Seasons

One of the reasons I love where I live (upstate NY) is the different seasons.  The anticipation of falling leaves, beautiful snowscapes, lilac buds and fresh veggies.....is one of my favorite things.  Then there's HUNTING season:-(  Starting tomorrow, I will figuratively hold my breath from dawn until dusk.  I'm not a big gun fan, I'm not sure I see the worth of killing anything (except maybe spiders, germs and maybe pigs for bacon) and the idea of my family in the woods with tens of other people gunning for the big kill terrifies me.  This year they're adding rifles to the mix and frankly I think it's a huge mistake.  They all try and placate me by explaining that everyone knows where the the others are....doesn't work!  They may know where our crew is but does the neighboring group know where "we" are?  Shotgun shells easily and unintentionally cross property lines.  Now with rifles, those distances are increased.  It used to be we had Sundays to relax and the worries would dissipate for at least 10 hours. The kids could play in the yard and the dogs could freely roam their territory with no fear of being mistaken as deer.  Not any more!  Every single day for the next few weeks will be fraught with gunshots during daylight hours.  Our own little DMZ.  Maybe if I liked eating venison I'd feel differently....Naaa... As a mom, wife and aunt, I will worry each day until I see the whites of their eyes (or in my family's case...the reds) come marching up the driveway!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Deer Wars - 2012 :-(  Hope I can buck up and at least enjoy the kids being home:-)