400 Posts and a Dead Deer

This blog will soon mark its third anniversary and between the two blogs I maintain (one for the Irish and one for the Italians), I have now reached 400 total posts!  I think that's a great accomplishment.  I hope to be able to maintain the pace of posting weekly.  And with stories such as these, it will be a piece of cake:

I have a little hunting story to tell (sort of).  As you may or may not know, I came home one day last week to have Jim point out that we were the proud caretakers of the dead deer in the backyard.  Indeed, he pointed out a large looking; dead looking; deer looking animal lying at the edge of the property pretty much where the tire swing used to be (Kathleen remember?)

Now, I know you all have met us and already are aware that this area of expertise is not in our frame of reference.  Jim had called the DEC (no answer); the town (no help) and the county--who told him that they would pick up dead deer at the side of the road but not on personal property. After conferring with his hunting and outdoor experts Ron and Glenn, it was decided that the best thing would be for Jim to drag the deer down to the roadside for the county to take care of.  

By now it is beginning to get dark and Jim is trying to figure out the details of how this might go.  He had the chain and the garden tractor and figured he was set.  He wanted to use the Lincoln to illuminate the area, but fortunately for me Glenn arrived just about that time.  I was worried that the weight of the deer sliding down the hill behind the tractor could out-race the tractor and drag Jim down the hill instead of the other way around.

I was giggling to myself at the silliness of this all and really wishing it wasn't so dark so that I could document this event for future generations.  Ryan called and I was explaining what his dad was doing while trying to peer outside and get a better view.  As is typical, it seemed Ryan was only about half paying attention to what I was saying (in this case that was fair because I was only paying half attention to him) and I could tell that he was texting while on the phone with me.  He was asking random questions peppered throughout the conversation about the size of the deer, did it have antlers, how many points etc.  He noted a friend nearby who might be interested in the deer.  OK OK I was thinking as I wasn't really giving it my full attention.

Glenn and Jim decided to drag the deer down themselves by its heels to the roadside.  Just in time to meet the truck that Ryan's friend drove over to pick up the deer.  The friend conducted a little CSI style investigation and determined it had been shot and that  he could use the deer for whatever and happily loaded it up and carted it away.  All before the 6 o'clock news on a random Monday night in November.  Only in today's connected world can a phone call from Cortland result in driveway to driveway carcass removal services before it even had a chance to settle itself again!  

What an interesting experience!  Jim counts this as his first "kill" and the neighbors have some extra venison in the freezer--thanks to texting.  And no one got hurt (well, except the deer who was apparently shot illegally).  So, as they say.....here's your sign!  You might be a redneck if.........you find a dead deer in the yard and drag it to curbside like a to-go window at McDonalds. Here's to 400 more!