Been A While

I guess there has been a little excitement going on here lately.  My dad had a mild heart attack, but is doing fine now.  My wife had a spot of skin cancer taken off her nose.  It was the basal cell type.  I'm not sure if I spelled that right though spell check didn't nail me on it.  :)  Ben is growing like a weed.  He is all legs now.

I took my daughter and two nephews out fishing the other day to a local reservoir and let them paddle my canoe around for several hours.  They did more splashing, laughing and yelling than fishing, but they had a good time.  One bass was caught by my nephew.  I had one bass on which got off, and then something took my bait but I did not give it enough time to get it all in its mouth so the hook did not set.  At least I'm figuring out what to do a little bit at that particular place.

I've been thinking about what to do with this blog.  I'm just writing some stuff that is mainly only interesting to myself.  Yeah, it gives me something to do, but it isn't useful to anyone.  I have three going now.  One, I pretty much gave up on, and the other is a fictitious diary of a man in the future after the Lord has done away with this world.  It tells of some exploits of the character, mostly supernatural stuff, and I enjoy it.  My intention is to give Believers some things to think about that would excite them about our eternal future, and to give unbelievers a look into things that would make them want to be saved.  I do not know if it is doing either.  I only have one friend who checks it out that I know of.  He seems to enjoy it.

I have lots of things on my mind about this old world.  I am tired of it.  Unless a person has a wheelbarrow full of cash he cannot do anything.  It takes so much money for gas, and then the government requires taxes, licenses, fees, and permits just to enjoy the things God made.  I can't even put an electric motor on my canoe and use it unless I buy a license and put a bunch of numbers on the side of it.  Then there is corruption everywhere you go.  From the federal all the way down to the local government people are working to take away our money and our freedoms.  There is no accountability anymore for politicians nor for big businesses.  You can't get anyone on the phone that can do anything about complaints.  All you get is some sucker sitting in a cubicle who says, "I'll make a note of that in your records."  Nothing is ever done about anything.

I could go on about that kind of stuff for hours, but what is the use.  God told us in His word, the Bible, it would be like this toward the end.  I find myself torn between two things these days.  As an American citizen I hate to see this country destroyed by a handful of socialists.  They like to call themselves liberal progressives, but that is just to cover up what they really are.  With illegal aliens coming in by the droves every day and our government turning a blind eye to the ILLEGAL part and giving them more rights and handouts than a citizen can ever even dream of getting, that alone is taking a huge toll on us.  And I believe our leaders want it to.  They want this country as we know it to fail so we can integrate with the rest of the world.  So on one hand I get very angry about that, but on the other hand I rejoice knowing the time is near when the Lord will take us Believers out of here.  I just hope it is soon.

Surprise Your Host!

My family and I were invited to the neighbors for supper a few weeks ago.  They had several other guests visiting from around the state.  It was a fine meal, the company was good, and we had a great time.

Now, my neighbors are retired from the Navy, and most of their friends are city folk.  I have enjoyed meeting many of them, but they do not quite know what to think of me at first.  I wear nothing but bibbed overalls all the time.  Well, occasionally I will wear shorts while fishing, but even then I mostly wear my bibs.  Those who first meet me seem to get the impression I am some dumb country boy, and mostly they are right.  I am not up on the latest dining etiquette as I do not follow Miss Manner's articles, but I try to eat with my mouth closed and keep my elbows off the table.  Sometimes I catch myself with elbows on the table.  Usually after a bit, though, my new acquaintances get used to me and find I can carry on a conversation about most anything they want to talk about so long as it isn't algebra or trigonometry.

A few days before my dining invitation I had bought a bag of coconut.  Now, you might think I am a lover of coconut, or perhaps I had some recipe to use it in, but you would be wrong on both counts.  Actually, I like to chew tobacco, but to give my mouth a break from it once in a while, I will get a bag of shredded coconut to chew on.  It has the same texture as my brand of tobacco which is in fine cut grains.  I like chewing on it.  Literally.  When I use the coconut I don't have to spit however.

So there I was sitting at the head of the table with high society Debs on either side.  I had done broke the ice and had them laughing over stories and we were getting along fine.  The main course was over and our hostess went to bring out the dessert.  She had lemon meringue pie, a big raspberry cake with white icing, and something else I can not recall.  It probably was not very good or I would remember it.  But let me say that she is a wonderful cook, and in the past several years of eating her cooking I bet she only made two things I did not like.  Actually, it was three.  That is still pretty good odds though.

I was asked what I would like and I said I would have a piece of cake and a small slice of pie.  I do not get invited out very much so I like to take advantage of everything that is offered, you know.  The plate was passed around the table to me, and I politely waited until everyone else had their dessert before digging in, an act totally unobserved by everyone there I might add.  Some of them began eating right away, so any reservations on my part about fine dining etiquette was completely unfounded.  Once the hostess was seated I said something to gain everyone's attention.  I cannot recall now what I said.  Maybe it was, "burp, excuse me" or something.  Anyway, once they all looked at me I pulled the bag of coconut from my front bibs pocket and politely asked, "Would anyone like some coconut to go with their dessert?"

