Fitty's Angling Ramble 7.0

[HairyScandinavian]

some of you backwoods people might get a kick out of this pic

LOL now that's cute! ^^

[Nainoa]

Give her chocolate and all will be better.

Can't with the Gestational Diabetes, like 4 pieces of chocolate is basically all the carbs she can have in a 6 hour period.

There in lies the problem... I now live with a pregnant woman who's in the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy who's been put on a strict diet, right at the time when her body is telling her to gorge.

Last night though I kind of figured out a pattern... It's when her blood sugar is low that she's straight up molten evil. Like literally while she was plating herself up last night I stood there in silence, patiently waiting out of her way with a pleasant smile on my face, During her grumbly rant I counted 11 things that she told me were wrong with me, based on what I just said.

All I said was "Honey, supper is ready, do you just want to plate up your portions, I don't want to get it wrong."

This is after I cooked a meal of roast chicken, her favorite rice and steamed carrots.

Once she was fed and her blood sugars came back up after the meal... My wife returned for like and hour... Maybe two... Then the evil voices in her head took over again.


So far, using her glucometer she says that her GD is controllable with diet... But it's got to be closer than she's letting on because I can straight up notice by the swings in attitude where she is.


Blessing in disguise though... You'd be amazed how much I got done last night while organizing boxes in the basement!

[Nainoa]

Okay... Maybe I've spent too much time in the woods...

Went for a walk to snap some picks of the snow heavy forest on my lunch. Smelled what I thought was doe urine on the wind. Followed the smell and came to where they were bedded down.

Or is this natural and everyone can follow the smell of a deer urine on the wind?

44?

[HairyScandinavian]

Okay... Maybe I've spent too much time in the woods...

Went for a walk to snap some picks of the snow heavy forest on my lunch. Smelled what I thought was doe urine on the wind. Followed the smell and came to where they were bedded down.

Or is this natural and everyone can follow the smell of a deer urine on the wind?

44?

I stalked a buck on public land via smell last year (or the year before?) but it wasn't urine it was the hocks. Walking along the edge of a large canyon the wind brought me a faint smell of the buck hocks, so I stalked up wind slowly for over an hour. Finally on a trail with some thick brush it was so strong I couldn't go anymore so just sat down and waited. After half an hour or so I finally got bored and decided to move just a scoot further forward. I swear I was silent, but that buck must have been aware of my presence already and I watched him leap OVER the trail I was sitting on no more than 10 yards away. I didn't kill anything that trip, but that was a great hunt.

[44hunter]

Okay... Maybe I've spent too much time in the woods...

Went for a walk to snap some picks of the snow heavy forest on my lunch. Smelled what I thought was doe urine on the wind. Followed the smell and came to where they were bedded down.

Or is this natural and everyone can follow the smell of a deer urine on the wind?

44?

I can usually smell a scrape before I see it if its fresh enough, same with a bedding area.

I think its the tarsal glands on a buck that you can really smell. Especially during the rut.

[Nainoa]

I can usually smell a scrape before I see it if its fresh enough, same with a bedding area.

I think its the tarsal glands on a buck that you can really smell. Especially during the rut.

Good point...

I did find a rather fresh rub near by (Bark was even sitting on top of the snow on the ground) and it looked like Sausages (The Giant Buck) and a small doe.

It was sort of the Deer equivalent of Ron Jeremy Dating a girl from the US Olympic Gymnastics team!

[Hartski]

Well, I've kicked my E-Cig crutch to the curb, and I think I'm done with the patch. I'm just sick of worrying about it. I'm ready to be done with the entire thing.

[HairyScandinavian]

Well, I've kicked my E-Cig crutch to the curb, and I think I'm done with the patch. I'm just sick of worrying about it. I'm ready to be done with the entire thing.

Good, sounds like you're done for good then. I've always said all it takes is an honest decision to quit. So many people "try to quit" instead of just quitting, it's not really a failure because they never really decided in the first place. Once you decide, that's it you're done. I've seen it many times. For me it was when my son ate a cigarette butt LOL. I decided and magically it wasn't that hard.

