Christmas Morning

[C.O.B.]

It was 4am when John got up to go to the bathroom. Nothing new there but this morning was different it was Christmas morning. It was different than previous Christmases in that there were no decorations or tree this year. Ruth, Johns wife of 50 plus years always did the decorating for the holiday's be it Christmas, Easter, Halloween or whatever she was in charge. In June she lost her long and difficult battle with ALS and for the first time in his life with the exception of his military service John was alone on Christmas. Oh he could have joined his daughter and her husband in Hawaii for the holiday. In fact they begged him to come along but spending Christmas in 80 degree weather didn't appeal to him and there was Gus. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving him in a kennel for a week or more.

With it being the holiday and all he made a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and coffee. The smell of bacon aroused Gus his companion of 12 years and when he let Gus out for his duties there was four inches of fresh snow on the ground and a clear sky filled to the brim with stars. The air had a different feel to it this day, it was inviting, clean and crisp.

It was still deer season and there was an unfilled doe tag. There would be nobody in the woods so he donned his hunting clothes and his favorite deer rifle and headed for the blind. As the sun rose in the east he could follow the night giving way to day as the sun climbed the tree line. The hot coffee from his thermos warmed his insides as he kept watch. The tree line was fully engulfed in daylight when the doe stepped out into the hay field. The cross hairs settled on the point of her shoulder and as he moved the safety into the fire position she looked back into the woods. There was 100 yards of hay field for her to cross to get to the standing corn so he paused for a moment to see what else might be coming, perhaps a bigger deer. What he saw were two small deer undoubtedly this years fawns. He put the rifle back on safe and watched the three of them walk into the safety of the corn field. Those were the only deer he saw and with the coffee gone he packed up and headed for the warmth of the truck and to let Gus out.

It was now late morning and the sun had warmed things up to the low 30's and there was a slight breeze from the west. Gus seemed to be more energetic this morning and what with the holiday and all the pheasant preserve would be empty of other hunters so he lightened up on the clothing traded the rifle for a shotgun and loaded Gus in the truck. He took the Parker Trojan 12 his parents bought for him when he graduated college back in 74. It had been awhile since he hunted with it and this morning seemed like the perfect day to take it afield.
He was surprised to see another car in the parking lot. It was a father and his two boys who looked to be in their teens. The had what appeared to be new auto loaders with the camouflage stocks he so detested. Probably Christmas presents but at least they were hunting and doing it as a family.
He and Gus worked a CRP field into the wind for several hours and were blessed with a nice rooster that Gus pointed and retrieved. Once in the distance he heard the barrage of the auto loaders and smiled thinking "they will learn to lead the birds".
Gus was beginning to tire so they headed back to the truck and home. The bird was cleaned and put into the crock pot for dinner while Gus curled up on the couch and took a nap.

It was only mid afternoon and Gus would be sleeping anyway so he thought he'd go back to the deer blind. He loved to watch the sun rise and set from the blind. This time he took a different rifle. A forty plus year old Ruger M77 in 270. The gun hadn't had two boxes of shells through it in all those years. It was his brothers first and only rifle. He'd used it two years taking a doe and a buck the following year. He was killed in a tragic and freak accident when he was just 17 and the rifle had seen very limited use since then.
As the shadows of late afternoon began to overtake the light shrouding the woodlot in darkness he hadn't seen a single deer but did enjoy the afternoon.

Gus was at the door to greet him along with the aroma of the days bird. After dinner and the dishes were done he sat in front of the fireplace with Gus enjoying a cigar and a bourbon. The phone rang and it was his daughter calling from Hawaii to wish him a merry Christmas. As he looked around the house he thought of Ruth and decided next year he'd get a tree.