Comments on Enjoying the Ride: My MS Story Chapter 20- Sometimes I am the predato...

Thanks for dropping by Don. I'm glad you like...

2009-12-10T22:26:02.836-05:00

Thanks for dropping by Don. I'm glad you like the blog. You are definitely an inspiration! I don't plan to quit yet, but this damn disease makes it hard to predict anything.

Hey Mitch, great blog! I enjoyed reading about yo...

2009-12-10T20:08:41.337-05:00

Hey Mitch, great blog! I enjoyed reading about your experiences and adaptations. Don’t let this be your last hunting season!! As my own MS progressed, I got worried. My philosophy was as long as I could pull the trigger, I would stick with it. Then one day a couple years ago, I went out to sight in my crossbow. No elaborate effort as I did still have one arm working well and a good rest on my wheelchair. I pulled up to my spot laid the red dot on my target. The safety was a little stubborn but I got it with the edge of my palm. I reached up and got my finger into the trigger guard and squeezed. Nothing happened! I figured, okay, I’ve lost some strength with my hand. I’ll just use two fingers at a time on the trigger. Tried that and, you guessed it, nothing happened. That trigger would not break. That crossbow had a tough trigger pull but it was a wake-up call for me. I wasn’t ready to give up hunting but the line I had set had been reached. I went sadly back to the house to think things over.

I had started gathering information to keep myself in the woods as my disability increased but once I started sharing what I could find with others, I forgot about my own needs. I was chagrined when a forum friend mentioned BeAdaptive as somebody I should talk with about possible adaptations since I had already spoken with them and listed them on my site. We visited again and they told me about their sip-n-puff trigger adaptation. I was back in the game! Now I’ve harvested three deer without using my hands and have no intention of giving up. It’s always a battle but it’s one well worth fighting. There will come a day when it’s time to hang up the guns but that day ain’t yet, my friend!

You know...I bet Paintball would give the same sat...

2009-12-09T11:32:16.402-05:00

You know...I bet Paintball would give the same satisfaction of shooting without the bloodshed or pain for the poor innocent deer you stalk after :-) Make the IBOT nice and colorful too! Jen

Mitch, Yes, I do believe that game, as long as th...

2009-12-06T15:43:25.475-05:00

Mitch,

Yes, I do believe that game, as long as the animal was healthy, is far superior to meat from the grocery store. Of course, there is the grass-fed, non-hormone/antibiotic, affordable only if you get a second mortgage type meat. Since I was raised in a predominantly vegetarian family (although my parents aren't the sanctimonious type of vegetarians), my meat-eating is a conscious choice.

Yep, I miss elk in the freezer.

Donna

Herrad, Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are e...

2009-12-06T08:23:15.229-05:00

Herrad,

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying this Sunday. We got our first snowfall here last night. Just a couple of inches, but everything this morning is bright white.

Guttyr,

Yes, people with MS (PWMS) go through mini-grieving stages as we progress. I'm bothered if I know I'm doing something for the last time, but often I don't realize it at the moment. For example, no more snowmobiling is difficult for me, but I don't have a vivid memory of taking the last ride and knowing or even fearing that the particular ride would be the last. I didn't know until months later. However, I knew exactly what day was my last day at work, so that was more acutely difficult.

Donna,

I'm glad that a non-hunter can appreciate what this noble tradition brings to the table from a naturalist and conservationist perspective. And you also seem to appreciate my belief that there is no more nutritious meat than that from wild game.

Lynne,

I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and all my readers.

Hi Mitch, Wonderful post, wonderful photos! God b...

2009-12-06T03:19:46.367-05:00

Hi Mitch,

Wonderful post, wonderful photos!
God bless you and keep you...
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy 2010!

Lynne

Mitch, I'm impressed with your adaptations th...

2009-12-05T19:12:52.991-05:00

Mitch,

I'm impressed with your adaptations through the years. Although I don't hunt, I have an appreciation for the tradition and clean meat. I divorced my hunter-guy 16 years ago and miss having elk meat in the freezer.

While I was more of the getting on top of the mountain type of outdoor-person, I've appreciated what I learned from hunters in my life. They helped me see and read animal signs in the woods in a way a hiker or climber never would.

Thanks for sharing.

Donna

Thanks for sharing this. I grew up in the Catsk...

2009-12-05T15:21:50.638-05:00

Thanks for sharing this.

I grew up in the Catskills of NY where hunting is an integral part of the year. I have memories of deer hunting with my dad - climbing tree stands, sitting quietly, watching nature. I learned at least one valuable lesson by watching the deer nonchalantly saunter by underneath our stand... Don't forget to look up once in a while when looking out for things that can nail you :)

I was glad to read about the accomodations you had made so that you could continue to hunt. Ingenious use of available tools.

Lastly - you bring up something that surprised me with my MS DX - the initial DX is tough and brings about the 5 stages of grief which takes work to get through, not surprisingly. However there are numerous times where I've had to grieve the loss of something I previusly was able to do. I was surprised to realize that the grieving process would come into play each time I lost something else. The upshot is that eventually I can recognize what's going on and adjust more quickly. Another benefit is that realizing what can be lost enhances an ability to appreciate what I still have at increasing frequency and reminds me to stay in the moment.

Thanks again for writing this up. It is very helpful to me (and probably to many other MSers) to recognize our commonalities and see how you have approached dealing with MS.

Cheers!

Hi Mitch, Came by to say hello. Have a good weeken...

2009-12-05T12:48:49.685-05:00

Hi Mitch,
Came by to say hello.
Have a good weekend.
Love,
Herrad