[Nainoa]

Well, I've kicked my E-Cig crutch to the curb, and I think I'm done with the patch. I'm just sick of worrying about it. I'm ready to be done with the entire thing.

When I went from the Patch to Solo that was pretty much my mentality.

I still had cravings and trigger events, particularly when I was stressed (That was also the same time when working as a Corporate Drone starting going sour) And that lasted on and off for two years.

Now I don't feel the old nico-demon at all and haven't for quite some time.

Hell I can even enjoy a nice cigar every blue moon or two now.

[Nainoa]

Good, sounds like you're done for good then. I've always said all it takes is an honest decision to quit. So many people "try to quit" instead of just quitting, it's not really a failure because they never really decided in the first place. Once you decide, that's it you're done. I've seen it many times. For me it was when my son ate a cigarette butt LOL. I decided and magically it wasn't that hard.

The big thing after that point is to stay away from the excuses to give yourself permission to just sneak and have one here and there.

When I quit I wanted to quit on my own and a bunch of douchey friends of mine joined me and made my quit even tougher.

They've all gone back to smoking since, and each time it started with them at a party or out camping and they'd want to borrow a smoke from someone when they were drunk.. Which became two... Which became three... Which became 9... Then the next day they'd go back to quitting for like a day... And the day after that they'd be at a store buying a pack.

Over and over I watched them repeat that cycle.

And I'd see them ask to borrow that first smoke, try to tell them to stay strong... And you could just watch the addiction making the choice for them.

And then they'd have to go through it all over again. Then quit all over again... Experience the maximum suck-itude all friggin' over again.


I'm glad I had to go through it ONCE and never again.


Even with the Cigars I smoke now on special occasions, I didn't even touch one for two years, just to make sure it was out of my system.

[HairyScandinavian]

^They hadn't actually decided to quit, just jumped on your bandwagon.

[Nainoa]

^They hadn't actually decided to quit, just jumped on your bandwagon.

Very true... And I wish they wouldn't have.

I think a certain aspect of it was that I had mentally prepared myself for it for a couple of weeks

I quit on my 29th birthday and we were out camping the weekend before when I said "Hey I love you guys and all, but I'm going to quit on my Birthday and I'm probably just not going to be around for a month or two, just to be away from smoking all together and do my own thing."

I'd been building up to it, telling myself in my head that it was the right thing to do.

And I sort of had this vision of 2 months laying low, working on some painting and writing and taking long walks... Just general "Me" time.

Then I got sick because I was bunking with a guy who had the flu and basically coughed all over me every night for 5 days.

All of a sudden at my birthday dinner a few days later 5 people (Basically 5 Fenemies) told me they were quitting to.

So all of a sudden my peaceful and reflective "Me-Time" was invaded by a bunch of drunk posers talking about how they were quitting so much better than everyone else.


It got so bad, built to a head one night where I told two guys "If you don't shut your friggin' mouth, I'm going to DDT you INTO the bonfire!"

Then I got the "Me Time" I wanted.

And actually started dating my wife, a non smoker... Giving me some distance.


My relationship with those people since then has either stopped, or we have become more distant... All except one.

And that was the guy who went straight back to smoking like a week later and just manned up and said "Hey I'm not ready to quit yet."


Moral of the story... Always quit alone... That whole "Quit with someone else for support" garbage is total crap!

[Nainoa]

Whew...


Perfect day here today and after my awesome walk in the woods yesterday I decided to take the last half of my lunch break and put in my First Rocky IV training "Sled Drag" Put some logs in the gear sled and headed out on a trail pattern that according to the GPS ****meter was 1 full mile through the fields and woods...

I just jerry rigged an old pair of headphones to work in my phone. So I could listen to the Rocky soundtrack. The end of the route finishes at the bottom of the Sledding hill.

This was NOT a good idea... My intention to ATTACK the sledding hill turned into teh Sledding Hill Attacking me!

Got to the top... Figured... OK... Maybe's it's best to start the route on top of the sledding hill and drag down it.

WRONG

WRONG!

