What happened to the summer?
Well, so far this has been one of the shortest summers I can remember.
It is now September 1st and already it's dark when I wake up (or try to) at 0530. The nights are getting colder and on a quick camping trip the other day, we could see our breath. I checked a weather station yesterday and found some of the peaks around here are dropping into the 30's at night! The leaves are trading their bright green for yellows, reds, and oranges and you can almost feel the deciduous trees starting to pull back the chlorophyll. And...hunting season has begun (for bowhunters.)
It's been hard for me to get back into a normal routine after the wedding, but I'm enjoying it immensely! Prior to the wedding, you'll remember, I was extremely nervous about getting hurt or injured in some way...well, it's still on my mind, but I'm able to go out and enjoy the things that have been missing. I went out with a fella at work last week and realized how out of shape I am in! All we were doing was painting a boundary to a couple units, but it was a.) my first time out all season b.) it was 92 degrees and c.) it was all in thick brush and downfall. So when a guy hasn't exercised much in two months and hasn't worked hard in the heat...it leads to trouble. I kept feeling dehydrated, so kept hydrating, and kept working hard. At about 1400, the "crew leader" asked how I was feeling and if him and I should keep working up to the next ridge. I was lightheaded and getting kinda "fumbly" (tripping a lot) and told him I was done. At one point prior, I was moving the truck when I realized my PERSONAL keys were missing from my pocket! I basically flipped out figured I lost them in the brush...but then I calmed down, sat down, and thought about it. Ooooh yeaaa, I put them in my sweatshirt with my phone and sunglasses! Sure enough, they were right beside me in the truck. We were devising a strategy after that, when I had to interrupt him and walk behind the rig to throw up all the water and powerade I had been drinking! Yea, I was touching the hem of heat exhaustion.
Since that little adventure, I've been trying to condition myself. So last weekend I was out cutting firewood! I never got a full load, just one lodgepole per day...but it was good to get out and be working again! I definitely prefer that kind of activity instead of "exercising." And I think that might be why I don't like gyms because there is NO thinking involved. I also don't really enjoy being around that many people, so I'm sure that contributes.
Following the weekend, I was able to get on a wildfire and work that for a day. Again, a really fun way to get exercise. Luckily it was, as Bob called it, "A perfect old man fire" which is exactly what it was. The "Ace of Spades" fire was up near where I had been cutting firewood, 600 feet up the hill, no brush, huge Grand fir stand, and the temperature was in the 70s. At one point when everyone was eating lunch, I had to get up and start digging around again because I was getting cold! Go figure. Oh, and we had an engine that hauled 750 gallons of water...so it was a lot of spraying and stirring. By the end, we had put about 1000 gallons of water on a tenth of an acre....but bear in mind, the duff was deep and we had a lot of "ash holes" to cool down. That's where the dirt and ash gets so hot it bubbles. It's hydrophobic (a real term everyone) and so when you spray it with water it shoots ash everywhere and if you don't stir it, all that water simply evaporates. Good times.
And yesterday afternoon I hustled into the woods after work and went shooting! I've been dying to try a new 7mm mag that my Dad gave me, but with everything going on, I never made it out until now. I packed up that and the 30-06 and made my way to my backwoods shooting range. It's a little tough to shoot there in the abandoned gravel pit as the ground rises in the middle of the 100 yard range. If you're on the ground, the target you have set up at five feet high...looks like it's about 1.5 feet off the deck. So, my solution was to put my workbench in the bed of the truck, set up a chair, and shoot that way. My left earplug wasn't "sealed" all the way when I lit off the first round from the 7mm. HOLY MOLY! Those little critters have quite a bark! My ear ringing, I fixed the plug and kept shooting. All in all, that 7mm is a great shooting gun with a fantastic trigger. The recoil is a little worse than the 30-06 in my opinion and so I'd switch out guns to let barrels cool down between sets. I learned the value of a scope, as the 30-06 got me up close and personal, and after shooting the 7mm, it felt like I was shooting a .223! Pretty fun to drive nails at 100 yards! But there I was, getting everything taken down when I finally pulled my earplugs out. It felt like I was holding my hand over my left ear...I could hear the world in stereo. And the ringing? Yea, the constant ringing was irritating. That lasted into this morning, but after about 14 hours it's been gradually getting better. My saving grace is constantly telling myself about all the concerts I went to when in high school and college. I remember having diminished hearing for days after those...but it was in BOTH ears! Having it in only one ear is more frustrating as you can TELL how it should be. But, I know it'll go away in time. I'm still going to go out and buy some muffs though....better to be safe.
And poor old Lou-dog is getting surgery on her knee today. You should have seen her this morning! The highlight of her days anymore is breakfast and dinner...to tell a Lab that she can't get breakfast just breaks your heart. And no treats as I'm walking out the door? Sad. The look on her face is just confusion and desperation...it's like she's trying to yell at you, "You forgot my breakfast! Don't leave! You forgot my breakfast! I'm starving!" It's pretty cool though, we got a letter in the mail from my sister yesterday. Inside the letter were two pendants of patron saints. One was intended for me...St. Christopher, the patron saint of safe travel. (I hope I got that one right.) The other was for Sarah, it's St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. So without a word, Sarah put the necklace on Lucca! Perfect! She wears it easily and doesn't mess with it, but unfortunately, I'm pretty sure she needs to take it off during surgery.
So that's been my life post-wedding. We're still dealing with paperwork, but we're getting there!
