Category Fishing

Apr 23 2017

A Little Bit of This and That

 

Computer Maintainance

Saturday (04/22/2017) morning I was going to get on the computer to do a few things. When I got over to it there was a note on it saying that the anti- virus program needed to be downloaded. I knew it would be ending soon. I clicked on the program button in the tray. It said it needed reactivated. Now this is Nick’s ( my son) laptop. I knew he did not want to renew the paid subscription. So the reactive choice seemed ok to do. I thought this would just revert it back to the free subscription. I pushed the reactivate choice. It loaded and of course the program needed to do a restart. I let it do that knowing I would not be doing any computer stuff. Nick has his laptop set with a password. I was not going to wake him at 8 am on a Saturday on his day off. So I had to find other things to do until he got up.

When he did get up and he put in his password.  I was concerned by reactivating it I may have actually bought the subscription again. When Nick checked the virus program it had just given a free 30 trial. So I was happy that I had not accidentally bought a subscription. 🙂 Whew!

Sully’s Saturday and a Photo Shoot

Well Sully had been begging at the door all morning. So one thing I could do was take him out for some outdoor time. I walked him around the house and then clipped him to the deck rail. He was able to eat his grass and sniff some catnip under the steps. While he was doing that I decided to take some snapshots of me modeling the new hat I finished crocheting the night before.

I did my modeling by the back of BOB. I took a few with my glasses on and some with my glasses off. The glasses off ones I am doing a whole lot of squinting. I was facing east. 🙂

 

After the photo shoot, I decided I would move some stuff out-of-the-way to get this flowerbed ready to dig.

When I took the picture I had already moved the window glass out of the bed. I then moved the lawnmower. Well after I did that I looked over at the deck. Sully was up on the deck scratching the rail support. Then he was at the door telling me that he was ready to go back in the house.

The Spring Cleaning of BOB’s Loft and Living / Dining Room

After I let Sully in I had lost my motivation to dig the flowerbed. The wind was a little chilly yet. I thought we were going to go fishing later in the afternoon. So I thought I would spend the morning cleaning up BOB. I started by taking down the curtains in the loft bed, the living/dining room and the storage area for fishing gear. I got the extension cord and the vacuum out. I vacuumed the loft bed. I put a queen sized fitted sheet over it. The curtains were now washed and dried so I began putting them back up. The loft ones are always fun. I tend to forget the low ceiling and bonk my head scooting around  to each window. The front window in the loft is on two rods, one that goes through the top of the curtain and one that goes through the bottom. I got them onto the rods and was trying to clip them to the brackets they would not connect. I had put the top rod through the wrong pocket on the curtain. So I had to take them off and rethread them through the smaller top pocket.

I then put all the extra bedding up on the loft. I stowed some other extra bedding under one of the bench seats and some extra dish towels and dishcloth. I was then able to get the sheet and pillow cases off the couch and took them in to wash. While those were going I vacuumed the couch and bench seats.

Oh, by the way when David got up at 9:30 I realized that this job was not going to be done by the afternoon. It turns out that was ok, because David told me we were not going fishing until Sunday. I guess I picked the right day to Spring Clean BOB!

I had an old sheet of plexi- glass that I broke to fit over the flow through in the storage area. I cut the extra bin lid to fit in the bottom of the storage area. I now had a neat tidy place to store all the pole holders, fishing net, fish stringer, tackle boxes, branch cutter, 3 pound hammer, flashlights and umbrellas,  and shovel. We use the branch cutter later in the season when our favorite spots start to get over grown. The hammer is for pounding the pole holders in the ground. We use the shovel to level out spots for our chairs or dig steps down the steep banks. I thought you might be wondering what we used those strange items for when we went fishing.

Now that all that was safely stored I went about putting the living/dining room curtains back up. My plan was to use some old plastic plumbing tube as curtain rods like I did for some of the other curtains. It was a fail as the windows were to long and the plumbing tube would sag down in the middle. 😦 So I had to put them up like I had them before with the rings placed over the end of the boards that use to hold the blinds.

