Stocking Up and Winding Down
The
eleventh month has arrived. Did the year fly by? I think not. I cannot remember
a summer so grueling. I am glad November is here. The cellar is full; quarts
and pints aligned in rows. Gallons of water take up empty spaces. Nothing to
worry about in there. Peppers were all I had to buy. Never have had a pepper
failure; not sure what happened. Everything else did well, the wood shed is
full and the first ton of wood pellets is stacked by the stove. Winter rye
greens the garden and the garlic is happily buried under a layer of straw. Several
layers of goodness. are stacked on freezer shelves. The empty space awaits the
final addition. Yes, it is now venison time.
Thanksgiving
to me means giving thanks for all of the bounty you have received from the
earth due to your own labors. The meal is comprised of products of the gardens,
fields and streams. I just believe that is the way it is meant to be. I cannot
imagine chewing on a store bought turkey. It just doesn’t seem right. I know
that I spent last Thanksgiving morning butchering deer and filling that dreaded
empty space in the freezer. That kind of felt just right for the occasion.
Everything worked out for a change and I had enough procured by then. That
doesn’t happen often, but the way the weather set in after that; I’m glad it
worked out that way.
I do not
enjoy deer hunting one little bit. I enjoy eating venison; therefore I go. I
was never one to worry about giant racks, never did care. I go deer hunting for
one reason. That reason is to get the deer meat I NEED to get to next November.
It used to be easier to do when I archery hunted, too. But, that was long ago.
Nowadays I need to get done as fast as I can, before the totally miserable
weather sets in. This may be a shocker to some, but today I just officially
took of the first week of gun season. That will be the first opening week I
have been off since high school and that was a long time ago. Do I worry about
getting some venison? No. I worry about getting enough so I do not have to
ration throughout the year, Having a whole week worry free should speed up the
process. We will see.
Like it
or not; it is a fact that we have become a nation of consumers dependent upon
others for our survival. That is not the way it was meant to be. The scariest
thing to me is that we are dependent on other nations to supply our daily
needs. Think about it, really sit a think. It is scary. We depend on other
countries which do not even like us to supply our needs. It has been a gradual
process but it has engulfed us now.. What happened? It was the easy way out.
That is what happened. When was the last time you fixed yourself a piece of
toast and spread real butter on it?
We need
to think about the meaning of Thanksgiving, not what we can easily run to the
supermarket and buy. We need to become more reliant upon ourselves and our true
neighbors. Start small; quit buying your eggs from the supermarket. Buy them
from someone who actually feeds their chickens. It will not hurt at all and you
will have better eggs. Happy Thanksgiving.
This is my November 2016 article for Two-Lane Livin..(c) 2016 High Virginia Outdoors Photo (c) High Virginia Images...All Rights Reserved
