Thursday This n That

I have been a total slug since the beginning of April.  I'm trying to rectify that now.  To that end, I actually ordered paperbacks for Up Wish Creek (which was slugness from last fall) and I built a paperback edition and cover finally for Natural Causes, AND I rebuilt the paperback cover for Blood Flow (because it no longer matches the ebook cover).  I'll probably have some kind of giveaway for all three of those sometime soon. 

Speaking of Blood Flow, it's going on sale tomorrow through the 7th - all of Independence Day week because what else do you do with a political thriller?  It's a Kindle Countdown Deal, but it'll be 99c through the whole week.  US only because I totally forgot to set the deal for the UK until just now and now it's too late.  Not that they really give a rip about our Independence Day anyway.  Maybe I'll pick a week the UK people like and have a sale then. 

Speaking of building a paperback edition, I spent a considerable amount of time and brain energy trying to figure out which page was the right page.  (It shows up left on my Word because it doesn't allow for the blank inside cover.  Derp.)  What a brainfart.  It's not like I hadn't done this 7 times before.  Sheesh.

My best 'in real life' friend's husband is having open heart surgery tomorrow.  Send positive energy winging up to Kansas City tomorrow.  K?  He's one of the good guys and we need to keep as many of those around as long as possible.  They're in short supply.

You hear about so many crappy relationships out there in the world.  I'm really lucky that I and my closest married friends all have good relationships.  You know who you are.  Give yourselves hugs for me.

I ran across a review of the book I'm reading that was posted by a 7th grade girl.  It was sad - she basically gave the book a one-star review because she didn't realize that an anthology of mystery and suspense had death in it, and the two stories she read were confusing.  I inhaled these types of stories at that age.  Of course, I'm me and I've always been this way.  Maybe she picked it up thinking it would be mysteries and suspense about stolen things instead of dead things.  She really should've gone with Nancy Drew or something. 

Okay, that's it for me.  What's on your this n that radar today?

Any Questions?

I would usually put a post like this up at Outside the Box, but since I do have followers here who don't follow there, I'm putting it here today and there tomorrow. 

You see, I'm working on the final book in the Once Upon a Djinn series.  And I want to wrap everything up, if I can.  (Not that I'll never write another genie book, but I want all the questions from books 1-3 answered in #4 so readers can leave feeling satisfied.)  To that end, I was wondering what burning questions readers would like to see answered in this final book. 

Now, yes, the book is already written.  All the way through.  And I finished the first edit pass last night.  But I might've missed something.  I don't think I did, but there's always the chance I'm wrong.  This is your chance to tell me what you're dying to know. 

Yep, there's always still a chance I won't have wrapped something up to your satisfaction.  Them's the chances we take when we read a book, don't ya know.  But I'm trying. 

To help, here are a few things I know for certain I have addressed...

- Zeke's disappearance in book 3.
- the cliffhanger at the end of book 3.
- the mysterious glimpse Jo was given into the future in book 2.
- the ultimatum the other supernaturals gave Jo in book 3.
- what happens with Reggie?
- the disappearance of Hans

Anything else?  I'm sure whatever we don't catch now, JC will catch when she gets her hands on WHTF.  But I want to know what you're thinking. 

If you have any non-genie related questions, you can ask them now, too, if you want to.  I'll answer what I can.

Sunday Update - Week 25

Hello again.  Let's jump right into it.

Writerly stuff:  I'm up to pg 158 on the editing phase for Wish Hits the Fan.  Only 38 pages left to go.  Yes, this one is a tad shorter, but action packed.  Also, my sale and marketing venture wrapped up.  It did not go as well as I'd hoped, but better than it could've gone.  Cover stuff is going well.  I got the new cover for In Deep Wish and it sounds like my artist and I are on the same page for the cover of Wish Hits the Fan. 

