The Men

For the sake of time--

I won't go on too long tonight. It appears that fall is truly here. Two velvety brown deer wandered cautiously through our woods today. Sensing the dog who reigns two doors away, they carefully made the way across the road and into the trees. I wonder if they sense the approaching season - my men certainly do. The preparation has begun - men readying for the hunt - men readying for the stories of the hunt - men readying for men. It is some kind of strange club they have formed over the years. Some no longer attend the hunt. One, Harry's closest friend, loved the hunt. I will never forget that first year they stood with deer in one hand and knife in the other trying to decide how to dissect their prize. Neither one wanted to admit they had no clue where to begin and where to end. The meat that year was rather odd shaped but each time we prepared a meal, they told their man stories. At times, they were more like little boys boasting to each other. But most of all, they loved the land and the leaves and the lure of the wild.