Here it is, the last post of the year at Roundrock Journal. I suppose I should make some summation of the last twelve months at my little bit of forest on the edge of the Missouri Ozarks, or I should prognosticate about the upcoming twelve months, or I should impart some sage advice about life, the universe, and everything, but I shan’t.

Instead I’ll tell you about burning a glove.

I told you the story, back here, about my intent to burn the pair of gloves I wore when I dragged that dead deer from my lake last fall. Through a combination of rain, high winds, and inertia, we didn’t have a camp fire at Roundrock until our most recent visit (which was some weeks ago). So it was only recently that I was able to act on my plan of burning the tainted gloves. And even then, I could only bring myself to half act on it.

I guess some frugal part of me objected to the idea of burning what looked like a perfectly good pair of gloves. The fire had died down. The mood was relaxed and reflective. The setting was right for tossing the gloves on the coals. And yet it didn’t feel right.

Compromise ensued. I chose to burn one of the gloves, as partial fulfillment of my plan and as partial assuagement of my guilt. (The other remains on the end of the steel bar as you can see in the link above.)

The burning was unremarkable. It smoked and smoldered and curled and collapsed, never breaking into flames. It didn’t smell bad either, which I had expected it to do.

In retrospect, burning the glove was probably not the greenest thing I’ve ever done. I suspect the lining and the wrist webbing were made from substances not found in nature, and turning those to smoke and ash likely added pollutants to the atmosphere. But the deed is done. The vow is kept. The itch is scratched. The story is told.

Onward into the new year, right?

But there is still some 2012 left, and you still have a chance to submit suggested names for the Name-the-Buck Contest. Send me your suggestions be comment or email, and sometime in the new year I’ll make my selection. I’ve already received a number of clever and creative ideas. Add yours to the list. Remember, the winner gets a round rock!

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2012 at 12:36 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.