IV's To Fish Hooks

It has been an interesting week or so.  I am playing Betty Crocker one moment, baking cookies to send to Howard as a thank you for the flies he sent.  Then, after the second dozen of cookies come out of the oven, I end up in ER... After a brief stay, I rest up and hit the road with a friend to mjy favorite water for my birthday last weekend.  Whew! There has to be easier weeks... That's for sure!  If you want to read Howard's side of things, you can find it HERE.  It's the funny side of the story.  = )

No worries... I just had a little bout of low potassium.  What was ironic was that I started feeling light headed when the phone rang and the doctor told me that my labs came back and showed a very low count and she advised me to get to the ER right away!  You can just go into cardiac arrest, that's all... Let's see... So, I get back home and bake the rest of the cookies to send and Howard gets 2 day stale sort of fresh cookies.  And as you can see, he is a very happy cookie monster geezer.  That reminds me... I think he was supposed to share with the other geezer, Mel.  Hmmm... Don't think that happened.  Maybe, because in defense to Howard, Mel is hard to find.  He is now a Pond Stalker, in search of fishies in his local ponds. 

 Yep, no longer chasing rainbows.

A week later, I get my labs in good enough shape to leave town for a little birthday fishing trip with my friend Wendy.  We venture to my favorite place in the world. 

 We would find higher water levels that we wanted.  We would find slower fishing than we wanted.  (Yes, sometimes fly shops put that "excellent fishing" on their reports to attract attention.)  All in all, we found a few rainbows and browns to keep us happy.  And after talking with others on the river, felt like we did as well or better than most.  And we got two points for braving the wind, rain, lightening and hail that pounded us on two different days that started with blue skies.  

Wendy was the "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" recipient...

Hey, I make a pretty dang good guide, don't I?!  I do know the spots.  Ha.

So, we had our fun and the game was over.

I landed one hook into a finger... but, guess what?  The River Damsel has learned to pinch down barbs...  = )   Now, if I could just avoid going to the ER again while baking cookies!

And lastly, here are my birthday socks from the hotel manager, Paul, who sells these woolies at the motel front desk.  What a nice guy to knit me up some custom socks in my favorite color.. (And with only two days notice)  The perks of being a loyal guest and a devoted fisher lady with stories to tell, most of the time... <"((((><<

Now, where is my orange juice and bananas?

The Rope ~ Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

A rope is as strong as you make it.  When anchoring a boat in a fierce windstorm, you want it to be as strong as it gets.  If it is not, that storm can toss your boat into the shore destroying it, or it can be lost out to the middle of the black hole out there.   Ropes can be made of all types of material.  Cotton, nylon, steel...etc. etc.  They all have their purpose.  Their fibers are usually intertwined to make them even stronger. 

I guess that lately, my rope seems to have frayed a bit.  Even though it has a tough core, it has been tossed like a vessel to and fro.  Life has its challenges for sure.  And if we can stay the course without being broadsided from the storm that approaches, we are doing good.  But, sometimes while weathering the storm, our cord becomes a little weaker and more frail.  It might stay in tact, but it needs repair afterwards.  And while undergoing this part of the journey, you might find that friends and family are there to help you make that rope strong again. And you count your many blessings that you can breathe in the crisp, fresh air once again as you sit and meditate at your favorite fishing hole after the storm.

Life... It might not be easy.  But, it is worth it.

Bushwacked

Two weeks later... I'm bushwacked.
Yes, as in tired... The River Damsel, tired?   Hard to believe, I know.  But, sometimes I need to learn how to slow down and not run, run, run...  Exhaustion has set in.  Yes, I need to listen to Howard more.  He just might have something there about taking things at a slower pace and even reading a good book from time to time.  It just might be the relaxation that I need!   Well, let me get you up to speed on what I have been doing 
the last couple of weeks.

Letting great catches flop out of my net and over my arm and well... yeah.

Finding a huge brown trout at the end of the day in shallow water.

Surprise!!!

 Sharing the banks with Kirk Werner's runaways...

Talking to "Mr. Ed" about River Public Access rights...

Attending the Heber Valley Fly Fishing Festival and saying hello to my buddy, Brian Schiele.   Yes, that would be his new book, "Trout Dreams", which even has a photo of  RD!  How about that???









Overseeing the yard clean-up which brought in a troop of about a dozen neighbors giving their time to be true "BUSHWACKERS"!!!  Love my neighbors! They are the BEST!

Who dislikes junipers as much 
as I do?  Trees trimmed, undergrowth removed, bushes and hedges cut back.  

Next matter of business...

Preparing a luncheon for two waves of friends and family following our church services...  Just around 150 or so...

You see...my son, Ryan, is leaving for two years on a church mission... 

Oh, this is just the line to the front door.  Heehee.  Yes, his parents couldn't be prouder of this fine, young man.  He loves God, family, and friends.  And it's pretty evident that they love him back... He will serve well.

So, if I have been missing for a little while, you will have to 

give me a hall pass this time around...

No rest for the weary.

Until next week, after I get all teary.