I don’t know what has got into me here lately…postin every 2-3 days?? Usually a month or so between posts. Wonder what’s up with that?

I gotta admit though, I’m pretty sure of the reasonin behind it…

I’m lonely!

Seems since huntin season kicked off, dad-gum if I ain’t become a single guy once again??

Huntin Season

That dern “Lucky” a mine absolutely LOVES to hunt and fish. She’d rather do either than eat! Dang if it ain’t becoming pretty obvious that she’d rather do either than…be around me too!

That heifer!

Course some of it’s my fault too. We bought a 34 foot 5th wheel to take to the camp, that some friends of hers practically gave to us, see, one more reason I call her Lucky, and that was my biggest mistake…takin it to the camp and settin it up!

Course all this reminds me of a joke…

An 80 year old farmer married a 27 year old woman. The old man worked all the time…daylight to dark, and was give slap out when he reached the house each evening.

Bobby Ray says, “Ya know Doc, to start with it worked out great! I’d fire my rifle and here she’d come in a minute or two. Then, huntin season started up and…I ain’t seen her since!”

You guys don’t reckon “ole Lucky…?”

NAW!!

LOL!

Honestly, she does love it though. I’m very proud that she has something like that, that she so thoroughly enjoys.

Doesn’t matter if she kills a nice buck, and I’m here to testify for her, that if she does shoot one, IT IS a good un. But her enjoyment comes from just her love of the outdoors. Sittin in her tree stand, watchin the coons or turkeys, the deer feedin, or even fightin durin the rut, this is what revs her motor.

It’s been a good year for the members so far, there’s eight families I believe that are part of the camp, so it’s not a big club by any means.

The last count I’d heard was 2 seven pointers, 3 eight pointers, 1 nine pointer, and 2 ten pointers.

Me, I love the outdoors as well, but I stopped huntin some years back. I used to love it though. My kick any more is just watchin the wildlife, although I gotta say…if an exceptional one walked out on me, I’d probably be eatin that sucker.

I love though the fellowship of sittin round the fire and just bein out, but, since one of us has got to make a livin, accordin to her…I’m it!!

LOL!

After huntin season, that heifer has got just enough time to clean, grease, and put her guns up, then…

She’s goin fishin!

Now Into Fishin Season

All jokes a side…

That woman can fish! Honestly guys…she can do it!

Fresh water or salt water…she’s da man! Well…

She’s da woman anyway!

She’ll get in her boat, her house is on Lake Marion, bout a mile and a half from ours, go figure…we get married and HER house is on the lake, but now we live in OUR house here on the place???

Anyway…us men folk don’t stand a chance, do we guys? LOL.

But anyway, she’ll get in her boat down at the lake, find them shellcracker bumpin them pads some, and she’s got her hook in the water…

Just her, God, them shellcrackers and a cane pole!

At times she’ll just slaughter em!

Then, in the saltwater, which even though I’m born and raised here in Florida, I never did much saltwater fishin, she’s one of the dern best.

Her, her son Tommy and his wife Judy took me down to Little Gasparilla Island on the west coast, which they have a place on too, by the way (I did good, huh? LOL), and schooled me in saltwater fishin.

We, or better said, THEY, tore the snook and redfish up! I was astounded for a couple reasons.

First, why in the heck I ain’t done more saltwater fishin, then, dern, these guys know their stuff! Again, no question, they were the teachers and I was…the student!

Tickled them to no end too…me bein a rookie.

On top of this, I’ve always called Lucky by her last name, which was Addison, until we married of course. Still call her Addison though, and honestly she calls me by my, or our last name now…Bronson.

While out fishin in the boat with em, I say, “Hey Addison,” and THREE of them answer back…

“What?”

I KNEW IMMEDIATELY I was in trouble! 3 Addison’s in the boat and only ONE me! Had me WAY back in the back water too…just us, and a WHOLE lot a mangrove swamps! I had NO idea how to get back to the dock either!

Right then, at that very moment, my whole outlook changed. I went suddenly from Superman, to meek, mild mannered Clark Kent!

Stayed that way too.

Yes sir, no sir. Yes ma’am, no ma’am.

Shoot, come to think about it…

I ain’t been back down there with em!

