Hunting Season - Woman Style

The hunting season officially came to a close this past weekend. While Robin spent two months freezing his butt off in a deer blind, Patty and I had slumber parties. That's our idea of hunting season.

The fun begins the first weekend in November and concludes the first weekend in January. As Robin packs his gear, loads his arsenal, and heads out to do his macho thing, Patty is packing an overnight bag in anticipation of Hunting Season - Woman Style. A typical slumber party for us includes no cooking, lots of eating out, Christmas shopping and total relaxation. It's a time of female bonding, much like the male bonding that is going on at the deer lease. The similarities end there.

We're enjoying piping hot enchiladas in a warm restaurant while the guys are feasting on Vienna Sausages (yuck) or standing in the cold over a hot grill. We crawl between warm flannel sheets and Robin strives to get warm in his sleeping bag, all in the name of machoism. We sleep late. Robin has set his alarm for 3:30 AM so he can sit in a cold blind and hope a deer - one with a huge rack - will appear in his scope.

What Patty and I enjoy most is the change in routine. Our weekend is open for whatever we want to do. Christmas shopping becomes less of a chore when sharing it with a friend. We accomplish a lot if we want to, or loll around the house in pajamas if the urge hits us. The time is so relaxing that I don't even get mad at Robin when he comes home with arms laden with dirty dishes and puts them in the sink while I'm cooking dinner. That's usually a sore spot with me, but I merely think back to the quiet weekend and figure the extra mess while I'm cooking is worth it.

Patty and I were having our morning coffee Sunday when I looked at her and said, "countdown to hunting season. Ten months!" We both wanted to cry.