Setting Sail (For the OSU Seniors of 2011)

Now begins a time of change,
when old friends cruise with tattered mains,
their sails blown full with newfound dreams.

On some foreign coast they set their gaze
while we reminisce of the grandeur of our yesterdays
when kindred spirits and wry looks set hearts ablaze.

Emotions circle like gulls in the wind
and alight on the mast of beginnings and ends.
With sea breeze and freedom they now contend.

We wish them well with a pat on the back
and words of virtue to keep them on track
while hiding our faces when the tears do wrack.

They point their vessels to the rising sun
and feel the rays of a journey new-begun.

We see them vanish before our very eyes
and pray to God that true friendship never dies.

Ode to the Shotgun

I would rather have a shotgun than a car, home or steady career. In the well-crafted shotgun is the spirit of adventure, the soul of nostalgia and the dream of wilderness. A shotgun justifies the worn boot-leather of a wayward traveler. A shotgun provides a brace of game to both the pampered nobleman and the famished vagabond. A shotgun is the only worthy rival to the dog as utmost friend of man. The broken double-gun bespeaks the raw character of the olden sportsman for whom the beckoning fields are not an escape, but home itself. When the trigger is broken and the charge is sent to greet fur or feather the heart beats with a vigor rarely witnessed. A shotgun is the nobler firearm simply because its nature is that of fluidity and grace. As the cock flies in the copper-burnished sunset so the tempered barrels swing to it with equitable beauty. Even the residual trinkets of a sporting encounter are romantic. Those red hulls topped with gleaming brass release the fragrant curls of nitro—their pungency is the greater peer of bergamot. Hands that have not cradled the form of a fine shotgun have no more claim that those that have not touched smitten lass. Neither person should be entitled to the designation of “man”. Such is the understated merit of the shotgun!

On the Interview's Eve

Thinking on tomorrow
A host of possible outcomes
They settle not on my mind,
But amidst the hara

Deep breaths expel
the negative remnants of the lesser me
Like November leaves they fly,
And the clarity of fall fills my soul

One good suit in the back of my closet
hides like the doe in the oaken grove
I drape it over and imagine buckskin—
A cloak of confidence in a threatening world

An overpriced tie, all stripes and paisleys
The salesman said it was for “power”
I’m not naïve to believe all that is implied
God and I will make my own destiny

A rust bucket of a truck,
sails over the glassy sea of tarmac
I wonder if it will start
when I am to make my victorious return.

What does it matter after all
whether or not I am to succeed?
I would disappear into the shadows
of a world not confronted by the burden of achievement

Is a measure of devaluing currency
worth a lifetime of treading concrete?
Loam between bare toes appeals to
the untamed and unwashed self

When I speak to the interviewer
with words intended to persuade
I wonder if it is not society
who has in the end beguiled me?

Nomad's Spring

Fine sand deepens
As a foot crosses here
Shallow water speaks
A gobble echoes afar
Dogwoods dance at April’s bid

Product Review: C.E. Schmidt Hi Dexterity Goatskin Gloves

I have a love/hate relationship with gloves.

It seems like every pair of gloves I pick up have some hidden flaw that rears its ugly head at the most inopportune time. Generally when hunting I don't even like to wear gloves because they sacrifice dexterity and the "feel" of the trigger for warmth. I would rather have frostbite than make a bad shot.

How do you get around this? For several years I wore rag wool gloves that had the fingers lopped off. They *almost* worked for my purposes. The wool was no doubt warm and the tip-less fingers made squeezing the trigger accurately a possibility. But, again, they were flawed. Wool can get too hot and the pair that I had featured a annoying fold-down mitten that would not stay out of the way for anything.

Glove trial 2.0 was brought on two Christmases ago when my dad thoughtfully responded to a request for dexterous gloves. This pair was an very light, very stretchy blend of some sort of spandex/elastic compound. I thought that they might just do the trick! I wore them shortly thereafter on a late season antlerless hunt, snagged one briar and the entire glove unraveled from the wrist up. Splendid!

Once again today my common sense flew off somewhere to roost and I thought that I would look for a pair of shooting gloves. Of all the places I found myself it was Tractor Supply Company that had the best looking set. I picked up a pair of the C.E. Schmidt Hen's Hi Dexterity Goatskin gloves for $19.95. That is quite a bit of money for a pair of work gloves, but not so much for shooting gloves. A decent pair of leather shooting gloves will easily run you $100.

I brought the gloves home and fiddled with them for quite a bit. The gloves are a combination of spandex, neoprene and goatskin. They have a stitch around each wrist to ensure snug fit and do not feature a cinch or a strap. The gloves were not too hot at all in today's spring weather. The goatskin is fairly supple and dexterity was good. I attempted to test the dexterity by working the slide, ejecting and inserting magazines and manipulating the safety and bolt-release on my Ruger Mk. III. The gloves were satisfactory in all tests. I was also surprised that I was able to get my large fingers into the small trigger-guard of the Mk. III with little difficulty.

Overall, I really like these gloves. If I were to rate them on a 1-10 scale I would have to assess them an 8.

Pros
~Very dexterous
~Snug-fitting
~Lightweight and breathable
~Relatively low cost
~Palm and fingers padded (This is a major winner for shooting those hand cannons!)

Cons
~Goofy rubber tags on gloves (I removed them with my pocket knife.)
~Uncertain of durability (The goatskin is soft, but we will see how it holds up.)

I would recommend these gloves for anyone who prioritizes economy, comfort and dexterity. I don't think that anyone would have a problem looking pompous and privileged wearing them on the sporting clays range either...

(If you want to see a larger image just click on the picture.)


Manufacturer's specs and ordering:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/workwear-clothing-footwear/gloves/mens-work-gloves/c-e-schmidt-reg-men-s-hi-dexterity-grain-goatskin-gloves-734102599

The Best Apple

Bidh an t-ubhal as fheàrr air a’mheangan as àirde.

The best apple is on the highest bough.
Even the tallest man can reach only so high.
But the weak-willed would have his fruit now.

If not by ladder reached, then how?
He cannot help but fathom a try.
The best apple is on the highest bough.

What great wonders will the ruby endow?
How the matchless outshines those that are nigh!
But the weak-willed would have his fruit now.

What angels of heaven did this seedling sow?
His kingdom would he give for wings for to fly!
The best apple is on the highest bough.

The patience of Job he bids God endow.
For he has done all to be done except for to die.
But the weak-willed would have his fruit now.

Yet he manages to wait ‘til she falls somehow.
His gladness is announced with joy-laden sigh.
The best apple is on the highest bough.
But the weak-willed would have his fruit now.

On Saint Valentine's

February tide,
Spring lies round the bend once more
Human emotions
stir the bottom of deep pools
Dark sediments rise unbidden