Trapper Tom

This morning, Tom came riding in on the 4- wheeler after checking his traps. Mag had to stay home because she tries to sit on his lap while he is setting them. He said she is way too much help......

As soon as the girls heard the 4-wheeler they ran to the window. They are always curious to see if he has brought something home. Okay...I'm usually in the window with them for the same reason. I know he's excited to show us all if he has something. And sometimes it's just a story about a moose or a bear.............But it's always something and it's always exciting.

Oh Girls.......He has something big on the front of the 4-wheeler!" I let the girls out. They were so excited to see what he had. Tom's beaming and grinning ear to ear as he shows the girls something they have never seen or smelled before. "Ooooh......what's that?" he says to them.
He caught himself a BIG beaver in the pond he was trapping. He was so proud and so excited. So I told him to come in and have some hot coffee and some home made oatmeal cookies fresh out of the oven. mmmmm he say's as he steps into the house.

He was cold, wet and hungry, so the coffee and cookies hit the spot. The girls stayed outside to do more sniffing. Then they came in for their snack. Tom dips cookies in his coffee for them too.

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Tom's done a lot of trapping in his time. All before I met him. But it goes back to when he was so small that his dad carried him in a pack sack on his back with leg holes cut out to the winter he trapped hard and steady through spring. Stayed at the shack never coming to town. He said..." I stunk so bad...oof-ta." Than he laughed.

This is Toms third season to try and trap. He has been struggling to remember how to do it. After setting a trap at an active beaver pond this fall, he was feeling pretty confident that he finally got it right. Next day he had a muskrat. He sat on the edge of the dam and thought about it. It was a beautiful day. So peaceful and quiet. He was reflecting on all that he was thankful for in his life. Than it came to him. The last detail.

I think it has a lot to do with him coming to terms with the way he is. He's learned to laugh at the little things. He quit stressing over what he can't do and be grateful for what he can. He said it has made a huge difference.

Before he got upset when he couldn't remember, even got mad, frustrated. It made it worse. He's learned to let it go, relax, reflect. If it doesn't come and he doesn't remember...It's OKAY.