Readerly stuff:  I spent a lot of the week not reading.  BUT, I did snag a new book from Jennifer Lyon and inhaled it.  Savaged Dreams was amazing.  I also finished another Cat Who mystery last Sunday.  Those bring me up to a total of 48 book so far this year out of the 70 book goal.  15 books ahead of schedule.  I'll probably end up raising my goal, but for right now, since I don't know what the coming months will bring, I'm leaving it alone.  Right now I'm reading a honker of an anthology - mystery and suspense stories from the masters.  That should keep me busy for a while.

It's been too hot to fish.  I did go out once last week.  Tried several different spots and only caught one little bluegill. 

So, the lack of fishing and the lack of walking (because of the heat) has begun the slow slide into atrophied lump status.  I tried dance-exercising last week to make up the difference and after 5 minutes I quit.  Then I swept the floors, so it wasn't a total loss.

Made what I call quesadillas last week.  They are totally not quesadillas, but I call them that.  (It's probably more like a tostada.)  Fry two tortillas until they're golden.  Set them aside.  Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning/water.  Sinner until the liquid is gone.  Put one tortilla on a pizza pan, sprinkle it with cheese, spread the beef all over it.  Put the other tortilla on top, sprinkle cheese all over it.  Put it in the oven until the cheese is all melty.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.  Sometimes I put sliced olives in it.  Sometimes I saute mushrooms with the beef.  Sometimes I use chicken.  This time I put enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkled more cheese before I baked it.    Anyway, they're pretty awesome.  And it usually makes enough for two meals for us - if we aren't piggish about it.

Well, I think that's it for me.  Anything up with you?

Thursday This n That

First off...

I said I'd give you the cover when I had the cover, and there it is.  It's uploading to Amazon as I type this.  I still need to put it up everywhere else the old cover is posted.  Should be done by the end of the day. 

A former employer approached me with an interesting business proposition yesterday.  A non-writing business proposition.  I'm considering it.  Expectation is that it would take 10-20 hours a week.  During regular business hours, so it wouldn't really interfere with my writing - which I do at night for the most part.  Weighing the pros and cons now.  I should make my decision one way or the other by the end of the weekend.  I'll let you know after I let them know.

So, yesterday, some dipshit attacked an off-duty police officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, MI.  He was reportedly shouting 'allahu akbar'.  In Flint, MI.  For those of you who don't know, I grew up in a little farming community outside Flint.  I mean, Flint sucks and it has for most of my life.  I grew up knowing to stay the hell out of Flint proper because it was such a hole.  But Islamic terrorists haven't been on the radar there.  At least not for me.  Murder?  Yep.  Robbery?  Oh most certainly.  Rape, etc.?  Definitely.  But Islamic terrorism?  Wait, what?  No way.  I mean, Bishop is only an 'international' airport because it has some flights into Canada.  (I think that's it.  It may have flights to Mexico and the Caribbean by now.  I haven't actually been to Bishop since 2001.)  Of course, Flint is only about 90 minutes out of Dearborn, which has a huge - and so far low-key - Muslim population, so it probably shouldn't be as surprising as it was to me.  It's just that I wouldn't have expected to hear about this shit there.  Hell, it's only about 30 minutes from my mom.  =o\

The world, she is a changin'.  In scary, weird, asinine, unexpected ways.  I don't know about you, but it kinda makes me want to dig a bunker and become heavily armed.

But I have books to write and promises to keep and miles to go before I... Well, you get the picture.

To that end, I'm at pg 131 in my edits.  Even with the business proposition looming in my head.  Even with a phone call from the Kid last night.  Even with the world spiraling into a craptastic mess.  I'm still working.  Finally.  You have no idea - okay, maybe you do - what a relief that is.  And I'll keep working as long as the world lets me.  Cuz this is America.  And fuck those who would make it NOT America.  Am I right or am I right?

That's it for me today.  How's about you?

Sunday Update - Week 24

Here we are again.  Which is definitely better than the alternative.  ;o)

Last week... Let's see...

