Happy New Yeo!

Leah is wishing everyone in sight a "Happy New Yeo!" From her family, to the checker at the grocery store to Beans and Baby Jesus. We are having a wonderful year so far. Lots to do though... including get caught up on a few blog posts I've been meaning to write.
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Let's kick it off with a bang... from a deer rifle.
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I love that Kevin is a hunter. I think camouflage is cool, it makes me feel safe that He is really good with big guns, and Leah and I get to have lots of fun girls weekends together but we are so happy when daddy returns. He also saves me money on toys for Leah (a few weekends back he brought home a fresh fox tail for her... yay) and He brings home "free" meat for me to fill up my freezer. (Free... or for the mere price of one deer lease for a year, ammo, gas money, food and beverages while he is there etc... Still, when I need to rustle up some grub, I don't have to run to the store and buy any meat!)
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I love seeing pictures of all the animals he sees... especially when he doesn't kill them. Because however much I enjoy eating animals, I do not enjoy the thought of their death. Early on in this season he sent me this picture... taken with his phone, through the scope on his gun. HOW COOL?!? I think his exact words were "It needs another year or so." Although if a less scrupulous hunter gets his sights on it it may not be there for the taking.
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This is the cull buck he ended up with this year. I think it is a cull because it has an uneven number (9) of tines or tips or points or something? Is that even right? I'll double check.... Don't mind the tongue hanging out of the poor animal's mouth... Why can't they put that back in at least for the picture?
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The head of this animal is currently in our big freezer. Kevin is going to attempt a homemade European mount of this deer. This is where only the skull and antlers remain. There are a couple of ways of doing this that I know of. One is to boil it so all the flesh comes off and I think there is some acid involved in the process as well. The other way involves flesh eating beetles, which would be pretty awesome to see except that apparently they cost a couple hundred dollars and then you have to feed them constantly... flesh! So, since I don't want to host or feed flesh eating beetles in my home for a prolonged period of time, we'll probably choose door #1... boil the poor thing. I won't be as sad once it no longer has a face.
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The Concho County bucks that made it through this season are safe until next fall... however the lady deer... well they still have a few weeks to try and dodge the bullet.
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Happy 2011!!!