Really - I ain't kiddin'. This is what T and Q concocted off the cuff the other day, inspired by the season (which was still to arrive, as you can see by the distinctly non-rotten pumpkins that still adorn the floor). Q began playing the tune you hear, something of his own invention, and T grabbed the prop you'll see and away she went. They had gone through one iteration of it before Janneke alerted me to things and I scrambled to the front room with the camera.
In other news, tonight's supper was a particularly delicious and narratively interesting one, for the main dish consisted of two pheasants, prepared by Janneke and shot by me. (In reverse order.) Matt B, father of Alex, Q's best friend, had invited me to go out pheasant hunting, and he and his father and his father's dog and I drove to Hatfield, MA on Saturday morning to do just that. And I have to say, it is a way of hunting that I could definitely get used to.
Things to love about it: The dog is a thing of utter beauty. So well trained, so obedient, so dedicated and energetic, literally trembling with anticipation - but never, ever barking. If ever she got so far out ahead of us that she might spook a bird that would be too distant to shoot, Matt's dad would say, in a hardly-even-raised voice, "Gretchen, you're too far." And she would stop and wait. To watch her "get birdy", as Matt put it, and to stalk in after her and suddenly hear and feel the bird go up and draw on it and fire - What a thrill. The first bird we ("we" - Gretchen, I should say) found was a rooster, and the boys sent me in after it, as I was the guest. All day long they worked like crazy to get me as much shooting as they could, since this was my first time. And I actually saw it on the ground before it took off. Once it did fly, my first shot went wild, but the second, I feel confident, was pretty accurate. Of course, so were Matt's and his Dad's, so there's no telling who got it. But that was the first.
We kicked up another one in that field, but were unable to down it - I hadn't even gotten a look at it. And then were on to another, where Gretchen found and Matt jumped a hen out of the hedgerow between picked-over potato fields. (Hatfield has got to have the absolute best agricultural land on God's green earth. No stones, flat as a pancake, well-drained, and black as tar. Gorgeous. I think I grew an inch just from walking on it.) It was a hen, and it rose up and fluttered straight for me. Boom, and down it went, which brought cheers form both my partners. I have to say, I felt like I was ten years old, grinning ear to ear. I could definitely get used to that.
Things not to like: The birds are all raised and seeded to be shot, either by the state or by the town. Doesn't quite feel totally fair - but then again, without Gretchen, and without the hours of training (she goes out every, single, day to practice), we'd never have known they were there. So it's not as if there's no skill involved. And you do have to shoot a bird as it quickly flies away from you. That ain't easy.
So that was Saturday - I came home not only with both the day's birds, plucked and ready to cook, but with a recipe book. And today, Janneke prepared them. They were delicious.
And it's Janneke's birthday! We went out to the Blue Benn in Bennington to celebrate - it's one of those pre-fab diners from the 50's that you could get by mail and set up as an instant business. There's another one still standing in Adams, and this one in Bennington. Big fun, followed by a jaunt over to the big municipal park in Bennington with the gimungous wooden castles for the kids to climb in. Janneke and I groused loudly to a man who didn't pick up after his dog. His cleverest retort: "Shut up!"
We had a lot of interesting talk with the kids about the whole incident afterward...Home to leaf-raking, birdfeeder-filling, laundry-doing, kid-tickling and other domestic tasks. I even managed to follow the Packers online as they failed to win the game with a 52-yard field goal and lost their third or fourth by three points or less. It's starting to get to me- I'll have to swear off them. I mean, I didn't even see the game, and I'm spittin' mad about it.
Professional development day tomorrow, followed by a day off Tuesday. Updates as time allows!
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2 comments:
Packers and Chiefs killed The Champ this week. And both did it in the last seconds. The Chiefs . . . this is what their season was supposed to be like: talented but just not there. But, man, it's difficult to stomach. Last week tie the game, lose the coin toss, never see the ball. This week, go for two instead of going into overtime, and miss it. . .
You know, I don't trust Herman Edwards. He just doesn't seem smart enough to me - I've seen some footage of him addressing the team, and he doesn't seem like a thinker. Granted, this sport isn't rocket science, but I'd like to have someone in there who can think...Packers-wise, I can't figure it out. Lots of teams go 8-8 one year and then 13-3 the next; it would be interesting to see if many of those 8-8 teams lost a bunch by 2 or 3. Meaning that there is a lot of luck involved, and sometimes the worm just turns.
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