I have always opposed purchasing video games for my children
I’ve never been able to find much value in them.
I’ve been told video games enhance hand-eye coordination, but I just couldn’t see looking at a screen and using your thumbs and fingers to push buttons as enhancement to hand-eye coordination.
Not to mention, while pushing those buttons, the gamer is sitting on the couch.
Believe me, I’ve seen kids who are very good at video games, but haven’t got a clue how to swing a hammer.

I know that this recipe is short, but believe me, it’s very sweet.
My mom subscribes to “Vegetarian Times” magazine, and as she was flipping through it earlier this week she showed me the picture of this panini.
 After seeing the picture, I thought that we had to make it. So, we did, and it was awesome.
This is ooey, gooey and just a downright tasty panini. It’s perfect for dessert, or even a sweet breakfast.

Now that summer is just around the corner, it is time to plan your Alaska vacation. The best travel season for Alaska is May through September.
We are finding that the space is filling up earlier this year than last. It’s not so much the cruise portion that fills up, it is the land portion that is far more limited on space.
Having been to Alaska several times myself, I can tell you it is easy to fall in love it.
Tours range from seven-day cruises to cruise/tours of three to four weeks.
Today, I’m writing about a 14-day tour.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been telling about my hunt on Dec. 30.
To recap, early in the day my dog had split his ear on a briar and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. My two-man blind had been stolen before we arrived at the land we hunt in Allegan County, and I tracked the thief until I only had 15 minutes left to hunt.
On top of these unexpected happenings, I was supposed to leave to join my wife for dinner with friends at the same moment I had shot a deer.

Last week I wrote about the events that unfolded prior to my evening deer hunt.
Things like the fact that my dog had gotten his ear split by a briar and we couldn’t get the bleeding to stop.
I also told you of the thief that had stolen my blind that was on private property and how this delayed me from settling in for the evening hunt.
This week you’re reading part two of this three-part story.

It’s been a few weeks now and the ringing in my ears has finally subsided.
On Dec. 30, with only two days left in the late antlerless deer season, I bagged a deer with my stainless steel Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum pistol with a 4-inch barrel. People shoot deer with pistols all the time, but I thought  my story might be of interest to you, and how it ends might make you chuckle.

These crispy crackers are perfect for any occasion, but especially around the holidays, because you can use Christmas cookie cutters to form them and add some seasonal spirit.
I made these for a Christmas Eve dinner at a friend’s house, but they would also be perfect for any hors d’oeuvre party that you have. I  served them alongside some good goat cheese.
I think they would be perfect for your New Year’s Eve party.

While you were reading last week’s article about ice fishing, I had Joe DeWeerd of Cut ‘em Close Duck & Goose Hunts on The Outdoor Show with me, and we talked about bagging some late season geese. If you’re going to bag some of these overgrown Canadian ducks, the first thing you must do is find them.
If you’re new to the game of chasing geese, you may want to head out to the Todd Farm in Allegan. The Todd Farm is the Allegan County Game Management Unit (GMU), and the late season began Dec. 28 within the unit. Outside of the unit, the late season runs from Jan. 2 - 31. There are an estimated 17,000 geese on the Todd Farm right now.

I recently read a sign in front of one of our local churches that asked, “Are you a servant in God’s church or just a bystander?”
This started me thinking about all of those who serve, and the ways in which they serve, be it in church, or for the cause of conservation and hunting and fishing heritage.
While I was thinking about those who serve, I began thinking about all of the ways that one can serve.

As I looked out my kitchen window earlier this week at the beautiful fall colors, it made me realize once again what a great state we live in and how often we take it for granted.
I have traveled and written articles about states like South Carolina, Massachusetts, Maine and New York, telling you of all the quaint, interesting little towns, cities and beaches we saw.
When I passed a bus taking people on a color tour here in Michigan it reminded me that others are drawn to our state to enjoy the small towns, beaches and scenery we have.

Whole wheat pasta, with sausage and carmelized butternut squash, how tasty.
This has autumn written all over it, if you ask me.
The whole wheat pasta and sausage fills you up and warms you up, and that’s what you need this time of year.

This is the time of the year we tend to think of Mexico and the Caribbean for warmth and sunshine.
However, it’s a great time to visit Europe, where the climate can be surprisingly mild and the cities are less crowded than the summer.

Huzzah.
It’s October, Medieval Month.
For the start of the festivities, I came up with a recipe that will stick to your ribs, and your taste buds.

Have you ever taken someone fishing, loaned them your equipment, and had them out fish you?
I had a great time last weekend. We had a group of seven teens and three fathers, including me, and we headed down to Swan Lake in Allegan to catch some crappie.
This little excursion required enough vessels to accommodate all 10 of us and trolling motors for each. In addition to boats for all of us, we also needed fishing poles.
Six of us, including me and my sons, my had rods and reels. That left four who needed equipment, so in preparation for the day my sons and I gathered every fishing rod and reel, old and new, we could find.

One of the most important tax advantages of home ownership is the deduction of mortgage interest. If you itemize deductions on Schedule A of your federal income tax return, you can generally deduct the qualified residence interest that you pay on certain home mortgages taken on your principal residence.

A couple of weeks back I learned some new bass fishing techniques.
One of them was the bird falling from the nest technique, and the other was the frog jumping from the bank technique. Last year, I learned a trolling technique used to catch crappie without live bait.

Barbados is a beautiful island to visit that has so much to offer, but many travelers sell it short and only visit for a day on as a port of call on a southern Caribbean cruise.
The island is very diverse, with many sightseeing opportunities. The vegetation overall is fertile and green, with underground streams, springs and waterfalls, like the one at the popular Harrison’s Cave.