In the realm of writerly stuff, I'm up to pg63 on my edits for Wish Hits the Fan.  I plan to hit the thing hard the rest of this month and maybe get something not-sucktastic to my editor by the end of the month.  :fingers crossed: 

Also, since the post where I said I had lost the will to market, I did marketing stuff.  My genie books are free or cheap thru tomorrow night, with an ad going out today, so I've been hitting the FB status updates hard.  I even went to Twitter for the first time in months.  :gasp:  (My author page on FB updates to Twitter automatically, but I felt I should probably visit the site.  And I was reminded why I don't go there*.)

To that end, I have given away 54 copies of WIOH and sold 2 copies each of IDW and UWC - as of this morning, pre-advertising.  (Which is more books than I sold all of last month, so I'm pleased.)

I read three books last week and I'm most of the way through a fourth.  I read a scifi, a fantasy, and a mystery.  I'm currently reading a paranormal romance. 

I spent yesterday morning scrubbing the burner pans from my stove.  I lead such an exciting life. 

Fishing has been super sporadic lately, which means I only went out once last week.  I'd set a reward system up for editing, but with the way things are going, I have to fish when I can if I want to fish at all.  I guess I'll just have to kick my own ass into gear without the carrot. 

The deer all seem to have had their babies, but we haven't seen any of the fawns yet.  Thus begins Fawn Watch 2017. 

Fledgling birds are everywhere.  So cute.  I don't know if you know this but fledgling titmice make this really high-pitched noise when they're begging for food that sets my teeth on edge like fingernails on a chalkboard.  I can forgive it, though.  Cuz they're cute. 

Oh, and I spent the majority of the past three days watching the US Open golf tournament.  So much golf that I'm seeing putting in my sleep.  LOL, luckily today's the last day.

Well, that enough out of me already.  How's about you?

Saturday Fishing Report - 6/17/17

Hello again, and welcome to the Saturday Fishing Report.

Not a lot to report from last week.  The lake level is going down for the most part.  Not sure what last night's rain is going to do to it, but it's headed in the right direction.  Or something. 

Right now, the lake level is at such a point where the places I can reach are just close enough to the trees that I spend more time hung up in branches and on deadfall than actually catching fish.  Plus, the sun was out a lot last week.  Plus, it's getting hot out.  Plus, the summer people are here.  So, I only went out once last week. 

Tuesday.  I went out early to avoid people.  Sure enough there was a dude in an SUV parked in the middle of where I wanted to fish.  So, I walked through the trees to try the river side rather than the parking lot.  First cast was a clusterfudge.  Hooked it left smack dab into the root ball of a fallen pine.  Broke the line and watched my bobber float away.  As I was re-rigging, the dude drove away, so I gathered up my gear and went to my go-to spot.  Caught two little punkinseeds, but nothing bigger was biting.  Tried casting in a couple different spots and got hung up on an underwater tree a couple times.  Good news is I got that bobber back AND I got the bobber that had floated away earlier.  But the sun was getting higher and my shade went away, so I drove around the backside of the area, hoping to fish in the cove.  First cast, right into a cedar.  Lost that whole rig - last seen still hanging in the tree.  And when it broke free, the line shot back at me and became a horrible tangle.  Having already depleted my stores of patience, I packed up and went home.

I had planned on going out Thursday morning, but that fell through.  I thought about going out Friday, but thunderstorms rolled in, and when they rolled out they left clear skies with tons of humidity behind.  Thunderstorms again this morning, and I'm just not motivated.  We'll see what next week brings.

Thursday This n That

This morning I was reading a news story about a car dealership in Michigan that had offered a panhandler a job.  The panhandler laughed at them and told them he makes more money than any of them.  Something to think about when you see them with their signs.

Yesterday I went to a new-to-me thrift store that benefits a local animal shelter.  I won't be going back.  I hadn't been there before because it looked hard to pull into and hard to pull out of.  It was.  I got there right when the doors opened.  At the counter stood a man putting on his deodorant*.  I mean, I'm appreciative of anyone who wears deodorant, but no.  Just no.  The place smelled of mildew.  The books, what little they had, were in the basement down a narrow stairwell, and were two to three times more expensive than my usual thrift store.  I did find some books, though.  When I went to check out, I noticed a bullet-hole in the front window.  I said, "Is that a bullet hole or a stone chip?"  They said "It's a bullet hole. This used to be a pawn shop."  Like that explained it all.  Then the gal was all like "was that you that parked over there?"  Yep, it looked like a perfectly normal place to park in their dirt lot.  "Don't park there.  People like to whip through the parking lot to turn around and we've had a lot of people hit backing out of those spots."  Ummmm.  Ri-ight. 

