Hunting Season; Mystery and Camo

Living in the forests of Oregon means hunting season is an annual event. We have LOTS of deer right here on our property, and although we enjoy watching them bound away through the woods when we take walks, we also like the option to have some very locally-grown sustainable and natural lean meat in our freezer each year.

So come October, Matt disappears into the woods for hours at a time, coming home only after night fall, bringing with him the mist and must of the forest. He comes full of stories of owls and bats, grouse and coyote, beaver and lizard, skinks, skunks, and oppossum. Sitting still, moving micro-slow along the trails and tracks, between trunks and along swampy stream beds, he encounters wildlife and nature up close, and brings the excitement and wonder home with him. Many times there were no deer to speak of, but no matter, because for him, the brushes with the other creatures of the forest are just as elemental to his enjoyment of hunting.

And when he walks in the door, decked head-to-toe in mystery and camo, the kids get caught up in the excitement.

Therefore, it was no surprise to me at all when I walked into the front room last weekend to find this: