I still don't have a truck so you have to do what you have to do. I am so country/redneck.

Snow = Ski season

I have respect for the snow, I like it and hate it. This morning we woke up to about 2" of snow. I am really looking forward to the ski season. I really cannot think of anything that compares with skiing. It is the closest thing to flying in a controlled manner or better yet there is nothing like it because of how close you are to the ground and how much you rely on yourself. I went down an escalator the other day and I rounded the corner and started going down it... I had flashbacks to skiing, it was amazing, for a split second I felt the same way I do when I drop in a bowl at the top of the mountains. Skiing is a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

I really believe that skiing is a great Country Boy activity. Think about it, in skiing you are out there relying on yourself. As a country boy you rely on yourself all the time. In skiing you have to improvise and make things work, same as a country boy, think about fixing a fence or your truck. When skiing you have to have a good sense of direction, especially when in the back country... is that much different than being in the country on a hunt? Then the physical side of it, you summon energy you didn't know you had while skiing, you have to make it down the hill, you want to take one more run. In the country, you have to get the hay hauled, chores done, go to work... and when you're done with both of them you walk away with a high from accomplishment. That's the real reward.

The Bird Hunt

Upland game hunting has to be one of my all time favorite things to do. It is so unique and offers a ton of excitement. I went pheasant hunting on Friday with my brother and a family friend. We had a miserable morning but finished off our day by filling our 10 birds. The part of the hunt that is so much fun is the fact that you get to shoot a ton and every time a bird comes up you get that rush. Don't get me wrong, big game hunting is a blast but it is a different game. There is the hike, the find, the stalk, the shot, usually only one shot and you have to make it count. It is a bigger adrenaline rush but over the course of 10-15 birds coming up, upland game hunting probably wins out.

We started out in the morning with a terrible day. We were in an area that was very swampy and when the one of the dog's collars was turned off he flushed 7/10 birds were supposed to shoot. It was such a long walk from one end to the other and took us forever to get through the swamp that by the time we got to the other side to hunt the birds that had flown away we were pooped and the birds had ran. We went to the lodge and had a nice lunch and rested up for a bit. A couple of family friends showed up with their dogs and all of the sudden we had 5 dogs hunting in a new area. It was a blast and there was lead in the air. At the end of the day we shot 12, found 10 and just had a blast. It truly was a Country Boy day.

Country boy attire part 1: Jeans

I like any good country boy enjoy a good pair of jeans. I have worn many different brands of jeans and I finally have come to some conclusions about what types of jeans and what attributes of jeans I like the best.

The first thing that I like in my jeans in flexibility. I honestly can say that I've done almost everything in my jeans. I've played basketball, hauled hay, gone to a play, and run around with my dog (and pretty much everything else in between). I like a jean that has the flexibilty or room to allow for you to move your leg up to the 90 degree angle... think Captain Morgan. I also like a jean that allows you sit down without your crack hanging out. It's tough to find a jean that allows that that isn't absolutely huge!

Second I like dark jeans... light colored jeans just don't do it for me. They show every speck of dirt, they cannot be used to dress up a situation and they just look ratty (I do have a pair of work jeans that are light, so I'd be a hippocrite if I didn't say that they server a purpose)

Third, belt loops. I know I know, it sounds weird but not enough and you end up with the belt around your love handles and the belt is bent in weird positions. The other part of it is you do get a better fit and the jeans stay up better. (It's physics)

Fourth, Straight leg is about as big as you need to go. There are boot cut, flair, wide leg etc... but straight leg really is about as big as you need to go. You don't want your jeans to completely cover your boots. You look weird and honestly, your pants get filthy. Too tight... well, that's another story, I don't like 'em, I value my posteriety but I know there are plenty of cowboys who do. I just don't like the whole JNCO look of the late 90's especially with boots.

Fifth, the crotch cannot be too low! This ties into the flexibility thing. I've literally had chafe because my crotch was too low in a pair of jeans and it rubbed my thighs weird... talk about a dark day in my jean wearing career. The higher the crotch the better. It's easier for movement and it looks a ton better.