The hostess's eyes bugged out and her jaw dropped open and I could see the food in her mouth.  How un-bon appetite!  As I sprinkled some onto my cake one girl asked me what I was doing with coconut in my pocket.  How rude!  Another laughed out loud.  How impolite!  My wife rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, my god."  I don't know what her problem was.  Still, I did not let their offensive behavior have effect on my good manners.  I held out the bag and asked again if anyone would like some.  They all declined.   Their loss.  I neatly rolled up the bag and returned it to my pocket.  Regardless of how anyone else chooses to act, I refuse to act indecently at the dinner table.

Next time I go over there for dinner I think I am going to take a pipe wrench.  I wonder how they will pass that test?    

Fishing the New River

I had plans to go fishing this week with my neighbor on the New River, but an infection cropped up in my body and I did not feel very well and we ended up canceling.   We were looking forward to catching some bass and maybe a big catfish.  Hopefully I will be better in a few days and we can try again.

Another friend who fishes that section told us there were a whole bunch of muskie in the area.  He has been fishing there just about everyday and knows the places they lay in wait for their prey.  I have never caught a muskie before, but it sounds like I have a good chance at it there.

The New River is a fairly large river.  Like the Nile River it runs north instead of south.  I grew up fishing the section of the river that flows through Giles County in Virginia.  I also paddled canoes and kayaks in my younger days.  Back then I loved paddling more than fishing, and would travel miles at a time from one town to the next just enjoying the trip.  I was pretty good at rolling my kayak.  Anytime I flipped it over I could turn it back up right.  Some days when it was very hot I would roll it over on purpose to cool down.

One section of the river has more citation fish caught from it than any other stream in Virginia.  Seems I heard that over 50% of all citations in the state came from there.  Smallmouth bass are my favorite fish to catch.  They put up a great fight for their size, leaping from the water as they attempt to throw the hook.  There are largemouth bass in certain sections too, and I have caught a few although they were small.  Channel catfish and mudcats are the two main species of catfish on the river though occasionally a blue catfish will be caught.  The other day some guys caught one over 50 pounds where we were going to fish, but there are some in there much bigger.  Rock bass, also called red eyes, are plentiful.  They get about ten to twelve inches and are chunky little fighters.  Bluegill are scattered here and there, and in certain areas there are walleyes.  I have never caught one of those either, and I hear they are one of the best tasting fish you can eat.

The downside to fishing in the New River is some fish are not good to eat.  The river is contaminated with chemical deposits, and it is recommended that a person eat only one portion of fish a month from  bottom feeders like carp and catfish.  The bass are affected in some areas too.  I do not eat a lot of fish, but it would be nice to be able to eat what you catch on occasion.  Still, the fish themselves seem not to have much adverse reaction to the chemicals as they are flourishing very well.  I still hate that the river is contaminated though.  I often wonder if spending all those summer days as a teenager and young adult wading and swimming in the river did not have something to do with giving me leukemia.  You never know.

Since I moved to an adjoining county fifteen years ago I do most of my fishing on the New River from the Claytor Lake dam down through Radford to the Giles County border.  I usually catch quite a few nice bass during a day of fishing.  My favorite bait to use is a purple and black rubber worm.  I run the hook through it dead center so the ends dangle down on both ends.  This is called a "whacky rig" by most fishermen.  I cast it to a likely spot and just let it sink.  Usually if there is a bass near by it will nail it almost immediately.  If nothing happens I slowly reel it in which sometimes gets a strike.  I also like to throw it into moving water and let the current take it downstream.  I have caught a lot of bass which were in the rapids waiting on an easy meal to float to them.  I also have a "secret weapon" that was taught to me by a river captain who guides fishermen for a living.  It is perfectly legal, but I do not tell what it is to just anyone.  One day four of us were fishing and the other three caught five citation smallmouth bass with that technique.  It was the first time I had tried it, and I did not get anything.  Later I figured out I probably had two nice bass on my line a couple of times, but being inexperienced did not realize the bass hit that bait differently than they do most other kinds.  I know what to expect now.  That particular bait is good for catching catfish too.  Now if I can just figure out how to catch a muskie.    

Went Fishing Today

I went fishing with my neighbor today.  His name is Jeff also.  I swear he was born with a lucky horseshoe.  We have fished this certain reservoir several times in the past three years.  I have never caught more than two fish there, usually tiny crappie or bluegill.  Our first trip there Jeff caught a six pound bass.  Today he caught a muskie.  Several years ago we fished while in Florida and he caught a ten pound bass.  I have never caught a big bass, or a muskie.  Still, I am tickled when he catches a good fish.  Just don't let him know that!  That is Jeff with his muskie in the picture.   We released it unharmed back into the lake, so hopefully it will grow up and get to be a huge monster.  We almost always practice catch and release except occasionally we will keep a catfish or some crappie to eat.

