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Viewing 154 - 162 out of 340 Blogs.
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Blue was parked (and not happy) on the side of the road getting pelted by a torrential rainstorm and there were more cats and dogs then a man could count. I was soaking wet inside the woods sitting on a dead limb and sheltered under a camo cover meant for my ATV. Waiting the storm out....Jukebox George.... Huh? I guess you could say I got caught short yesterday. After my friends backed out on our day of fishing I decided to go Hans Solo. Totally ignoring weather alerts for heavy rain and thunder I left Republic after picking up a parcel I'd received in the mail. I had been expecting some gourmet coffee I'd ordered in my effort to find the absolute best. I'm still looking.... A mile out of town on the backroad the rain came down in buckets and I was soon thoroughly soaked. Should I keep going or should I stop and hide under a tree? Thunder would pop and I would keep going but I could barely see. I finally pulled over to a spot under some huge pines and found a little relief from the storm. I shivered and waited while getting dripped on from above and frankly I wasn't enjoying myself very much. But, I am a patient man and a tough one to a sloshy boot. I had no appointments and in fact needed a shower and all that was missing was my favorite Coconut shampoo. It got so boring I........ looked at that box tied to the back of Blue and I thought it was a rather large box for a sample of coffee. I'm no Einstein and a little slow chasing 60 but a dim light bulb went off. I grabbed the box and under the tree I opened it and lo and behold I had received a present. An excellent surprise. Inside was a baffling baseball trivia book and a camo cover for my ATV. A rain coat for Blue? Oh my.... It was from Janet and what a precipitious present it was. She is one of few who appreciates how much I love jumping on Blue and going for a ride. She appreciates surprises because of when I would leave her I would hide little notes to surprise her. Isn't it funny how a gift from a friend could take on a totally different meaning for a guy getting wet caught short in a rainstorm? It is a good omen... Have a great weekend and the 4th of July festivities too. Be safe..... Do a simple act of kindness for another not realizing how many ways it will make them happy.... Easy...
I was sitting in the Leaky Teaky 2 and about ready to head out on the lake for a little fishing last night when I grabbed my backpack where I kept the bug dope, reached in and whoa.....a decent size garter snake had found a new home. I flipped it upside down and he slithered out, not into the water, but into my boat. Yikes. Not wanting to grab him like Steve Corwin I grabbed my needle nose pliers I had planned on using on pike not snakes and finally clamped him and tossed him into the water. He slithered away and it was another omen but I wasn't sure which kind.... After checking under my seat for Kimono Dragons, I finally got into serious fishing in a really lazy way. I set the motor on low and I'm speeding along about as fast as your great grand father on the freeway. I could hear thunder on the horizon but with luck you see WLUCTV6 had guaranteed me there would be no rain until after dark.... I've been the bizarro man lately and I'm not sure why except to say it is summer in Upper Michigan and I guess that is enough now that I think about it. Every time I think of taking a ride or just going along with Burner I am used to saying I'm too tired or I hurt too much. Now, it seems like I have been going nonstop for days and no end in sight. When I lay down at night I'm asleep before I even think about going to sleep.... I was in deep thought which happens often when life is as calm as the surface of the water that shines like diamonds when the sun is lined up right. Bammmm. A pike hit my line and I did all I could to not lose the fishing pole. I wondered how long a pike could carry my fishing pole along under the water. I think the record is three years... I worked him like a pro for about 5 minutes and I'm holding the net in one hand and trying to wrangle this beast to the boat and it's not easy. This was the lunker I've been waiting for and knew it was bigger then the 39" I caught a few years ago.... Remember that line from 'Jaws', "I think were going to need a bigger boat"? That's how I felt..... I had my phone in my third hand about to call Kris and tell him I got the big one but all I got was the shaft when that pike came out of the water at the boat, did a head spin and snapped the line at the steel leader. And he was gone with my $5 spinner in his mouth. All I could think is what would Janet say when she heard that. I think the pike will be ok and in fact now will be able to find lunch from the small fiish by just hooking them with his mouth... The big one always gets away but I know where he is and I'll get him and my spinner back next time. I did catch an uneventful 29"'er a few minutes later and all was right on the lake in my little corner of the world. The rain held off and I fileted the pike and he will be dinner tonight..... It's a beautiful morning on Island Lake and it will be another hot one today. I'm going to take a break today because it feels like Sunday morning. Tomorrow I am taking a couple friends to my favorite trout stream and hopefully we can catch our limit and if not just enjoy another day outside in the best place to live this side of paradise... Happy Thursday... Easy...