She did rub a little salt in my wounds too while we were down there…

Here I was, fishin HARD, and not havin any luck?? Finally, ole Lucky with ANOTHER dern redfish on the end of her pole, says, “Here Bronson…ya wanna reel him in for me?”

Ticked me OFF to no end.

Well…ME bein ME, an ole tough Florida born and bred cracker, I gave her the what for!

“Really,” I asked. “Why sure honey, I’d love to! Thanks a million dear! Dern, I love you!”

Then, to top it off, the three of them had still been pickin at me bout my saltwater fishin skills, or better said, my lack of them, and out of the blue Lucky says,…

“Ya know what Bronson? Your fishin don’t pick up, I can see an ANNULLMENT comin down the road!”

Ya gotta know her though. She was just joshin me…

I think??

You were joshin me, right Lucky?

Ya know, sittin here postin this this morning, with Lucky havin a place on the lake, a place on the island, and a huntin camp 4 miles from OUR (LOL) house…
Ya reckon it just might be me, who’s… “Lucky?”

NAW!!

Me either!

All jokin aside though, God did Bless me with Kathrine, and I’m thankful to Him for it. She was a wonderful friend to Deb for many, many years and you don’t know how much comfort that is. No question Kathrine loved her, and Deb her as well.

This in itself has brought such a peaceful closure to the chapter of Deb and my life we shared together. Only through God’s will in Debs regard, and Kathrine and her husband Ronnie’s as well, could we be in the position we are in today.

Only through our Father’s love for us, His love for you guys out there as well, could Kathrine and I been so fortunate to find that through God having us right where He wanted us, He gave us both once more…

A reason for laughter, a reason for happiness, and the great blessing of having someone alongside you who you know really, really cares about you simply because…you’re you.

God does work in mysterious ways my friends. If anyone out there today who just happened to run across this post and doesn’t know God…give Him a chance in your own life.

If so, I know you’ll soon come to understand…unconditional love!

In closing this out this morning, I’d just like to say God Bless you and yours, and thank you so much to many of you out there who we truly consider…our friends!

Be sure to keep a smile on your face, and one in your hearts!

Oh…

If any of you guys were to run across Lucky out there in them woods somewhere, please tell her I love her, and…I’m down at OUR house, not HER house! LOL!

Also, tell her she’s at least got to come by here AFTER huntin season, cause I gathered up all her fishin tackle, got it locked up and I’m the only one with the key!

Doug and Lucky

Anyway, life has, or may I say had, been kinda a struggle since Deb passed on. To be the type of guy who had always been able to simply grab the bull by the horns and work through pretty much any type of adversity, this with Deb was in an entirely different league.

Honestly, I didn’t know if I was coming or going, and the worst part is there were so many different times I didn’t even realize I WAS having any type of problem.

But, with God’s help, and many, many good friends concern for me, along with time itself being a sort of healer, life once more is good again.

Let me emphasize one thing this morning, and if you take nothing else away from this post at all, understand this…God will never put more on you than you can tote, or shoulder, and I understand this quite well.

Firsthand.

There are so many examples of God’s love for me since Deb passed away, it’s incredible. I always knew of God, yet found little time, or better said, I never ALLOWED God time in my life.

Without getting long winded on this subject, there are even examples in my own right of total strangers stepping into my life and making a difference in my walk with God.

Sallie Kay, you’re but one example of this, and I have to say this morning, thank you so much for takin the time, AND effort, to share with me your own experience of how God changed your life.

You made a difference, Sallie Kay…a big difference!

So, guys…

If you haven’t experienced His love in your own right, which by the way you do daily, whether you realize it or not, dig into it a little. Pick up a Bible and read it, and I’m sure you’ll begin to understand where I’m coming from.

Now, what’s been happenin in my life?

Well, for starters…I’m getting older!

I stopped quite a while back buyin green bananas at the grocery store. Decided if I was for sure gonna eat the dern things, I just might wanna buy em…already ripe!

Seems logical enough, huh?

I’m also startin up a new endeavor in my life… “Isaiah’s Garden.”

Kinda just really getting into it some.

Isaiah’s Garden was what I’ll call a vision I had. A vision influenced by the Book of Isaiah, chapter 53 primarily.

Isaiah 53 is where Dub finally…GOT IT, when it comes to my really beginning to see clearly the love God has for us.