The reason I was looking for a new thrift store is because my regular thrift store was snotty to me the last time I stopped in. (And had been snotty in the past.)  Plus, their 'new management' jacked up all the prices.  I'm not ever going to be a premier donor or shopper at these places, but I do donate stuff regularly and I do shop regularly.  Driving away small customers like me seems unwise.  But maybe that's just me.  Next try?  The Salvation Army location.  I just want someplace that'll take my donations and offer me stuff to buy without any irritations.

Anyway, back to the books.  I found some really cool stuff - a mystery/suspense anthology with a lot of awesome older crime novelists, a SF anthology with a lot of awesome older SF novelists, an Agatha Christie in the same edition as the one my mom had on her shelf when I was growing up (which I, oddly, never read), a fantasy paperback in a series I've been reading but haven't bought that one yet, a paperback UF by an author I've been meaning to read, and a mystery novel by Isaac Asimov.  I didn't even know Asimov wrote any mysteries. Oh, and a Nero Wolfe I hadn't read yet.  In hardcover.  Score.

Okay, I think that's just about enough out of me for this morning.  What have you got?


*Lest you think, 'well, maybe he was homeless', he was later telling me about his two houses and his 20 acres of land.  He has a full-time job and volunteers there on his day off.  And I saw the brand-new SUV he got out of when he arrived.  Plus, I'm pretty sure the place has a bathroom where he could've applied his toiletries.  :shudder:

Spontaneous Generation

If you're not familiar with the theory of spontaneous generation, it's something they came up with centuries ago to explain the presence of something when there's no possible other way for it to have come about.  So, say, you've got a bin full of grain and you think it's pretty secure, but one day you open the bin and it's full of mice.  They must have spontaneously generated.  Right?

Of course, upon further inspection the theory was disproved.  Mice got into the bin because mice can get into anything with like a 1/2" wide gap.  And if there isn't one, they'll make one.

This theory always fascinated me.  Things don't just poof into existence.  Derp.

This morning, though, I'd almost be willing to subscribe to the theory.  In the past four years, we have plugged every hole possible in this house to keep the mice out.  Every. Hole. Possible.  And yet, this morning, there was a mouse on the sticky trap* next to the fridge.  Hubs dispatched it

So, now we're trying to find how the damn thing got in.  All of the steel wool I have stuffed into all the exiting holes appears to be in place.  Except for that spot next to the dishwasher, which I'll reinforce after I've had more coffee. 

I've come to terms with mice in the walls.  And in the garage.  Even the thought of mice running around in the house doesn't really squib me out.  It's when they get into the cupboards and you never know if they've run around licking the silverware or whether they've used the dishtowels as a litterbox that gives me the heebies-jeebies.  They need to not be in the house if I can ever use my utensils and stuff without washing everything beforehand every single time.  Thus, they need to get gone.  Seriously. 

Never mind about the cat.  She's useless.  She's like that stupid commercial where the bank is being robbed and the uniformed guy says "I'm not a security guard, I'm a security monitor.  I only tell you when the bank is being robbed.  :pause: The bank is being robbed."  She's a vermin monitor.  She'll point it out, but she rarely does anything about it.  She might pounce on a baby cricket, but that's where her effort ends.  She did visit the bedroom in the middle of the night last night, but since she doesn't speak English, we didn't even get the message that there was a mouse in the house.  Like I said.  Useless.  "You've got claws.  You've got fangs.  Kill the damn thing already, or let me sleep."  :eyeroll:

Anyway, since I know spontaneous generation is so not a thing, I guess I need to search for possible entry points I missed over the past 4 years.  With mice, it's sort of 'where there's a will there's a way' and I will probably never totally mouse-proof my house.  Ten years from now, I'll be sitting here scratching my head and looking for their latest access point, I'm sure.