Had I not been listening to the music really loud, I probably would have heard the sound of the sled loaded with 80 pounds of wood gaining speed behind me... So it could wipe out into the back of my achilles and take me for a ride down the nice slick path I'd created for myself on my drag up the hill.

All told it was 3 loops and a great workout... But there were definitely moments of it that were less like Rocky IV and more like Chevy Chase's "Fall down go-boom" Christmas special!

[HairyScandinavian]

^^LOL you need to setup cameras so we can all share in your bafoonery.

Very true... And I wish they wouldn't have.

I think a certain aspect of it was that I had mentally prepared myself for it for a couple of weeks

I quit on my 29th birthday and we were out camping the weekend before when I said "Hey I love you guys and all, but I'm going to quit on my Birthday and I'm probably just not going to be around for a month or two, just to be away from smoking all together and do my own thing."

I'd been building up to it, telling myself in my head that it was the right thing to do.

And I sort of had this vision of 2 months laying low, working on some painting and writing and taking long walks... Just general "Me" time.

Then I got sick because I was bunking with a guy who had the flu and basically coughed all over me every night for 5 days.

All of a sudden at my birthday dinner a few days later 5 people (Basically 5 Fenemies) told me they were quitting to.

So all of a sudden my peaceful and reflective "Me-Time" was invaded by a bunch of drunk posers talking about how they were quitting so much better than everyone else.


It got so bad, built to a head one night where I told two guys "If you don't shut your friggin' mouth, I'm going to DDT you INTO the bonfire!"

Then I got the "Me Time" I wanted.

And actually started dating my wife, a non smoker... Giving me some distance.


My relationship with those people since then has either stopped, or we have become more distant... All except one.

And that was the guy who went straight back to smoking like a week later and just manned up and said "Hey I'm not ready to quit yet."


Moral of the story... Always quit alone... That whole "Quit with someone else for support" garbage is total crap!

Damn straight on that. You may get some support, but you also inherit their weakness as well and it's rare for two people to actually truly DECIDE to quit at the same time. Oh they may say they're gonna quit, or "yeah I'm gonna TRY to quit" but they haven't actually decided so they will falter and you will get dragged down with them.

[Nainoa]

^^LOL you need to setup cameras so we can all share in your bafoonery.

It's long been said by me and my closest friends that I should have my own reality show.

Damn straight on that. You may get some support, but you also inherit their weakness as well and it's rare for two people to actually truly DECIDE to quit at the same time. Oh they may say they're gonna quit, or "yeah I'm gonna TRY to quit" but they haven't actually decided so they will falter and you will get dragged down with them.

Yeah I learned that the hard way.

Like when we all first quit together, it was good... Probably for the first week it was good and we all would e-mail as a group with updates and stuff.

Once the first guy turned, you could tell the others were getting shakey.

Then the most toxic guy in the group decided he was too much of a man to need to use the patch and he took it off and within a day turned into a total ass-wipe talking about how his going cold turkey now made the rest of us look like pussies, and his girlfriend quickly followed suit.

Then we all went on a 4 day camping trip for Labor Day weekend and every single one of those bastards started sneaking smokes from this girl who joined us who had NO CLUE what was going on. She just thought they were all broke and short on smokes and money.

From there, it was all a parade of excuses about how you can smoke, but only when you're drinking, so they'd just drink 7 nights a week or how chewing tobacco isn't like smoking at all because the nicotine doesn't get in your lungs.


Until I started threatenging to beat the hell out of people until they left me alone (This is also at the same time where I got wasted, blacked out and had the threesome with 2 fat chicks) I was absolutely miserable.


To this day, I'm free and they're still wrestling with it.

hell the one girl even smoked when she was pregnant, and the first time I saw her light up she said "You told me to shut my mouth, so I'm just gonna tell you now to shut your mouth!"


I only see those guys like 3-4 times a year... And even that's too much!

Good Riddance!

[HairyScandinavian]

It's long been said by me and my closest friends that I should have my own reality show.

Kind of a Yankee version of Duck Dynasty maybe? LOL I'd watch it!

Yeah I learned that the hard way.

Like when we all first quit together, it was good... Probably for the first week it was good and we all would e-mail as a group with updates and stuff.