Anyway, I decided that here on our place I could not only grow vegetables and plants to sell, earn a little income without goin out the gate. Plus, it would provide for me an opportunity to meet people, and share with them the story of the difference God has made in my life.

How can it get any better than that?

Goin to start next week sellin some barbeque. Lookin forward to that part of it as well. Considerin our sign out front declarin…

“You’d have to be a rooster to get a better piece a chicken!” LOL!

Deb always loved that sayin…risqué or not.

Growin a garden, grillin some meat, and runnin my mouth. All rankin very high on my list of likes, right up there with…eatin!

Believe that next July I’ll turn our paving business over to our youngest son, Mark, or Red as I call him.

He’s a very fine young man, who took a whole passle of worry off me after Deb’s passing. Still does.

I can honestly say that there’s not a more deserving young man to take over anything. He’s a working Trojan, a fine communicator, and our customers love him.

He’ll do well.

Last, but not least, there is one other change in my life…

I remarried.

Nope, I didn’t hit the wrong keys, I actually did…remarry.

Met this lady on the internet.

In our first dialogue together, she stated that she loved to hunt, had her own lease to hunt on, and enjoyed fishin too.

She also declared she lived on a lake, had a place on an island here in Florida off the west coast, and had a really nice fishin boat.

My immediate response to her after hearing of this?

Please send me a picture of…

Your boat!! LOL!

No, in all sincerity, Kathrine has made an awfully big difference in turnin my life around as well. I’m very grateful to her for this.

We didn’t meet on the internet, but have known each other for almost 15 years.

Deb loved her, and she loved Deb in return.

Kathrine lost her husband Ronnie, over 5 years ago. There’s an old post about him, in regards to Deb nicknaming him Turtle. I loved him just as Deb and Kathrine loved each other. Literally, they became family to us.

After losing Ronnie, Kathrine never dated, and had decided that she was one and done. After I lost Deb, she took pity upon me, yeah, I have to say she did, and we’d go to dinner…for company.

Seems the more I was around Kathrine, the more I realized she was a woman with high moral standards, she took things seriously, and once she was convicted in her beliefs, she was a hard one to turn.

She was…my exact opposite! They say opposites attract, huh? LOL!

Anyway, I began to feel deeply for her, but was always wonderin…ya reckon I CAN turn her?

She wanted no man in her life, and was content with her life, just as it was. She was exactly where she wanted to be, and as she would always say, “Bronson…I DO NOT want a man in my life! I’m your friend and that’s it! I’m HAPPY!”

Shoot, I knew right then she was fightin it for sure! It was only a matter of time! LOL.

No, honestly, I’ve never worked SO hard for SO little ground gained! Courtin her was about as pleasurable as slidin down a mile long razor blade into a vat of alcohol!

That woman busted my chops ever chance she got. First to simply just run me off, and this bein her WHOLE motive to begin with, runnin me off, but as time passed, she began to derive pleasure, A LOT of pleasure from the trials and tribulations she was putting upon me.

Lookin back now, I firmly believe, it was the pleasure she was deriving from causing me such anxiety, that this eventually became her own downfall.

By enjoyin painin me so much, her guard came down just enough for my own bull-headedness to win out, and because of this she finally saw…

What a fine figure of a man I was! LOL!

Actually, I think I just wore her down, and she finally realized that Bronson wasn’t goin anywhere.

Kinda a, if ya cain’t beat em, join em type of thing??

All joking aside, I have to say that Kathrine is one fine woman. After realizing that we may indeed have some type of relationship brewing, she immediately started layin down the rules. The first of which simply being that we would NOT be seen in public together until Deb’s one year anniversary of her death.

Not just that, but we’d have nothing period, until the one year mark had passed.

She told me many times that she loved Deb so much, she owed Deb that, and to be honest, was one more reason I love Kathrine like I do.

Long story short, Kathrine and I were married after church on June 23rd.

I’m a very happy camper, and believe Kathrine is as well. Matter of fact, I know she is. But guys, Kathrine and I are one more example of how God works in your lives.

Neither of us saw this coming, her especially, but I have to say that there was no way I could have pursued her as I did without some divine intervention. That bein said in only a half jokin way.