I was flyin' on Blue when I came upon a big deer and two cute fawns in the middle of the road. One twin bolted with the Mother and the other went to my right into the woods. I pulled up and turned off the engine and sat there. I knew that spotted fawn would want to get back to his mother and sure enough he came out of the brush ten feet in front of me. Big eyes sensing danger and woobly on it's feet with a beautiful brown fur. We were face to face and how cool is that? He took off across the road and the minute had passed and they were safe. My camera phone was in my pocket; I was mesmerized.... The state paved 601, my main trasportation to town. Ok. Only two miles of it. It's 12 miles to Republic and 45 minutes unless I get diverted along the way. It is a smooth ride and my tires hum a melodic chant and if it was going uphill I'd think I was going to heaven. Yea! My life is that good lately. Then my neck starts hurting and I pull over at a nice spot. I have my favorites. I talk to chipmunks sipping a cold coke from my cooler strapped to my bike. I get a thought and write it in my trusty notepad. Later it is a blog.... I'm sunburnt from many hours trolling for pike on Island Lake. I'm going to get one tonight, a lunker and I'll filet them with Kris' dandy fileting knife and I can hardly mess it up. The Y bone is the tough part but either way you'll pick out a bone or 10. I bread them and drop them in a fryer and soon they are golden brown and crunchy to the taste. Can you hear it? Lemon is a must and a loaf of home made bread vigorishly sprinkled with garlic. Yup. I bake my own bread but am still a work in progress because it sometimes comes out gooey in the middle. The birds say thanks and the blue jays are usually first. I'm heading out about 9 tonight and did you know it stays light up here until maybe 10:30 eastern?..... My Dad goes into surgery any day now to open up more arteries in his good leg. Keep him in your prayers please...
Well. I just burnt the chicken in the oven. Salvagable but regretful..... I hope your having half as much fun as I am. I am on a roll..rocky...... Easy.....
OK. What was it like?" Answering was like telling how he felt if he saw God. "It was unfriggen believable". The two ball players were sitting in the lounge of a Honky Tonk bar in Central Michigan. They'd played a day game and it was one of the players first game back from the majors to the minors. It was like going from the Penthouse Cabin to an apartment over a bar. He had been to the show and liked it. He liked the per diem daily checks, the plane flights on the custom jet and the first class motels on the road..... "It felt like I was in a circus. I was in awe of being in awe of it all". He'd wanted to be a major league ballplayer since he was a young lad. His dad had taught him the game and many nights they sat in the bleachers to watch their favorite team play. The father and the son didn't get along on a daily basis but that went out the window when they talked baseball, played catch or went for a game at the ballpark. The hot dogs were great with steamy buns, the hot peanuts and dad drank beer. They always left in the 7th inning to beat the traffic but it didn't matter because they were together. His three sisters were long gone like a homer over the center field wall..... "I wish my dad was here to see me in the bigs. His smile would cover his face and he would be bragging me up at the American Legion saying, "See I told ya". And then he would spin the bar. A piano player was doing a bluesy 'Stardust', a smoky cloud filled the room and two waitresses were arguing over a tip. "He would hit me ground balls for hours. They'd bounce off my chest or hit me in the jaw and as I was bleeding he would say, "Suck it up boy"..... The other player thought he was the only person at the table because the hot shot boy wonder from Detroit was in another world. Maybe melancholy or just just missing the man he loved the most and sometimes detested to no end. He was a man for all seasons and two of them didn't involve baseball. The son had stood over his grave and when all were gone he told his dad. "I'll make it to the show dad. I really will" And he did but he wished he could have told him, "I'm going to the show"....... He'd hit .200 (not good enough) with a homer and seven ribbies for his 13 games on the field with the greenest green and manicured by a virtuoso. The white chaulk lines were long and straight. Forty thousand fans filled the park on a Saturday night and they are cheering for you. The son wasn't able to handle the glitz, pomp and pitchers who threw invisible fastballs to the plate.... "I'll do better the next time they call me up. I know what it is like now. I wasn't prepared mentally but I am now." His roommate said, "So why are you so down?" He said with obvious tears in his eyes, "I was just thinking about my dad."....... We all want to make our Mom and Dad proud of us no matter what we do or how many times we fail. It's all about not giving up and getting back up, dusting off the cleats and chasing that dream. Mine is different from yours and the ballplayer in this story is too. He was 34 now and his career was about over. He'd probably never get called up again and he won't be waiting for the call. His dad had taught him that. Move on and have a plan and never give up.... Sleep well my friends.... Easy....
