Friday, March 13, 2015

The Compromise

So you know we had this log cabin once upon a time...
...anyone who reads my blog knows this.



It was filled with plenty of old, rustic things....
...and several dead, hairy things as well.
Every log cabin needs a few dead animals gracing the walls, don't you think?
No??
If dead animals or hunting or anything like that is not your thing,
I'll excuse you from reading any further...and I'll hold no hard feelings :)
 ~
When you have a husband and two sons who love to hunt,
it's just something you get used to.
I will tell you that every one of the dead animals (well, almost every one)
 was also eaten as meat...even the wild boars.
By the time the third one came about, we had learned how to cook it properly.
It was actually quite delicious. 
But this post is not really about shooting or eating wild game.
It's about what you do with your husband's special trophies...
...when there is no longer a cabin wall to hang them on.

Here is what has become of a few of them...


Doesn't this look like the perfect place for the wild boar heads?
(I see many of you shaking your head yes)
Some of you are probably thinking the trash can would even be better!
This is where many of the things from the cabin still remain...in our garage.
Well, let me tell you, this guy's gonna have to find another place to sleep...soon...
...that old rocker that he's sitting in will be getting a make-over this spring!


"And that goes for you too, buddy!"
I'm planning to paint these kitchen chairs black and bring them inside.


For some reason, I found this photo funny so I thought I'd just throw it in as a bonus :)



And then there are those antlers hanging above the garage door...
~
Everything else hairy in nature was sent to live with one son or the other.
Adam, my Tennessee-mountain-man-son has a rustic home just perfect for these...
...although he has yet to win the battle of hanging his prize deer above their new mantle.


I have been given the task of convincing his sweet wife that this is where it belongs.
I actually agree with him...it would look awesome there.
I mean, there will be a bear rug on the wall (when they get it hung)...
...why not a lovely deer above the mantle?
But then there was one trophy in particular...
...this one was a gift that Adam presented to his dad several years back.
Don't ask me why this was such a special buck...
...he certainly couldn't have been the biggest deer in the woods with a rack that small!
The only thing I know is father and son shared special memories while they were hunting it.
Adam cleaned, mounted, shellacked and had a special plaque inscribed saying:
When we were going through the things that we brought back from the cabin,
Jim quickly grabbed it up and firmly stated "This one's going in the house."

OK...really?...yeah, we can take it in the house...and I'll stash it in the closet.

And I did just that for a while...until he found it.

"What's this doing in the closet??"
 I gave him some excuse about it being in there temporarily...blah,blah, blah...

"I want to hang this up in here." (meaning the living room)

Not only was there no real room to hang it,
I just don't think a deer skull/antlers goes well with my decorating style...
...whatever that is...
 ...so he forgot about it again while I lollygagged once more,
this time, poking it down inside of a large faux plant.

I don't know how long it took him to see the antlers sticking out...
...but it wasn't long enough.

Here we go again.
I wasn't going to get out of it this time.
 So the other day while he was working, I thought I'd be a good wife and surprise him.
 It was really the only free spot on the wall to hang it...
...I even tried to dress it up a bit to help it fit in.

 
It just wasn't working for me.
He came home and after a while I said, "Notice anything different?"
He said, "yes...I did...thanks".

I was still not happy but, hey, you're supposed to please your man, right?
So somewhere, probably on someone's blog, I saw this idea...



I found this vintage frame years ago at Goodwill that I had stashed in a closet...
...gave it a little face lift (pun intended) and...voila!


What do you think?
You really don't have to answer that...just humor me.
(gee...my walls really look yellow in these pics!)


I'm still not a huge fan of hanging a deer skull in my living room,
but this, I think I can live with.

That's what's called compromise.
That's what we do :)

Have a splendid weekend!

 



25 comments:

  1. I think your compromise turned out quite nicely! I am not overly crazy about my fisherman/ Hunter hubby' s deer and fish mounts, but they do look okay in our basement family room. The poor guy needs at least a sliver of space to call his own! Years ago his fish mounts had to share space with a blue floral couch and a pink recliner, lol - not a good look for either of us! Ha!

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  2. too funny. deer skull decorating. :)

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  3. You are a good wife. I would not be a good wife for a hunting man who enjoyed this kind of decorating. I'd suggest that he have a man cave or trophy room of his own. That probably isn't fair. As for horns minus heads, I probably could incorporate them into a vignette somehow. LOL. The boars are particularly intense, aren't they? Compromise between couples is always good. I'm sure that your son and his wife will figure it out! I am just babbling now because I don't know what to say. Shut up, Vee! = }

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  4. I think it looks great with that frame around it. I know all about mounted heads hanging in the living room. We had a trophy deer head for many years,holding centre stage in the living room,now I have passed it on to a brother who cherishes it.

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  5. You're a wonderful woman Debby, I don't know that I would want it in my lounge either, it just wouldn't go for a start. But you have got it looking very nice and not dominating the room.

    Diana

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  6. Well done you for doing that loving compromise for your dear hubby! I think I could live with it too as your idea to frame it like that works so well!

