Success!

As I wrote earlier in the month, I went Elk hunting with a friend of mine who guides on several ranches outside Cheyenne. We went yesterday on a neighboring ranch to his. We found the elk and they weren't on the other side of the fence.

We drove to about a mile of the elk, got out and began our stalk. We walked approximately 2 miles out around the valley , the last few hundred feet being in clear view. We walked single file very slowly, stopping at one point for 5 minutes standing completely still. The elk went back to eating. We crawled up to a rock formation, looked over the top. There they were, 100 elk bedded down or feeding just 150 yards away.

I was to shoot first. I steadied the rifle on the rock, picked one out...it turned to face me, and the herd stood up. I picked another cow who was not close to the others and fired. It was a good shot. The herd trotted 100 yard or so and stopped. My friend's wife picked one out and fired. We had two elk on the ground.

This was my first experience with stalking ending in success. Of course, my friend the guide had much to do with this. The valley was beautiful. Out of the wind, a little bit of snow on the ground. Not many people have access to this sort of hunt. Hunting elk on public land is much more difficult and with much lower success rates. My experience was truly a privilege.

A quick thought

I am sitting in the church office preparing music for this morning. I am listening to George Winston. His piece "Thanksgiving" is playing. It is a piece of music that has been with me since my teens. Life is lived again through music. What a wonderful thing. Have a great day. I am going to.

truck

I bought the truck any way. I think I got taken, but it's too late. It made sense at the time. If you are married, listen to your wife. She is smarter than you will ever be. At least in my case. I'm glad she loves me. She told me love covers a multitude of sin. I think she meant love covers up when you are totally brain dead.

Car saleman's school of math

Thursday I went in to buy a new 08 Dodge pickup to get the powertrain warranty. I have an 02 Ford F350 7.3 deisel to trade. I owe $13,800 on it, the book trade in value. I figure I can't lose. At first he tells me he'll give me 18,800 for my truck plus the $8500 rebate. What does your math say. Mine said $13,500 off the price which would have been about $26,500. I call my bank triumphantly asking for a loan. A great payment for a new truck. Yippie!

I go back to Cowboy Dodge and ask to see the bottom number after the trade and rebate. $34,something. I thought what the heck is going on!? He tells me that their wholesalers will only give them $8800 for my truck so he'll give me $8800 and a $7ooo rebate. I thought ok thatsounds fair. He writes down the numbers for me. He took off the $8800 and $7000 and then the last line of the equation he adds in my full pay off of $13,800. Does this not negate the $8800 at the top and in reality only give me $5000 for my trade? I swear these guys go to school to learn how to screw people.

O by the way, two different salemen told me about the $8500 rebate numerous times. I talk to the finance guy, the chief screwer, and he tells me, "Oh, that rebate was last month. Now it's only $1750." I tell him that his salesmen have told me for two days now about the $8500 rebate. He ignores me.

I leave to go talk to my accountant. He tells me it's like paying some one $5000 to take my truck off my hands. I go back to the dealer and ask him if he would give me $5000 more for my truck, the book value. He laughed at me and tore up the paper. I then find out he would sell me the truck out right for $27,000. Does this make any sense to you?

P.S. If your looking for an 02 Ford F350 7.3 diesel with 120,000 miles call me. 287-8824. Let's talk. After all, you already know what I owe on it.

Profound?

My wife and I enjoyed a movie together tonight. "Reign Over Me", a movie with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle (spelling?). As we watched it there were wonderful things happening. People caring for other people. People going through tremendous pain. People finding their way through dark times. People finding healing in marriage, grief, and lonliness. I noticed that the dialouge was true to the way people actually talk. The S___ word, the F___ word, refrences to sex. My wife and I laughed and cried together, in some ways identifying with the story.

I have deleted two paragraphs trying to say what I want to say with out getting into trouble. So forget it. Kim and I had a great time tonight. Then she sat down and read "The Shack". I could hear her crying out in front of the wood stove. I sat down here to try to say some incredibly profound thing and realized that the profoundness is in the little things. Don't miss those moments. They can sneak by you. Go hug your wife or husband. I think my brother Nate is the only one who reads this anyway. You don't have a husband so just go hug Tammy and the kids...Pete

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades

Living in the West is wonderful during hunting season. Having friends that own ranches or work for ranchers is even better. I have a friend who is a guide who graciously took me elk hunting for a cow. For those of you back east, this is a female elk. When you hunt on public land you seldom see elk, let alone a herd of 300. It is incredible to see.