I next vacuumed all of the carpet. I put the rug back down in front of the door and put the cooler back down on it in front of the storage area. Again, I did not get before photos as I had not planned to do this it was just a spur of the moment thing. I did get afters though.

The coach made up and the curtain up.

Update on the Moonflowers

They are opening up their leaves.

 

Apr 13 2017

We Made It This Time!

No planning, just spur of the moment, throw stuff in BOB and go!

 

I am happy to report we made it over to the ponds and the 2017 Fishing Season is offically started.

 

No fish were caught, but we can at least say we have been fishing. David said that we were practicing. It was just nice to get out and enjoy the day and some nature even if the stiff breeze was a bit chilly off the pond.

 

Was not much activity from the other residents of the ponds either. I did see a few red winged black birds squawking about, a lady bug, and a couple of other sort of flying bugs. That will all change soon enough more birds, bugs and the flying biting type bugs will make an appearance.

 

Even BOB was glad to get out of the driveway for a couple of hours.

 

When we do catch fish then it will be an offically, offical start to the 2017 Fishing Season. 😀

Apr 8 2017

The Fishing Trip That Wasn’t

Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and a nice breeze was blowing up from the south. This was why we had planned to take our first fishing trip over to the ponds. We slowly started getting things ready to go at around 8:30 am. We were in no rush David wanted to get over to the ponds around noon. I got coffee made, made David some breakfast and then set about making us a lunch to take along.

Everything was going along nicely so we were all packed and ready to go a little after 11 am. We get into BOB, David turns the key and … NOTHING not even a click click click! BOB’s battery was dead!

So David gets out the extension cords, the ohm reader, and the battery charger and hooks it up to BOB. He lets it charge for about 15 minutes and tries again, well at least it clicked this time. So things are looking hopeful. He lets it charge a bit longer. Then he tests it with the ohm reader again. The battery is not holding a charge if he takes it off the charger. Now the only thing left to do is get a new battery. We have to wait for Nick to get home from work, so David can use the pickup to go back into town to get a new one.

While we wait we decide to pretend to be camping in the driveway and eat our lunch in BOB. Nick gets home just before 2 pm. David loads up the dead battery and heads to town. He gets back around 2:30 pm. He replaces the battery and the air filter housing that he had to take off to get the battery out. He gets in BOB, turns the key, and …  VRRRM VRRRRM VRRRRRRRM! Yippeee BOB is all better!

We still don’t know why his battery died. He was started up about two weeks ago when David moved him after I got done cleaning up the end of the driveway. It also was a 5 year battery that was in BOB when we bought him. We have had him for 3 years, so it could have been due.

We did not go fishing as it was already after 3pm. Also Kay and Marty came to visit. It would be rude not to stay and play with the grandson.  Fishing will just have to wait for another day.  😀

I didn’t get a photo of the new battery because David had already closed the hood.

I wasn’t going to ask him to open it again just for a photo. 🙂

Mar 24 2017

A Huntin’ I Did Go, A Huntin’ I Did Go, Hi Ho The Derry O! A Huntin’ I Did Go!

( I bet you sang that, didn’t you?)

 

While out doing my spring cleaning on Sunday (03/19/2017) I saw that there were castings on the ground. Well if there were castings it must mean that the frost is out of the ground. So I will be able to start digging my flower beds to get them ready for seeds and bulbs.
David and I have both been watching the ponds itching for the ice to go out. Well it has gone. We are going to get our fishing licenses on Saturday when we go to town. You may be wondering if I am getting a fishing license why am I going on about hunting?
Well with fishing there comes a bit a hunting. You need some bait right. So when I saw those castings on the ground I knew it was just a matter of time. Yesterday it was drizzly raining on and off most of the day. Perfect conditions for an earthworm hunt! So last night with bucket and flashlight in  hand I went a huntin’!

I bagged these beauties. It was easy pickings.