It is now September 1st and already it's dark when I wake up (or try to) at 0530. The nights are getting colder and on a quick camping trip the other day, we could see our breath. I checked a weather station yesterday and found some of the peaks around here are dropping into the 30's at night! The leaves are trading their bright green for yellows, reds, and oranges and you can almost feel the deciduous trees starting to pull back the chlorophyll. And...hunting season has begun (for bowhunters.)
It's been hard for me to get back into a normal routine after the wedding, but I'm enjoying it immensely! Prior to the wedding, you'll remember, I was extremely nervous about getting hurt or injured in some way...well, it's still on my mind, but I'm able to go out and enjoy the things that have been missing. I went out with a fella at work last week and realized how out of shape I am in! All we were doing was painting a boundary to a couple units, but it was a.) my first time out all season b.) it was 92 degrees and c.) it was all in thick brush and downfall. So when a guy hasn't exercised much in two months and hasn't worked hard in the heat...it leads to trouble. I kept feeling dehydrated, so kept hydrating, and kept working hard. At about 1400, the "crew leader" asked how I was feeling and if him and I should keep working up to the next ridge. I was lightheaded and getting kinda "fumbly" (tripping a lot) and told him I was done. At one point prior, I was moving the truck when I realized my PERSONAL keys were missing from my pocket! I basically flipped out figured I lost them in the brush...but then I calmed down, sat down, and thought about it. Ooooh yeaaa, I put them in my sweatshirt with my phone and sunglasses! Sure enough, they were right beside me in the truck. We were devising a strategy after that, when I had to interrupt him and walk behind the rig to throw up all the water and powerade I had been drinking! Yea, I was touching the hem of heat exhaustion.
Since that little adventure, I've been trying to condition myself. So last weekend I was out cutting firewood! I never got a full load, just one lodgepole per day...but it was good to get out and be working again! I definitely prefer that kind of activity instead of "exercising." And I think that might be why I don't like gyms because there is NO thinking involved. I also don't really enjoy being around that many people, so I'm sure that contributes.
Following the weekend, I was able to get on a wildfire and work that for a day. Again, a really fun way to get exercise. Luckily it was, as Bob called it, "A perfect old man fire" which is exactly what it was. The "Ace of Spades" fire was up near where I had been cutting firewood, 600 feet up the hill, no brush, huge Grand fir stand, and the temperature was in the 70s. At one point when everyone was eating lunch, I had to get up and start digging around again because I was getting cold! Go figure. Oh, and we had an engine that hauled 750 gallons of water...so it was a lot of spraying and stirring. By the end, we had put about 1000 gallons of water on a tenth of an acre....but bear in mind, the duff was deep and we had a lot of "ash holes" to cool down. That's where the dirt and ash gets so hot it bubbles. It's hydrophobic (a real term everyone) and so when you spray it with water it shoots ash everywhere and if you don't stir it, all that water simply evaporates. Good times.
And yesterday afternoon I hustled into the woods after work and went shooting! I've been dying to try a new 7mm mag that my Dad gave me, but with everything going on, I never made it out until now. I packed up that and the 30-06 and made my way to my backwoods shooting range. It's a little tough to shoot there in the abandoned gravel pit as the ground rises in the middle of the 100 yard range. If you're on the ground, the target you have set up at five feet high...looks like it's about 1.5 feet off the deck. So, my solution was to put my workbench in the bed of the truck, set up a chair, and shoot that way. My left earplug wasn't "sealed" all the way when I lit off the first round from the 7mm. HOLY MOLY! Those little critters have quite a bark! My ear ringing, I fixed the plug and kept shooting. All in all, that 7mm is a great shooting gun with a fantastic trigger. The recoil is a little worse than the 30-06 in my opinion and so I'd switch out guns to let barrels cool down between sets. I learned the value of a scope, as the 30-06 got me up close and personal, and after shooting the 7mm, it felt like I was shooting a .223! Pretty fun to drive nails at 100 yards! But there I was, getting everything taken down when I finally pulled my earplugs out. It felt like I was holding my hand over my left ear...I could hear the world in stereo. And the ringing? Yea, the constant ringing was irritating. That lasted into this morning, but after about 14 hours it's been gradually getting better. My saving grace is constantly telling myself about all the concerts I went to when in high school and college. I remember having diminished hearing for days after those...but it was in BOTH ears! Having it in only one ear is more frustrating as you can TELL how it should be. But, I know it'll go away in time. I'm still going to go out and buy some muffs though....better to be safe.
And poor old Lou-dog is getting surgery on her knee today. You should have seen her this morning! The highlight of her days anymore is breakfast and dinner...to tell a Lab that she can't get breakfast just breaks your heart. And no treats as I'm walking out the door? Sad. The look on her face is just confusion and desperation...it's like she's trying to yell at you, "You forgot my breakfast! Don't leave! You forgot my breakfast! I'm starving!" It's pretty cool though, we got a letter in the mail from my sister yesterday. Inside the letter were two pendants of patron saints. One was intended for me...St. Christopher, the patron saint of safe travel. (I hope I got that one right.) The other was for Sarah, it's St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. So without a word, Sarah put the necklace on Lucca! Perfect! She wears it easily and doesn't mess with it, but unfortunately, I'm pretty sure she needs to take it off during surgery.
So that's been my life post-wedding. We're still dealing with paperwork, but we're getting there!
posted by geotracker12 at 9:41 AM
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