All Fisherman Lie
A few days ago Jerilyn and I were running the Noland Trail (it wraps around Lake Maury in Newport News) and spotted several turtles digging holes near the trail to lay their eggs. One of them had crawled over to the middle of the trail and dug a hole about 4 inches deep. Those baby turtles are due for a big surprise when they stick their little heads out of that hole for the first time. I would guess that a thousand people walk/run that trail during a typical week. Farther on down the trail I spotted my first June bug of the year. I remember as a kid, I would catch June bugs, tie a string to one of their legs and watch it fly round and round until I grew tired and released it. I was so easily entertained back then. I can only imagine what it would take to entertain me if I were a kid today.
The other day I received my monthly MasterCard statement. I always verify the charges on the statement against my receipts. On April 29, Jerilyn and I ate dinner with friends at a restaurant called “Sutton’s†in Gloucester, Va. The bill from Sutton’s came in on the statement as being charged on 5/12 and the amount was $255. Now, Jerilyn and I can eat a lot, but not that much! I talked to the owner of the restaurant and she assures me that they will correct it and I feel comfortable that she will do what she says. I am still at a loss as to how $23.61 became $255. It is important to verify all credit card charges. Reminds me of an old fishing adage that says “All fishermen lie, except you and me, and I’m not so sure about youâ€.
Jerilyn and I decided to watch a Pay-Per-View movie on our TV the other night and since it was her time to select, she picked “Happy Feetâ€. It’s an animated movie about penguins and, in particular, about one that cannot sing, since all penguins in their group are very adept at doing so. I select the movie she wants, enter the pin number to pay for it, and the credits begin. We are told who the different voices are, etc, and finally we are told who the director is. About that time I feel pressure on my shoulder, I look over to see what it is, and it’s Jerilyn fast asleep. So, now here I am, stuck with watching an animated movie when I could be watching something really good (to me). Fortunately, I recorded the movie on our DVR just in case something like this happened. Sadly, I fell asleep about 30 minutes before the end of the movie, but I have a tendency to do that when I’m watching something not particularly interesting. We still haven’t watched our recorded copy yet.
My daughter called me the other day and told me that she had been in a minor fender bender a few days before. Fortunately, she was not hurt and there was very little damage to both vehicles involved. “Dadâ€, she says, “it seems like trouble follows me everywhere I goâ€. I can certainly empathize with her. Sometimes, I think life is filled with troubles, interspersed with occasional vignettes of happiness. I promise that my outlook on life is normally better than this. I need another vacation!
The guy that is going to re-roof our house will arrive tomorrow morning to start the job. Estimates were given in early April and we were hoping the job would be accomplished by mid-May. Since the roof was leaking, I took my trusty cartridge gun and, armed with several cartridges of roofing tar, was able to plug the leaks. We got three estimates and they varied greatly ($6000). Fortunately, the guy we wanted to do the job was also the lowest bidder, so we were willing to wait until he could work us into his schedule.
Well, the big day has arrived. Today I launch The Puffer. The tide is supposed to be particularly high around 6:00pm and so, at that time, Jerilyn and I sill slide her off the pier and shortly thereafter I will be headed down the canal toward the Poquoson River. Since this is a test trip I will not be doing any fishing, but fishing is in my immediate future. I’m looking forward to it! I have not been fishing since August of 2004. Who knows, maybe all the fish have been caught. I did some work on the little 5HP motor that propels The Puffer along and cleaned and painted the bottom of the boat with anti-foul paint. My outlook on life is about to perk up. Lookout good times, here I come!
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Tommy
“Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage.”
Publius Syrus