Brands... without wasting too much time. The expensive jeans really do offer a great fit. I've only tried them on because they cost too much for me. Levi's non signature jeans have treated me well. 501's are a classic. Wranglers have been good to me too. Recently they have had some more stylish jeans without sacrificing the durability. I have a pair of Guess Jeans (that's right, that's the name and they are still around) that have a good fit. They lack in the boot cut and belt loop area but they do fit really well. There are others... Dickies, Rustler, Lee's. Probably are just fine. I am more focused on the aspects of the jeans that I mentioned before. Look for those and it really doesn't matter which brand you choose.

Dodge Ram 2500 Big Horn Edition

I never thought I'd be such a Dodge fan. I've always said that I'm a GM man through and through but these past two weeks I've had my dad's Dodge truck and I am very impressed. It has the 5.7 litre Hemi which produces more than enough power to tow anything I need. I've towed camp trailers and boats and it tugs them around without a problem. If I were hauling someithing everyday I'd go with the Cummins diesel, but for starting it up and driving it without any warming up it's the perfect truck. I don't really need a 3/4 ton truck. I don't even own a trailer to tow but if I were to get one I would definitely consider the Dodge. My dad's truck is an '07.

The Hemi has 383 horse power and 400 lb/sq ft. of torque. They call it a legendary engine, and it's easy to see why. The Chevy Silverado boasts 397 horse power but the cost difference is incredible... it literally costs $7-10K more for the Chevy. Ford comes in with a beefy 6.2 litre putting out 385 horse power. All are within spitting distance from each other so it comes down to looks, ride, towing capacity and price. Dodge comes in a lot cheaper and the look is very distinctive. I have been very pleased so far and plan on testing it more.

Why not a Dodge?

Fall mornings

This morning my wife and I got up and took in the beauty of fall, it was gorgeous. We were the only ones on the trail. There is something about getting up to a crisp morning that makes me want to get things done. The cool weather alone makes me want to be outside working. I the best thing about the fall weather is the beauty. I love it when the leaves change and there is a clean feeling in the air. I have to admit it's a great time of the year for sports too, there is October baseball, the World Series is right around the corner, football season is in full effect and basketball is getting ready to go. And for all you norther country boys... hockey is getting ready to drop the puck too.

There is a feeling of moving on with fall, it's a new time of year and a new season. I look forward to enjoying the duck hunt, pheasant hunt and outdoors as much as possible in the cool weather. Here is to fall mornings and enjoying them the country boy way.

Moving, the love hate.

So my wife and I recently moved. We didn't make it to the country but we are slowly creeping back there. One days soon I hope. Anyway, one thing I really love is a change of scenery. I love moving to a new place and taking it in. It's a blast to see and feel new things. I like checking out the local places to eat and it's fun to see how each neighborhood has a different feel to it. But with that being said, there is a dark side to that. Visiting and living and two completely different things. Moving takes so much work you wonder why you even move! We moved over the course of a week. We took our time but it's dragging out even more. I think for me it's all about junk. I hate moving junk. We collect junk along the way but when it comes time to move it it just seems easier to just throw it away. I seriously look at everything I have and all of the crap I've accumulated over the years and it's unbelievable. I'm whittling away at it slowly and have a ways to go still.

I say this because it is a love hate thing. I love moving, seeing the new places and doing the new things, I hate the work that's involved with it. As a country boy I'm used to just making due with what I have. We don't generally have a lot of stuff and a transient lifestyle would be easy. We do tend to settle down in small towns or places we want to call home. How much easier is life when you have a few things that actually mean something to you than a whole bunch of junk? I've learned alot about myself through this move and how I want to be. I want to get rid of the garbage. I want to be able to load up my truck with my few precious items, things that have real importance to me and be able to take off.

Some people say if you have the space fill it. I say if you have the space enjoy it. The less you fill it the happier you will be. You won't spend as much money and you'll have less options which equals less decisions which equals happiness. I'm telling you, moving can tell you alot about yourself. Learn who you are and peel away the crap in your life.