I truly believe, and Kathrine too, that God did step in and show us that two people, who had pretty much always been close, had shared the same type of loss, yet who never dreamed that one day WE would share our own lives together as man and wife.

God does work in mysterious ways, and I feel this was His way of Kathrine and I being able to smile again with someone very special in our lives.

A new season, if you will.

I do believe though, in all my heart, that Deb and Ronnie both, are smiling down on us over this turn of events. Part of her once more insuring we have that…smile on our face, and one in our heart!

So, that’s where I’m at with my life now, my friends. You’ll be hearin from me now on a much more regular basis. Thank you all for all your support and concern…you’re all the very best!

God Bless you and yours, and please… “Keep that smile on your face, and one in your heart!”

Dub

This morning I’d like to discuss a person who is very near, and dear to my heart. She is the other, and the better half, of this site known as Dub and Deb’s.

Yesterday, at 12:15 in the afternoon, marked 5 months since my Deb passed away. Good night guys…I miss her.

I know that each and every one of us must go through passing from this life to death. I also know that when this passing occurs, prior to that…we have a choice to make in our lives.
This simply being, eternal death, or, eternal life.

I’m very proud this morning to state that I know, undoubtedly, that my Deb, through her deep conviction and belief that Jesus Christ did in fact die on the cross to wash away OUR sin, she simply went to sleep 5 months ago, then awoke…in the presence of God.

What a comfort to me personally, this is.

We started this site at the end of Jan, 2011, because of Judi and Brian, and the Canada Free Press. Little did we know what a blessing these two had instilled in our lives. By this, as I sit here this morning, I’m struck by the fact once again, of how God does work mysteriously in our lives.

Judi, Brian…I love you guys! Deb did too, by the way!

Deb and I were having such a good time cutting up with you guys, and as you can see from some of her posts early on…she was quite the character too!

She used to tell me how blessed we were with this site because in some of her writings she’d talk of growing up. This made her so happy, because through these memories, she got caught up, once again, in days gone by.

She loved sharing these memories of hers, and she stated in some of her posts that she sincerely hoped that by reading of her past, that this indeed would evoke fond memories of your own!

Shortly after starting this site though, in April, actually April 1st (April Fools Day, believe that?) Deb was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. We were told…it WAS terminal, and that there’d be no cure.

For those that know, I won’t get into the rest of this story, I’ve told it before…for those that don’t, here’s the link.

Speaking of this story, I attended a good friend’s surprise birthday party last Saturday.

Anyway, I met a guy, John, and we got to talking there at the table. Imagine that, me wanting to talk? Usually I’m the quiet, reserved guy sittin around saying nothing! LOL!

Anyway, somehow we got on the topic of Deb. I mentioned that Deb had chosen alternative treatment, and had decided against chemo after her first treatment. He then asked me to tell him the story.
I did.

Come to find out, his own wife had been through “the cancer thing” herself, a couple years back. It was found VERY early, they had a single mastectomy, and had had, no trouble since. Praise God, huh?
Well, by now the table is filling and John’s wife comes up and sits down.

John now says, “Share your story with my wife please.”

I look at John and go, “You’re killin me here John.”

He then apologizes, but I say okay, here goes…again.

Good night, I started once more, and dad-gummit, I was teary-eyed on a few occasions. The WHOLE table was listening, and I’m actin like a “titty-baby.” LOL!

Let me say this very quickly though…I’ve LEARNED…showing emotion is not a bad thing at all. At first it used to embarrass me to no end, but now…I could care less. Ain’t nothing but a thing!

They told me I could stop, but I said, “No, just give me a minute and I’ll be fine,” and I was. BUT, I also told them that this was the LAST time I’d be telling it today!

Deb’s story was, and still is such a story of inspiration, and by doing what SHE knew, in her heart, that this was indeed the way God had instructed her in this regard. To be honest…I HAVE to tell it from time to time.

I feel…it NEEDS to be told!

When Deb passed, the first couple three weeks, were very hard. I could NOT focus on anything. I’d start a project to stay busy…only to lose interest in it altogether. That’d be the end of that.
Then I came to the realization that I MUST start over…I had to focus once again on living life.

