A hunting we will go … a hunting we will go …

Yep, we're going hunting. Hobbs and me. You might say, “Patti, I thought you didn't hunt, didn't like to kill things.” I don't. This is a special kind of hunt … a shed hunt. Once again, people jump to conclusions. This is not a shed such as that you might find at Home Depot or Spenard Builder's Supply. Nope, this is much more, and way better. This is a hunt to look for antlers that the deer have shed in preparation for their bigger ones to grow in.

I got these antlers on the cattle drive last year.  The brown ones were taken from a dead deer.  The white ones were sheds found lying on the ground.

I had found some deer shed on the cattle drive last October/November. It was fun, hunting, finding. So when Hobbs suggested this I jumped at it. We would go to Kansas, be picked up and taken to a farm, and turned loose. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but close.

We left home on Wednesday morning, early, and arrived in Minneapolis. We elected to overnight here and head to Kansas City the following morning, Thursday. We got holed up in a Super 8 near the airport, walked to get a bite to eat and then settled in for the night.

Our 46-hour or less (possibly 28-hours or 36-hours or so) vacation in Minneapolis.  I didn't even go the Mall of America this time.  I made up for that a year ago when I was stuck here for a couple of days.

Hobbs turned on the weather channel. Wouldn't you know it, a winter storm was coming through, and it wasn't anything small. It was a huge, triple-threat storm, with snow, freezing rain and whatever else Mother Nature was going to toss their way. Flights out of Minneapolis were cancelled, as were flights into Kansas City. It appears this trip will not culminate in us hunting for sheds. Maybe we should go to Lowe's and look for the type of shed to put tools and lawn mowers in.

On Thursday morning Hobbs went to the airport to head to Detroit to see his sister and drive to Florida with her. I elected to try to get home. So I rolled over and went back to sleep. I slept until 9 a.m., which is unheard of unless I'm up really, really late, or sick. And I was neither. Just tired I guess.

I leisurely got up, had room coffee, showered and dressed in my own time, and then headed to the airport. The first flight I may be able to get on doesn't leave until 5:30 p.m., and I was here a little after noon.

Security at this end of the building was way lighter, but it still took about 15 minutes to get through.  Not too bad.  And I had nothing but time.

Oh yeah, Chili's.  Not the best food in the world, maybe, but they do have some things I really like.

But lunch was on the agenda, Chili's Too. Don't have Chili's in Anchorage except inside security at the airport, so it was a rare treat. Southwest eggrolls with a salad with bleu cheese dressing back. Tasted great.

Southwest eggrolls.  These are beyond yummy!!

I then wandered around the airport, trying to avoid any temptations to purchase anything. Then I saw one of my favorite stores, Spirit of the Red Horse. I think every time I've ever been in there I've purchased something. This time I was trying to get through without buying a lot of things. Into the store I went, but I was not rocked by anything I saw … until … a necklace and earring set made to look like feathers of various birds. Oh my, it was beautiful. $384 worth of beautiful. Ordinarily I'd buy it, because I liked and wanted it And I did want it, but I want to pay off the credit card that I've not quite paid off each month as I usually do.

What to do. I lied. I told the lady behind the counter that I'd be back through Minneapolis in a few weeks, that I was just starting my vacation rather than ending it. If I had money left at the end, I'd get it. What is wrong with me? But I got out of the store without buying it. I narrowly escaped giving in to my temptation. But I'm still thinking about the thing!!!

A policy security guy asked if I wanted a photo on his machine.  Well, yeah!!!  It will go 25 mph.  I did not get to drive it.

Instead I went to the candy store and bought a pecan-covered caramel apple and two large pieces of almond toffee, probably two inches square. I went down to my gate to sit and wait, check e-mail, read, type this, and ate it all. Now I'm too sick to move, so don't expect I'll change my mind and go back for the necklace. Thank you, sick stomach!!!

Hoping to get on the 5:30 p.m. flight to Anchorage, but I'm way down on the standby list and the flight is full. So, probably not much chance for me. But the 8:30 p.m. flight was wide open when we checked this morning, so I should get on it. Wish me luck.

Made it … home to more snow!!!

Ugh!!!  So much for my 36-hour vacation, the week of Feb. 18.