Surprise, Surprise, Surprise...

I was attempting to cut my hair last night. It was late, and I was going to do a quick 1/4'' trim on my head and beard.

It was going swimmingly along the side of my head and I transitioned to the top. I made a couple swipes and was moving across my head from right to left. While going for a 'center cut,' a strange thing happened... what looked like the 1/4 " clipper guard ( which I knew was only my imagination) fell into the trash can with my shorn locks. The stranger part of that is that my clipper-holding hand continued it's shearing motion before I could confirm whether my imagination was, indeed, reality.

The result was all too realistic...

I never got overly angry. I think I was a little stunned.


Insert Gomer Pyle's Famous line...




Or, to quote Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation"...

It took me two seconds to realize that I had zero options. I was going to have to 'summer-cut' before summer. (Fortunately, I have avoided such mishaps during the bitter cold months of working outdoors)

I think I'll keep the beard long for a couple days and impersonate Jeff Bridges character from Iron Man.

What's life without surprises, right?
And, in this economy, I'm thinking about all the money I'm saving in shampoo and other hair care product. (that miniscule amount will be diverted straight to the gas pump unfortunately)

well... happy hair cut, everybody.

I smell a rat...

...and he's dead.

It's my first 'kill' as a trapper.

The muskrat wasn't too happy. He gave me the middle finger/claw.

And his dental health leaves a little to be desired.

Definitely no love from the muskrat. Captain and Tennille must have known friendlier muskrats.

My only consolation...I didn't enter trapping for the friendships.

Sounding a retreat...

There's been a couple times in the last several years that I've felt overwhelmed with life enough to just need a weekend get-away to regain my sanity. The second of those couple times was two weeks ago.

And there's something about getting outside that helps set my mind and heart back on track. God seems to use nature to quiet my over-analytical mind and to remind me of the bigger scope of life. And even when my 'day job' involves outdoor time, for the most part, it's easy to lose the grander perspective and beauty of the 'forest' when you're stuck in the trees.

Some of my favorite photos of my personal retreat and outdoor 'therapy'...

 ...a baseball on the edge of the Arkansas River.

...an armored possum

...somebody's semi-fine china.

I snuck up on a little spike buck. I walked a little ways, heard a sound behind me, and saw this 6-pt and about 7 others. I wasn't quick enough to snap a picture of the whole group.

I also splurged on a little peach cobbler shake from Bogey's in Hutchinson. It's as good as it sounds.