opening morning

I feel as though I need to do a catchup.

And I will - just not today.

Today I'm enjoying a cup of coffee while deer hunting. I don't have a gun, I'm not out on the stand, but I'm sure watching that back corner. The same one that I can see from my stand.

While I haven't hunted in a few years, I do look forward to opening morning. I have been checking Pappaw's feeder for the last few weeks. I even check around my stand. There's no feeder there now, but the big oak tree provides lots of acorns, and the deer have been hanging out there. For weeks, I've been watching the back corner. I can see it perfectly from my living room windows and from my stand. I know what time the deer come across the pasture. I know where they will cross the creek.

This morning, like always, I was up and outside way before Pappaw got here, wondering what was taking him so long. When he finally pulled up, the sun was beginning to peek over the tree tops, but he was able to sneak to his stand and get settled before the early fog burned off.

Pappaw and I have an opening day tradition. Between 9 and 9:30, he will come off of his stand. I've got his coffee waiting. We have biscuits and sausage gravy, and we talk about what we did or didn't see.

I've got to get to the kitchen - those biscuits won't make themselves. And I just heard a shot.