Medical update

Just got out of the hospital. Re-admitted last Sunday as the infection in my arm had worsened. In the operating room they cleaned the wound out going deeper and sending tissue along with culture samples to be analyzed.
   The good news is the antibiotics that I receive through a pick line daily seem to be finally working. Bu the way, a pick line is a catheter that runs from above my elbow through the shoulder and into the chest. It eliminates an IV and makes the process of delivering meds and taking blood a lot easier.
   Now for the bad news. The tendon that was repaired wasn't in good shape to being with. There wasn't much of it to work with.
   It has torn and can't be repaired. This translates into about a 50 percent loss in the use of my right arm. Once we get the infection controlled, therapy will resume and the thinking is muscles around the shoulder can be strengthened to allow me more range of motion.
   However, doing anything that requires reaching over my head will be out. My surgeon assures me I can fish and paddle a kayak.
   I'm already trying to figure out how to do some of these things left handed. They say where there's a will there's a way. I've definitely got the will.
   Thank you all so much for your calls and messages of concern. They have meant a lot.

Jerry Dennis deserves space on the bookshelf

   Well not Jerry Dennis physically. He's a big guy and wouldn't fit. Besides, you would need one of those industrial, warehouse size shelves to perch him on.
   He does deserve space as one of Michigan's finest writers. The award winning author of several books including From A Wooden Canoe, The River Home, A Place on the Water, It's Raining Frogs and Fishes, and others, he has a brand new book just out.
   "The Windward Shore, A Winter On The Great Lakes", 160 pages, and published by The University of Michigan Press, welcomes winter on the shores of the Great Lakes, Jerry Dennis style.
   It's the style part of his writing that draws the reader in creating that interest that makes putting a book down a not-too-pleasant task.
   Spending time with Dennis through a book is entertaining, highly educational, and very fulfilling, making the reader crave more.
   Come along with Jerry Dennis as he explores Michigan in the winter, almost always from a borrowed cabin anywhere from the Keweenaw on south.
   He'll take you on winter hikes, share his thoughts about ice formations; even the noise or lack of it that surrounds winter in the outdoors.
   If you haven't read a Jerry Dennis book yet, by all means start with this one. "The Windward Shore" will not disappoint you.
   After that, you'll no doubt dust space off the shelf for a few other Dennis' titles. Happy reading.

Get outside while weather cooperates

   Whether you hunt, fish, ride a bike, hike or walk, the fall is one time of the year being outdoors is very special.
   That's because most of the bugs-those pesky mosquitoes and biting flies-have all but disappeared making being outside really nice.
   The weather; the air actually, seems to take on a different smell. Fresh and cool, it almost recharges us in our daily activities.
   Maybe it's because we know that in a short time, winter will be here putting the clamps on time spent outside.
   Unless you ice fish, ski or snowshoe, you may go outdoors once a week to put the trash out, preferring to be like some of the animals and hibernate until spring. That's really not an option. It's something we can talk more about later.
   But now, it's time to enjoy those fall colors, daily temperatures without all the humidity and less crowded conditions at parks and on lakes.
   Go ahead. Get outside. Do it soon because Mother Nature has a way of changing her moods on a moments notice!

Feral swine another hunting opportunity

   I wonder if outfitters in the south that base their hunts on wild boar are feeling the pinch in business due to the availability of feral swine right here in Michigan?
   Various friends of mine, for years, have booked trips to hunt wild hogs in swampland and other desolate places at a chance to take one of these critters.
   While I've not hunted them, I have tasted the finished product and found it to be nothing like what we associate with the taste of pork.
   Several times on visits to Germany to see our son and his wife, we've been the guests of good friends for dinner.
   Usually that was wild boar, cooked until it practically falls apart, the meat is delicious. I have no idea if it compares to these wild hogs running loose in Michigan.
   Hunting for wild boar or feral hogs as they are referred to, opens up another hunting opportunity. The current thinking is these critters need to be at the least, thinned out due to the destruction they cause to crops and wildlife.
   While you are on stand waiting for a whitetail to waltz in, be sure to keep an eye open for a hog. You might just get another shot.
   A current hunting license is all you need. There is no season on wild hogs. Good hunting!

Best weather of the year, here now

Take advantage of these sunshine, cool, fall days and get outside. Instead of being cold, damp, or wet, duck hunters should have a great time alongside their favorite four-legged hunting companion what with all of the great weather on the horizon.
   Here's a partial list of some fun things to do while the weather is still on our side: Head for one of the local parks; Holly Revreation Area, Independence Oaks or Kensington Metro Park for some great hiking, bird watching, picnic, or tossing the football.
   If you go to Kensington, you're a canoe paddle or two from Heavener's Canoe Rental location practically across the road from Proud Lake Recreation Area.
   A fall paddle on the Huron River is an enjoyable and relaxing outing this time of the year. Rent a canoe from Alan Heavner-he and his family have been in the business for a long time-take a lunch and your camera and you're good to go. Heavner will pick you up once you decide the length of your trip.
   There's no need to make this a marathon session either. Shorter paddles are great for newcomers and offer some spectacular viewing.
   Kensington Metro Park's farm center can be a beehive of activity this time of the year what with hay rides, seeing all the farm animals, and checking out the park's pumpkin crop.
   We won't get many more days like this before the really cold stuff sets in. Better get all of the outdoors activity you can in while the getting is still good!