Fire Wood and Calories to Burn.

 This large red elm provided us with our gym workout today.

With the temp hanging just below 20*, full sunshine and no wind.  It wasn't too tough to break a sweat getting a truck load of fire wood out in the timber this morning. 

I blocked it up and Susie loaded it into the pickup.

I'm sure we'll put a few of the calories we burned off, back on while watching the Packers play the Lions  in today's division championship game.

FAMILY HIKE - CHRISTMAS 2014

 Not the whitest of Christmas's but we did get a hike in  to visit the horses before opening our Christmas gifts. 

 Mr. McGibblets, is quite the horse whisperer.

 Sitting tall in the saddle, er high on the head.

Danger hike takes a twist

 Beau and Maxine to the rescue.

 Looking for some early sheds that one of the reindeer dropped.

 We came across the little shelter in the woods.

Someone else already found it.

















MERRY CHRISTMAS!

AND THE ANGEL SAID:

 We cut what we thought was the perfect tree about three weeks ago, just before the opening of the first deer season.

 The red cedar was close to home and had a pretty good shape.

 We trimmed it up.

 Gathered up all the trimmings.

 Made a big garland.

 added more greenery

 added gourds and ears of corn and hung it on the house.

 The tree went up in the gallery this year.

 Bees wax angle that Susie made twenty five years ago.

 and Kendo's Santa he made more than eighty five years ago in the 1920's it has a few little mouse nibbles on it but it's one of our favorites.








 OK,  not our best tree but you can't beat the memories that it provides.

'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

SKI TRAIL CREW

 It's the opening of the second deer hunting season and just a little over a week before Beau is back in Iowa for Christmas, the temperature has climbed up into the mid 40*s.   The fog hung in the air this morning as Marty and I hit the timber to repair the ski trail bridge.  This bridge has served us well for about the past 10 years.

 A large wild cherry blew down in a wind storm and broke the rails and cracked the power pole that spans the gully.   The cherry is now blocked up and ready to heat Joan and Marts house.

 With a couple of jacks and a lot of cranking we managed to bust the pole loose from the frozen bank and back into plum.

 We cut up some red elm and walnut for the new hand rail on the one side while leaving the other side without a rail for the added sense of danger.

The inspector gave it a once over and we're good to go.  Now all we need is the snow!
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OVER AND UNDER

 This weekend I had the opportunity to get together with my family to celebrate a family tradition.it


For the Becker's  bird hunting for pheasant, quail or even grouse with friends and family has always been one of the ties that binds.

Growing up in Buchanan Co. where my father was a Game Warden for the Iowa Conservation Commission for 38 years, we hunted some of the best upland game bird territory in the upper mid-west.

 

Our calendar began with the opening day, on Halloween weekend which would coincide an Iowa football game.  Next, was Thanksgiving weekend.  Followed by hunting weekends in Independence over the Christmas and New Years break.


With the passing of my parents and the family home sold,we no longer had a reason to get together in Independence.  But, my brother Steve the current patriarch of the family, has rekindled the flame and got us together in a beautiful hunting lodge in SW Wisconsin.




The Tanglewood Ranch and Hunt Club  is one-of-a-kind piece of paradise 

 in rural southwest Wisconsin.

 Over the years the equipment has been up graded from single shot, shotguns handed down for father to son and dogs that we trained ourselves to top of the line over and under double barrels and a few well trained bird dogs that have been sent away to doggy school. 

 

 

 

After a night of reminiscing, playing euchre, cribbage and foosball  we hunted Saturday morning.

It was a beautiful morning 35* with sunshine, Ryan threw together a great breakfast of has browns with Wisconsin cheddar and goat cheese, eggs and fresh venison loin.

The dogs worked hard, the birds flew well and the hunters shot well, "Over and Under" several of the birds.



 It's no longer about how many birds you got that day but how well the dogs worked, did you make the the shots you took and the stories told that keep the family traditions alive.

Take the Tanglewood Tour: Video Tanglewood Ranch

nICE !

Thankful for my HONEY!