Date Night ~ by Heather Oster

Date nights.  Date nights with your spouse.  Date nights with your girlfriends.  Date nights with your kids?  Yep.  Absolutely.

Over the years, I have come to realize my boys need my undivided, specific attention just as much as my husband and friends do.  Its hard to think of them needing this kind of time when you think of how much other stuff you do together, but its true.  They need it.  Its hard when there are siblings and schedules and life.  You get sucked into such a whirlwind of "to-do's" that its easy to forget. 

However, I think every parent (both moms and dads) should find the time, occasionally, to take each of their children out for a "date".  There are mounds of things you can do and I've discovered my boys really don't care.  They are so excited to be able to spend time with me, that they could care less what it involves.  They just want that attention and love and its nice to be able to focus solely on them and reinforce that relationship.

I have taken my kids to the park, gone for bike rides, went to the movie, went to dinner, gone out for ice cream cones, walks, showed up for "hot lunch" at school, even did a little shopping . . . just for fun.  I have found it heightens their spirits and just generally makes their day extra special.

So, if you ever have an extra couple hours, or even just a half an hour, give it to your kids.  Make it a "date" you'll both remember.  The benefits of doing so will last them, and you, a lifetime. 

My Three Steak Deer ~ by Heather Oster

It was a late Monday evening, and we were within 500 yards of making the entire "loop" around the mountain, when I shot my very first deer. 

We had been out the previous afternoon / evening and saw a moose on our trek through the mountainside.  He wasn't very old, just a yearling, but was pretty interested in what we were doing.  Just stood and watched with his lanky legs.  We stood for a few moments, I snapped his picture and we moved on.

We finally made it to the truck without a deer sighting to be had.  We loaded up our stuff and started to drive off.  Just as we were getting to the bottom of the "road", I spied 2 does and a fawn behind an old, what I would assume to be, miner's log cabin.  After carrying my 22 all day, and then holding it up to shoot at one of these does, for a good 5 minutes, my arm was getting extremely tired.  When the biggest doe finally turned so I had a good shot, my arm was running circles, but I took a deep breath, slowly exhaled and shot.  I missed and off they hopped.  Boing, boing, boing across the creek and up the mountain they went.  So much for that and my great idea of shooting off-hand!!  Lesson one.

The next morning, we got up very early (5:00 a.m.) and were on the road by 5:30 a.m.  We drove all morning long and saw nothing.  I could have kicked myself for missing the doe the previous evening.  But, we still had a couple days to go, so I tried to stay positive.  That night we returned to our spot and just as we were rounding the last corner, and about 500 yards from the gate, I saw (what I thought) was a doe.  I told my husband to stop and back up real slow.  He did and there she stood, snacking on some leaves.  Just stood there and stared at me with ears three times the size of her head.  I didn't see any other deer with her.  So, I pulled up my 22, got the back of her shoulder in my cross-hairs, said "Sorry sweetheart but I gotta eat" and fired. 

She jumped about two feet in the air and took off.  I knew I got her because I could see the bleeding wound and she was running awful gimp-like.  We slowly got the hunting bag out of the truck and took off walking.  Following a blood trail is a little harder than I thought.  I figured you shot them and they just fell down.  Nope.  They run.  So, once we found the blood trail, we followed that and my husband spotted her after about 10 minutes. 

I looked at her and said, "Huh.  Not very big."  My husband said, "No.  But that's okay.  Its your first deer."  Upon closer inspection, I saw that she was really a he due to the little "buttons" he had growing in front of his ears and some other obvious body parts.  Oops.  I just shot myself a 7-8 month old buck.  Which, in Montana, does not qualify as a buck, so I had to use my doe tag on him.  Rather disappointed he was so small and young, I now know that you should really inspect a deer before you shoot it to make sure that it is an adult.  Its hard to tell when they aren't standing by another one and you have no experience.  But, I know for next time to take a little more time to check them out before you fire.  Lesson two.

The good news is, is that my shot was perfect.  I shot him right through his lungs and the bullet shattered his shoulder.  So, for those of you who hate the thought of "Bambie" being murdered, know this little guy didn't suffer long.  We found him only 50 - 75 yards from where I shot him and I would guess, given his running rate and the distance, he didn't live for more than 2 minutes after I pulled the trigger.  It was quick.

After a long day of hunting, my husband and I stopped by the local bar for a celebratory beer.  This particular establishment had a little dog that appeared to be the greeter for all the patrons.  He was a really small dog, some sort of "Heinz 57", but really cute.  I leaned over to my husband and said, "You know that deer I shot tonight?"  He said, "Yeah."  I said, "I think it might be just slightly bigger than that dog."  Oh how we hooted.  That was funny.

So, even though my first kill was only a "Three Steak Deer", it was still a good shot, meat in the freezer and a memory I'll always have.  Until next year.

The Story of the Jack O' Lantern ~ by Heather Oster

I had never really thought about where the origin of pumpkin carving came from, but stumbled across an interesting article today that explained it all.  The carving originates from Irish folklore and has quite a tale behind it that I think you might find interesting.

According to legend, there was a man named "Stingy Jack", who didn't like to pay for anything (thus "Stingy").  One night, he was having a drink with the Devil.  During their exchange, Stingy Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin so he could pay for the drinks.  The Devil agreed and turned himself into a coin.  However, Stingy Jack did not use this "Devil Coin" to pay for the drinks.  Instead, he put the coin in his pocket, next to a silver cross.  Because the coin was next to a cross, the Devil could not turn back into his original form and he remained a coin. 

Stingy Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Stingy Jack for one year and that, should Stingy Jack die, he would not claim his soul.

The next year came and went and since the year was up, the Devil appeared.  Stingy Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to pick a piece of fruit for him.  Once the Devil was high up in the tree, Stingy Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree so the Devil could not come down.  Stingy Jack then revealed his "deal" to the Devil.  If the Devil promised not to bother him for the next ten years, he would let him come out of the tree.  The Devil agreed. 

What Stingy Jack didn't know, is that he would die soon after this deal struck and long before ten years was up. 

God refused to allow a person with the character and soul like Stingy Jack into heaven.  So he sent him to the Devil.  The Devil, angry with all the trickery Stingy Jack had used on him and his promise of not claiming his soul when he died, would not allow him into hell.

As such, the Devil sent Stingy Jack 's soul off into the dark night with only a burning coal for light.  Stingy Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth ever since.  As time went on and this folktale grew, the Irish began to refer to "Stingy Jack" as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern".

It is said, in Ireland and Scotland, where this tale originates, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes (the use of pumpkins did not take place until this tradition was introduced in the United States)  and placing them into windows or near doors. They did this in an effort to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits.

So, as you carve up your next pumpkin this Halloween season, always remember the story of Stingy Jack and the eternal deal he made with the Devil.