On Friday, May 31, 1985, I was thirteen years old and eagerly anticipating my last week of seventh grade. I was on top of the world looking forward to the summer months ahead and the carefree days that awaited me. Sunshine and blue skies lie ahead. My dad, grandfather and I were nearly finished shingling…
Beat the Buzzer for Frost Seeding
The following blog post, written by Randy, appeared originally on the Ernst Conservation Seeds website on March 15, 2017: With the onset of all this March Madness, a window of opportunity is closing for landowners to get a jump on early planting of native seeds: You’re running out of time for frost seeding. And if…
The Spirit That Moves Through All Things
It was a very odd hunting “season” for me this year, starting with the loss of my grandfather right before Thanksgiving, followed by my father-in-law being hospitalized due to complications from a surgery that took place on the second Wednesday of the firearms deer season. Considering the sad circumstances, I wasn’t begrudging anyone my lack of days…
Randy Discusses “Hunters Sharing the Harvest” on Crawford County Outdoors
In this video from 2013, I talk about Pennsylvania’s Hunters Sharing the Harvest program with Duane Koller of Crawford County Outdoors. A couple important notes: The $15 hunter co-pay I mention in the video was eliminated the followiong year thanks to the generosity of corporate sponsors and support from state agencies. Also, when the hunter…
Apple Orchard Pork Roast
I’m not a chef, cook or whatever the term is for someone who knows how to prepare their own original dishes. But yesterday I created my own recipe for the first time ever. And, I’m told, it didn’t turn out half-bad. So, being the shameless self-promoter I am, I thought I’d share it with my…
A Year to Consider
Last year on this day my family and I were filled with the mixed emotions and nervous anticipation that came with the prospect of a new adventure in a beautiful place far from home. I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach as the reality of the move hit my son one night during our…
A Splitting Headache
Wood burning for heat — and all that implies — was just part of life on the farm when I was young. Dad built his own woodshed on a frame of large ash posts, with whatever lumber he had available for the walls and a corrugated metal roof for protection from the elements. We cut wood in the…
The Velcro Dog…
Show of hands if you’ve heard of the Hungarian Vizsla.  Aspen in mid-point. If your arms are still at your side, don’t sweat it. You’re not alone. Few have heard of the breed. But those who have are typically owners, or soon-to-be. You see, it’s extremely hard not to fall in love with the…
Welcome to the Good Medicine Camp!
When I was a boy growing up on the family farm in western Pennsylvania, I had a special place I visited often that I called the Good Medicine Camp. I stole the name from a Tom Brown, Jr. book, The Tracker. The name in the book was derived from an old native American belief that…
The Good Medicine Camp 