My Blog - My Diary

Here are two reasons to blog. Give them
great and vivid memories!

I have come to the conclusion that I ain't ever going to get rich writing my blog.  I once thought it might be possible to make a few bucks at it, but it seems that the chances are pretty remote!  Aside from the occasional free product, or gift cards, the time spent writing could be better spent panning for gold in the brook in front of my house!  The best thing about this blog, and anyone's blog, is that it is a living diary.  Lets face it, writing a diary is kind of boring.  You can't add pictures, you tube video, links, or any of that good shit!  Here I can create content rich posts that my kids will be able to look at with their kids in 30 years, and really get a kick out of.  Some of the things I treasure most are a series of letters that my Papa Mario wrote to me while I was in the Marine Corps.  These letters gave an incredibly detailed biography of his life and I am so honored and glad to have them.  Every time I write in this blog I think about those letters and what they mean to me.  Here I am getting all of the benefits of writing a diary, but it is a social diary.  I have met a ton of cool people through blogging, and the social media outlets I use to promote the blog.  For an anti social jackass like me this is a real milestone.  It's funny, I am not a big talker, but put me on Twitter where the one liner rules, and I am right in my element.  Everything is just so short and sweet.  The other thing I like about the blog, is that even though I may not have a gigantic readership, I still get a chance to highlight some things that are very important to me.  I am able to put my kids on a pedestal when they are deserving, I can poke fun at my old man publicly which is always very fun, and easy to do, I can tell the world what wonderful wife I have, and I can use my blog and social media outlets to further my volunteer work to fight pancreatic cancer.  If there was no other reason than having a written history of my daily life to let my kids enjoy with their future families, then that would be enough.  If you're not blogging I highly recommend the benefits of owning one.  If you love to write and have fun, it is a great place to be! 




Happy Blogging!


Wacky Dad

Campfire Cuisine

Tonight was a really cool night.  My 3-1/2 year old Mia and I had a chance to spend the night together at the house.  My father-in-law had the two older girls over for the night, and Cathy was at work, so Mia was stuck with her old dad!  I will preface this by saying that I had a pretty rotten day - I rear ended someone in my car today.  No injuries, but not exactly good news, especially for my vehicle!  I don't exactly have a stellar record when it come to bumping into stuff, so I am a little worried that the insurance company is going to drop me, or at the least bump my rates even higher than they already are.  Ughh.  Ok enough of that crap.  On the way home from work I got the thought in my head that it would be a great night to have a quick campfire out in the yard.  This time of year is my favorite for outdoor fires, and Mia really digs them!  I had to stop at the store anyway, so I grabbed a package of hot dogs and some hot dog buns and raced home to get the fire lit.  I ran the idea by Mia and she was totally into it!

I split a bunch of wood a couple of weeks ago, so the fire was pretty much ready to light.  Mia and I hunted around for some small kindling out in the woods and got the fire roaring in no time.  We took the hot dogs, a couple of paper plates, a lighter, some mustard, and a bag of marshmallows down to the fire pit.  All you have to do is stick the hotdog on a stick, put it over the flames for a couple of minutes, and you have a truly delicious meat head delicacy!  Mia had one, I had four!  They were great.  We then switched to marshmallows, which Mia is surprisingly good at for a 3 year old.  She only torches them about 80% of the time.  My other kids were at about a 99.5% burn rate at Mia's age.  We followed up the marshamallows by sitting and watching the flames and the stars for a half hour or so.  We ended the night with a 1/2 hour of Dirty Jobs on TV and reading two kids books.  All in all it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I have ever had together with Mia.  It really is amazing how much more you can connect with them when you're one on one, and not with the whole crew.  It was a good reminder for me that I need to prioritize these father daughter dates with all of my girls.  They are something I have always done, but when we get busy it sometimes slips by us just how important those little windows of time are to our kids.  They just think it is so cool to be alone with dad for a while, especially when you do "Dad" type of stuff with them.  I highly recommend this kind of campfire cuisine.  Go out, grab a package of hot dogs, some buns, and enjoy!

Love,


Wacky Dad   

When Your Little Girl Grows Up

My Abby!

Man, I'll tell you, the last 11 years have flown by since my daughter Abigail was born.  Something struck me tonight as I was lying with her at bedtime talking and reading, the way I have for almost every night for the last 11 years, that this nightly routine's days are numbered.  Sometime soon she'll be kicking me to the curb and doing whatever it is that teenager's do.  I'm glad it was dark in the room when I had this epiphany, because as this fact dawned on me, my eyes actually teared up.  Maybe I am a dimwit, but this fact of life has never really struck me until tonight.  I am lucky to share a close relationship with all of my daughters, and Abby and I have always had a special bond with each other.  I remember fishing with Abby when she was just a baby, she was just happy to be along.  We used to take long walks in the woods together, Abby on my back in a backpack carrier.  She used to fall asleep right on my back and her cheek used to bounce on my shoulder as she slept.  Whatever we do together we just thoroughly enjoy.  The other day we had a father/daughter day out. We went wild mushrooming (we got 4 nice hen of the woods by the way) and we had a special lunch at a hibachi grille.  I just loved watching her smile as she watched the chef cook in front of us.  We just love each other.  I am pretty proud to say that when Abby has something on her mind she is just as likely to bounce it off her old dad as she is her mom.  Maybe that isn't as rare as I think, but it sure makes me feel needed and loved.  She says to me all of the time "you're the best dad in the world" or "you're cool".  She is my biggest fan.  The feeling is mutual.  I can't be any more proud of my "little girl".  I think one good thing about having three daughters from the ages of 3 to 11 is the fact that I will be slowly weaned off my children.  I guess it's good.  Or will it prolong the agony?  Perhaps I will grow with time, but right now the thought of not having my girls around me makes my insides ache.  I know fathers that have lived through it, but I wonder if they feel such a loss.  I have never asked them.  I guess I should be glad that I have such a strong father/daughter bond with Abby,  but I sure will rue the day when she ain't my little girl any more.  It is a selfish thought, but if I could stop the clock and keep my kids like they are right now I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Abigail, to you I say "you're the best daughter in the whole world", and "you're cool".  In my mind you will always be my little girl.


