A few days ago I acquired a snowplow blade for my truck, which according to my teammates is an unmistakeable sign that I have become a true Redneck. My reply was that I already WAS a redneck, and the addition of the snowplow is just one more part of me living the dream. Mountain Man or Redneck... hmmm, I guess I'll take either designation. Personally, I just chalk it up to "Redneck Envy". One guy even told me that he was genuinely jealous when he saw me plowing the church parking lot after our first winter storm on Saturday: "You're living out what has been one of my life-long dreams". Ha - just as I suspected. I promised to let him get behind the wheel after the next big snow... for a nominal fee. At our men's group last Saturday morning I heard about a place where you drive heavy machinery (bulldozers, dump trucks etc) around a big field, dig holes, move mounds of dirt, and basically just have a blast - for a price. But I totally get it. We men could probably reduce the stress that's slowly killing us with one monthly dose of testosterone-induced activity like sky-diving, bungee-jumping, or destroying old cars by crushing them in a WWII tank. So in reality, I'm extending my life expectancy by driving a snow plow.
The story of how I came by this new equipment is worth telling; My friend Scott has been in the snow-removal business for the last 30 years. At one time he was running four or five snowplows and a crew of eight guys, but for several reasons the business began to decline about three years ago. He decided to get rid of one of his plows, and since we both drive Dodge trucks he offered to donate his plow to me on two conditions: that I would take over his job of clearing the church parking lot and the ranch driveway, and that I would be available as a back-up for his two-man crew in the event of a major storm. He would donate the plow, but I would need to pay $300-400 to install the mounting bracket on the front of my truck. Around this same time I was praying about the idea of donating my ATV to the church, in hopes that we could find a buyer to help offset some critical short-term ministry expenses. My biggest concern about getting rid of the quad was how I would plow our 200 yd driveway this winter, but I went ahead and made the decision to donate it by faith. I was literally on my way to deliver the bike to the church when Scott called with some good news and some bad news. The bad news was that he'd totalled his truck the previous night when he T-boned a woman who ran a red light. The good news was that the insurance company would pay him for the snow-plow bracket that was destroyed in the accident, and he in turn would use that money to buy a new bracket for my truck. What an amazing "coincidence". I took this as a confirmation that I should accept his offer of the snow plow... and the same night that I hooked it up to the truck we had our first winter storm. I never cease to be amazed by God's perfect timing.
Bearly Burger
We had our first bear meat for dinner last night in the form of bear chili. It was very good, and we couldn't discern any difference in taste from beef chili. The meat was so lean that I had to add oil to the mix when I was browning it. I'd heard that bear meat is very fatty, but I tried to keep only the leanest cuts of meat when I was grinding it up.
Our girls had to get over the idea that they were eating bear meat before they could enjoy the chili. Funny how we have no aversion to eating beef simply because we grew up with that taste. I honestly believe that people who won't eat wild game are more put off by the thought than by the taste, but to each his own. If cattle roamed wild and had to be shot by hunters we would probably all be vegetarians.
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