SAYING GOODBYE TO WINTER
The end of winter, according to our calendars, is March 20th. For some parts of the country, that may be true. In others, winter will linger on for a while. Wherever you live, you would be hard pressed to find anyone sad to see winter end. Especially fishermen.
Soon the black and white landscape will be gone, replaced by colorful singing birds, beautiful wildflowers, leaves starting to unfurl, warm breezes, gentle rains, gobbling turkeys, and hungry fish.
It is time to clean and organize your tackle box, de-winterize the boat, put new line on your reels, air out camping gear, look for deer sheds, start searching for morels, practice your turkey calls and even put your hiking shoes on and go out to say goodbye to winter.
As the wise old Chief Sitting Bull once said, “Behold, my friends, the spring has come; the earth has gladly received the embrace of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.”
IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU
This spring, if you are a fisherman or a hunter, you will be out there trying to catch a limit of good-eating fish or sitting in a turkey blind trying to call in a big gobbler. Is this the year you take a son, daughter, or grandchild and introduce them to these two great outdoor traditions?
I have been to many kids and grandkids’ sports games and watched in amazement as parents yelled at referees or umpires, not being good examples to the kids. Some even yell at their kids because they did not play like they thought they – parents putting pressure on their young lives. It is not about you. It is about them.
Remember that when you take them fishing or hunting. If they get tired or hungry and want to go home, and you have barely been out there an hour, do not make them stay, and do not get upset with them. Pack it up and go home. Try again another day. If not, they may never want to go again. It is not about you. It is about them.
NATURALLY ORGANIC
I am amazed at all the organic foods you see in grocery stores. The prices amaze me as well. Organic foods are those free of antibiotics, growth hormones, or other drugs. According to the USDA, they cannot be genetically modified or unnaturally enhanced.
That means I have been enjoying naturally organic foods for years from the wild game I hunt and eat. The fish I catch and eat are also naturally organic. So are the wild mushrooms, blackberries, raspberries, and other fruit I find.
The exercise, fresh air, and all the other health benefits I get while harvesting these naturally organic foods are really important. It is all good for my body, mind, and soul.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.” ~ Virgil A. Kraft, Author
