Dream it, pursue it, live it

Dream it, pursue it, live it
                        

First off, in our last article I didn’t complete the one segment on respect. I mentioned respect is key, both for the weapon and the target. I can’t pass up not mentioning how important it is to respect your target. How do you do that?

Anything — and I mean anything — you point the weapon at is a target. Whether it be practice or real life hunting, first be aware of any obstruction that blocks your view or may deflect your arrow or bullet. Do not shoot through brush or thick trees in the chance you might hit what you are aiming at.

Be aware of secondary targets. This covers anything around your target that may be shot should you miss (yes, miss) or your projectile pass through the target. Do not shoot if there is another animal behind or in front of the one you intend to shoot. Trying to “sneak one in” is not only unethical, it’s downright dangerous.

Ethical shooting is what gains us the respect of the nonhunting world. Unethical shots are what will destroy our reputation as sportsmen.

We’ll pick up on shooting variables next time. For now I just can’t wait any longer to share our news.

Well, God taught us to be patient in finding a new home in Kentucky, and he has blessed us beyond measure. We have searched the internet for months, viewing hundreds of possibilities all across the state. We made three trips, viewing six particular places we thought might fulfill our dreams.

Together, we made a priority list of what we would like to have with our new home. Seclusion/privacy was our No. 1. Acreage to hunt and hike was important (imagine that). A log or rustic home was my dream with a spacious great room. A pond would be nice. You know, the kind that is stocked with big fish (after all we are still dreaming)? Taryn grew up with a beautiful, stocked pond.

Location was flexible as long as it made it easier to visit my daughters and their families in Columbus, Ohio and Franklin, Tennessee. Our preferred area was Northern Kentucky and within an hour driving of either Louisville or Lexington.

The house would need enough space for us and our animals. We have two dogs, and one is a big collie, but those who have been to our home west of Millersburg know our mounted animals take up a lot of room.

There should be a place for Taryn’s craft hobby. She loves to sew and create new craft ideas. Also, we need room for all of our hunting gear. It is fun collecting guns and bows and backpacks and all sorts of “hunting stuff” (you guys know), even if moving all this gear is not as fun.

As we get older, a master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom would be nice with at least one or two extra bedrooms and a second bathroom. With all of our projects and future family gatherings, a full basement should be essential.

And last but not least, a decent hill to hold our annual family waterslide on. Hills in Kentucky?

So on our last trip, we went to see a place we thought should cover most of our want list. It looked almost too good to be true. After all, I am part skeptic when it comes to “too good to be true” stuff.

As we drove up to this property, situated on 10.5 acres of God’s country, it felt surreal: 2,900-square-foot log home, built in 1995, great room, pond, woods ... really?

So I asked the owner (skeptically), “Why are you selling this property?” His answer, “My dream is to live on a houseboat.” So by fulfilling our dream, we’re helping him to fulfill his.

After examining the house and some of the property for a while in the rain, my son-in-law Richard and I were sitting on the front porch rocking, looking out over the hills of Kentucky, when he said, “I could sit here for hours.” That kind of sealed it in my mind.

On the way home the next day, we stopped along the road, prayed for answers and called our realtor with an offer. Expecting an answer in maybe a day or so, we received a text a couple hours later with a counteroffer from the owner. Again we prayed and accepted their offer.

So where is this? More to come — God bless!


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