It was a good day to be on the water.  The weather was great and very few other boaters were on the water.  We also saw four carp about three to four feet long and a catfish about the same length.  I tried my best to catch that cafish, but he wouldn't bite.  I found out later this evening that when carp are spawning it is hard to catch fish like bass and catfish because they are eating the carp eggs.  Maybe the Next time we go we will have better luck.  Well, maybe I will have better luck!

CORRECTION:  I just found out the fish in the above picture was not a muskie.  It is actually a pike!  Never have caught one of those either, so we are not disappointed.  :)

Little Ben

      A friend on a forum I frequent suggested I name my new Golden Retriever Ben, and I think that fits him pretty good.  Kat said she would like to see some more pictures of Ben, so I took some more today. 
      The first thing I attempted to do was take some pictures of Ben with a roll of toilet paper, the idea was to emulate the Charmin commercial with the Golden puppy.  Well, let me tell you, that is easier said than done.  I set Ben on a blanket with a roll of TP and started snapping pictures.  That little booger went off on the Charmin and tore it to shreds!  I took over 25 pictures, but he was moving around so fast most of them came out blurry. LOL.  Up until then I could have used his picture as a definition of "Laid Back."
      So then I took him outside.  He ran through the grass, jumped over landscape timbers, tried to dig up an ants nest under a stump, "attacked" Cody's tail (my German Shepherd), and chewed up some flowers.  He did all this in about 30 seconds.  Then he did it all again!  I got a few good pictures of him during this time of which I put a couple below.
      Ben is plumb tuckered out after all that play, and he is laying between my feet which he has been doing since I brought him home.  I like the little feller.  :)

     

I Guess I'll Give It Another Try!

My wife and daughter gave me an early birthday/Father's Day present.  A little Golden Retriever puppy!  It is even AKC registered.  I was wanting a female, but the breeders only had one male left.  When they heard I wanted one to help me since I am disabled they even came down on the price, which was very nice of them.  So we went and got it today.  I just posted yesterday I was thinking about getting one, and now here I am with one.

He is a lot different than a German Shepherd!   He is not hyper at all.  He doesn't try to chew my hand to shreds or go running berserk everywhere.  It was an hour long ride back from where we picked him up, but he didn't have any poopin' or pukin' accidents.  He just sat calmly in my lap or on the back seat.  I hope that is a good sign!  The parents were are the premises and they were very friendly, good looking dogs.

Well, hopefully I can teach him a few things.  Especially fetch!  

Looking For A New Puppy

I started looking for a new puppy this week.  Although German Shepherds are my favorite breed, I am thinking of getting a Golden Retriever this time.  Or perhaps a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix.  As time goes on and I find myself slowly becoming less able to get around, having a dog to bring me things seems more beneficial.  Golden Retrievers naturally fetch with just a little encouragement.  German Shepherds, in my experience, are not so easy to train for that.  Well, actually, they are easy to train to fetch, but after a while they just refuse to do it.

I have only had one Shepherd that would consistently fetch for me.  His name was Ranger, and he would bring me anything I wanted.  I could get him to bring me a stick, a ball, or even my boots.  Once I shot an arrow and lost it, and Ranger found it and brought it to me.  When he was just about six months old I was standing outside and the wind blew a Walmart bag out of the back of my truck.  It went blowing across the yard and I pointed and said, "Get that bag!"  Ranger took off, grabbed it and brought it to me.  He was such a good boy.  Everything he did was to please me.

With all the other Shepherds I've had, however, fetching seems to be beneath them.  Cody, the male I have now, knows exactly what I want him to do, but he refuses.  I can toss something and tell him to fetch it, and he will go pick it up.  But then he drops it and walks off defiantly.  He will do most anything else I tell him, but fetch is not one of them.  I have talked with others who own German Shepherds and this seems to be the norm.

I did find some mixed Labrador/German Shepherd mix pups for sale in an ad.  I have never been much of a Labrador fan.  They are beautiful dogs, and they will fetch, but they just never appealed to me.  It is one of those things I cannot really put my finger on.  Still, I thought perhaps a Lab mixed with German Shepherd might have the qualities I would like.  When I called about those pups, however, they had already been sold.  

I still think about Erin the little Shepherd I had to let go.  She will grow into a beautiful dog.  Whether she ever would have fetched or not I do not know.  I probably would not have cared if she did not.  But she is gone, and I am ready to find a replacement.  A Golden Retriever seems to be what my heart is set on, so that is what I will look for.  I have found some purebred AKC Goldens for sale but I cannot afford them.  I will keep looking.  Something may turn up before long.