful weather...I got the two wheeled suicide machine out for a quick zip down the interstate. It made me wish for springs already , and I'm a winter guy. There's something therapeutic about a bike.....a shrink with loud exhaust.

And....I'm ending my day, and Halloween weekend, with a Happy Apple. I hadn't had one in years and can honestly say I'd eat a lot more fruit if it was all coated in caramel and nuts.

Hide the scissors

I'll admit right out of the gate that this is my fault. I've been saying the boy needs a haircut for the past 3 months. BUT, what never came out of my mouth was "Honey, could you please personally cut his hair". Never. Did not say it. Did not think it. Does not matter...it happened.

For his 4 month b-day Ace got chopped. My wife had the best of intentions, her mother is a beautician, but she didn't get the hair cut gene.

I think his face says it all. And yes, his side burns are above his ears.

Cool Weather Kids

Big Fish

Peek-A-Boo

A weekend in the Gateway

Our annual family mini-vacation was this past weekend. We spent it in St. Louis and had a blast.


Macy coming down the 3 story slide at City Museum.

The tram to the top of the Gateway Arch is not a good place to be claustrophobic. (My sister on the right is!!)

Ace Jr. taking a peek from the comfort of Ace Sr.'s shoulder.

Macy feeding the baby goats at Grant's Farm.

He doesn't get too excited.

Park it

My girl + play gym = smiles

This is as far as Ace gets to go for now.

The Peace before the BANG

Sunrise in the dove fields.

All I shot was pictures.....the doves had found a better place to fly.

My Weekend

For those of you who don't enjoy three day weekends...accept my pity, and I'll accept your envy. We had some friends from Church over Friday night for dinner, which was great, except I blew my diet. But I'm starting to think that's what diets are for.

We got to watch my niece Abigail all weekend. She's the same age as Macy and they play together great....so it actually felt like there were less kids in the house than more. Weird.

A Crystal sandwich.

After a trip to the nail salon.

Airborne.

6'-7" 325 lbs. Check back in 20 years and see if I'm right.

Have a great week.

PVC Pipe Vineyard

This is what happens when two tightwads see a cool concept online, but don't wanna spend the money. This is a all-in-one brewing tank for beer or wine. It allows sediment to be removed without siphoning. The sleek online version runs about $180.....el cheapo put this one together for $30. I'll let you know how in turns out in a few months!

You win one...you lose a bunch

A Friday night at the stadium is a pretty good time. The girls had fun in the new outfield area and the improvements were great......now if Dave had just caught that foul....




Macy and Me


Abigail and Dave

Where's a dull moment....

....when you need one?

This story is extremely funny...to me....because I wasn't involved in the ending. My dad, sis, myself, and our respective spouses own a boat together. This is a good thing because it divides up expenses, which in the case of our boat, are constant. These pics are from last weekend, the first time this summer we've had the ole beast on the water. Honey (David Bradshaw. And, yes, he's called Honey by family) and I took the boat spoonbill fishing this past March. We'd just spent $200 getting the pontoons welded on. The motor lasted a day....then broke down.

$600 and four months later we're on Smithville Lake enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon when I realize the registration expired while the boat was in the shop. We drag Honey and the kids outta the water and hightail it for the boat ramp before the water patrol locates us.

When I get to the truck I look back and this is what I see...

....said water patrol parked next to our glorified barge. Mr. High Speed Boat then has "Captain Dave" board his vessel...I know this can't be good. For one thing, that leaves only my sister and niece aboard our boat....neither of which has piloted the damn thing before!

I watch in amusement as the wind sails our boat toward the rocks. But this soon turns to horror when I realize we have no insurance......(you probably think I should be worried about the boats occupants, but I'm married to an accountant, so I'm worried about the money).

In a move of shear heroics, Mary jumps behind the wheel and steers to safety!

Luckily for me we received only a warning for the past due registration. This would have amounted to a $100 fine. Unfortunately for David and Mary, their daughter had removed her life vest to wrap in a towel because she was cold. We were preparing to exit the water so this was no big deal......except that it cost you $127 to have a child under 7 in your boat without a life vest!! HA HA HA!!!! Okay, I have a sick sense of humor.......can't wait to go out again. That is, if the boat starts.....

Dunk'n babies

Dawson joined God's army Sunday. I'll admit, he was drafted.....but hopefully he'll re-enlist later in life. At left is assit. Pastor John , then Godparents Tony and Traci Jones. On the right is pastor Fred.

Check. Up.

Macy can now officially swim across the pool. Considering how much she likes the water, I find this very comforting. But I'm still not sure which she likes best: swimming or just wearing a swim suit.

Dawson is gaining weight at the rate of a baby elephant. He's averaging about a pound a week....which means he'll out grow me around age 2. Needless to say, he's a healthy eater. Sunday the 26th he will be "baptised" at our church, and we're looking forward to that.

We have a trip to the Omaha Zoo and at least one excursion to St. Louis planned for the remainder of summer, so hopefully some good blogs to come. And we finally got our trusty old pontoon out of the shop....watch out lake, here we come!

Lions, Tigers, and kids

a fun day at the zoo

we skipped africa...but it gives us something to come back to

Boom Boom

Hard to believe how young our country is. Happy Birthday America.

Leap of Faith

Macy loves the water....so swim lessons seemed like a good idea. She's in the middle of a two week class and loves it. Mr. Phelps beware!

Dads Pad

Dads shed house. Or house shed. Or man castle.

Bubbles

Braving the heat last week to blow some bubbles.

Sunday company

I think Dawson took it pretty well....if this guy was holding me, I'd be going crazy. This is my fishing buddy/co-worker Ray, who rode up to our house Sunday with his wife Tammy to see the new addition.

Grammy also stopped by on Sunday afternoon for some face time.