Once the first guy turned, you could tell the others were getting shakey.

Then the most toxic guy in the group decided he was too much of a man to need to use the patch and he took it off and within a day turned into a total ass-wipe talking about how his going cold turkey now made the rest of us look like pussies, and his girlfriend quickly followed suit.

Then we all went on a 4 day camping trip for Labor Day weekend and every single one of those bastards started sneaking smokes from this girl who joined us who had NO CLUE what was going on. She just thought they were all broke and short on smokes and money.

From there, it was all a parade of excuses about how you can smoke, but only when you're drinking, so they'd just drink 7 nights a week or how chewing tobacco isn't like smoking at all because the nicotine doesn't get in your lungs.


Until I started threatenging to beat the hell out of people until they left me alone (This is also at the same time where I got wasted, blacked out and had the threesome with 2 fat chicks) I was absolutely miserable.


To this day, I'm free and they're still wrestling with it.

hell the one girl even smoked when she was pregnant, and the first time I saw her light up she said "You told me to shut my mouth, so I'm just gonna tell you now to shut your mouth!"


I only see those guys like 3-4 times a year... And even that's too much!

Good Riddance!

That's reason enough to cut them off right there. I had a rule, I would allow *anyone* to bum ONE smoke. After they had that one if they asked for a 2nd they're getting a talking to and paying $.25, 3rd was $.50. Of course that was assuming I had enough, if I was anywhere near low they were just plain SOL.

[Nainoa]

Kind of a Yankee version of Duck Dynasty maybe? LOL I'd watch it!

Pretty low on a Cast of Characters... It's basically me, as Phil, Willie, Jase and Si... My Wife as Missy (Because our relationship is EXACTLY like Jase and Missy)

Now back in the old days, when I always had a crew of guys with me fishing/hunting/camping/hiking/ice fishing/extreme forest Bocce-ing and playing with fire... Now there we would have had a show!

But I also look at the word "Yankee" as being a "North of the Mason-Dixon and East of the Ohio River" Type of term.

Up here we're "Northerners"

Like when I travel and you get to what I call "The Old East" which pretty much starts loosely at Chicago there is a real culture change. There's so much urbana there, that it starts to incur convenience and it causes the toughness factor to go down in a person's life.

Not that Fitty will come on and challenge me about that!

That's reason enough to cut them off right there. I had a rule, I would allow *anyone* to bum ONE smoke. After they had that one if they asked for a 2nd they're getting a talking to and paying $.25, 3rd was $.50. Of course that was assuming I had enough, if I was anywhere near low they were just plain SOL.

We had one time on an ice fishing trip... A couple of the "Non-Quitters" came with me and a bunch of Non-smokers... Basically lived in a tiny shack of a cabin with a wood stove where we slept and cooked Breakfast and supper... Then otherwise we lived on the ice out of portables for 3 and a half days in pitch cold ass weather.

One of the Non-Quitters brought a pack of smokes with him because he wanted to "Smoke only when I drink"

And of course the others jumped on the band wagon. At first I really didn't care, I was over it by that point and I just hung out with the other side of the group.

Then the non-quitters ran out of smokes at sunset... -15 with windchill, 20 minute hike through deep snow to the trucks (20 minutes to town). Which were owned by me and my buddy Marlon... The only "Truck" amongst the non-quitters was a busted down old blazer that the moron parked nose first into a downhill snowbank and left the lights on, so the battery was dead.

They ran out of smokes... Within an hour they started turning on everyone else... Then started demanding one of us drive them to the store to get smokes.

We all laughed and told them to dig their blazer out, we'd been outside all friggin' day, I wasn't hiking and driving just so they could smoke.

They ended up trying to dig the blazer out. (I even refused to pull them out with a chain!) I straight up wasn't leaving the cabin until DAWN!

Once they got it dug down to the ground that's when they found out the lights killed the battery.

So then they thought they could jump it with like a 350 cc ATV that they wrangled through the narrow trails.

I stood out on the screen porch with the non-smokers listening to them scream and swear and wonder why the blazer wouldn't turn over for like 2 hours.