I went outside this morning and looked at Blue and he was still wet after an all day rain yesterday and I said, "Hey Blue. Wanna go for a ride?" He didn't say no and I took that for a yes and it was time for another adventure on the open road. I am the Easy Rider..... My old but capable ATV, alias aka Blue, has been having trouble starting and don't I know how that goes. I left the metal detector home with only fishing in mind and all that was missing was my leather jacket and a peace sign on my helmet. I still have that hippie dippy George Carlin tribute attitude and a bit of defiance for my 59 years young. I have a 'no war' button on my hat but wish it was a white dove and I want our soldiers home but I hate to give up on helping the people in Iraq. I'm torn like I think we all are and all we want is the dying to end so the troops can come home and enjoy what I am enjoying and what you enjoy. On the other hand I did my time and I had my war and the beat goes on and on Sonny and Cher... I pulled into the 'rusty knuckle' repair shop and they fixed up blue with a new battery connection thingy and I gave them $10 and a fair exchange is no robbery. I was good to go and hit the old railroad grade with no plan and all day to do it. It wasn't long before I came to Caps Creek which follows the grade and I pulled over ready to set bait and fish. It was here I caught my first brookie since Cancer with an eyewitness to boot. Eh Janet? I think I cried that day and I'm not ashamed to say it.... Alas, I didn't get a bite and moved on and didn't get a bite and moved on to ponder and relax my aching back and shoulder. It is a price I'm willing to pay and the reward is more then enough. I sat on a rock bluff looking at the woods and taking it all in, listening to the birds and I could smell that sweet aroma of summer flowers. The daisies and the buttercups. It takes me back to when I was a kid spending my summers up here on loan to my Grandparents in nearby Champion. Don't you love it when a smell takes you back so far you can barely remember it; a time when you barely knew yourself? The highlights and the lowlights we remember but the rest is an immature fog of what may have happened.... I'm not ahsamed to say I spent years in therapy with my guardian angel Dr. Janet who was a Christian counselor who never charged me a dime and even brought groceries for me knowing I wouldn't ask for handouts. She saved my life. She helped me sort out the end of my marriage, my drinking problems, etc. and why I went to the woods to hide. It took the solitude of the woods to set me free to find myself again. Thanks to her and others I don't hide anymore. I looked up and the heat of the sun went straight to my soul and I know I am as happy as I've ever been. Not bad considering I was in a slump for over a month waiting for warm weather and waiting for the writing urge to hit again..... Bingo. I've hit the jackpot of days and watched an Eagle soar above too. It was a beautiful sight indeed and It was time to head home. It wasn't an eventful day but it was a safe one and the fish will be there next time. The wonders of the outdoors will be always be there and I rely on that....
I'm home now and the sun is setting over the pines on Island Lake. I'm tired and sore and I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow. That's ok. It was worth it and I may not be Peter Fonda and I don't want to be. I want you to remember me for what I am... I'm Easy and I am....
