Theres nothing quite like the smell of pluff
mud, salt water and oysters in the morning. We are so blessed and fortunate to have this view and serenity on the lower Leadenwah.

To wake to to the smells of the creek and the sounds of birds chirping, donkeys braying, roosters crowing over morning coffee starts my day out on such a peaceful note.

Life is what hat you make of it. Daily. Either you can make it difficult or make it wonderful. You can choose to dwell on things you can't control or have no control of, or you can move forward. You can wallow in your pain or grief or sadness or anger, or you can let it go. Personally, I've done a lot of "wallowing in grief" but with good reason. Today though is going to be amazing, and it all started with pluff mud, salt water and oysters. Oh, and a wee little spotted fawn in the front yard ❤️❤️❤️

B & I went hunting last night.  Neither of us saw anything. Heard some shots so know they were walking somwhere.  When we were walking in the house he hugged me and said how blessed we have been by the deer gods this year.  I killed my first ever buck, he was awesome (getting mounted, thanks B). B killed the biggest body weight, oldest deer he's ever killed, in fact he aged out on the teeth chart according to the jaw bone charts  (also getting mounted). B also killed two cull bucks (the ones who need to go because they're just not right, or they're all they're going to be and not produce any bigger rack then they have, and the better ones need to be breeding,  and I killed a doe as well.  We have plenty of meat in the freezer for this coming year, and are enjoying packing some up and giving it to family, as well as a few who need it. Above all, we only hunt responsibly and ethically.  B only hunts with his bow, as for me, I hunt with a single shot slug gun.  We only take what we need, or what needs to go.

We are truly blessed & thankful to have this life we have.  As I look back on 2016, though there were some of the toughest moments I've ever faced, there were some awesome times too.  #whatdoesntkillyoumakesyoustronger #blessedlife #thankfullife #deergods #lowcountrywildlifeservices

With not much family left, it's just us.  Normally, we celebrate and have lunch with our "wadmalaw family" but today we are spending the day just the three of us... and Patsy cause we adopted her.  On the menu... Skeet... yeah, I know you can't eat them but wow we had fun. #redneckfireworks lol but when they explode they do remind me of fireworks.  

B got to break in his new Beretta he got about 2 years ago, being a true bow-hunter, he doesn't ever shoot much.  We broke out the skeet shooter, and everyone shot alot.  Well, except me with this stupid bum shoulder, but I had fun watching.  Especially Patsy, whose been wanting to shoot for a while now.  It was alot of work for B, but after seeing the smiles on all his girls faces,   he knew he was glad he went to all the trouble.  Now, time for a nap, and perhaps an evening hunt for Han & B.

Merry Christmas, y'all.  May the holidays bring you closer to the ones you love and the ones you care about.  For us, the true meaning of Christmas is family, a birthday, and togetherness.  Peace on earth and to you. 

Beyond Thankful, We had a week together... we hunted and fished and spent family time.   All our fish are catch.kiss.release.  AND released correctly where they kick off and go back to play with their friends.  We are lucky and blessed to live so close to the waterways with its bounties as we do. 

Can you list 10 things you are grateful for? 

Why do I make the ties? It all started quite simply - Early on a very foggy Sunday morning, Hannah killed her first turkey, B called it in for her. They'd spent countless hours in the woods - a jake simply wouldn't do. They saw plenty of those. They (i.e. Hannah) took hours of selfies with the video camera, and her camera, they chatted, walked, talked and called birds... Then this guy stepped in, and BAM!!! She had her first bird, well, after B jumped on it so he didn't thrash around and mess up his tail. He was a beautiful bird, what could we give B for his efforts? Hannah wanted the beard and the tail fan of course, but what about B? We wanted him to have something special. I'd heard of turkey ties, but they didn't do custom stuff - it had to be something from her bird. I talked to a friend and she made some, but they weren't what I had envisioned, so I took them apart and made what I had in my mind...

A week after this photo was taken, also on a foggy Sunday morning, Madi, Hannah's sister was in a fatal car accident... nothing would be right again... at least it's still not, 5 months later. So, I take the moments when I'm sad, or alone, or just need to occupy my brain and turn them into pretty things. Things Madi would like, things she would be proud of me for, tangible art - something pretty where there may have been darkness in my world. They are therapy if you will, or for what it's worth. I made a few, changed things up, and made a few more, decided they needed a name...

First thought was "Wild Child Ties" - because it's all about her in many ways, but that didn't exemplify what they were or where they were from (well, the original ones, now I source them from birds who naturally drop feathers and molt), so Wadmalaw Wild Ties was born - because they are all from the wild... and they are made on Wadmalaw. I named one crazy on "The Wild Child", that one's for her... MADI... forever 20... forever gone... but we live on, we make the most of each day, and I make ties... some have even had tears to fall upon them. All are made with love.

Do I want to sell them in stores or mass produce them... NO... just want to make them the way I do, one by one.

My favorite thing is making them specifically for someone, a "Trophy Tie" knowing they will wear it to some function one day, and know it's unique, and that their wife or girlfriend, or employee, or daughter had it made just for him. Even if I don't directly know the person, I still like making them specifically for someone... going through the feathers, picking out the best ones for the occasion.

So there you have it... it's why I make the ties...


#psdontdrinkanddrive #tieoneonresponsibly