Hog Hunting

Some of you may already know the importance of hunting hogs on your property. Just this weekend, I was on the other side of the farm with a friend and noticed that close to 4 acres of my property have been rooted up by these pesky beasts. If you are a farmer and reading this you will know the importance of getting rid of them. Not only do they make a fine Bar-B-Queue, but also keeps the integrity of your fields for cattle grazing.

Trapping a hog isn’t as easy as one might think. The hog has a very keen since of hearing, and smell. They are also a lot smarter then most give them credit for. When setting traps be sure that the surrounding area is practically unchanged, as a hog can since a trap and will not take the bate.

If hunting with out a trap, be sure to not only have a rifle, but a side arm as well. Some hogs will turn on you. As always when it comes to any firearm, safety first.

T Shirts

I am a fan of wearing a T-shirt on those days when I am out with the kid in the yard, or running to the store to grab a coke. Or soda depending which area of the nation you are from.

I have found a really great site in which you can custom make your own shirts, and you can visit them via the site listed below. http://www.customink.com/

The cool thing about them is that they will correct your artwork free of charge. Also they have a great returns policy. I tired to upload one that I had done but I could not get it to work. But I believe you can check it out from here. http://www.customink.com/designs/123/9477221-1966024/retrieve or http://www.customink.com/designs/123/9477221-1966024/retrieve
I have several that I have done.

Shrimp Alfredo

Though my wife has stomach problems, and can’t eat this on a regular basis, it’s one of her favorites. Mind you, I do not measure my ingredients, so if you attempt to make this dish, you will need to taste as you go. I myself am a bit heavy handed when I cook.

What you will need:

1 Jar of Alfredo sauce (you really didn’t think I made it from scratch did you) Ha, ha!
Half a bag of large shrimp
Spaghetti noodles
Parmesan Cheese the kind finely grated in the can.
Italian Seasoning
Oregano
Fresh crushed garlic
Very little seasoning salt.
Olive oil

In a large pot add water and a dash of Olive oil, and bring to a boil, and add noodles.
In a large skillet, add olive oil and turn flame to a med-high. Add crushed garlic, shrimp, and seasonings. Brown shrimp until golden brown. Once browned, remove from flame. Once the noodles are complete, remove from water, and in the same or another large pot add olive oil (enough to coat noodles) and Parmesan cheese. In a saucepan add the Alfredo sauce and contents of skillet. Heat until the Alfredo sauce comes to a light boil and remove from flame.
To serve, add noodles to plate, and ladle content of sauce and shrimp to desired amount on noodles. For color add a dash of Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper if spice is desired.

Making A Polo Pony

Most horses, with the proper training, can learn to play polo.

Building A String Of Polo Ponies

Polo ponies are like polo players:

• some are safe,
• Some are daring,
• and others are just plain dangerous.

One of the most important things to look for is a good temperament in a horse. If you select a polo pony that you cannot play safely, you will be in trouble from the start.

Most beginners imagine their perfect polo pony as a beautiful chestnut mare, only to find out later that it was not the right one for their level of ability. It's much better to select a quiet, easy horse that is at least 8 to 10 years old with no bad habits. A horse is not old at 10 years, but actually in the prime of life.

Each polo pony in your string will require housing, feed, watering, exercise, grooming, veterinary care, and training.

Stalls

A stall for a polo pony should be 10 ft square with a dry, soft bed of shavings.

Exercise

A polo pony must be exercised daily. When turned out to pasture a polo pony will regulate its own exercise. When playing polo, each horse must be ridden or jogged for at least thirty minutes once or twice each day.

Grooming

A polo pony must be groomed daily. A rubber comb should be used to massage the skin and loosen dead hair and dirt. Each foot should be picked up, cleaned, and examined daily.

Introducing a Horse to Polo

It takes a great deal of time turn a horse into a "made pony" that loves to play the equestrian sport of polo. A horse must be well trained for riding before introducing it to polo. A horse should neck rein with minimal pressure, work well off of leg cues, hold a gait without breaking, bucking, kicking, or shying, and be able to work around other horses. A horse must also be slowly and gently introduced to polo equipment. The horse is desensitized to the mallet by letting him see it and smell it first. Next, a mallet is gently rubbed against the horse's body. Eventually, a polo trainer will swing a mallet around and under the horse while riding. The same approach is used to get a horse familiar with a polo ball.

Suggested Reading

To learn more about training polo ponies read the classic text on the subject "Modern Polo" by Captain E.D. Miller, Edited by M. Horace Hayes, 1898, 1902.