For now, though, when I'm caffeine and nicotine deficient, I'm leaning toward spontaneous generation.  Poof! there's a mouse.  

Ugh.


*I keep sticky traps all over the house to catch brown recluse spiders.  I do not use sticky traps for mice.  Snap traps are best. 
 

Homemade Suet

I had some people ask for my suet recipe, so I'm putting it alone here - in case anyone missed it on Sunday. 

Homemade Suet

1 1/2c shortening
3/4c peanut butter
1T honey

Let the shortening melt on low.  When it's clear, add the PB and stir until well incorporated. Stir in honey.  Turn up the heat until the mixture just boils then take it off the heat and let it set.  Meanwhile, in a big heat resistant bowl, mix together...

1 1/2c corn meal
1/3c chopped nut topping
1/3c raisins
1/2c flour
1 c sunflower seeds (bird feed quality)
1c chopped corn feed

When the wet mixture is still pretty warm, but not boiling hot, dump it into the dry mixture.  Stir thoroughly.  Pour into suet molds (I saved all the store bought ones and washed them out so I'd have molds to dump my homemade into.).  Should fill 3 store bought plastic thingies.  Put them on a tray and slide them into the freezer.  Once they're frozen, slide them into a big baggie and use them straight from the freezer.  Birds don't care if it's frozen.  But here's the kicker, once they warm up, they keep their shape and don't fall apart all over the porch underneath the feeder.  (Which is what happened with the last two batches of suet I made.  The first batch was too dry and it crumbled all over, the second batch was too wet and it splopped all over.) Fair warning, though, these do get a little gooey above 80F.  Not drippy - just soft.

If your suet seems too runny before you pour it into the molds, add in some more flour.  If it seems too dry, up the amount of shortening.  (You can mix more in without boiling it.  The boiling helps get rid of the air in it and helps it harden, though, so not too much more pre-boiled.)  Play with it.  Add in cranberries instead of raisins.  Or wild bird seed mix instead of sunflower seeds.  You could even get fancy and buy dried mealworms to add in.  Just remember as with all recipes, if you delete a dry ingredient, add in another dry ingredient to keep the balance.  And remember, as with all recipes, your mileage may vary.

This week, I'm going to make more suet but substitute a wild bird seed mix for the chopped nuts.  I'm also going to try boiling just the shortening and then adding the PB after I take it off the heat.  (Sometimes the PB scalds to the bottom of the pan which is messy and makes the suet smell like burnt PB.)

Good luck!

Sunday Update - Week 23

Hello again.  I'm kind of mush for brains right now, but let's see what I can rebuild from last week.

I did some writerly stuff.  Still not willing to talk about it.  It's like trying to approach a deer.  Don't make any sudden movements or it'll run away.

I read 5 books last week.  Three mysteries, a paranormal suspense, and an old western.  The paranormal suspense was Silver James' latest Nightrider novel - Night Fire.  So much awesome.  One of the mysteries was a newer novel by Laura Bradford - Death in Advertising.  The other two mysteries were part of 'The Cat Who' series.  And the old western was a Zane Grey.

I made my own suet.  Here's the recipe...


1 1/2c shortening
3/4c peanut butter
1T honey

Let the shortening melt on low.  When it's clear, add the PB and stir until well incorporated. Stir in honey.  Turn up the heat until the mixture just boils then take it off the heat and let it set.  Meanwhile, in a big heat resistant bowl, mix together...

1 1/2c corn meal
1/3c chopped nut topping
1/3c raisins
1/2c flour
1 c sunflower seeds (bird feed quality)
1c chopped corn feed

When the wet mixture is still pretty warm, but not boiling hot, dump it into the dry mixture.  Stir thoroughly.  Pour into suet molds (I saved all the store bought ones and washed them out so I'd have molds to dump my homemade into.).  Should fill 3 store bought plastic thingies.  Put them on a tray and slide them into the freezer.  Once they're frozen, slide them into a big baggie and use them straight from the freezer.  Birds don't care if it's frozen.  But here's the kicker, once they warm up, they keep their shape and don't fall apart all over the porch underneath the feeder.  (Which is what happened with the last two batches of suet I made.  The first batch was too dry and it crumbled all over, the second batch was too wet and it splopped all over.) Although, they do get a little gooey above 80F.

