HEAD IN THE SANDY

This is the first time I've had the time and the internet to sit down and give you the HWS update. Here's the skinny.

   SANDY was predicted to start churning things late Sunday of last week. As it turned out it took another day to heat her up. By Monday mid-day, light rain and gusty wind out of the NE started to streak my neighbor's field. The ostriches stuck their heads up and happily ruffled the crud out of their feathers in the pounding rain. I had spent the morning lugging the 12 ga. around the woods, looking for turkeys to no avail. But what I did find was a big buck scrape and a rub so fresh the bark was still smoking where it lay on the leaves.  I was psyched. This was the first good buck sign I'd seen. I'd hung a stand behind the school house and really wanted to hunt it. Around 3 pm I lost power.
   I filled up the oil lamps, located a flashlight and sat on the couch staring at the black TV. I looked out the window. It wasn't really raining that hard. Maybe the really nasty shit would hold off until dark. I suited up, grabbed my bow and hit the woods. As I headed for the stand the wind picked up a little. By the time I was 20 feet up the tree and strapped in I heard a crack like a rifle shot. I looked up and the skyline was dancing like a Disney movie on very good psychedelics. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I love extreme weather, but.......By the time I had unhooked my harness and scurried down the ladder I knew I was in real trouble. As I ran through the tangled deadfalls, trees began to fall all around me. A hundred year old maple cracked in the middle and crashed 30 yards away. 70 feet high spruce trees with their shallow root system peeled off the ground like giant mushrooms. If this had been a video game someone was scoring big time just getting me to the road.
   Once I hit the road i realized I was now under the electrical wires and trees lined both sides of the road. The fire lit under my ass somehow got me home unscathed. Yeah, I know I'm an idiot. You can quit thinking that. That night I told Shewho I would sleep on the couch instead of the loft, as there is a giant oak shading my house. Around 3 am my neck hurt so badly that death by oak branch was preferable. I crawled in the loft. In the morning I surveyed the damage. At first I thought I'd dodged the bullet. Then I noticed something askew. The oak tree was fine. But leaning into it was a giant maple, unrooted by the storm. The oak saved my life. That maple would've crushed my house with me in it. But now a good gust of wind could still turn that maple and totally destroy my wonderful shack. $400 and a neighbor with an excavator later and the maple was on the ground. Phew!
   I won't bore you with all the miles I'm putting on my car feeding wood stove fires between Glen Wild and WSS to keep pipes from freezing as the power remains off in both houses. Chuck and Tessa @ WSSPII have been my port in the storm. I stoke the fires, hunt and end my day eating and drinking with my good friends. They have internet, TV, phone, and all one needs to stay comfortable. They escaped E3 & D until the lights came on. Today I finally hung a stand over here after seeing a good buck this morning run in front of my car. I saw him again tonight chasing does. The rut's kicking in. Things are looking up. Oh yeah, another noreaster is coming on Wed. Hang on. Looks like this is the future. Now if I can just get a crack at that buck.