Well, this morning was my second morning out hunting with my friend. The first morning we found the herd just on the other side of the property fence. I went home filled with expectation of this morning, knowing they would be back over to feed during the night. This morning we went earlier, and found them moving toward the neighbor's property. We briskly walked the mile to where they were...just on the other side of the fence.

My dad really was cool

I read back through yesterday's blog. I may have made my Dad sound like a dead beat. We all get into a place where we think we are doing the right thing. He was not dead beat. He allowed the powers that were to pressure him into forsaking his family. I remember at age about six thinking, "Who is this guy who sleeps here?" He was not forsaking us on purpose. He really thought he was doing the right thing. Not until the shit hit the fan when I was about fifteen did he do a 180 degree turn.

He and my Mom were the people who loved the people nobody else wanted to love. It would bug the crap out of my brother and I. The unlovely people at our house often. He went out of his way to help people. He would make convert, as it were, operations out of the baptist bubble we were in. "Don't touch the things of the world or be stained by it!" It was a very separatist mentality. No one had non christian friends. Everything was done apart from the world inside a bubble of christian people.

My Dad was great man who died too soon. He had so much more to give. I miss him.

Who is my hero?

I had a really great exchange with a high school friend of mine. My dad was always my teacher and sometimes my principal. Over the years, I have been told how much my Dad meant to his students and how he changed their lives. This person said that my Dad was one of his heroes. I am so intrigued by this. I was too close to my Dad to see the side other people saw. I really can't think of some one who is my hero. My wife is my hero. Without her I would be all washed up I think.

It's wonderful to be in love. One moment you feel so close to your partner, the next you can't get far enough away. Yet you know you will always be there for each other. What a wonderful ride! If you find true love you find a wonderful thing.

But back to my Dad. My children deserve to see the side of me that other people see. Maybe they don't see anything and I am in a delusion. The point is is that I want my children to think of me as their hero. My Dad became a great dad after he realized he was putting everything of himself into a system that was cruel and anti-family. I was 16. My older brother was all but gone out of the house. Dad died in 2000. Oh the wasted years. I don't want to do that. The best thing we as George's children can do, is to learn from his life. There is so much richness there. Make the right choices early in your life. Well, I am going to go play with my kids...

A good day, but....

We had a great Thankgiving. It was a good day, But...my wife had to work. She will have Christmas off, though. that's good.

The holidays are here...

I had some really profound things to say, but my boys interrupted my thoughts with fighting, wanting a drink, and trying to find the remote to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thus is fatherhood.

I put the Nutcracker Suite into the DVD player. Thoughts of my childhood flooded my mind. My Dad would play that every Christmas. I think he took us once to see the ballet. I remember going with a girl in my class my junior year in high school to see The Nutcracker in Erie, PA on a date. The crush was terribly one sided. Any way...I was watching my boys (My daughter was in her room reading the "Twilight" series, go figure) dance around to the music. My Dad, George, would have so enjoyed his grandsons. He would have been 69 this December 5.

As the holidays come, families will no doubt get together and enjoy each other. Other families not so much. I have been thinking a lot lately about the short time we have here. Life goes so fast. I hear stories of terribly selfish, self absorbed parents full of silly hang ups ruining their children's lives. There are also people like my wonderful Mother, Ann Mullikin, who lives simply so she can travel to see all of her children and grandchildren often. She is selfless to a fault at times. What a wonderful Mother. I love you very much Mom. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me.

What ever your situation this holiday season remember this. Life is so short. Forgive each other. Start fresh. It is never too late. If there is nothing to forgive, just enjoy the wonderful time together. Put away your hang ups. Take a cup of cheer together. Find the goodness in each other. Gosh, I sound like Polyanna.

Have a wonderful Thankgiving...Pete

All new

Well, I have a buddy that blogs. I read him often and wanted to comment on one of his blogs. I had to sign up to do so, and it was one step further to create my own blog. I don't know if I'll have anything to say of any concern. I guess some one would be interested. More later.