Last evening Jack and I were once again catching bream when his bobber disappeared and when he set the hook, I heard a loud screech from the drag on his reel. The next five minutes were somewhat chaotic, with me trying to help him hold the rod tip up while the big cat made three long runs before coming to hand. The channel cat weighed 8.5 lbs, a respectable catch for a fisherman of any age, but a trophy to a 6-year-old wielding a 24″ Ugly Stik and a plastic reel loaded with 4 lb test line. We released the fish and she swam away to thrill some other kid another day. On the way home, he told me this was the happiest day of his life.
The Happiest Day
July 30, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Fishing Country Place
July 25, 2022 By Leave a Comment
One of the best things about living in Country Place is seeing kids learn to fish. Our boys spent many happy hours on CP water, and I am now doing my best to indoctrinate our grandson, Jack. I bought him an Ugly Stick last week and he has become quite proficient at casting and catching bluegills. Not sure how it would handle one of the 5 lb channel cats we occasionally see at the feeders, but even if it breaks his line, he’ll have a story to tell.
Mandatory Water Rationing
July 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment
This morning, I took another look at KLTV’s ten-day weather forecast and gave last rites to our St. Augustine. After some trial and error, I have finally gotten my Rachio irrigation controller re-programmed for Stage Two: Mandatory Water Rationing. The recommended durations for once-a-week watering for all thirteen stations would have had me starting the watering at 8:00 pm on Monday, so I had to go in and override with less time per zone in order to fall within the 8 hours we’re being allotted. This was a rather sobering experience when I realized that I will be watering at exactly the same time that 74 of my neighbors will be watering. (Make a note that trying to shower before 6:00 am on Tuesday will be an exercise in futility.) ¶ In a week I’ll have to let Jeremiahs know there’s no need to schedule August mowing. And I’ll have to let Bret, at Lawn Whisperer, know that we will no longer have a lawn to whisper over. Next, I need to research xeriscaping…there must be some hardy Texas weeds that grow during drought conditions. Or we could use the Vegas solution…cover the whole thing with pea gravel and spray it green.