Christmas wishes and a look to the issues of 2017

Merry Christmas! I trust you and your families will be enjoying a pleasant day filled with gift exchanges, a traditional Christmas dinner, and a full slate of professional football and basketball games on the television. With all the seasonal commercialism associated with visiting Santa Claus, attending holiday parties and decorating houses and trees, I hope you took the time to reflect on what this holiday is really all about.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of God-made-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to redeem all mankind from their sins against the Father. Seeing a Nativity scene as part of folks’ Christmas decorations is not as common as Santa or Frosty the Snowman. While enjoying all the holiday festivities, keep in mind the real “reason of the season.”

This is my last column for the calendar year. I’ve been reflecting on all the things that have happened in my life over the last twelve months, both good and bad, and thought I’d share some of the happenings with you.

My wife suffered a severe fall, resulting in a traumatic head injury, in late 2015. She has spent the last year recovering and receiving treatment for those injuries and, while she’s made significant improvements, still has a ways to go before a full recovery can be declared.

We’ve gone through a lot of heartache with three of our four little dogs over the last year. Suzie was diagnosed with diabetes and Cushing’s disease, again in late 2015, and it was touch and go for about two weeks whether she would survive. The animal hospital folks did get things under control and developed a treatment regime of insulin and medication which has Suzie back to her old self.

We were not as blessed with the other two little dogs. We lost Tawny just a few weeks short of her 16th birthday when she passed in late January.

The suspect cause was cancer, but that diagnosis was not confirmed before we decided to end her suffering. Little Heidi passed away six months to the day of Tawny’s passing, again from an inoperable cancer situation.

We were expecting that something could happen with Tawny since she was older and her health had been delicate for the previous three years, but Heidi took us by surprise. She was only twelve years old and had been doing well health wise. Times were sad around our house.

The four dog pack was now down to two, but only for a short while. A beautiful red long-hair dachshund, a little over two years old, needed a home and we adopted her. About four months later, a not quite five year old blond dachshund also needed a home and we took her in as well. We’re back up to the four dog pack and things seem to be doing well. Everybody is still adjusting to the “new normal” but our four “rescues” all are doing well and learning to live together. It is tough, however, to actually find enough space to stretch out and sleep on the bed each night!

I’ve finally gotten all the improvements made and glitches corrected on the six-wheeler and am looking forward to using it for some hunting this winter, if the permit call comes, and next fall.

I’m hoping to get out a lot more this coming season as I get several health issues addressed and corrected over this winter.

A new right shoulder, cataract surgery in both eyes and probable removal of old steel hardware from corrective surgery on my left ankle years ago will, hopefully, have me walking with much less pain, seeing those open sights on my muzzleloading rifles once again, and being able to use my right arm with a full range of motion. I’m also anticipating that the physical therapy for my shoulder will trigger a general overall physical improvement regime that will enhance my hunting, fishing and shooting activities well into the future.

So, what can you expect to read here in 2017? Since this is the Cook Inlet cycle for the Board of Fisheries, expect to hear a lot of commentary about the upcoming UCI board meeting and how you can influence the outcome on proposals intended to take away many of the fisheries gains we’ve achieved here in the Northern District over the past few years. I’ll also comment on Board of Game situations, hunting, RVing, fishing, and maybe even a new Gnarly Dan story or two.