If your suet seems too runny, add in some more flour.  If it seems too dry, up the amount of shortening.  (You can mix more in without boiling it.  The boiling helps get rid of the air in it and helps it harden, though, so not too much more pre-boiled.)  Play with it.  Add in cranberries instead of raisins.  Or wild bird seed mix instead of sunflower seeds.  You could even get fancy and buy dried mealworms to add in.  Just remember as with all recipes, if you delete a dry ingredient, add in another dry ingredient to keep the balance.  And remember, as with all recipes, your mileage may vary.

The deer are starting to fawn.  Some of them look post-pregnant, some of them are still fat-pregnant.

Well, I think that's it for me right now.  I have to get my buns in gear and hit the Wallyworld before it gets too busy and the temps get too hot.  What's up in your world?

Saturday Fishing Report - 6/10/17

Welcome back to the Saturday Fishing Report for less than competent anglers.

The lake level is still pretty high.  But it's slowly coming down.  925.63 as of 5am this morning.  Still about 10 foot above where it ought to be.  I'm still fishing in parking lots, needless to say.

Went out on Wednesday to a spot on the main lake.  The parking lot there is dry, but the water's all the way up to the top of the boat ramp, so that's where I was fishing.  No shore to fish from at this time.  I caught two little punkinseeds but then the sun was full out and I lost what little shade I had, so I moved.  I went to my go-to spot.  Full sun there, too, but I dealt with it.  Caught two big bluegills I didn't keep.

While I was there, a man came to chat at me.  It's a thing.  Wherever I am, people stop to chat at me.  Which is sometimes nice and sometimes not.  It was nice talking to this man, but the half-hour I spent talking to him probably would've been the best time to fish.  And then my luck went south.  I cast out and got the worst line tangle I've ever had.  I couldn't untangle it, so I had to cut it and then re-rig everything.  Then I forgot to latch my tacklebox, picked it up and spilled its contents all over the ground.   Then the fish stopped even nibbling, and the sun came out. 

Thursday morning, I went back to the go-to spot first thing.  As long as I managed to cast underneath a big sycamore, I was catching fish.  Anywhere else, not even a bite.  I caught 10 bluegills between 7" and 9", brought six of them home to eat.  I had two others get off before I got them to shore.  One thing I did notice was the huge profusion of fry (baby fish) in the water.  At one point a baitball of epic proportions like you only see on National Geographic swam by.  Then later, I watched a baby bass ambush attacking a smaller school of bait fish.  It had to be a largemouth or a spot - because of the side stripe.  It hid at the end of a submerged log and then BAM darted out into the middle of the school.  He couldn't have been more than 6" long.  So cute.

That's it for me for the past week.  It's still officially spring, but for all intents and purposes, it's summer here.  The weather's been lovely, so get outside if you can.  But remember the big spray.  Those insects are vicious this year.

Thursday This n That... Mostly That

First off, how did it get to be Thursday already?  I'm so displaced in time.  Bleh.

We've been experimenting with ways to get to sleep and stay asleep lately.  Because we've both been without a good night's sleep in months. Weeks?  Whatever.  I've even considered OTC sleep aids, but I haven't gone down that road yet.  But I think we've hit on a couple of things that are helping.  1)  I turned the clocks in the bedroom so neither of us can see them from the bed.  2)  I've begun telling myself  'Bedtime is for sleeping not for thinking' in my head every time my brain starts wandering off when I'm trying to sleep.  Got Hubs doing it, too. 

I started making my own suet.  The birds here are going through a brick a day of the cheap stuff and it's getting to be a drain on the ol' pocketbook.  I'm still playing with the recipe.  If this batch works like I think it will, I'll post a recipe next week.

