Happy Hunting!

The day dawned with me walking down a trail into the woods in Perry County PA. It was a beautiful crisp, 15 degrees outside (Fahrenheit). Snow still clung to the hillsides, though in some places, the leaves showed through. My best friend/pastor had driven me up to his father's cabin and the three of us drove over to Tuscarora State Forest.


As I started walking down the path into the valley to take up my position against a tree, I realized I had forgotten my albuterol inhaler at home. If any of my readers are asthmatic, you will know and understand that this revelation almost always means certain doom, and like a self fulfilling prophecy, I had a whopper of an asthma attack. I began to pray for a miracle since my hunting partners were not answering their radios and I did not have the keys to the truck, nor was my home in easy driving distance. Just as I finally contacted one of my hunting partners on the radio, another pair of hunters rolled up in a big Chevy pickup, and asked if I was ok and if there was anything they could do to help. I replied that there was little they could do unless they happened to have an albuterol inhaler on them. They at first thought that they did not, but the driver of the truck had a realization and reached into the back for a bag. He produced an inhaler from the bag that had just enough albuterol in it to relieve my symptoms. I thanked them kindly and they rolled on up the hill.

You may say it was a coincidence, but I do not believe in such. It was nice to have my own little birthday miracle.


I was able to stay in the woods for several more hours, and I was glad of it. I didn't see any deer, but the experience of hunting, for me, is less about the taking of game, and more about experiencing the wonders of creation. I found a nice little creek which I plan to return to in the spring when trout season opens.


After returning home from the woods, I found an interesting ornament had been added to our tree. My wife and son then gave me my birthday presents.


Due to our current financial situation, the gifts weren't expensive, but I did get something I have wanted for quite some time; an am/fm radio that fits in my pocket. It's an authentic Sony Walkman so the sound output and quality are fantastic. I put my Nintendo DS speakers in my helmet, and went for a little birthday scoot. It was so nice to be able to listen to my favorite radio stations, though I noticed that the engine makes AM stations crackle a bit. The signal was clear, until I started the scoot, then suddenly the interference started. It's livable, and I am just glad that I can stay connected as I listen to talk radio or music or NPR, whichever I feel like at the time. The great thing is, I can still hear the ambient sounds, so I do not feel unsafe.

So, being 35 isn't starting out too badly aside from the one hiccup. I even got to share my birthday cake with the men at the group home, for which they were overjoyed.