I am the proud father of 19 turtle eggs I found in the knee high water that is my neighbors driveway next to the culvert. I have posted a pic of them in my gallery for you to see. I figured the turtle had a bowel movement trying to get to the dirt road that leads to the mailbox and civilization but a friend tells me that is not possible probably because I wasn't paying attention in Biology at school. They are now encased in moss from the swamp behind me that I wish was high ground. You might wonder why my neighbors driveway has knee high water but it is a long story. Turns out my Uncle put in a driveway when he was building the cabin and the state made him take it out because he was ruining a perfectly good swamp. Go figure.... I googled turtle eggs looking for a good recipe with sausage and white toast or a way to hatch them myself without having to sit on them for 77 days. Eggo my butt would hurt for sure. I also found out that turtle eggs are a sexual aphrodisiac for Mexican men but it won't help me because I flunked learning Spanish last summer and besides it wouldn't replace the little blue pill in my pocket when I go cruising the Pine Grove on a Saturday night, ole.... I've decide to take the eggs and a shovel to bury my hatching plans and the eggs because I won't be here for a couple weeks in late July as I take another adventure to Kansas City and Chicago. I hate it when a father abandons his kids when they need him. While looking for a spot yesterday I came across a huge snapping turtle laying eggs I didn't need anymore of and they look like a combatant in a Japanese B movie I saw as a kid. I hurried back home for a can of spray paint and marked a spot on his back which didn't seem to bother her and now my kids and grand kids may see him a hundred years from now walking to the mailbox. That pic pre painting will be posted as soon as my assistant gets her power back on. I hear a squirrel chewed up a transformer craving metal while she was pregnant...... Have a great day Humpty Dumpty...... Easy.....
These are a few of the police reports from late Friday night in nearby Marquette, Michigan. Can you tell it is a college town? Can you tell there is an alcohol problem in Upper Michigan? 12:37 a.m., drunk driving arrest 1:40 a.m., drunk driving arrest 2:15 a.m., minor in possession of alcohol 2:27 a.m., possible woman screaming 2:31 a.m., two minors in possession of alcohol 3:08 a.m., person without pants causing disturbance 3:35 a.m., person caught in someone else’s car 3:52 a.m., drunk person found on ground bleeding and unconscious 4:13 a.m., person crying for help 4:29 a.m., drunk person disoriented And last but not least a guy who doesn't know the night is over....
9:53 a.m., possible drunk person sitting in grass next to highway
I woke up early this morning and decided to head to Republic for a little metal detecting, a good meal in our lone restaurant and do a little trout fishing on the way home. I loaded up my atv with my fishing pole, detector and took off. At the culvert I caught an animal out in the open and it was an otter. I stopped. He looked at me and I him and poof he was gone. They are cute critters and it was a good omen...... The feeling I get on the open road is euphoric and for a short time I feel like I'm driving a car again. I can't begin to tell you what a thrill it is. My neck and shoulder ache from the bouncing and I have to manhandle the steering at times but I'm not complaining at all. I pulled into town in an hour and stopped in the Grove for coffee and the talk was of the bartender in the other bar in town. Turns out a few nights ago the police came into the bar and gave her a ticket for drunk bartending. Yea. Right. I had no idea a bartender could get such a ticket because I can't remember one who doesn't drink. They made her blow into the machine and she registered .20 shot glasses and the bar was closed and both fined........ After a decent breakfast I didn't have to make I headed to the beach to metal detect. It was 75 and hot and hot one person was there swimming. I thought this was odd but Republic leads with odd. I found two pennies and a dime. 12 cents and disappointed again. Oh well. I will not give up. That 1909 S VDB is just around the next corner..... I walked across the street to the Antique shop owned by the wizard. The guy spends all morning walking to pick up returnable cans so I don't think he is making alot of money. I told him he should cast a spell on himself to be normal but he told me wizards can't put a spell on themself. I asked him to put a spell on me so I can spell right when I do blogs. He didn't get it nor did I a spell. He's an odd duck. I noticed a couple of old perfume decanters with those neat tops on them and they were priced $3 apiece and I told him that was way low and he thanked me and raised them to $9. On the way home I remembered that Janet's daughter collects them so I will go back in a couple days and buy them. I wonder what he will charge me for them? Did I tell you I'm a bit odd too? Oh shoot, you already knew that..... I stopped at the inconvienent convienent store (out of gas again) for a few supplies and some worms, loaded up my atv and headed for the trout stream which happens to be on the way home. It was a part of the stream I haven't fished in awhile and Burner had told me all I would catch was chubs. You know about chubs? Didn't think so. They are in trout streams and when you catch one you think you have a dandy trout but it is a chub. Torks me right off and I toss them over my left shoulder for the animals. They probably will turn their nose up to them too.... I loaded up with generous layers of bug dope because I am no dope. I had one hook because I forgot to take more and that meant it would probably take me 4 minutes to toss it into a tree and be heading home with nothing in my creel. Ok. A plastic bag. Lo and behold I caught my limit, 5 over 7" and then lost my hook. I baled up to my knee in the stream on the way back to the road and that was it for me. I blew it dry on the way home..... I blew 7 hours and the time flew by. I love getting out but I spent $40 and that is why I don't go out too much. I might be odd but I am frugal. I was tired and wore out and most likely full of ticks. I did my strip with no tease on the porch and no one can see me. That's a bennie living three miles from howhere. I took a short shower from this bag overhead nailed to the cabin and the water was hot being out in the sun. I tried last summer to get Janet to take a shower on the porch but she wasn't buying. She's not odd at all..... What kind of day did you have? Do anything odd? Sleep well my friends..... Easy....
