Deer Camp is now Closed. Season is Over. If you're looking for the short version. That's it. I made it through.
I left early Friday morning for camp with my belly still full of Thanksgiving. I remember thinking on the way down, "This is it! I've done it." I picked up my buck from the Lenoxburg Store on the way. The lady knows me. We bring her several every year. I'd mentioned I'd had Chemo when I dropped off the buck. As we were schlepping the coolers out to the truck, she remarked on how much better I was walking from a week before. I admit I was a bit shaky after getting the deer hoisted and cleared out. I didn't know how noticeable.
I kept having that feeling all weekend. My last sit at Midway. My last walk out in the dark, my last climb up the ladder, and so on.
" This is it! You f'n did it!" I was up on the porch Saturday night, having come from my last sit at Hollywood-- 3 hours of perfect scenery unspoiled by a deer. We're all assembled, and I mentioned this thought I'd been having all weekend.
" . . . so now I'm sitting up here, and the thought occured to me. 'Okay, so what's next?'"
I have to say it was a bit like walking off a cliff. Yikes. I really do have the rest of my life ahead of me.
I have a teleconference with the Cancer Survivors Clinic this week. They do the mop-up. I'm still tottering about, unable to feel my feet. I'm also do back for some more tests, but that's not exactly what I'd want to call a hobby. I'm trying to come with a new hobby. Reloading and shooting have gotten expensive. I'm somewhat limited right now with manual arts, because my finger are numb. I was talking about it with the Shamanic Dream Team over lunch the other day. I told them the best idea I'd come up with so far was public nudity: get to get out and meet people, usually get a free ride home. As I said, I'm still thinking. Ideas are welcome.
So I have to report that thinking "This is it!" was somewhat misplaced. KYHillChick had wrenched her back and was no use to help me schlep my gear in when I got home. I got everything from the truck to the garage in the pouring rain only to have the rain stop and the sun come out. That's life. I was pretty well gassed by the time I got the rifle cases in the house.
Then I had to confront the 50+ lbs of frozen venison I had in the cooler. Somehow that had to get down the basement and into the freezer. I finally decided to break it down into 4 grocery bags and take them down individually, but that meant 4 trips down and back up the basement stairs in fairly rapid succession. When I finally got to the top of the stairs the last time and made it to the recliner, I knew that was it. I'd made it.