I approached my first target slowly and silently. I had to be light on my feet. I reach, make the grab, and gently pull. It was barely in its hole so it came right out. Most of them were bagged this easily. I need not have been so concerned about being stealthy. They were a bit slow and sluggish as the temperature was only between 35 and 40 last night around 8:45 pm. Later in the season this will not be the case. They will be quick to retreat into their holes at the slightest change in lighting or the merest tremble of the ground from your footsteps. That is why it is best to hunt while it is raining, your footsteps are masked by the rain if you move slowly and softly.

I did not bag every one I saw as they still had some growing to do. You don’t want to deplete your supply when you have a whole fishing season ahead of you.
I didn’t even have to go around the whole yard. I went from the deck steps over to the back door steps. Most of them were right of the edge of the grass along the side of the house. There is plenty of hunting grounds so we don’t over hunt an area.

The best things about earthworm hunting it only took about 15 minutes to get this dozen and a  1/2

and  you don’t have to pay $ 3.00 for a dozen.

I just saved three dollars and some change. 🙂

Mar 23 2017

It’s Thursday, So I Thought I Would Do A Throwback

This was my very first post.

A lot has changed since then

but we are still retired

and enjoying it!

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December 4, 2014

And So It Began

I was born with out hip sockets they were there but just cartilage. So I have had pain in one form or another because of this. I was told I would probably have early arthritis and would need hip replacement someday. I also had become overweight so that didn’t help with the pain.  I changed my diet and lost 30 pounds. I was not in pain all the time. So with this new pain-free life, I didn’t want to spend it working. So I decided to retire and begin a new adventurous retirement life. My husband was in total agreement as he had changed his diet too and was feeling better too. So what to do?

First step was to buy an RV. When you retire that is what you do right? It took us about 4 months to find the one that called out to be our RV. His name is BOB which stands for Bug Out Buggy. I wanted to call him Hank because he is a beast of an RV. He is 28 ft long and has a big engine. But BOB just fit better and has stuck.

We spent the next 6 months getting BOB road worthy. He needed some engine work. He had been sitting in a barn for sometime before we bought him. We had to replace his pip sensor. Change his oil and other routine maintenance. We also ended up doing some remodeling to the coach. We totally remodeled the bedroom and bathroom. replaced the plumbing system and removed the refrigerator, and the heating furnace.

We took it for some test runs before we went south for the winter,an overnight trip to the in-laws, a week-long trip around the panhandle of Nebraska and an overnight stay at a nearby lake.

Our trip to Arizona was supposed to be a stay for the winter, but it turned out only lasting a month as the weather turned unusually cold even down south. This when we discovered that we needed to put in a ventless blue flame heater. 🙂

So we returned to Nebraska with a better idea of what to do for our next RV adventure. We are planning to go south again but this time we are going to southeastern Oklahoma.

I will probably post some of my Facebook status of our Arizona RV adventure at a later date.

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One of the changes since then is we have a grandson now and want to spend lots of time with him.

He was born on my 48 th birthday, so I want to build a great bond with him before we head out on another extended journey in BoB.

We want and need to do more work on BoB’s coach

and of course you need moneys for that.

So on that front we have been staying close to home to save money.

We have been doing our garden, a few photos from last year’s.

and fishing to cut down on the grocery bill. Some of last year’s catches.

Finally got a big one this season. Good thing November has been unseasonably warm.
SEVEN BEAUTIFUL CATFISH !!

I have been crocheting trying to sell my items and some paperback books on Ebay.

David will be ramping up his urban gold mining this spring and  summer also.

The trip to Oklahoma is still on hold for now.

Nov 9 2016

Whooo! Hooo! Looky, What I Caught!

at around 3 this afternoon!


