Archery Witchery

I get crazy every year, about July. Start daydreaming, practice shooting, examining tracks, and thumbing through outdoors catalogs. It's happened again.

I think there is a family resemblance

I got a scan of this tin-type. It might be a "likeness" of Wes, my great- grandfather.

Too many spiders

I like spiders well enough; this one had caught a yellowjacket for breakfast. But these guys have webs everywhere you go. This weekend, I swept a stick ahead of me to clear a trail. I noted previously there seemed to be many spiders this year; they've grown in size and their webs are larger now. I never saw so many before, and wondered whether this might be a consequence of the dry weather. Perhaps in the past, rain showers and winds have kept most of the webs cleared from the understory.

Campdaddy’s Recipe: Watermelon Jerky

Watermelons are ripening in this part of the country, so are traditionally part of Independence Day festivities. Here’s a great use for left- overs. In my opinion, it’s worthwhile to have “planned- overs” for this. Preparation is very simple for this chewy, sweet snack. Carve up uniform thicknesses of melon flesh, arrange on dehydrator trays and dry overnight. This might also be accomplished in an oven, but experiment on a small scale: there’s lots of sugar and higher temperatures could cause too much caramelization

Painting the picnic table

I finally got this project started. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. There are still a few holes to chink, some touch- up spots, and the underside to coat. This old table is cypress; my Dad built it when I was very young. He was particularly proud of one of the top planks; it measures 18.5 inches wide. I must say it impresses me, too; it had to come from a big tree. This old table has a colorful history. Covered with a blanket, it has fended off Indians and outlaws and various invading hordes. It has trekked to moons and planets, and the far reaches of space. With a broomstick- mast and a sheet- sail, it has hauled cargo from exotic ports and clashed with pirates across the seven seas. It’s also been a marvelous diving platform, anchored above sunken treasure- galleons. I think I should try to keep it another half- century

Happy Independence Day!

I camped in the country again. I just had to go back and see whether hogs were rooting up the creek banks. The old disturbed spots were still there, but nothing fresh. There were plenty deer tracks, but only one or two tracks that, with some imagination, might have been made by a hog. I guess I’ll just have to load up on bug spray and prowl the woods and thickets to satisfy my curiosity about hogs. I’ve been hesitant about beating the bushes, because the ticks seem to be so numerous. Rolling my pants hems under, with rubber bands to hold them in, has kept the critters from crawling up my legs. Lately, too, I’ve been experimenting with a short pair of gaiters. They keep the pants- leg closed, too, and also fit tight around the shoes. With gaiters, I have been able to wear lighter (and more nimble) low-topped shoes without suffering bug- bites and briar scratches around my ankles.

No pictures this time; didn’t want to get the camera all soggy. I should be getting paid as a rainmaker. Just send me outdoors to play. Last weekend I went, it rained; this week I stayed another day, it rained both days. I planted a short row of broomcorn, a few hills of gourds, and an experimental patch of buckwheat. Maybe it is finally wet enough to germinate the seeds. Since I’m not there to watch over it, I choose plantings that my neighbors are unlikely to steal (although last time, someone got the large gourd I was saving for seed). Now, if the deer don’t eat it all up… they are certainly visiting the place, and are profiting from the pears that a couple of squirrels are knocking down. I picked a few pears myself, cooked and put them in the freezer instead of bothering with canning.