Great Sausage Making

Purchased a commercial meat grinder/sausage stuffer on sale from Cabela's this month. 

Finished this terrific book last weekend (highly recommended by a reader) and have started a list of supplies and ingredients to ramp-up into sausage making mode before too long.

This is what the critics have to say about Rytek Kutas' - Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing.

The most comprehensive book available on sausage making and meat curing and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. It is easily understood, contains a wide variety of recipes, and is very effective in helping solve common problems. It is written by a man who learned the art of sausage making and meat curing at a very young age and who made a living smoking and curing meats.

Stay tuned...

Talking Dog

In keeping with the dog theme a guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: Talking Dog For Sale

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

'You talk?' he asks.

'Yep,' the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?'

The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA.

In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.'

'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running...

But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.'

'I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.

'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'

'Because he's a Bullshitter . He's never been out of the yard'

Stoned Dog

Yep.  My dog is a stoner.

Anybody remember someone from college that had that look?  And maybe a lampshade around their head?

Behind the pooch's lampshade her right forearm is stabilized with four rings and eight pins.  Fingers crossed to get the alignment correct as she heals.

In the interim she's taking some canine hallucinogenics to alleviate the discomfort.

wow - cool - click on the image to enlarge dude

Chesapeake

Back to the day job this past week - but not before I tackled one of my favorite novels written by one of my favorite authors.

Chesapeake - by James Michener

I got hooked on Michener as a teenager when I read The Bridges of Toko-ri and Tales of the South Pacific.

This story chronicles the lives and stories of four families over the course of 300 years along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. 

Great fiction and gripping history - even if you've read it a half-dozen times.

Michener is an artiste. 

Signage

This sign has been posted prominently upon the entrances of the building where my day job is located.

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This facility participates in the "no guns/weapons allowed" security program.


We respectfully ask that you remove any weapons before entering for the safety of all customers and our employees.


Thank you.

Girlfrend

The thing about Labs is you cannot keep them out of the water.

Girlfriend and Sister have been frustrated lately with  all of the usual puddles and waterholes frozen-over and inaccessible to their need to drink au naturale.

Girlfriend did manage to  bust through the thin ice the creek.  Water is still flowing underneath.

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Gemini

A pair of buck twins have been visiting - always a matched pair.

If you look carefully their head is shaped like a flat top - girl deer have a dome-shaped skull structure.  This appearance is a result of boy deer having antler nubs inside where their ears are located.

They are certainly a healthy-looking pair.  They haven't missed a meal lately.  Maybe these fellas will grow into a pair of trophy bucks some day?

Hard to say. For sure they won't be traveling together when they reach sexual maturity.

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Solitary Doe

Nothing edible on the ground - at least that I put there.

Maybe she's just giving something the sniff...

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Young Buck

Plenty of pictures of this buck have been taken this year  - from velvet to the present.

Got some crappy pictures (not worthy of  publishing) of the buck(s) with the large rack and the wide spread.

Like I said - it's a hot spot...

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Lost Headgear?

This is a large-bodied deer with a dark tree bark stain on the forehead from rubbing.

I think that this is a buck that has already shed his antlers.

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Hot Spot

Locating a camera here has been a terrific idea.  There is an active scrape (where male whitetails like to pee on themselves and leave their calling card) and a licking branch and a heavily trafficked trail.

The same thing happened last year - including the active scrape.

In any event this is a hot spot with plenty of deer visiting.  Big bucks, little bucks, does and fawns.

The preorbital, or lacrymal gland, is a small pocket located in front of the deer's eyes. At most times the pocket is closed. However it is under muscular control. Rutting bucks may open this gland when signaling their aggressive intents to other bucks. Female deer will open this gland when they are tending their fawns.

Here is a buck (far right) rubbing his preorbital glands on the licking branch...

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Finis!

Ventured-out yesterday afternoon for the last bow hunt of the season (which closes at sunset today).

I packed my gear on the ATV and drove down to the campsite and hobbled-in with my cane to set-up. 

I had a primo location nestled in a clump of red cedar so I was out of the wind.  Nice and comfy on Braumeister's folding chair.  Speaking of wind - it was in my favor.

I had a nice view of the active scrape location that has turned-out to be quite a hot spot for deer pictures.

Settled-in, it occurred to  me that if I actually shot a deer the adjacent trail camera was perfectly situated to catch all the action digitally. Alas, it was not to happen.  I had a nice quiet sit - alone with my thoughts.  As the sun set and the shadows lengthened and darkness fell I walked back to the four wheeler under the light of a rising moon.

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No hip pain.  Getting back in my groove.  Life is good.

Deer By Day

Some nice daylight shots - including some deer the morning the girls and I retrieved the memory cards from the trail camera...

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Deer By Day and Deer By Night

Same camera, same day, same deer...

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Nocturnal Deer

Recent night shots...

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Antler Kings

More of those deer.

Here are some dandy-looking bucks.  Sure hope that the fella in the last picture has been visiting the ladies and spreading his genes about the neighborhood.

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Curious Does

Check this out...

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Thirteen Moons

Probably one of the best books I read in 2011.  Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier.

Set in the early Eastern Cherokee Nation Homeland near the junction of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee this work of fiction takes place in an historical setting.

Will Cooper narrates his own life story as an orphan exiled as an indentured proprietor of a remote trading post set among the Cherokee people.  His story takes you through a life of adventure - love won, prosperity, a rise to lawyer and Senator, to colonel, to chief, to love and fortune lost.  Figures like Crockett, Calhoun and Andrew Jackson are woven throughout.

If you're to die tomorrow, do you spend the time praising Creation or cursing God? 

A riveting tale that was hard to put down.

Learn more about it here.

Smile for the Trail Camera

Things have been rather quiet here at The Platz and the deer are still hanging around and moving about. 

Judging from the evidence captured by the two trail cameras the bucks are still moving about after dark - does and fawns too.  The only daylight pictures have been of antlerless deer.

Happy New Year!

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