It doesn't any better then reading a good book. I found this out when I was about 8 when I asked the librarian if I could check out he books in the adult section. My passion was fueled and if you stack up all the books I've read end to end they would reach to Ernest Hemingway's childhood home in Chicago......
I'm reading Inca Gold by Clive Cussler and it is difficult for me but not like it once was... In a strange quirk of fate an infection in my brain took away my ability to read in 96. I was homebound for three months with IV's cramping my freedom and I had to learn all over again. I remember sitting at the table with Karen standing over my shoulder and I could not even get one sentence out. I took that book and threw it against the wall in anger. When I tried wading the trout streams again I fell in the rocks and threw my pole 50 feet into the marsh. It's still there but I never gave up. I was mad at God. Yea, I was. I loved reading more then almost anything short of Karen and our boys and I couldn't figure out why He would do this to me. I believe God forgives me knowing He was sending off on another path unknown to me..... Since 96 I've only read a dozen or so books and the thrill is gone because it is such a trying time getting the words in the right place. I can't explain my malady except to say it's like trying to read Russian.... Leukemia came along in 03. With it came an operation taking my spleen, six months of Chemo and then a serious stroke. This time I wasn't mad at God but I was mad for sure. As I look back now it was a blessing. Yea, it was. I love telling my cancer story. I love reassuring other cancer patients and my bald head as a badge of honor and I preached how God will provide and set us free..... All but free, I moved into a two bit trailer in Detroit. A half penny trailer court with drug dealers and malcontents. I needed others support me and that hurt more then any pain. I was as out of place as a lifeguard in the Sahara. The day I came home after my stroke a half new Gateway computer sat against the wall. I had avoided the compter like the plague because my son had told me I would never figure it out with my disibilites but my brother thought otherwise. It was a gift from heaven and my little brother Jimmy the messenger.... If I can't read why not write? I had written my first book when I was 15, had been a U.P. correspondent for the Detroit Free Press and the beat writer for UPS when I was a driver. And before my brain surgery, I was a freelance writer for the local paper the Mining Journal...... I sat in front of the screen and I wrote my book 1,000 words a day. I started a new life in Trout Falls with my best buds Easy and Pete. My real life was miserable so I went into fantasy land thinking of the real land back home I couldn't get to.... I was afraid to go outside not being a felon. Instead of the woods I had concrete. Instead of animals I had...ah...lots and lots of people. Instead of walking to the mailbox or my spot in the woods I circled the three streets in the trailer court and every step was a painful one. Later, my neighbors said I was dead man walking and they weren't far off. I had no energy at all. I was cut open and beat up. I was stared at by people who waited for me to die. I didn't.... Two years went by and I finally was up to coming home but not a one in my family was happy with my decision. They were right of course but I have something in me that keeps me going under unreal circumstances. I call it faith and being saved by grace. It was that Gracie who set in motion getting the book printed and the rest is history.... I am an author.... If you can't beat them join them.... Easy.....
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