Ready or not, here we come
- Bob Hanna: Someday
- April 21, 2021
- 848
Taryn and I just came in from a beautiful nature hike. Well, actually it was supposed to be a mushroom hunt, but because we didn’t find any, we’ll just make it sound positive.
We have a beautiful show of flowering trees around Sanctuary Hill with the white-petaled dogwood and an awesome display of lavender-colored trees around the whole area including all along state Route 32 (my commute to work) which we believe to be the eastern redbud.
Turkey season has arrived, and with all the last-minute preparations for our African safari, I’m not sure I’m going to get to go. We have heard some gobbling around Sanctuary Hill lately, which is great.
One of our neighbors who is an avid hunter and I have been talking about ways to bring back the turkeys by reducing the predator population (coyotes, bobcats and wild dogs) and the deer population in our area after the virus known commonly as bluetongue (epizootic hemorrhagic) nearly wiped out the whole herd.
I’ve been watching the posts online for y’all back home who have been successful, especially the youth hunters. Thank you, parents and mentors, for helping to carry on our hunting heritage.
Final preparations are coming together for our second safari. Even though we are renting guns from our outfitter, getting in some shooting practice is definitely needed as we concentrate on balance with the bipod, target acquisition, breath control and smooth trigger pull.
One aspect many leave out is follow through. How you react after you squeeze the trigger has as much bearing on accuracy as everything else. Of course, the rifle will give you a degree of recoil (some more than others) but remain relaxed and calm for at least a couple seconds before looking up to see where or if you hit your target.
We have been trying to keep up on all of the special instructions from the airlines traveling in this extended pandemic. Our outfitter indicated there is a curfew from midnight to 4 a.m. in South Africa, so we will spend our first night in a hotel at the Johannesburg airport. Then we will visit the Kruger Wildlife Reserve for two days before starting our safari. We have to pass a COVID-19 check within 72 hours of departure each way.
Our target animals, as of now, are to get Taryn’s gemsbok and my sable. From there we will see depending on time, weather and, of course, money. We are always open for donations to the cause.
Listening this morning to Wes McElravy, preacher at Millersburg Christian Church, via internet, set off a series of thoughts as to where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re headed. His sermon on trusting God is exactly what we all need to instill in our lives. We don’t always have the answers to the why’s and wherefores of life, but God does.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Remember when we talked about those who say, “I can’t wait until I retire. There’s so many places I want to go, so many things I want to do.” I’m (only) 65 and generally in good health. My reading glasses keep getting stronger. I wear a weightlifting belt most of the time to support degenerating discs in my lower back. I wear a thumb support on my left hand. Doctor says arthritis is setting in. And now an old knee injury from my junior high days requires me to wear a support.
This “vehicle” God gave us to use is not meant to last forever. Take care of it and make each day count. Your soul, on the other hand, is designed to last forever. Take good care of that also. Spiritual health is of even greater importance.
Love y’all.