My entire character is built upon the “pedal to the metal” mentality. I’ve always believed that once I “stepped into the ring of life,” I’d take a few shots, BUT, this mentality also instilled into me that although I may indeed take a few shots, before I left the ring, I’d have chunked a few more than I took!

So, away I went. I’d put this loss behind me, and everything would be just fine. Deb had told me on numerous occasions… “LIVE LIFE! GO ON, with YOUR life, and I’ll always be there, in your heart, to help fill the void if anything ever happens to me!”

She has! She does every day!

I still have my days, plus, looking back now, I did some awfully stupid things after her passing, thinking the whole time that I was acting quite sanely, but at times I was acting quite the opposite, actually.
Only now am I getting things really back into perspective.

Grief, I’m finding out, is a come and go thing. One minute you’re feeling as if you’ve got “the bull by the horns” again, only to figure out shortly thereafter, that you ain’t even grabbing the bull at the end WITH THE HORNS!

You go through some pretty confusing times.

Anyway, I guess this post today is kinda like a thank you to Deb. She is in fact gone, but she still lives on, in my heart!

It also is a thank you to all the people out there who contacted us throughout our, actually HER ordeal, and wished us the very best. You guys sent such heartwarming condolences, and prayers. I’ll never forget this!

5 months?

This is so odd.

If you put 5 months into your mind, and consider how quickly the weeks pass in our normal, daily routines, it passes so very quickly. As an example, I can’t believe today is Thursday? Seems like Monday… was yesterday.

Do you guys go through this? I guess this comes with age, or at least that’s what I’ve always been told.

Yet this past 5 months in Deb’s regard seem…so, so long ago! It seems like it was back in my distant past. Is that crazy, or what?

I really can’t comprehend it in any other way. I try, but it just seems so long ago? I don’t know?

Strange…

Deb, as most everyone knows by now, had a saying that has always been very dear to her. It simply states, “Keep a smile on your face, AND one in your heart.”

I have to be honest with you all this morning…SHE lived this daily.

No matter what trials or tribulations lay ahead of her, or she was experiencing already, SHE ALWAYS had that smile of hers on her face, and if you knew her, you were very much aware that it was in her heart as well.

It showed constantly! Debbie was truly…a beacon of love.

I’ve been thinking about the holidays. Thanksgiving is just next week. Good night, how will I deal with it when the time comes?

But you know what…I’’ll be fine. I’ve come to realize the Good Lord has blessed me in so many ways. Bringing Debbie into my life is probably the greatest. We had 26 years of Thanksgiving daily! How great is that?

So this is exactly what I’ll be giving thanks for this Thanksgiving. Those 26 years we shared with each other! Our God continually blesses me!

We were so blessed during our lives together, and those last 9 days together were such a blessing as well. Deb was at home with me, and I was able to take total care of her. God was looking after us.

The love we had shared during our lives together was allowed to be a part of our closure as well. I am a very blessed man indeed!

How blessed? Listen to this…

1 Thessalonians 54:15-17

This comes from a letter written by Paul to the Thessalonians…

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

Then we will be with the Lord forever.

My journey into Christianity again, is only beginning. But I tell you this..I fully intend on being caught up in the clouds and being with our Lord and Savior, hoping as well that I’ll be with Deb once again…eternally.

Then, in verse 18, we are told…

So encourage each other with these words.

This, as Christians, is exactly what God wants us to do. Encourage others. We can make a difference in a persons life, saved, or not, simply through…encouragement.

How hard is that?

In closing today I’d like to share with you guys a video I did, I think about 16 days after Deb’s passing. I don’t think I ever put this up on this site, but only on YouTube. If I did, I apologize.

I know that I had told of Deb’s passing in the post I linked to above, but just like you guys, we have so many friends on YouTube that consoled and prayed for us during that time, I knew I had to let them know about Deb too.

To all you guys out there, this is not about me, but about the love Deb and I shared. It was incredible guys, it really was.

If I could ever bless you guys with anything, it’d be simply for you all, when your time comes, to be able to share with your own spouse, the blessing that Deb and I received. This, just being able to be at home with each other, to comfort and console each other, and to take care of your loved one just as Deb and I were blessed to do.

She would have done the very same for me.

Verse 18 spoke of encouragement, right? Well, hopefully this little story will do exactly that.

God Bless you all, and remember… “Keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!”

Dub and Deb