After that they basically ruined the rest of the trip... Like Actively resenting us for not going to the store to get them more smokes.

[HairyScandinavian]

No, Northerners doesn't work and I kinda agree with Yankee limits. Hey, we can call you guys Hosers right? I seem to recall that being a common term up there. As for the rest of the crew, you'd have to fly in 44 and myself. We can get Lawler to pay a quit visit before we kick him out.

LOL @ the smokers too man peeps are crazy. I never ran out because I'm prepared when I go on a trip or whatever, but I did have a couple occasions where a pack would mysteriously disappear or fly out of the boat, dropped in the water, whatever. I just said eff it and I'd go without. I smoked close to 2 packs a day for 5+ years, but I could go a day without it if I needed without much trouble. I can't believe they'd go through all that just for a puff. I do recall attempting to smoke a cheetoh at some point though, details are sketchy I don't remember much from that day LOL.

[Nainoa]

No, Northerners doesn't work and I kinda agree with Yankee limits. Hey, we can call you guys Hosers right? I seem to recall that being a common term up there. As for the rest of the crew, you'd have to fly in 44 and myself. We can get Lawler to pay a quit visit before we kick him out.

LOL @ the smokers too man peeps are crazy. I never ran out because I'm prepared when I go on a trip or whatever, but I did have a couple occasions where a pack would mysteriously disappear or fly out of the boat, dropped in the water, whatever. I just said eff it and I'd go without. I smoked close to 2 packs a day for 5+ years, but I could go a day without it if I needed without much trouble. I can't believe they'd go through all that just for a puff. I do recall attempting to smoke a cheetoh at some point though, details are sketchy I don't remember much from that day LOL.

I think a part of their efforts was also that as born and bred city kitties, they figured was easy to dig out and jump a truck.

They'd never dug a truck out in their lives, Hell I don't know that up to that point they'd ever parked a vehicle in a place that wasn't tarred and within cell phone range of AAA.

They still didn't learn after that not to park a truck nose down hill into the snow... That was the first of THREE times they've done that before they finally learned that it's called "4 wheel drive" not "4 wheel Brake" not "4 Wheel Invincible" not "4 Wheel be a dumbass."


When I go on a trip... Or I should say back in those days... When I went on a trip, I stepped out of the truck on the first day and I don't leave "Camp" until the last day. So I always come WAY over stocked on everything I think I'll need... Or I learn to live without.

It's only in the last couple of years that I've started making town runs, not for supplies but to check stuff out... Cool farmers markets or small town festivals/turtle races or whatever.

[44hunter]

Id totally be in on a Ramble reality show.

-----------------------------------------------

Wheres all the duck hunters at? Prop? Havent seen him post in a while.

[HairyScandinavian]

Yeah we are that way on the island, 7 molest across a rough choppy bay we ain't making runs back and forth. We pack it in or make due without. I've been known to purposely not pack meat so we have to catch fish or kill ducks to eat.

Same way this weekend deer hunting, where we will camp at is an official camp ground type place and 10 mins from town but no way am I running back and forth.

44, we blasted Redheads and Teal last weekend.

[Hartski]

The girlfriend got hit with whatever bug I'm getting over. No crap, it hit her hard within the span of an hour. No sleep for me for the next few nights......At least I have my CCW class tonight.

But she has her Practical exams for her EMT class tomorrow morning. This could be bad....

[Nainoa]

The girlfriend got hit with whatever bug I'm getting over. No crap, it hit her hard within the span of an hour. No sleep for me for the next few nights......At least I have my CCW class tonight.

But she has her Practical exams for her EMT class tomorrow morning. This could be bad....

Now do I have to tell you that it's time for the magical powers of Bone Marrow on the immune system!

Sure maybe you don't have time to simmer down and pick a whole chicken. But Ox tail, simmered for 6 hours, pick bones and sinew, barley, mixed veg...

Then eat a bowl every half hour until full.

The nutrient profile of the bone marrow is exactly what the immune system (Which is based mostly in your gut) needs to replicate T-Cells.

