At halftime of yesterday's Vikes-Packers game I decided to take a little walk, not hunting, just a walk down the road. The weather was a bleak rain and sleet mix and it hit me pretty hard that Sammy wasn't with me. Bleak. A Vikings win, a sauna, and a relaxing evening by the fire took most of the melancholy away, but I was kind of dreading this morning's first hunting session without Sammy.
It wasn't that bad, so I think I must have gotten most of it out my system yesterday. It still felt strange though, to be out in the woods truly alone for the first time in 11 years. There were lots of little things that I missed like the rituals of putting her blaze orange collar on her or letting her get the scent of the grouse tail I keep in my ammo box. I missed watching her work the sides of the trail and then dart into the woods when she got some kind of scent. There's something bigger that I can't quite fully articulate yet...it's on the tip of my consciousness. Maybe later.
I'm glad it wasn't too bad. You must've had Skittles with you!
It is amazing how our minds intertwine everything, and we approach the same locations and events with the same expectations--and how jarring it is when all of a sudden something (or somebody) is missing.
P.S. Am very annoyed with self for not having picked Vikings. Not that it would've improved my standings much.
Posted by: Kate P | November 02, 2009 at 07:30 PM
Haha...I did have some Skittles with me...and a couple of Snickers bars.
So true how we associate locations and events, Kate. Jarring is exactly the right word. It had to be done though, and now it's okay.
Posted by: Dave E. | November 05, 2009 at 08:57 AM