My high school class met in Riverton over the weekend, and even though it’s not that far to go, I ended up not going. I told myself it’s because I just have too much to do. Hunting season will be here before we know it, and I need to get ready for that. I’ve been spending all my spare moments practicing with the bow, re-waterproofing the tent, breaking in new hiking boots, and locating all my gear.
On top of the hunting season prep, we’re in the middle of building a new barn. That means I need to get everything that’s going to go into that new barn laid out so it’ll be ready to move in when the barn gets done. That in turn means I need to reorganize my shop, and that’s good news for my hunting gear, because I’ll finally be able to keep it in a spot where it’s not buried under piles of horse tack and yard equipment.
I tried to tell myself that there would still be plenty of time to get ready for hunting season if I took a weekend off, because antelope archery season doesn’t start until Aug. 15. But right on the heels of archery season comes rifle season, and I have two rifles that need to be double- and triple-checked for accuracy, and I’ll need to take some time to practice with them, too.
Besides that, there are the gas prices. Riverton’s not far away, but it’ll still cost me about $500 to get there and back with fuel costs where they are. And I need to save that money so I can buy fuel to go hunting.
After it was too late to go to my reunion, I realized all these excuses were just that – excuses. I should have gone. But what really kept me from going was the number they attached to that reunion – it’s our 30th. Ugh. Talk about a punch in the gut. I know now I avoided it because it’s just one more reminder that I’m not 20 anymore. Which is all the more reason to take the time to get ready for hunting season, when you think about it.
