Fishing Follies

My Dad loved to go fishing. It was great to spend time with him fishing, but, usually, it was better when we were actually catching fish, which we did most of the time.

If the fish weren't biting, it wasn't so much fun. He got impatient sometimes, well, a lot of times. We knew then to be sure we didn't splash too much or make any loud noises, as we might get yelled at for the fish not biting. He seriously liked to catch fish. It did seem like the mosquitoes bit harder when the fish weren't.

We lived in the Land of 10000 Lakes, but, usually we only went to a couple different ones.  Beebe Lake was the closest good fishing lake, so we went there a lot. We fly-fished, wearing our old tennis shoes and wading into the  shallows. Once in awhile, we would catch ourselves in the back or the hat, or worse yet, our head! We learned not to stand too close to each other in a big hurry! We did catch a lot of Sunfish and Crappies from that lake. I even got a nice bass once!

As you may have heard, Minnesota has a bit of a winter, and we did get to walk on the lakes. Ice fishing was a unique way to spend your time. I did get to go to Lake Mille Lacs with Dad at least once, but, maybe twice, if I recall.
That lake is exactly like what you may have seen if you watched the movie, " Grumpy Old Men".  Some weekends over 4000 people can be on that lake fishing. The landscape is dotted with fish shanty's of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes there are street signs posted!

We actually spent the night sleeping  on the lake, with the car parked outside. As the lake is rather large, there are pressure ridges of ice  that will crack and pop as the wind blows, making you think  that if you looked out the window, the car might be gone. 

In the morning, the light would actually come in from the ice before it came through the window, being transmitted across the lake! It wasn't hard keeping the fish fresh, tossing them on the ice until we were ready to go. 

As we got older, Mom was able to entrust the older kids to watch the younger ones, and Dad took Mom on some fishing trips with him. Of course, on her first trip out, she nabbed a larger Walleye than Dad had ever caught!

Well, maybe some of my other siblings can tell you about some of the other fishing adventures sometime, but, for now, I hope Dad is catching some big ones in Heaven. Later, Pat

A breath of perfect air.

Having been part of a large family is a different experience, but, not all of my childhood was memorable, only because of that. There are certain memories in our life that have no association with who else was around you. They are just memories that are crystal clear in our mind as the moment that they happened. You don't just remember a part of the event, but, you remember every sound, every smell and feeling surrounding you.

This is what I am sharing today, a moment of perfection.  I got up one summer morning to a beautiful sunny day. I sat down at our kitchen table, a large table my Dad had made to seat our bunch of kids. It was crafted by laying tiles on a sheet of plywood, edging it with a chrome trim, and installing metal legs at each corner. We used it for many years, until it too became too small.

As I sat down for breakfast, usually cold cereal with milk and sugar, I became aware of being in a perfect moment. I could see the fields south of our house though the porch door. The breeze was making waves in the grain field. What a beautiful sight, the wind washing over the field.

The same breeze came through the porch door, gently crossing the kitchen and going out the back door. As it passed through the screen door, it made a sound, a heavenly sound, very hard to describe, unless you have heard it also.  The closest thing in nature is the wind in the branches of a pine forest.

At the same time, the temperature was perfect. It was not so warm as to make you sweat, but, not so cold that you couldn't wear shorts. That was our standard summer apparel, shorts, a t-shirt, and bare feet.

Whenever I need a moment of peace, I bring back my memory of that day. It was over 40 years ago, but, I have enjoy it for a lifetime. I hope you have moments of perfection in your life also. Try not to forget them.