Silver

When my husband and I eloped 25 years ago, I didn't give much thought to the distant future. Or at least that's what a "silver wedding anniversary" seemed like at the time.

Most years we don't do much celebrating (neither of us are particularly romantic) and only a handful of the gifts we've exchanged were memorable. I've blogged before about the shotgun I received for our first anniversary... probably the best gift! On our fifth I received a diamond ring since I'd only had a gold band up to that point. We gave each other desk chairs on our 10th.

There were several ideas tossed around over the past few months for gift possibilities this year. It was a "big one" and we wanted to do it up right. However, we woke on the day of our anniversary and nothing had been decided. Or so I thought. My dear, sweet husband totally surprised me with the necklace pictured here! Isn't it beautiful?!


After a fairly routine morning (with the exception of my surprise gift!) and a light lunch we set out. First stop was Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop, LA. He'd had his eye on a particular shotgun for several months and wanted to see one in real life. It passed his inspection and ended up being my anniversary gift to him. From there we headed south to Monroe, LA to the Sams Club warehouse store. We picked up a few items we needed along with a Bose docking station for my iPod. How about that.... I ended up with TWO great gifts!! We finished the evening with dinner in West Monroe before heading back to Arkansas.

In some ways it seems like just the other day that we got married. In other ways...it seems like an eternity! Sure, we've had our ups and downs (it wouldn't be normal if we hadn't), but looking back the good far outweighs the bad. God has truly blessed us!

Supreme Court Ruling

***** CONTROVERSY ALERT! *****

I imagine the majority of my blog readers are not in agreement with me on gun rights issues. So, I apologize if this post is offensive to any of you. That said, I was pleased with today's ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. For those who are interested, click here for the story.

Duck, Duck, Goose

The first time I went on a duck hunt was eight months into my courtship with the man I later married. For me it was an opportunity to be with the guy I was infatuated with. For him I believe it was an attempt to “cure me” of something he didn’t really think I was cut out for (though he denies that to this day). At the time he had a hunting membership at a dead-tree reservoir. I borrowed clothing, gun, shells and chest waders (about four sizes too large) then allowed myself to be plopped down next to a stump in about three feet of water. Lo and behold, I discovered the beautiful sight of ducks flying against a gorgeous sunrise, hearing them answer to a call and watching them cup their wings against the wind while coming in for a landing. I loved it!

During the first year of our marriage we invested in a rice farm in the Arkansas Delta with some friends and family. This provided us with ample opportunities for field hunting ducks, geese and dove. When our first wedding anniversary rolled around, my husband gave me what I still consider to be one of the best gifts I ever received: my own shotgun! I’ve acquired a number of firearms over the years, but that’s still the gun I prefer to use when hunting, whether it be duck, dove or deer.

That following year I hunted as many days of the season as my schedule allowed. Once our kids arrived, however, my time and priorities changed. It was just too hard to get away. The sleep deprivation of raising small children left little desire to voluntarily crawl out of a warm bed long before the crack of dawn. Duck hunting would have to be put on hold until the proverbial “empty nest” arrived.

The youngest chick flew the nest last year, but for one reason or another I still didn’t feel ready to step back into duck hunting. Those who read this blog on a regular basis know that my BOW weekend this past September changed that. Hearing the instructor talk about all the sights and sounds of an exciting hunt got me fired up to experience it again for myself. That was reinforced when my husband called from the farm this week and told me there were more ducks there than he’d seen in a long time.

The 2008-2009 duck season opened in Arkansas this weekend and I was a part of it. I had forgotten just how much fun it is!! My husband was right… I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many ducks in my entire life! Literally thousands and thousands of them!! Mallards, teal, pintails, black ducks, widgeons, gadwalls, and equal numbers of speckle-belly and snow geese. The weather conditions were totally different the two mornings we hunted. On Saturday it was 23 degrees with a cloudless sky. My husband said it was the first time he could remember having to break ice on opening day. Today was twenty degrees warmer and totally overcast. Although we limited out early both days, the ducks were working better today.

The beauty is not just in the ducks and geese. We saw dove and red-winged blackbirds, red-tailed hawks and at least five bald eagles (always a spectacular sight!). Yesterday morning while sitting in the blind waiting for legal shooting time we could hear thousands of geese in a nearby field. Huge flights of teal zipped around us, turning on a dime and masses of mallards talked to us as they checked out our decoy spread. Even then, before the first shot was fired, I knew the weekend had been worth the price of admission.

I hope it was just the first of many more hunts.

The Second Amendment

The Supreme Court ruled today in favor of gun owners in America! An historic, but narrow victory (5-4).

This is an issue that has always been important to me. Call me a "redneck" if you will, but I live in a rural area and enjoy hunting and shooting sports. I personally own three rifles and two shotguns.

I realize most issues are never simple, gun control included. However, on the simplest level... most efforts at gun control just will not work. They only punish law-abiding citizens like myself. Criminals are not going to be affected by most gun laws.

It's rare you will find me posting something political or controversial on my blog. Whether you agree with me on gun control or not (and I'm sure most of you don't)... I couldn't let this victory pass without mention.