Country nutrition

I got into a discussion with my mother in law the other day about nutrition. First of all I am a firm believer that if you take care of your body it will take care of you. I believe in exercise, good food, and good rest. Every good country boy knows this especially when daily life calls for your best. The question is what's good nutrition? My mother in law has been on this kick of drinking green shakes. She blends kale with fruits and other ingredients... she's kind of a hippie in a way. We got into the organic discussion and she said that she didn't want to take anything into her body that wasn't natural. The pesticides and fertilizers naturally came up a and I made an argument that there is no scientific evidence that the supplements do anything harmful to the plants and crops... she was adamant that I was wrong. I told her it comes down to surviving. She would do the same thing to get a higher yield for her crop if she were the one growing it.

Regardless of that I took a look at my life and what I eat. I think the biggest point that we all need to consider is moderation. You can eat basically whatever you want, just know that the little morsel of chocolate has as many calories as two apples. It comes down to what you are willing to trade. I know that when I'm working hard I need food that has more calories. I really do need the energy. Most country boys burn a lot of calories. This is not an excuse to overeat, but being country boys, we do enjoy some good food. A nice biscuit, some tasty bbq, there is a place for it all. That's the beauty of being a country boy, we have a pallet for good food, we know how to eat it and we also know how to burn it off.

So here's to country boy nutrition. It's important to treat our bodies well, but sometimes it's nice to just let go and get some good viddles!

Fall days = College football

I absolutely love college football, I love the pagentry, the emotions, the plays, and the hype for the year. It happens every time, we come into the season thinking our team has a chance, we really think that. One loss into the season we are salvaging the season by rationalizing that next year will be great because we have so many returning starters and young players. The next week starts the battle all over again, depending on a win or a loss we start talking how this will impact the next season and what it all means.

It's kind of ironic that we always are looking forward to that next season thinking about what may be. In a world that is so big on perfection and getting everything right it's hard not to. There are very few teams and fans that can live in the now. Alabama was and is a now team. Ohio State (for as much as I think they are overrated) is a now team. Boise State, this is it, it's now or never. And maybe Oregon and TCU. The rest of the other 119 Divsion 1-A football teams are all thinking about next year... and what it could be.

You know what though, we love it and we come back for more... just like Kenny Chesney says in his new album Hemingway's Whiskey:


In little towns like mine that's all they got/
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops/
The old men will always think they know it all/
Young girls will dream about the boys of fall/

Sometimes it's good to just live in the now and enjoy what it's all about.

In sickness and in health

My dad always said to us growing up that getting sick was a sign of weakness. I still don't know how to take that, on one hand I know you have to power through some things, you know rally a bit. On the other hand there are times when enough is enough. I recently come down with some kind of nastified bug that is really giving me a hard time. I don't know what to make of it. Which leads me to my point, when do you throw in the towel and when do you power through? From personal experience I know in the past that I've always taken the latter approach, really just saying that nothing can touch me and I'll be fine. I drink a lot of water and try to sleep it off while continuing with my normal activities. I would go to the gym, go to work etc... Now that I'm a bit older I see the wisdom in not doing too much. I think the hardest part of it all is wanting to do things but physically not being able to do them. I want to be outside, climbing hills, looking for game, working on the yard. I can't do it, I'm just too sick.

Here is my rule that I follow now. If I'm not feeling well, I sit down and really listen to my body. If I think it's not too serious or I'm just tired I give it a day and try to sleep it off. If it continues I really slow it down, drink a ton of fluids and try to rest as much as possible. The thought on this is that you'll get back to doing the things you love quicker if you take the time to recover. There is no sense in dragging it out and never really being healthy. I didn't take my own advice and came down with what I have now. If I wouldn't have pushed it and really tried to get better I would be in a better place right now.

Country Boys are as tough as nails but sometimes we need to take a step back and not worry about what people think and listen to a smarter source than ourselves (in my case, it's my wife).