Another Fast Week!

 So much to Blog about that got missed last weekend.   But...as the night presses on, I find myself losing motivation...  so I will do my best to remember all of the things I accomplished this week.   So let us begin!

I went fishing again...  at the Pond with the Big Bluegills.   I have beeen there several times and discovered that if I manage to get up early... I can squeeze in an hour of fishing before work!  Pretty cool! 

So what can I catch in a mere hour?   Well,  The best I have done so far was 13 fish.   Many of them around 9 inches!   That does not include the occasional small one or bass that I toss back.  ( because the bass help keep the population of bluegills healthy!)   I can inflate the portable Kayak in around 5-10 minutes and be in the water in less than 15.   (With all my gear!)   As the autumn month press on,  the mornings have been getting colder, but I will see how long I can continue before the first frost.  

The problem with the inflatable kayak is that it is rather difficult to get out of.  Getting in is fine and fairly easy... but getting out is like pulling your self up out of a pit!  With no foot or hand holds!  And that is if there is a shore. 

The pond where I fish is surrounded with these trees with these velcro seed pods.   I honestly have never seen this tree anywhere but here.   And I remember I once Identified it.. but forgot the name.  Or the key words I used to find it on the internet!    But since it is late, I will have to ID it later.   

In the mean time, just know that this tree is a fisherman's nightmare to walk and fish through.   The cones grab onto everything and tangle it up so it is impossible to cast from shore.  For this reason, I have the inflatable kayak. 

But with only one access point,  the options for dismounting the kayak are limited.   I get wet every single time!   And not in a good, light hearted way.    The water drops off from 6 inches to about 15 inches of muck within the first 2 feet from shore.   That means if I try to stand up,  my foot sinks into quicksand that is black and smells terrible!.   And trying to beech the kayak while I'm in it is nearly impossible.   

But all of this is worth the difficulty when I am able to catch a dozen nice fish within a single hour.   And on light line (2 lbs test)  They are a lot of fun!

But what good is catching them if you are not going to eat them?   And I have had the luxury of having "fish and chips" twice this week!   I can see the appeal some people have towards making food for others.   I make a wonderful "Traditional Pub Food" meal and I have no one to share it with.   Kind of sad. 

I have also been making cornbread.   For some reason,  I had a box of this in the cupboard, and I used some for my fish fry mix.   But later, I bought some just to make it, since I love cornbread and have not had any in a long time.  

I added some blueberries that the Hinz gave me from their trip to Michigan.   The blueberries have been in my freezer for a while now and adding them to the cornbread seems like a good option.  I also have some local honey I purchased from the Farmer's Market last week...  Nothing is better on Cornbread than honey and butter.  ( Or Honey and Milk!)   

With my morning now being dedicated to the fishing thing... I have let my mushroom hunting laps a bit.   I am not terribly bothered, because I still have a fridge filled with Summer Chanterelles!   And I have been slowly eating them up in the form of stew that I cook with the crock pot.  That has been the main staple of my Haribo Lunches for the past two weeks.   Easy to make... lasts several means and I just scoop it out and seal it up in a container.   Easy prep time!  

That being said, I still go out at least once each weekend to see if I can stumble upon something good.   Today, I discovered that I missed another Chicken of the woods.   A place I have been checking all summer where I found them before.   This one was too old, so I will have to wait until next year for another opportunity.  

Today,  I started the day with a trip to Carthage Collage for a Haribo Tailgate Party.   I have really never been to a tailgate party before...so this was new to me.  I got a chance to visit with a couple of co-workers before heading out... I didn't stay for the game.   And from the looks of it, neither did many of the other folks.  But it was a good opportunity to meet up with a few of the office folks.  ( I usually never see them, except when they are leaving or at one of the plant meetings.)   And the food was good... and free!   ( Free food is almost always good!) I did have to bring my own beer... but so did a lot of the other people.   It was a fun experience. I'll have to see if I can get the group photo pic off the news event post on the Haribo site.

And lastly,  I kidnapped Christina's Dog again and we went out for a nature walk.   No mushrooms were found, but there was a dead rabbit on the trail.   It looked like it had just recently died and there was no damage to it.   Rabbits don't live long,  so it is possible that he just "died" of natural causes.  Either way,   Ladybird wanted nothing to do with him...   Which is unusual, since she usually chases them if they pop up on the trail.   Guess dead ones are not as much fun as the live ones. 

It was a pretty good week at Haribbo.    Busy, but we were able to stay on top of most things and never really fell behind.   A sense of accomplishment and pride is beginning to creep in and I get more familiar with my surroundings, my job description, and my co-workers.   We are beginning to jell as a team.  

And I know once we begin to get routine and comfortable,  things will inevitably change.  Hopefully for the better.   But for now....  I will finish this post,  finish my beer,  and prepare for tomorrow.   Because every second counts.