A Greatly Anticipated New Year

What a year we have had. 2020 has been nothing if not a test of our resilience to new tribulations. We can all sit back together and agree that most of us have never experienced a year quite like it. 

Of course, I could begin listing reasons why we want to run from 2020 and not look back, yet there are moments that I am extremely grateful for which are far more deserving of reminiscing. 

This guy is one example...

At the moment in time that I had taken this photo I bragged about being the happiest person on the planet. Nature had blessed me with nourishment. Wonderful and tasty nourishment. The last time this occurred was in November of 2016. Of all the deer to break my three-year drought, I won the lottery with this dandy buck. 

To most hunters, filling a tag is an annual normalcy. For me, it has been a dream since I began hunting in 2016 when I bagged my first, and up until this year my only, white tail deer. Bringing home 69 pounds of venison from an eight-point buck far surpassed said dream. This alone, made 2020 worth every gut wrenching moment. 

A successful hunt means less space in the freezer, and endless culinary opportunity. As I butchered my buck, I mentally planned meal after meal. Gumbo, roasts, smoked meats, jerky, ribs...back strap cooked to a perfect med-rare just as a chef would with a filet mignon. Nothing makes my mouth water more than my imagination, and my imagination was running as wild as my appetite while gawking over my handiwork:

Only the spine and some tallow was left in the discard pile. Nature's children took care of those for me.  

My family has also been graced with a new addition, someone I know is going to love spending winter on Sebago Lake to keep us company while hard-water fishing. 

This is my daughter holding our new Alaskan Malamute; Kenai. Our homestead appears to always have room for one more...so long as we make room. Kenai has proven to be a well-worth-it pain in the...but we love her. 

I am not going to spend long on today's post. I wanted to dive into the thoughts of goal setting and resolutions, reflections and memories, but in all honesty, it has been a tiring couple of days. With a brand new year welcoming us, I think we better start enjoying it immediately. 

From me to all of you; I wish you the very happiest of a New Year. Let us all get some rest so that we may continue living the lives we so desire. 

WOOT WOOT for 2021! Let us meet it with passion for success and the energy to pursue it!