08/16/2013: I Got My Wife Addicted...
I received my first gun when I was thirteen years old, a Mossberg 20 GA pump. That was, and still is, one fine rabbit and quail shotgun.
Landowners in that area of Florida (Balm) that I lived in at that time either raised cows or crops on thousands of acres that we had full acess to. We had plenty of both rabbit and quail to hunt and eat. That was in the late 80's.
Fast-Forward to today'ish: In late 2010, Hurricane Irene did some serious damage to our property. Barely a month prior I'd read an article in our free, local newspaper, the Country Courier, about a Bobwhite Restoration program being implemented by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) and was curious if I could participate in any way. However, because of Hurricane Irene and the following clean-up, I'd immediately forgotten about the program until almost two years later when I found that article again...Luckily I'd saved that paper.
I contacted Marc Puckett (VDGIF Small Game Project Leader) and received several brochures and a DVD which provided enough information to get started attracting quail to our property. I was happy to find out that some of the efforts needed, as far as vegetative growth was concerned, were already being provided on our property just because we took a "...let Mother Nature take over..." attitude after the hurricane damage had been dealt.
Now, I did not have any high-hopes that I would attract any quail to our property anytime soon without any participation from larger, local landowners, since we only have 5.65 acres, but I was hopeful that "someday, maybe", I might have a chance of getting a small covey interested in making this area their home.
A couple of months ago I was running in and out of the house doing some chores and on one of my outdoor trips I heard something that just didn't sound right...Not a natural sound from the three years we've lived here. I stopped and listened closely, and off in the distance I could hear it...a Bobwhite calling. I couldn't believe my ears and I instinctively called back. And, he answered. I flashed back to my youth and quickly remembered how easy it was to call a Bobwhite out, and I grinned...I was excited
Because I was running in and out of the house doing some chores, I didn't spend long calling to him. Later that evening I remembered the encounter and told my wife about it. And then I reminesced with her about my youthful days of hunting rabbits and quail with my first shotgun.
Two weeks went by with no more calls from him and I regretted not spending more time calling to him. I was bumming, I figured I'd blown the only chance I had of getting him interested in our property. Two days later I was out on our balconey and I heard him call again from the front of our property. I called back to him several times and I could tell he was wandering around in the brush, but he wouldn't come any closer. Later, my wife and I were attempting to dig a trench to run an electrical cable out to the pump on our pool in our backyard and heard him call again from the front yard. I called out to him a couple of times and she heard him respond and start to move over to the side yard through the woods. And then she started calling out to him. She was immediately hooked, and so was he. He responded better to her calls than to mine, so I stopped calling and allowed her to continue.
She did and so did he as he continued to travel down through the woods until he was directly across the open yard from us. He snuck up behind a woodpile, called a couple of times more and then finally jumped up on top of the pile to get a better look at his rival/potential mate? My wife and I watched in awe as he called out again and continued to reply to her calls for several minutes before he finally decided to leave.
We didn't hear from him again for about a week and had assumed that he figured out our ruse and moved on. But we were wrong. He keeps coming back several times a week and my wife keeps calling out to him...She's addicted...and so is he, thankfully.
Someday, maybe.
08/10/2013: We recently received an above-ground swimming pool from my M-I-L. The Wife found Bruce & Son Water Works, Inc., online and placed an order with them. Bruce, the owner, answered the phone himself and assured The Wife that he would deliver a 5,600 gallon load the next afternoon. And he did.
We have a 1/10th mile long, curved driveway lined with trees and I did not properly perceive the size of his truck before he arrived. However, he had no problems entering and exiting our property as he knows how to drive such a large vehicle.
He was early, he was quick and he was very pleasant to do business with. I highly recommend Bruce & Son Water Works, Inc., for all of you major water needs.
08/21/2012: I briefly played a Cello when I was ten years old and have regretted ever since for not continuing with it. This past Saturday I finally purchased a Used Cello. Let's hope I can actually do something special with it.
07/28/2012: Here's a New Picture of Me shaven and dern near bald.
06/13/2012: Another birthday has come and gone and I still didn't get any Dirty Dick's Oral Abuse.
05/10/2012: I can not count how many times over the years that I've been alive and remembering that I've heard negative remarks about In-Laws, but most of what I've heard is not true. I truly love my In-Laws and, I believe, they love me too.
My Mother-In-Law has suggested that I write a biography, thinking folks would want to read about my life, but that's one point where I disagree with her: I'm a listener and have heard many a sad story that trump anything I could possibly cry about.
I love my Mother-In-Law, feel blessed that she has accepted me into her family, appreciate her interest in my life and enjoy sharing stories with her, but my life is purty boring compared to others I know. Maybe she'll convince me to share a coupla them stories with y'all here someday, but until then...
Bill
03/21/2012: The eldest of us Ford siblings turns 50 years old today. Happy Birthday You Old Fart!!
Yes I did. As the second eldest I realize it'll come back to bite me in two years, but tough. Like it or not, you've officially joined the Old Farts Club and I'm gonna tease y'all about it.
What else are little brothers good for, right?
Love ya! Hope y'all had a wonderful day!
03/19/2012: Spring officially started here several weeks ago with the blooming of our pansies, followed by the crocus, and then finally the daffodil. We have quite a few small wild-flowers growing all over our property along with strawberry blooms and blackberry buds setting out.
I'd planned on having the majority of the piles of branches and leaves from Hurricane Irene hauled out back by now, but either the weather or my health wouldn't co-operate. We now have numeous birds moving into these piles and setting up home. No burning or hauling of these piles until Fall now.
We also have frogs this year since a lot of the storm damage is blocking the normal drainage of our front yard. I kinda like it as it's a great way to quickly composte lots of leaves, but I fear the skeeters that'll be moving in shortly...Unless them frogs keep the skeeter population down that is.
I have a lot of different grasses that could easily be classified as ornamental since they're so purty growing all over the property as well.
And, as I have for the past three years, I have just enough firewood leftover for three, maybe four, more days. Next year'll be a different story.
03/12/2012: I'm finally creatin' sumpthin' for this here domain name other'n just an easy-to-remember e-mail addy for my sister.
Please don't ask what it's gonna be 'cause even I dunno yet.
But, here's a start; "I'm Billy Ford and this here's my playground. Now, hold my beer and watch this."
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