Spring Fever

I have been busy doing lots of different jobs since the weather has been improving. It's been tough to sit down inside and work when the sun is out and getting warmer each day. The Western Bluebirds and Turkey Vultures are back and that's a sure sign of Spring.

Here's the update on my partially torn mcl ligament. Three weeks ago I was given an injection after no improvements during the prior 5 weeks. The injection is called PRP, which stands for platelet rich plasma and thankfully that has lived up to its hype. I am finally able to sleep better, have less pain throughout the day and am gaining full range of motion. It is still going to be a long haul as I am not doing any cardio or strenght training yet. Cardio will be introduced first and that will give me a base to eventually begin strenghtening exercises for my quads and hams. My oh my how fast the muscle disappears. At least I was able to avoid surgery and I credit the years of weight lifting to the fact that this is only a partial tear. Clearly I will be walking in circles to the left come Fall. I have already informed my hunting partner John of this and he just chuckled. With any luck they'll be big circles.

I have also been spending time outside raking pine needles and generally cleaning up from Winter. It has been great to be outside without having to wear 5 layers and feel the sun warming my skin. Mind you though we just had 6" of snow a week ago. That's how fast things can and do change here on the high desert. I have also been doing some Spring cleaning inside my house and garage. Putting away random items from a lingering damp Spring. One item of particular note was the retiring of my first real hunting hat. The Elmira Fudd hat as hunting partner John called it. It was time and I knew it was coming for awhile. After I stepped in that Beaver hole and took on pocket water filling the back of my game vest and also my hat, while drying it over the wood stove it shrank considerably. I tried to gently stretch it out but to no avail and one of the chin strap ties broke too. The hat was an original from L.L. Bean that I bought back in 1978. They no longer make them and had I known how much I was going to use it I'd have bought another just to have in reserve. These days I do buy two of something that I know I will use especially if it seems like it might not be around for long. So I said goodbye to my old chapeau and thank you for the many miles we've travelled together. Your service was first rate and unparalleled. You will be greatly missed and remembered fondly!

The other bit of business that has kept me away from writing posts has been the little wood wagon. This project was completed and delivered this past Thursday and the new owners were delighted. A bit of history about this project. I have built several items for this couple including a coffee table, entertainment center and a side table all designed around their dining table. They now wanted a new wagon to match the rest of their furniture. This wagon is used to bring in firewood from their garage and sits next to the wood stove, all in one clean trip. After much discussion and research on all our parts and some trial and error we finally were directed to an Amish fellow who builds wood wagon wheels. To make a very long story shorter we got the wheels and undercarriage hardware a year after we began the project. It took some figuring and correspondence to the wheel builder to get the information required to assemble the undercarriage. Suffice it to say after a few phone calls and 2 letters with some drawings we had what we finally needed. We then had to provide the axles, nuts, bolts, washers and do some machining. The fellow I built it for he and I spent 2 days laying it out and getting the proper hardware and doing a mock up with a piece of 3/4 plywood. Eventually we succeeded. This was prior to my injection which laid me up for a few days and there after limited my activity for the following 2 weeks. My job was to build the upper rails, sides of the wagon, color stain and lacquer to match the rest of their furniture. Also trying to find a material to cover the steel band that wrapped the wood rims so as to not damage their tile and carpet.

I eventually tried tuffy tire liners and they worked great. Tuffy's are a flexible plastic that are used on bicycle wheels and placed between the tube and inside of the tire to prevent punctures. I used 2 coats of contact cement on both surfaces and it worked fine. Then cleaned them up and trimmed off the excess width. It took considerable time to make the upper assembly and then do the finish work. The wagon rolls with ease and maneuvers nicely. All in all I was very pleased with the final results. Best of all so were my friends who I built it for. It wasn't long after I hired him to work for me that he returned the favor and a fast friendship began. What a pleasure indeed.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt