We have reached the end of another year and thinking back, I am beginning to believe that this year was shorter than last year and really it was a day longer.

My wife has said the same thing. She was talking about how fast the year has flown by. I reminded her that most probably it was the person she lives with that made things so nice and very sweet. Why I got up I was almost ready to reconsider what I had just said and decided that since I wasn’t hospital bound I’d just keep my mouth shut.

Everyone else says it is just my age that makes time fly by. That is all right as long as I am with it to keep right on flying. Christmas for us flew by, but then that holiday flies by even for the younger generation. We have grandchildren from 2 to 20, and they enjoyed it as much as any children I have ever seen. The 2-year-old is just getting into Christmas and these next few years will be a joy for her.

The older ones count the days until we are close to another Christmas. It is about time for them to realize what Christmas is all about. Then they may get like some of the older heads and look forward to the eating around the holiday. It is a joy to be with family and friends and be thankful for what we have, and also thankful for being here one more time to watch the year change over to a new one.

Christmas is the last holiday in any given year. Tomorrow will be the first day of the New Year and also the first holiday of the New Year, this time 2009.

Looking forward we have no idea about what might happen this New Year and not only hoping for the best, but working toward the best there is for all of us. We know what we went through in 2008 and most folks don’t want that to happen again. The economy went through the shredder and is still pumping out small pieces of cut up paper.

Interest rates went up and then back down. The bottom seems to have come out of the stock market, and gas went to more than $4 a gallon. Folks that don’t have to drive as related to their job just about quit driving and the price came down, hovering around a buck-50 a gallon. 2008 was not the worst year in all of our lives and neither was it close to the best either. We will get through this. We always do and this time will be no different.

We do need to have a few things to do to help get all the bad stuff off our minds. Maybe by now the river has dropped somewhat and is beginning to clear up so that we can expect to catch a fish when we are lucky enough to go to the river or lake.

Hunting has been pretty good around the Christmas holiday as the cold weather came in and gave the hunters what they had wanted. It helped the netters also and brought some of the hardier fishermen a good catch in the webbing. It does take a hardy soul to put out and check nets on some of the nights we have had lately. Your hands are constantly in the water picking up the net. Even when you get the nets checked or taken up the pain is not over. The trip back to the dock in the boat has a chill factor figured in on any exposed wet hand or arm. That is why there is usually a fire at the landing to quickly warm up the damp fishermen when they return with hopefully plenty the fish.

I am thinking that most of you are going to concentrate on the hunting side of things as our hunting seasons will begin to go out in the next few days. You best get in enough to keep you satisfied for a while as it is a long time before the fall hunting season start coming in again.

A friend, Pete, and his boys made a trip and got nine does to put in the freezer. That seems to be a lot, but with four families it won’t be that much when it is divided out. We were talking and he was almost sick at having hunted several days and not seen a good buck. He saw several but they were all small and he let them walk. But then a fellow has to eat and that is what they took the does for. They do taste better than an old buck. Now if the freezers don’t go out they will be in good shape for the rest of the winter. As a matter of fact he was bragging about having eaten deer sausage for breakfast that very morning.

Now that all of you have had a Merry Christmas, lets get on with a Happy New Year.