OPENING WEEKEND

 With a mid-October snowstorm bearing down on the Catskills, opening day of bow season looked promising. Impending bad weather will usually get the deer moving, looking for feed and cover. It's a little too early to depend on the rut to stir 'em up, so freak weather was my best bet. But first I had to move my stand, plan a birthday party for Shewho, do a little work on a new collage I had started three months ago, and trap a skunk who had been eating all the cat's food. 

   Shewho drove up Friday morning, straight from the hospital, where she had been on death watch for her boss the famous artist NS. She'd been called in by the Drs. at 3 am. Told that the end was near, she reached NS's side as she was being wheeled into ICU. Hardly a pulse, no blood pressure, and NS sat up and asked cheerily "Where we going?" She's a tough old bird, who was not willing to go easy. There were more pieces to be done. 

   By the time Shewho arrived I had caught the skunk. I draped a sheet over the cage and gingerly set it in the back of the truck. "Pepe" was calm....so far. We drove a couple of miles down by the river and released Pepe into a little stream bed. He happily waddled off. In years past I would've shot the critter, but due to Shewho's daughter's influence I'm turning into a 14 year old girl.

   In attendance at the party was GNJohn, Slick and Bird and Ginny. I made a big pot of pasta and with plenty of beer and wine, a good time was had by all. Shewho blew out all 5? candles, then fell flat on the floor. So that's why they call it tipsy. I was up at 5:30 am. The promised Noreaster never materialized. I saw 9 doe in the morning and 15 in the afternoon. It was cold. At one point I blew in the grunt tube and 6 doe materialized out of thin air. The biggest one was close enough for a shot, but she had me pegged and i couldn't move. Eventually they all spooked and ran off. "Good encounter." as they say on the TV hunting shows.

    On Sunday morning Shewho got the call she was dreading. NS was gone. It's a call many of us are dreading these days. You get to be a certain age and all those old timers you have loved all your life start to leave this mortal coil. You can't avoid it. It sucks. 

   By late afternoon I had seen one doe and Shewho had spent the day finishing the floors at WSSP. Darkness descended and I wandered out of the woods.  These days art, hunting, critter trapping and blog are my priority. Work can wait. On her way home Shewho passed a skunk walking up the road a half mile from my house. Pepe? We'll see. Time to feed the cats.