Wildlife Wall Decor

Recently, I read that Alaska is big.  So BIG! in fact, that Texas and California would fit inside its borders with room for New England to stretch its legs!  Now . . . I’ve driven the length and width of both states.  So, if Alaska is bigger than my own experience, then it truly must be “GRANDIOSO!”  

And, if that didn’t stretch your imagination, grasp this: In the same periodical, I read that there are 175 million acres of wetlands in Alaska, more than all the other states combined.  WOW! . . . I said!  Isn’t most of Alaska frozen? Then the credibility of the two PHD’s writing the article slipped considerably when they mentioned that 20 % of all waterfowl get their start in Alaska.  I would be a believer, except for the use of the word “all” is . . . all incompassing.  Should they merely have specified that 20% of all waterfowl in the North American Continent get their start in Alaska, then I would be more receptive to believing “the rest of their story.”

This article to reference is, “Waterfowl in the Last Frontier,” Ducks Unlimited, January/February 2009, pages 36-41.

HEADS UP. . . to anyone who fights pain every hour of the day!  If you are dreaming of hunting and fishing, or planning an extended vacation, yet you are living in pain, then take time to read this book, 14 Medically Proven Foods That fight Pain, by Neal Barnard, M.D.  Dr. Barnard encourages us to  “Halt a headache with fruit,” . . . “Soothe a backache with an herb,” . . . and “Stop arthritis pain with a spice.”  The trivet pictured above is a reminder that chili peppers help fight the pain from shingles.

To my readers, . . . I invite your input in this exciting adventure towards ”FREEDOM from the Enemy of PAIN!”  It looks like I’m about to make some changes in my diet and lifestyle.  Let’s share with others how Dr. Barnard’s recommendations of managing pain lead to a better way of life, how it affects our health, and the relationships with those we live with.

Every man has or at least needs a good hunting story.  The story I’m telling you is true.  I was holding down a deer stand in the hills in northwest Nevada in 1953.  A group of friends of my Dad was circling the mountain across from where I stood.  The idea was to drive any deer my direction.

After waiting in the cold wind for several hours, my hands and feet were almost frozen.  Suddenly, a small herd of doe and 2 bucks drifted through the draw, and I aimed a 3030 Winchester rifle at the deer . . . hoping for a hit.  My dad’s friends didn’t tell me that the rifle didn’t carry 1000 yards without aiming very high.

“Buck Fever” took control of my spirit, and after ten rounds, only one shot came close to the belly of one of the bucks.  The herd drifted away from me over the top of the ridge.  This was my first and last deer hunt.  When the men arrived, they all had a good laugh!  I overheard one of the men comment, “Where’s the War?”

There’s more to this story.  This is another reason why I appreciate good wildlife wall art and great phototography of nature scenes, rather than killing the animals that live there.