My Friend, Sam

Dropped by to see out how Arrow was doing and check his memory.  It did not take him long to remember.

Every one wanted in on the action!

No alone time for Sam and Arrow.

Arrow did very well

and Sam did fantastic.

Thanks, Sam.

Why I Never Canoe

Stuff From Ellen's Head had a wonderful post today about going up a river.  She helped me decide what to post today.  Her tale was so wonderfully exciting, I thought I would share mine.

These are borrowed pictures from the tourist web site so I guess I am breaking no rules.

The beauty of Spring River is hard to imagine.  It has easy floats and some more difficult ones.

A few years ago, Hubby decided to take me canoeing, which may be spelled wrong, but it does not matter since I will never be spelling canoe again.

First l want you to know, I am not a water dog in any form or fashion.  We fished growing up.  My grandmother insisted we not get in the water until we learned how to swim.  Our big water trip was twice a year to some swimming hole.

So Hubby talks me into a canoe ride...no problem, honey, I will do the paddling and I promise not to tip you over.

We hit an easy float on Spring...right!  We stayed left as that was supposed to be the easy route, I now think the guide may have said, stay right, if you want to live.

I have never been in a canoe.  I do not know how to swim.  I have that life vest triple tied onto my body.  I have all my possessions in a plastic bag with an air pocket so it will float.  Now, this should have been a hint when they are telling you how to make your possesions safe, but I trusted Hubby.  With his track record, I should not have been so believing.

We take off on a gentle meandering beautiful river and then I hear a noise like I have never heard before.  I looked back at Hubby, his position has shifted, his paddle poised with a grin from ear to ear.  When I turned back, I stared face to face with an before unseen nightmare of mine...WHITE WATER.

Hubby proceeds to tell me all is fine as I grip the canoe sides enough to dent them.  We hang to the left, the water is shallow and we are moving fast.  I decide it is time to get out so I place one foot on the bank...not a good idea.  We spun around, I dropped my paddle and Hubby is laughing while I am saying, shit, oh, shit.

We finally leave this narrow safe left fork and the whole river opens up to smooth sailing and then I hear that dreaded noise again.  I know now, the spot we are facing is called a shute but I thought it was a clear road to death.

By this time I am speechless as my tiny hands grip the hollows I have made in the canoe's edges.

Hubby does pull over to the bank and says we will watch these people and if they make it, so can we.  The first canoe capsizes!  The second one makes it through.  The third, after some hairy maneuvers does make it.  Two out of three tells Hubby we can make it.

This is the point where I would have put my foot down if I could have without turning over the canoe!  I am not going through that shute!!!   Hubby and I  walk the canoe around the water fall.  He saw me crying and the screams of pure terror are making people look at us so he agrees not to take me through the shute.

Maybe my screams were misinterrupted as screams of delight. Hubby says load up, I can do this and we pop through the shute before I know to hold on.  We made it!  He did not tip me out.

I shall never go canoeing again.

Happy Easter and thanks Ellen for the subject of my post today.

Men and Their Toys

Invade the farm.

It Was A Dark, Warm Night...

as I stalked the trespassers.  Dressed in my pjs and knee high rubber boots, I quietly crept to the pond.  My ancestors, in the form of floating orbs, were with me the whole time.

The dogs were sniffing for smells that did not belong.  I had a plan, I had a camera, I was gathering evidence.

The pond greeted me with silence.  I saw no one but I would not believe my eyes, I kept searching.  By golly, I was there to take names.

I found this.

Looks like a sneak in and fish gate to me!

I will endeavor to persevere.

Time To Rant!!!

What part about private property, no trespassing, not your dad-blamed place, that some people don't understand???

Heard through the rumor mill, a few select people have been enjoying harvesting our fish.  These are some of the same people who have stolen from their own mother, gotten nothing except through lying and cheating, some of them do not have a pot to pee in and others think they own the world.

This is a pond Dad built.  This is the pond we restocked.  This is the pond where we  fed the fish and delayed in harvesting because we wanted them to reproduce.  They even had the pure unmitigated gall to call the pond by name when bragging about their thieving ways.

I surely hope that some of you get wind that I am writing about you!  I personally think you are the scum of the earth.  I know how you have stolen and disgraced the name neighbor.  I hope you are stricken with the back door trots, projectile vomiting, seed ticks and chiggers.  I hope they eat on you until you grow a sense of guilt and change your crappy ways.  You are a low life son of a biscuit eater and I am pissed...sorry, to those who don't know I can get angry.

I took a walk about dusk with a camera, hoping to catch them at the pond.  I am ordering motion activated cameras and gonna catch these people and hang them out to dry...in court!

If you want a pond with fish then build it, stock it and feed them yourselves.  Stealing is not the way to get it.  I hope you choke on fish bones, I hope you get a fish hook in your crotch, I hope you never ever are able to catch another fish in your lifetime.  I hope you have bad dreams and wet the bed.  I hope you hang in the fence and rip your pants, I hope the fish break your pole.

I am after you, so watch out, I will get you and no matter how you think you are connected, it won't make a bit of difference.  Someone is gonna fry and it won't be my fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize to my normal readers...to those that know who I am talking about, please tell them, I have declared war.  See ya in court, baby.

April 2nd:  I apologize for my ugly rant.  This is not the normal me.  I rarely get aggravated about any thing but this has my blood boiling.  If you are hungry, I will let you fish.  If you don't know how, I will teach you.  BUT NEVER STEAL FROM ANYONE, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT.

Change Is Hard...

and something I really don't like.  The power poles that were replaced after the ice storm are now being replaced again...with bigger and better posts.  I wonder if they will be strong enough to survive a tornado.

Double steel poles were erected to replace the thousands that were snapped during the ice storm last year.  Thousands were without power for over two weeks.

Now they are back!

Polluting the valley with rock that is not native.

Promising that this small culvert will hold the volume,

having no clue what rain does in this valley.

They must build roads for big equipment.

They think they are doing us a favor.

Yes, the road is pretty now.

When the rains come the road will leave.

Scattering this ugly rock through our water shed.

I am going be pissed when that happens.

They will come back and pick up the rocks

that do not belong in this valley.

The Face Of Spring