TEN MINUTES FAST

There's been a flurry of activity here at the shack. Bow season opens on Monday. There's camo to be washed, gloves to be found, branches to be trimmed and of course arrows to shot. It's been a while since I've put one on the ground with the bow. This year i vowed to practice more. My bow (a nice Browning loaner from Savage Lynch) feels good in my hands, but is failing me on delivering consistent groups. I'll thread two right down the pike, then have one go wild. It's driving me crazy. Out come the allen wrenches. I re-set the sights and it's worse. Then, as i pulled back the string i noticed the arrow slide, then drop into the rest. Could this be the problem? A pair of pliers and some fiddling later and damned if I wasn't holding the groups. I think I got it.
   Inside the shack, in anticipation of the long days in the stand, and early bedtime, I've done a thorough cleaning. One of the last messes was the closet. I seem to coming out of my forgetful stressed out state following mom's passing, but i can't go into the closet without remembering how I lost my old man's watch, after he died a few years back. The closet was the last place i remember seeing it. It wasn't a fancy watch, but it was the last one he wore. I didn't find it. But what a did find was a can containing a dozen old watches he had discarded over the years. I pulled one from the tangled mess, and damned if it wasn't still ticking! Could this one still work? I checked the time- ten minutes fast. I then pulled the stem and it came off in my hand. The old man had wrists like tree trunks. I stuck the stem back in, strapped the band on my girlie arm and once again wore my father's watch.
   About 4:30 (4:40 my time) I went in the woods to try to find my blind. Out of laziness, I'd left it out all year. To my surprise it was still there, and still in one piece. I unzipped the door, set up the stool and sat out the rest of daylight in the woods. It's hard to convey the sense of peacefulness that comes over you when you settle yourself into a blind and slowly scan the woods for movement. I had no gun or bow but THIS was what I had been waiting for. Was that a footstep? Did I see light bounce off fur down by the pond? I heard a squirrel behind me. A couple of hours of silent sitting and my neck ached, my ass itched and I hadn't seen a living thing. I checked my watch- 6:55pm (6:45pm actual time). The sun was dipping into the Neversink. I can't wait.