Deer Reflections

 As we near the end of another season of Deer hunting, it is nice to think back to the many years in the woods. This was not one of my best seasons, only killing one doe. In fact, even in places where I typically see lots of deer, the numbers have been much lower.

But I can recall the day, Dec. 10, 2010 when I killed the best dear rack ever from one of my favorite spots in Hale County, AL. I just saw a photo of Andrew when he took his best buck, and recall the excitement when I spotted him with his antlers stuck in the ground and his nose pointing almost straight up. 

I have greatly enjoyed hunting with many friends over the years. I started hunting with Bill Rogers in MD. Then I hunted almost 30 years with Bobby Mc. Over those same years, Mark S and I enjoyed hunting in several different locales including VA. My recent and favorite hunting buddy has been my youngest son, Andrew. Once when he was home for only a couple of weeks, we killed 8 deer in 2 weeks of hunting.

There was that 28 F morning in Jan, 2016 in Hale County when I heard from G^d directly about "loving" things but not "marrying" them. I have written a couple of books in the deer stand and revised my text book. I have read more books there than anywhere, rivaled only by time at the beach. Plus some good thinking an praying have happened right there on the deer stand.

I have had some great times in the woods, and have changed how I hunt and handle venison over these many years--dating back to about 1974. I still recall the buck I killed on Ft. AP Hill in VA, and the two does I harvested at West Point, NY.

Sweet memories!

Memories

Speaking to Responsive Audience

I’m guessing that I have written about this before, but for speakers, the audience can make or break the experience. Recently I had the joy of speaking 6 times to a good, reactive audience. They made eye contact with me, they smiled, they laughed at the jokes. I may have mentioned this, but I once had 52 Professors from the University of Herat, western Afghanistan in an audience for several lectures. I was shocked at their responsiveness. Likewise I was surprised, pleasantly so, at this latest group.

I taught undergraduates for many years at UA. In most every class (except one) there were a couple of responders, but it was rare to have a whole class. In fact, I only recall one such group in 33 years of professing.

Zoom seems much worse than live speaking. In Zoom, even the normally responsive folks are subdued. So, if you are in a ZOOM audience, give a big smile—bigger than usual—and gives a thumbs-up or other indications. Be a friend to the Zoom speaker—respond!

So, the next time you are in an audience—respond! Smile, nod, clap if appropriate. Respond!