Started out catching the bait fish. I had to pull him through some cattails that is why he is all fuzzy. lol Then we put him on our float pole. within just a couple of minutes a big fish was messing with it. I watched and waited. David told me to just be patient. Finally I see the float disappear just under the surface. I am repeatedly saying ” He ate it!” David says set the hook, set the hook! I give a good yank and the battle is on. I go to the left to keep him out of the cattails, I think I have him lined up to bring him through to miss them and he goes to the right. I was not fast enough to keep him out of the cattails on that side. He is hung up in them now. So David takes off his boots and socks, pulls up his pants legs, and wades out with the net to get my rascally fish. THANK YOU HUBBY! I probably would have lost him other wise. Good thing we take BOB to the pond David was able to take off his wet pants and dry off. We had to have Nick bring him some dry ones. We decided we may have to start carrying a change of clothes. lol We continued fishing. David caught himself a bait fish. He had a really good bite too, but he lost his just before the bank. He said it was about the same size as mine. We came home just a little after dark. Gets chilly once the sun is behind the ridge.

 

Oct 30 2016

David’s Catfish

 

My daughter Kay, son-in-law Justin, and grandson Martin, had just stopped by the ponds to see how things were going. Then we hear David’s bell ringing like crazy. He is hollering for someone to bring the net. I take it over to the edge of the bank but it is to steep for me to get down fast enough to be of any help. So Kay gets down and I pass the net to her. She puts the net in the water sideways. David tells her to lay it flat on the bottom,  he is able to drag the fish over the net, and Kay scoops it up! Yippee team effort. David gets the fish up to BOB’s cabin door, he is trying to remove the treble hook, he asks for the needle nose pliers. I am about to hand them to him, when he says never mind the hook just fell out. The fish was only snagged behind his front fin. Good thing they got him in the net or he could have been the one that got away!

I briefly mention it in my poem, you can view the poem here.

 

 

Oct 30 2016

An Inspiring Day Of Fishing

October 27, 2016

 

Fishing was very slow, so I got my camera out and kept my self busy catching photos.

I caught these photos of some young tree ents. We don’t fish this spot on the pond often, last time we  were here the trees were fully leafed out so it was hard for me to see that they were indeed tree ents.

They looked wonderful in color! I thought they would also look great in monochrome. I think I was right!

I had to get some photos of my first catch of the day. A cute little bullfrog. He was in the leaf litter near the bank. I nearly stepped on him filling the bait bucket with water. I kept him in the bucket so if my daughter and grandson stopped by I could show it to them. I released him around 5:00 pm. They stopped about an hour after I let him go.

The coots were really close to me today. They were doing alot of diving so I could not get a good photo of them.

I was watching some water bugs swimming along the bank. Eight of them would race along wiggling back and forth in a single file line. As I watched four of them broke away and began square dancing. I kid you not! The individuals would spin in a circle while spinning around with the other 3 in a circle. Then they would swim off and catch up with the others racing along the bank.  I didn’t take photos they would never have stayed in frame or focus. They were just too fast!

I was sitting on the bench thinking of all these things I have been watching when a poem started forming in my mind.

I had to get it down on paper. I would never remember it all until we got home. It was a good thing I kept Post It Notes and pens in a pouch on my chair in BOB.

You can view the poem and the rest of the photos here.

Oct 29 2016

A Poem I Wrote While Fishing Titled: I Watched, I Waited.

I Watched, I Waited.

 

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I watched a bird overhead sail.
I watched a little frog swim into my pail.

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I watched the leaves of a tree flutter all around
I watched a small bird hopping on the ground.

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I watched the coots splash and dive.

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I watched my bobber float. Is the worm still alive?

I watched water bugs race and dance.
I watched my bell, I waited for a chance.

I watched the little frog swim away, when I released him at the end of the day.

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I watched the ground, a crawdad shell I found.

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I waited for my bell to sound.

I watched my husband fight a catfish with all his might. My daughter netted it, alright!
Oh, come on now that’s not right, when am I going to get a bite.

I watched, I waited, my bell still didn’t ring.
When is it going to do its thing?

I watched day turn to night.
I watched the stars begin to twink.
I watched to see an airplane blink.
I watched the headlights, tail lights, and big rig trailer lights.
I did not get any bites.

The fishing may have not gone my way, but what a day!
I watched, I waited, did my bobber just sink?
Yes, I caught some bait, I think.

I watched , I waited.