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  7. You did good! I run into the same problems.....sigh.......I have managed, so far, to have them hanging in the extra bedroom. Everyone seems happy with that so far.....except maybe when I have company and they say they stare at them while they are sleeping..lol. For some reason I like the skull better....not so big! It looks great! Good wife you are! A great marriage is all about the compromises.

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  8. Oh sooooo funny! I have all that stuff too! Don't ya just love the dead animal thing! Ha! Finally in our new home we have moved all the dead creatures into his office! Hallauiah ! Keep the faith! When wre married to hunters that's part of the deal, Happy Spring! Cindy

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  9. I like the frame idea. May have to borrow it for my house! Great post. :)

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  10. Oh, your boar heads made me smile!! They are eerily funny! :D

    So, yes, you compromised. But since antlers are so trendy in today's decorating (at least I see them all over the home decorating blogs that I read), I think you can just consider yourself very chic and pat yourself on the back. Win, win indeed!!

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  11. Good compromise. I like what you ended up with--we do gain a lot of ideas from blog reading don't we? As far as the boar head … hmmm

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  12. Oh Debby Ray, you make me laugh. I love the vintage frame around the antlers - it just adds "more" to the look. I'll have to sow my husband :)

    I grew up with a family that did not hunt. The meat came from the grocery store, right? And of course I was a big time animal lover. Well.... I married a hunter and he has taught me quite a lot. We certainly have a few hairy heads hanging up in our living room and it's something I have simply gotten used to. To be honest, I prefer wild meat to grocery store beef. The craziest we had was Mountain Lion.... I will be fine is we never have that again! :) Elk, bear, and mountain sheep are very tasty. Anyway, I will cease my rambling for now :) Hugs to you!

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  13. We don't have hairy heads, but we have a deer skull mounted like that in our dining room...and we have 2 turkey tails in there...

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  14. I, do like the mounts on the walls, as I have sons and a husband that hunts, Since we downsized two years ago, we had no room for his full size standing bear, or the full size wild cat that was on the wall in the family room, nor the beautiful pheasant and goose, or the wolf hides, and the full size fox. We were lucky that one of the boys had plenty of room for all of them, and they look good in his house with his mounts. But we were able to keep a bear rug (hangs on the wall) several hides, bear skull, and deer horns, caraboo (sp?) horns, and 4 fish. Husband has his own bedroom I have mine (white with chandelier) and girly stuff. His room is his "den" a deer horn chandelier, gun cabinet, and all of the above we were able to fit in that room. It really looks awesome, a mans room for sure, with bedding to match, and he is happy, and I am happy the way the new smaller home turned out for both of us. I guess it is just different strokes for different folks. A lot has to do with the family you grow up with, and my dad and brother were hunters and fishermen also, and we too, ate lots of wild game, and I did enjoy it very much. My Mom was a very good cook, and I learned much from her...

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  15. Oh Debbie! What a lovely compromise - and I think you displayed a beautiful attitude towards pleasing your husband!
    Hope your Sunday is filled with precious blessings from the Lord!
    Hugs to you!

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  16. A great compromise, I love how it has been framed, the frame is a real delight.

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  17. I live in Texas, so I grew up with deer mounts on the walls. I think the frame adds a nicer touch!

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  18. The frame really made a difference...great compromise. We shared a home with my late mom and then we have moved 3 times in the last 5 years. We have such a mixed up bunch of furniture now, but we both stay home and actually live in our home. I am learning to accept that it will never be a showplace, just a comfortable place to share our days.

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  19. You've done well in the compromise dept.!

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  20. My husband isn't a hunter but his dad was. Our son lives in the house my husband grew up in now and there is a moose antler rack hanging on the living room wall from a moose that my father-in-law shot. Moose antlers are huge - at least 3 feet across - so it takes up some wall space. I'm glad there isn't a head to go with the antlers though. And our son's wife doesn't mind it. I love the frame around your husband's antler skull. It is really quite effective and nice looking. I think your son should mount the deer head above his fireplace mantel. It would work there and since the fireplace is so huge it might not be that noticeable. LOL

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  21. My husband used to hunt, but the only trophy he brought home was from Africa - a mounted kudu head with antlers that twisted about 3 feet into the air. It was a challenge to find someplace to hang that. Then we moved out of the country for a long while and the head disappeared from his parents' place. Can't say I'm sorry. And he doesn't hunt any longer, so I don't have to worry about hanging trophies. I like what you've done with the antler skull. The frame adds a lot.

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  22. Well, you are a sweetheart. I would have a hard time humoring a hunter husband. But I do think your frame arrangement thing adds an artistic touch!
    Those boar heads are another thing!! Good luck with those!

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  23. I really haven't had to deal with that sort of thing with my hubby. He didn't hunt but did fish. We ate what he caught and he didn't have to mount any of it. But my son. He hunts and he used to trap beaver. Once he and my nephew caught a otter in a trap and he felt bad cause it was just too beautiful to throw away so they had it mounted and shared possession of it. One would have it for 6 months and the other for 6 months... Now I think this was a bit extreme but his wife put up with it, lol... I think the frame is a perfect place to put the skull....

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  24. I much prefer shed antlers, but you did good Debbie! Looks nice the way you've framed it.
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.

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