I wrote this on the 3rd of November or yesterday.

When you have to take a family member, any family member, to the emergency room it is a moment at which you might consider all that is truly valuable to you. Once again, that was begun by taking my mother to the emergency room on Sunday morning. Because of that unexpected necessity I missed seeing my friend JimT. I think he understands that it was somewhat more important that I look after Mom than to see him and fortunately there was nothing to be found that was wrong with Mom. These things happen when the person needing care can't communicate and can't remember what has happened. Still, it gave me pause...

I had to call Jim and apologize. We were interrupted as he traveled into a "dead" zone in the West Virginia hills. I remember when the landline in West Virginia might not be trusted. We've come a long way since then.

I was thinking about what was important in my life when I voted. For each person for whom I voted I had carefully considered what they would do to/for/against what is truly important in my life, God, my family and my freedoms. One has changed from supporting those freedoms to supporting one who opposes God and wishes to do things that will hurt my family (Mom first) and my freedoms. One is naively willing to follow the party line to do the same. Others have steadfastly & unapologetically supported what is right and good about our country and our freedoms.

I then went and visited Mom. She wanted to go out so I helped her with her coat and we went out and walked about a bit. It is good exercise for her. She said she was cold and it was chilly so we went back inside and watched the staff erecting the Christmas tree. I thought that it might be a bit early for me to put up a tree but for those whose life was coming to a close it might never be too early to remember and celebrate in any small way the birth of Christ. Several of the ladies came to sit near us and watch with us. I think they were eager for a new face and someone with whom to talk. I wondered if their children came to talk to them.

One of the residents is Cecil. I've been told that Cecil was a mail carrier. He now has some form of dementia. All the time we sat there Cecil was standing by the window peering out. Even walking over and saying good morning didn't phase him. He was clearly fascinated.

Cecil is a "runner". It isn't safe to let him go outside unobserved. In the past I've set outside with my mom, Cecil and a couple of other residents for a couple of hours. This gives the staff time to catch up on other things. Cecil clearly enjoys being outside.

After about 2 hours of sitting and talking and watching the tree and Cecil I had to leave. Like Cecil I was feeling a need to get outside. I went home and had some lunch and then picked up my Remington 12CS and went to Mom's house to check on things and maybe do some "hunting". When I got there I took the rifle and went walking. Only one squirrel came within range and offered an unobstructed shot which I missed, the bullet striking just above his head. I need to practice more with this rifle but it didn't really matter.

I followed a cow path left by Mom's neighbor's wandering cows through her "pine" plantation (now more of a poplar plantation) down to the fence line on her pasture. I found several tree tops had been blown onto the fence and I cleared the fence as well I could. Then I wandered back to the house.

There is a small bank just down from the house. Grassy, it is the perfect angle on which to recline. The sun was shining, there was a breeze, the oak leaves were rustling and I had my rifle across my lap. There was no sound of man except one intermittent and distant chainsaw which only occasionally interrupted my thoughts. It was wonderful.

This time of year is what I used to count the days to see. It was the time to go hunting. A time when no matter who was controlling my life I could justify time outdoors and alone. I wondered if the person who had bought my rifle in 1914 had felt the same way. I wondered if he was with us enjoying this marvelous creation. I remembered all the people with whom I'd shared such things in the past. My dad, brother, grandfathers, Mike, my children, the dogs Belle and Pi and my father-in-law. It seems almost too much to enjoy by oneself.