Dear Wild West Texas

After visiting West Texas in 2013 I wrote this on my cell phone in a few short minutes driving back home (well I wasn't driving haha) It had such an effect on me the words just spilled out into this. It is one of my favorites. My fav paragraph is marked with **Asterisks**

 

 

Dear Wild West Texas,

I have hunted the Heart of the Hill Country & the Soul of South Texas but only passed through your land out west. You have a personality all its own that has stood the test of time, ignores the progression of technology, and has touched a piece of my soul. You, Wild West Texas, have been a blessed adventure I will never forget. 

 

I found you 50 miles from the nearest anything, with no cell phone service, a single radio station of AM only, and the only traffic traveling your roads were tire testers. Your dust has filled my nose, my eyes, and my teeth; not to mention my gear but I am thankful for your unforgiving nature. Your rocky, steep mountains and hills tested my steps but provided breathtaking views. Your canyons and draws showed off your beauty and serenity, a stark green contrast to the monotone pallet of dust, dirt, & rock. 

 

Oh Wild West Texas you are so stubborn but yet so inviting. When you showed me your sparse water I was thankful and you were gracious enough to allow animals to drink and survive. I can feel your intensity in the dryness of my hands and chapped lips but feel your softness in the fur of the rams & sheep who call you home. 

 

Thank you for revealing yourself to me in the people who live life a little slower, spend their entire day outside, work hard, are gracious for the important things in life and love every bit of it. Seeing children outside from sun up to sun down only emphasizes your true beauty and tradition and reminds me of why I want to be in the field as much as possible. 

 

Your Wild spirit captured my heart and secured a place in it. You unveiled unique animals to me I have never seen up close including Texas Dahl, Corsican Rams, & Barbado’s. You also produced Axis deer, hogs, whitetail deer, turkey, and red stag, all free roaming, unfenced and wild. You provided unlimited predators and varmints including over 10 foxes we were able to call in. As I heard them bark I said Thank You for such an open area to see and hear them. 

 

**Wild West Texas, you slowed down even more at night and wrapped your arms around me with your endless sky, countless stars, and a silence so loud it was deafening. You are a contradiction that many will never understand. From afar you are a vast, empty, endless area of rugged land that is stifling, uncomfortable, and almost painful; up close, however, as I stood in the middle of nowhere, it is your somewhere that makes me believe, adore, and love you.**

 

Although you did not provide an opportunity to harvest an animal with my bow, you did present them to be taken with a gun; I however passed on that opportunity and instead soaked up your beauty and saw things to add to my scrapbook of memories in my heart and head. I saw two gorgeous lambs that were so pregnant they could barely walk; a piece of me was hoping to witness their birth in the middle of the wild. It would have been an exquisite moment to be there and watch the circle of life from 15 yards away in my ground blind. Even though a birth didn’t happen I saw the love of a mother in nature and I am content. I know, however, that you my friend will be there to nurture them and raise them.

 

Finally Wild West Texas, you have unlocked a piece of my soul and opened my eyes to another unique place to hunt, a place to love for what it is; an unforgiving land that forces you to respect its beauty of endless skies, mountains, and rock bluffs. I hope you will remain untouched by the destruction of the city and technology; do not let it change you, but rather change the minds of those who only see you from afar. Stay Wild my West Texas friend, ill see you again soon! 

Sincerely, 

A Huntress with a Wild Heart

 

Maddie Hayes Naturals

(Insect Repellent & Lip Balm)

http://www.maddiehayesnaturals.com

 

 

Maddie Hayes Naturals (Insect Repellent & Lip Balm)

Maddie Hayes Naturals is a company that makes insect repellents and lip balms that were “inspired by one awesome dog, made for people.” Their dog Maddie Hayes survived a rough bout of tetnus and is a tough dog and inspiration to their company which is something I loved before even trying out their products.

 

 

Maddie Hayes Insect Repellent -Overview

My first impression was that it was a pump style bottle, not an aerosol that can blow away in the wind, in your face or on others. A pump style dispenser allows for control of the product, instead of wasting it. The repellent is DEET free and uses essential oils like Grape Seed Oil instead of filler products making it an Earth friendly product. I was surprised to see the final ingredient was catnip but was informed that it is more effective than DEET! Their website advises that the insect repellent is effective in repelling mosquitoes, black (biting) flies, deer flies, gnats, "no-see-ums", sand fleas & chiggers.

 

 

Application, Functionality & Scent

I knew I would be outside a lot over the 4^th of July weekend and was excited to use the repellent. I had just moved further out into the country and had noticed some mosquitoes and other bugs around more than I wanted. I pumped a small dime size amount into my hands and began applying to my leg. I put the repellent on one leg and not the other to do a comparison. A little does go a long way with this product and despite oils being used it was not greasy, oily or running down my leg. The repellent absorbed almost immediately into my leg and I didn’t notice it the rest of the night.

I set off fireworks and spent almost 3 hours outside at dusk and during the night when bugs are sometimes the worst. Not only did I not have mosquitoes biting my legs but as I sat on the ground, tail gates, and chairs I never felt the product. It was never sticky or oily; in fact I forgot I had it on. I didn’t get bit on the other leg either but with the repellent being so close to my other leg I’m sure it didn’t matter. The one leg test was more for the feel of the product on my skin; women will love how the oils make their skin feel soft and Grape Seed oil is a natural antioxidant too.

The other benefit of the repellent is the scent. Nearly all insect repellents that work have some odor or the company attempts to add a fragrance to cover the odor which makes it sticky or smell worse. The natural oils provide a light fragrance that isn’t overwhelming and gradually disappears with time, women (and men) will love the light scent and I only smelled it during the initial application. The only negative I could find about the repellent was that the light smell may not be 100% practical when hunting. Hunters try to be as scent free as possible and I am not sure how the animals would react to it. I’ll have to try it out during hunting season! The repellent is great for fishing or anything outdoors and back at hunting camp for sure though!

 

 

Maddie Hayes Lip Balm

The Maddie Hayes Lip Balm is my favorite. I never wear lipstick and rarely wear lip gloss or lip tint so lip balm is my go to product for my lips! The lip balm is made with shea butter and doesn’t contain petroleum or sugar (which I recently learned after speaking with the Maddie Hayes owner that sugar is the ingredient that causes someone to lick their lips). The application was smooth and felt light on my lips. It lasted for hours without reapplication and never got sticky.

Maddie Hayes products, both the insect repellent and lip balm, worked great and their products are Made in the USA which I proudly support.

 

Check out their products at their website http://www.maddiehayesnaturals.com and LIKE their FB page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maddie-Hayes-Naturals/226985877368492