The History of Polo

Polo is thought to have originated in China and Persia around 2,000 years ago. The name of the game may well come from the word “pholo” meaning 'ball' or 'ballgame' in the Balti language of Tibet. The first recorded game took place in 600BC between the Turkomans and Persians (the Turkomans won). In the fourth century AD, King Sapoor II of Persia learned to play, aged seven. In the 16th century, a polo ground (300 yards long and with goalposts eight yards apart) was built at Ispahan, then the capital, by Shah Abbas the Great. The Moguls were largely responsible for taking the game from Persia to the east and, by the 16th century, the Emperor Babur had established it in India. (It had already long been played in China and Japan, but had died out by the time the West came in contact with those countries). In the 1850s, British tea planters discovered the game in Manipur (Munipoor) on the Burmese border with India. They founded the world’s first polo club at Silchar, west of Manipur. Other clubs followed and today the oldest in the world is the Calcutta Club which founded in 1862. Malta followed in 1868 because soldiers and naval officers stopped off there on their way home from India. In 1869, Edward “Chicken” Hartopp, of the 10th Hussars, read an account of the game in The Field magazine while stationed at Aldershot and, with fellow officers, organised the first game. Then known as “hockey on horseback,” it was played on a hastily-rolled Hounslow Heath where a shortlist of about 10 rules was also hastily assembled. But, it was John Watson (1856-1908), of the 13th Hussars, who formulated the first real rules of the game in India in the 1870s. He later formed the celebrated Freebooters team who won the first Westchester Cup match in 1886. He was a key player at the All Ireland Polo Club which was founded in 1872 by Horace Rochfort of Clogrenane, County Carlow. The first polo club in England was Monmouthshire, founded in 1872 by Captain Francis “Tip” Herbert (1845- 1922), of the 7th Lancers, at his brother's estate at Clytha Park, near Abergavenny. Others, including Hurlingham, followed quickly.
Handicaps were introduced by the USA in 1888 and by England and India in 1910.
The first official match in Argentina took place on 3rd September 1875. The game had been taken there by English and Irish engineers and ranchers. In 1876, Lt Col Thomas St.Quintin, of the 10th Hussars, introduced the game to Australia. He is credited with being the Father of Australian Polo. Two of his brothers stayed on there as ranchers and helped the game to develop. In the same year, polo was introduced to the USA by James Gordon Bennett Junior who had seen the game at Hurlingham during a visit to England. Today, more than 77 countries play polo. It was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1939 and has now been recognised again by the International Olympic Committee. http://www.polo.co.uk/polo_history.htm

Colon Cleansing

I know some may think, "why are we on this subject?" Well with good reason. If you are heavy meat eaters like myself, it is very good to make sure that all the pipes are working in good order.

The colon was designed to help eliminate waste. Our colons consist of the portion of the large intestine which runs from the cecum to the rectum. The large intestine stores waste and absorbs water plus it helps maintain water and electrolyte balance. Put simply, we consume foods, digest and absorb nutrients and then our colons get rid of the waste. However, this natural process is hindered when the colon becomes blocked. Colin Albert

There are other reasons to cleanse the colon, such candida infections. If you are experiencing any of the following, see your doctor, and ask if this may be an issue.

an incapacitating fatigue
problems with concentration and short-term memory
flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscle
extreme tightness in the shoulders and neck
hyper-acidity/acid reflux
brown colored mucus in the back of the throat
blisters in the mouth/tongue/throat
either white or "blood blisters"
un-refreshing sleep
sore throat
white coated tongue
dark circles under the eyes
an aversion to being touched or jumping
"crawling" skin
chronic sinus problems and headaches including migraines
chronic dental problems

While there are several cleanse on the market. I have tried DrNutra, and it seem to have worked really well. There is also a diet that I have tried, but I will get into that in another post. You should take a look at their site, and read some of the stories. I personally didn't have some of the stuff that most of these people had, but my stool did look like the ones in the pictures people have sent in. http://www.drnatura.com/colonix_program.php?gclid=CP-Hxsib9pYCFQETGgodyzCMXg

You can find this on ebay as well.

The LR3

The Land Rover LR3 has been met with mixed reviews. when I started out looking for a Land Rover, I was still stuck on the Discovery models until having rode on in one.

It was a bumpy ride, and the cabin wasn't very sound. I also didn't like the fact that the rear passenger doors were over the wheel wells. This makes room for getting in and out of the vehicle somewhat taxing.

Then I saw the LR3. I liked the interior space, and the ergonomics seemed sound as well. However, do not judge a book by it's cover. After further research of the LR3 I have found that it has some rather serious issues. When visiting the Land Rover web site, you are told that the LR3 is the superman of SUV's (my on take on it, not Land Rovers), and that it can really take a beating. One person in another forum advised that after giving it a :good work out" it overheated its air compressor.

Visit the following web site on other details.

http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/land_rover_lr3_suv_problems_or_lemon.htm

Deer Anatomy

The best laid shots

Deer Co-Cain

This stuff is amazing. If you are a hunter with a little time on your hands, you may want to try Deer Co-Cain. I use it in the liquid form, and it can be purchased by the gallon.

I’m not sure what type of root nutrient is involved with this, but it is a major attractant. I do not have a lot of time to hunt with my busy schedule so I put a gallon in a not so open area behind my home, and within days I had several deer at the location.

Do not buy online though, as the price for it online is double what you’d pay for it in your local store. Your local feed and tack stores will carry it, and I believe Wal-Mart also carries it.

Palm Beach

A view of the Inter coastal Water way facing West Palm Beach

From time to time you will here of my travels all over the United States. One of the best places I have found is Palm Beach, FL. If you ever have the pleasure of going, here are a few hot spots, and best times to visit.

If you are not someone for crowds, it would be best to visit during the late spring to early fall months. The snow birds will be flocking soon, and you will be left without a place on the beach. There are other beaches in the area such as Lake Worth which has a wonderful pier for fishing if you are strapped for cash for a boat.

If bespoke are your thing, you will find some of the best shops in the world via Worth Ave, but I warn you, you had better be packing a hefty wallet as they tend to be very pricey. One of my favorite places to shop was a thrift store called "The Church Mouse". You wont believe what you can find. Everything from a great smoking jacket, and velvet slippers, to fine china.

The night life is great as well, but you should be young(or young at heart) and leave the kids with the sitter. The night life starts very late, around midnight as they are open much longer, until 5 a.m. Clematis St is the best place to start, as on Thursdays, Friday's, and Saturday's they have one big block party and this would be a great place to take the children before going out. See the link below. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.clematisbynight.net/images/CbN_masthead.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.clematisbynight.net/&usg=__V1gk8c41taVFcpwo3b9du-tKSMA=&h=268&w=424&sz=42&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=VmmE3HAi-edacM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclematis%2Bby%2Bnight%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den

More later.