Today is Opening Day. For those unaccustomed to such talk, I'm referring to NY's deer season, shotgun-style. I haven't hunted in about five years, but I have a very good excuse. For years, I would get out into the woods, freeze my toes, and rarely see anything. Normally, I'm a patient man, but after about half an hour standing in the snow waiting for a clueless or unsuspecting buck to amble on by, I would start getting all antsy, thinking of all the stuff I needed to get done, but wasn't because I'm WASTING MY TIME out in the freezing cold! Especially in the fall when the church calendar really started heating up in preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with reports due, and nominations needing to be made, I finally decided that since I wasn't really enjoying myself, there was no real sense in putting myself through all the aggravation. I kept telling myself that once I was retired and didn't have all that calendar stuff staring me in the face every fall, I would surely get back to it. After all, the woods can be a very peaceful place, and I don't mind the solitude.
Last Sunday, my brother in law asked if I had yet purchased my license, and I had to admit I hadn't...but I was planning to do so on Tuesday. Tuesday came and went. As did Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. No license. No hunting. But I have a very good excuse. I have no idea where my hunting coat and vest are, and I noticed last year when I put them away that the soles on my winter boots were cracked. I somehow never got around to actually purchasing new ones. And I still cannot find my hunting coat.
Besides all that, on Wednesday I had the bright idea that it was time to begin work on the fireplace in the living room, a project that has taken on a Frankenstein life of its own. This morning, nine grandkids and a friend were sprawled out all over the house, dreaming of pancakes, eggs, and sausage for breakfast. Normally, that's my job, but I spent the time plowing out the driveway with my new backblade which worked like a dream (Woo Hoo!). By the time that was done and the kids' chaos brought under control, it was nearly 11:00 am, much too late to venture out into the woods, even if I had bought a license and found my hunting coat and vest, which in fact are still in hiding. (I do have a very good excuse, you know.) Instead, I turned my attention to the fireplace, first snaking my way through cobwebs in the crawl space to chip away at the wall so I could get a gas line through it. Turns out all that crawling was unnecessary, since the old fragile concrete firebox floor nearly crumbled all on its own when I started working on it. I found plenty of space already available to get a line through.
I also found that the stone fireplace itself has absolutely no support beneath it. There is a cement block wall supporting the stone hearth, but the actual fireplace itself is just sort of hanging out on the floor. All of which means I'll need to get a support beam and jacks underneath before proceeding. Did I mention I have a very good excuse for not being in the woods? Linda is holding a baby shower here next Sunday, and has hinted that it might be in my best interest to not have the cast iron fireplace insert sitting in the middle of the living room for the occasion.
So what is it for which I give thanks today? Simple. I have a very good excuse for not having shivered in the woods, getting frustrated instead of getting a deer. And I still have no idea where that hunting jacket could be hiding.
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