Happy Birthday, Mom!

What do you get for the girl who has everything? Well, if that girl is my mom, you get her a wild turkey. And so, after an injured knee, three very long hunts, and a bruised ego, I did just that. Dad and I went out Saturday and Sunday and finally came home with the perfect birthday present for my mom. She now has eleven packages of turkey breast to make her famous chipotle wraps. (I just hope there is some left for my next visit home.) I did get a special prize for my successful hunt...a jar of jalapeño jelly from my Uncle Stephen.

It's funny to think about my dad and me hunting together after all of these years. When we first started, we headed to Sabinal to hunt on the Shudde Ranch because there weren't any wild turkey's on our place. But after many years of raising wild turkeys in our backyard in the city, we were able to introduce a healthy number. My dad was my age when we first started this adventure, and I'm having more and more fun as the years go by. This year, I saw a dramatic change in our hunting relationship: Due to age and gravity and two very strong wills, I can best characterize our time together as Elmer-Fudd-Meets-Driving-Miss-Daisy. You really had to be there!

Here are a few pics of the prized bird, a rare three-bearded tom. Yes, he actually has three beards, but we didn't know that at the time. I must say I stood a little taller and quickly forgot about my missed shot (though my guide had some fault in that one) after hearing my dad say he'd never taken a double-beard. Not bad for my first Paris Ranch turkey. In total, he had 19".

The ranch is beautiful right now. We have a ton of wildflowers in bloom and the recent rains have greened up all the pastures. The cows are fat and happy, and we were able to work a few of the calves to get ready weaning. What a blessing it is to have such a special place in our family!