For 1.5 million years Bone Marrow has been a staple in the human diet in one form or another. It's only in the last 50 years that we've turned it into make up instead of food.

It won't "Cure" the common cold, but everytime whether it's chicken noodle, turkey noodle, Pork Shoulder-Beansoup or Ox Tail Beef Barley... I'm always "Improved" after soaking my digestive tract with them.
And the hot soup clears the sinuses!

[HairyScandinavian]

Ox tail, leprechaun ear, pinch of rat hair...

wtf you get a damn Ox tail, man?

[Nainoa]

Ox tail, leprechaun ear, pinch of rat hair...

wtf you get a damn Ox tail, man?

Oh yeah Bro... A little known thing, is if you cut off the tail of an oxen, especially a plow ox or one that's spent most of it's life pulling a heavy cart, and it will grow back in a matter of a few months. Renewable resources right thar!



OR...

Ox tail is just the term given to the meaty tail of a steer and it's found in pretty much every grocers freezer and butcher shop in America.

I saw a food show once that claimed Ox Tail is the #3 most common meat eaten in the world!

It's just like most of the Wasteland of the American food scene it's one of those things the baby boomers abandoned when they turned their back on their birth right and came into the city to convince themselves to become investment bankers, Ad Executives and Insurance salesmen.


Before the recession I used to be able to buy Ox Tail for a Dollar a Pound.

Since the recession, and with the emergence of New American Cuisine (A double edged sword) it now goes for the price of Hamburger.


Slow simmered to render the bone marrow and gelatin out of it, Ox Tail is one of the most nutritious and delicious foods in the world!

[HairyScandinavian]

I aint never seen it down here in any of the stores. Down here we have stupid **** like cow tongue, pig feet, even seen rocky mountain oysters before but never a tail.

[lhprop1]

I aint never seen it down here in any of the stores. Down here we have stupid **** like cow tongue, pig feet, even seen rocky mountain oysters before but never a tail.

My college roommate and I used to eat cow tongue sammiches all the time. Not bad if you cook them long enough to make them tender.

I cut my teeth on pickled pigs feet. Pa was the Pabst man and in lieu of getting a babysitter during the summers, I used to ride on his route with him. Lunch every day was bar food like pickled pigs feet, pickled eggs, pickled turkey gizzards, etc. Just a little kid riding on seat of the beer truck next to pa, seeing the world. Those were the days.

[Nainoa]

I aint never seen it down here in any of the stores. Down here we have stupid **** like cow tongue, pig feet, even seen rocky mountain oysters before but never a tail.

You have, you're just picturing a tail in a zip lock bag or something... It's actually the tail vertebrae with the meat... Looks more like Cross sections of Spine if you didn't know what you were looking for.

Tongue is a pretty good piece of meat if cooked and cut properly. All the mexican people call it linguisa (sp) Ling-Gooi-eesah

Because in spanish "Lingua" means tongue or to speak. (Italian)

I would crap my pants twice on Sunday, considering where you live, if you haven't eaten a million tacos in your life that had tongue meat in them.


I'm not a fan of pig feet... But just a few inches up is the shank or the hock (Depending on how it's cut)

It makes a pork stew that tastes so good you'd punch your grandmother in the face if she came between you and a bowl of it.

You can stew the shank and deep fry it for German Schweinhaxe... Which is pretty much one of the tastiest pig dishes in the world... OR in my case, I'll stew with cabbage and other veg, and then smoke it with applewood, the reduce the stew and veg down at the same time and ladel it into mashed potatoes like it was gravy.


I straight up save about $2000 a year in grocery cost because I know how to use... Not the whole animal... I'm a little put off by the guts/offal... But you could say I know what to do with the off-cuts.

[HairyScandinavian]

Aint never seen a spinal section either, I would have remembered that.

The barbacoa down here is mostly facial meat and brains and I've eaten a bunch of it. I'm also quite fond of Tripas, the freaking intestines cleaned out and deep fried until crispy. Save me guys they're trying to convert me!

[Hartski]

WTF, some looney guns down an entire freaking kindergarten class!?!?!?!? Honestly, WTF!?!?!?!?!?