Love,




Your Wacky Daddy    

Chasing Pheasant With Wacky Dad and Holly

My Crazy Holly!

     Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year.  Since I was a young kid, maybe 10 or so, I have gone out in the woods almost every year on opening day of pheasant hunting.  As a kid we had a Brittany Spaniel, the breed has now been renamed simply "Brittany".  My childhood dog was named Lady, and she really lived up to her name. She was a kind and loving dog to all.  But when it came to pheasant time she traded in her mild mannered ways for a more rock and roll style.  This dog could hunt, and was one determined pup!  Lady was a tireless hunter, commonly swimming across icy rivers to retrieve downed birds that Dad so artfully knocked down with his old bolt action 20 gauge, the same style gun I hunt with till this day.  When all the other dogs were worn out Lady was still up for the fight.  As I got older I was able to get a hunting license, and that time in the woods with my father and Lady are memories I'll never forget.  I remember the exact spot where I got my first bird, and still go back there year after year to try my luck again.  It is a dream of mine to relive that magic moment of seeing a whole covey of quail right there under that same pine tree!  As Lady grew older I used to bring her out in the woods earlier and earlier every year to get her in shape.  She always got excited to hunt, even when age started to nag at her.  We both loved being out there together.  She finally succumbed to cancer when she was about 15 years old, and I remember sobbing like a baby with my old man as they euthanized her.  That dog was like gold.  We loved her.

Ailey in the woods with me at 4 Years old on her first hunt

    I then went in the Marine Corps and even though I still hunted in North Carolina with buddies, it was always without a dog.  It just wasn't the same.  After I got out of the Corps and we had our first daughter Abigail I finally talked my loving wife into getting a dog.  Of course it had to be a Britt!  I was so excited to get another dog.  I had to have a female. I dreamed of a dog just like Lady - fine manners - but hell on wheels in the woods.  We drove out to a rural part of Connecticut when I found a breeder with a litter.  I remember all of those little balls of fur - but there was one that stood out above the rest.  Most of them were kind of sleeping or laying there like lumps, but there was one active female that was just sort of all over the place. Then the guy took out a pheasant wing and dropped it to the ground.  The little active Britt pounced on that wing as if it were the real thing and just went to town on the thing!  I was hooked!  I had the pick of the litter and she was mine!

Abby was a veteran at this point.  She is 7 years old!

Well it turns out that I did get one incredible hunter.  Holly was in the woods at about 5-6 months old and was pointing birds her first season.  She is at least as tireless as Lady ever was, and dare I say she may even have a better nose.  Lady was a much more polished bird dog due to my father's training, but Holly's instinct and drive are just amazing.  There are years when friends and I have taken over 35 birds home in a season - all shot over Holly.  This is a pretty rare feat in Rhode Island.  Holly came with a caveat though.  Although she is a great hunter, she keeps me in a permanent state of purgatory for the rest of non-hunting season - 9 months a year!  The damned dog is just insane.  Her favorite delicacy is the white stuffing that is in the couch pillows.  Holly has consumed at least her own weight in stuffing over the years.  She is also an incredible escape artist.  She used to hop the 5' fence at our old house, she actually used to hit the top of the fence with her hind paws and propel herself off like a rocket.  Once she gets out it is like trying to catch greased lightning, and since she is a born athlete, not only is she fast, but she never tires - so chasing the little sucker is a heart attack waiting to happen!  Now you would think that this sort of "puppy" behavior would end when Holly got a bit older.  Well I have been waiting for 10 years now, and have finally given up wishing for her to slow down.  Now even though it pisses me off, I have to kind of respect her spirit when she escapes in the neighborhood and still eludes me for an hour - usually ending up in some neighbors house eating their dogs food, or rolling around in some horrendously stinky "stuff"!  She still eats pillows, it is almost a daily event.  I think part of it is spite - "Well you didn't hunt with me today asshole so I am going to eat your damned pillow again"!  Truthfully Holly is nothing like Lady except in her hunting.  She is brash and bold, not "Lady" like at all.  But I have to say that whenever the air starts to get cool in the fall I look forward to watching her beautiful hunting style.  She really is poetry in motion when she is on a birds scent.

  Holly - Happy opening day you crazy little bastard!  I am looking forward to hitting the fields with you tomorrow morning for our 10th year in a row, and I know you will be as beautiful as ever!  Here is to many more together. Stay crazy!


Love,


Your Wacky Dad : AKA Man Who Likes To Hunt Birds    

Wild Mushooms for Dinner!

My haul on the way home from work

I have been totally obsessed with hunting wild mushrooms this year, and we have been very successful on our hunts.  Here are a few photos and a video of dinner at the Costantino house after a score in the woods!  Time to get out there and pick 'em!  

Mushrooming at Dusk!

Abby with a huge hen of the woods!





Oh how I wish my grandfather were here to enjoy these things.  He spent my whole adult life talking about eating wild mushrooms when he was a kid, and I never really found anything to give him until this year.  I guess where he is there are wild mushrooms on every oak tree!  Happy picking Papa!  



Bon Appetit!


Wacky Dad