I Give Thanks ... lots of it

Today I give thanks.

And while I’m thankful first of all for family and friends, I’m also thankful for the little things.

I’m thankful when the hard-breathing dog I’ve sent into the cattails to retrieve a rooster goes silent. It means he has a bird in his mouth.

There’s always a moment of apprehension when you swing on a bird, squeeze the trigger, and watch it plummet into thick cover. Pheasants have a habit of crashing spectacularly, only to hit the ground running. You hate to leave a wounded bird, and it’s always with great relief that I watch one of the spaniels emerge from the cover holdin...