WHY DOESN'T SHE UNDERSTAND?

If you think she doesn't understand you, please watch the video attached and you'll know why. Click on red title above for link.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuMZ73mT5zM

AN EMPTY BED AND BROKEN HEARTS

MAXWELL HERNDEN 12/26/98-11/11/09

Last Tuesday night I fed the dogs at about 5:30PM as usual. Max, our 10 year old Golden Retriever finished his dinner and I took him outside. He was happy and appeared normal in every respect. At 9PM I had to nearly force Max up to go out again and barely 10 feet out of the garage he collapsed. Lizzie and I managed to get him back in the house but he was in obvious distress.

Lizzie laid on the floor next to him most of the night to comfort him and we took him to our veterinarian first thing the next morning. Test results showed an unusually low red cell count and albumin levels. X-rays revealed a large mass pressing against his lung and esophogus and the doctor advised us that the risk of surgery was too high.

At 2PM, Lizzie and I laid on the floor of the examing room with him and Lizzie gently placed his head in her lap as the vet administered the drugs that ended the life of our special boy. We hugged him and cried.

Our home is in mourning this week. The other dogs routine is different, their place in the dinner line has changed and they know he is gone. Max's bed at the end of ours is empty and our hearts are broken.

More about Max later..............................

LU FORGAVE ME ONCE I EXPLAINED IT

Early this fall, my good friend Shawn Wayment sent me the book "UPLAND AUTUMN" by William G. Tapply. It's a collection of entertaining short stories about New England Grouse Hunting. Most nights when I'm here alone (and when Lizzie is here too) before turning off the light for the night, I'll read a story or two.

After yesterday's poor shooting, Lu was sulking and I was feeling bad. How could I have missed 4 birds flushed in front of perfectly handled points. Now I know.

Last nights story was "HOW TO MISS A FLYING GROUSE". Mr. Tappley says he looked over 45 years of his hunting journals and confirmed it by studying the journals of others that "Over the long haul, you'll shoot one out of every twelve grouse you encounter and there's nothing you can do about it". So he suggests, the real question is how do you handle the eleven birds you missed!

"What grouse hunters really need is a repertoire of explanations and alibi's to account for a 92 percent rate of failure" and "so as a service to grouse hunters old and young, I've scoured my journals and consulted my partners and other expert grouse missers and compiled a compendium of excuses which, I am confident, any grouse hunter can adopt to his needs".

So you see Lu, those four misses were not really my fault. On the first I pulled up because I thought I saw hunter orange out in front of the bird. On the second I accidently had put in a "popper" training load instead of a #8, on the third my safety stuck momentarily as I had forgotten to oil it and on the fourth I knew he was too far away but I shot anyway.

Thank you William Tappley and thank you Shawn.

LU WANTS A NEW PARTNER!

Lu wants a new hunting partner who can shoot!

Today was the absolute perfect day. It was overcast, 50 degrees, no wind and the leaves are down. Even the birds cooperated. In less than an hour Lu had two perfect finds on woodcock and one find on two grouse. You guessed it, I missed them all!

In the picture below, Lu slammed into point and as I approached her I was certain it must be a woodcock. I took the time to snap the picture, closed my side by side and walked in. To my surprise two grouse boiled out and gave me a clear shot. You guessed it, I picked the bird going away and slightly left and missed it with both barrels. Lu gave me that look that said you dummy, what more do I have to do?

Click to enlarge

Oh well, it was a great day and I'll try to do better tomorrow. Hopefully she'll give me another chance.