If you're only feeding suet in the wintertime, you're missing out on a great birdwatching opportunity.  Everyone comes to the suet feeder - cardinals, jays, orioles, wrens, titmice, chickadees, grosbeaks, sparrows, crows...  Plus all the woodpeckers and their cousins.  We're the hottest spot in the neighborhood.  And the birds really can use the extra food throughout the year.  Especially when there are babies either still in the nest or fledging out. 

We had to move our suet feeder over a foot because the squirrels wouldn't leave it alone.  Now the squirrels are all really confused because they know they used to be able to reach it and now they can't, so they're running all over the porch looking for new spots to jump from.  But there aren't any.  Of course, now we have to kind of walk under the suet to get off the porch, but if it stymies the squirrels, it's worth it. 

Well, that's it for me.  What's it for you?

Sunday Update - Week 22

Another week gone by and a new week begun.  A new month, too.  Woohoo.

I'm still not talking about writing or editing.  Suffice it to say, things are being done.  Not a lot of things, so don't get excited.  =oX

Reading, on the other hand...  I finished two books last week.  Both of them pretty large and in charge, heavy-duty stuff that needed word for word attention.  Pretty good stuff.  I haven't started anything new at the time of writing this (Saturday night).

Hubs and I spent some quality time weeding.  He did the driveway and I did the gardens.  Next up, the gravel border around the house and under the deck.  Big fun.  Hubs also mowed most of the lawn, but he had to quit two-thirds of the way through.  (We have a honker of a big yard.)  Good thing he did, too, because shortly after he stopped, it poured rain.

Fishing has pretty much sucked lately, but a bad day fishing is better than the best day sitting around the house, so it's all good.

I started watching American Sniper for the first time last night.  Yeah, I know how it ends.  I have the general gist of the story.  The first half was damn good, but I was getting too pissed to watch more and like I said, I know how it ends - some stupid fucker murders him here at home. 

:deep breath:

Like I said, it rained yesterday afternoon.  A slow, steady rain that lasted about an hour.  Afterward, the sun came out and it was slanting through the trees, making the rain drops on the needs of our cedars look like diamonds. Everything was so sparkly and pretty.  Then a little baby wren flew up into the redbud and was so adorable.  These things... I have to remember these things...

How were things for you last week?

Saturday Fishing Report - 5/27 & 6/3

Hey All.  Welcome to the Saturday Fishing Report. 

Let's just start out by saying that it hasn't been good.  At least, it hasn't been good fishing from the bank.  I've read reports of how awesome it is fishing from a boat lately - I mean, if you can find a good place to launch your boat with the water so high, and if you can find a place to park your truck and trailer after you launch.  Here we're keeping the boat in the garage until the lake gets back to some semblance of normal. 

Part of the reason fishing hasn't been good for me is that there are few spots from which I can fish right now, and those spots are severely truncated from the way they were when the lake level was 906'.  Which means that those people who are inclined to fish are crammed together.  I've left several spots over the last couple weeks because other people were there when I arrived or other people arrived shortly after I was there.  I did find a spot where other people weren't gathering, but there were ticks - something I discovered the hard way. 

Another part of the reason is I'm using worms and a bobber, and from what I gather, they're feeding along the bottoms on beds, and personally, I'm leery of bottom fishing because invariably, I lose my rig on rocks and junk.  Perhaps if I wasn't so leery and was using lures, I'd be racking up the numbers, too.

Having said that, though, when I can get out and when I can find a spot and when I've been left alone, I've caught a few.  Mostly panfish.  Some small bass.  I caught a couple little punkinseeds that were fun fighters. 

The water, from what I've seen, is full of tiny baby fish.  So, any thoughts I had about stupid bass spawning in parking lots and millions of eggs getting caught by the receding flood waters were silly.  The water is not receding fast enough to matter and the fish are hatching out so as the water does go down, they'll float out along with it. 

I also saw some big-ass tadpoles.  Which thrilled me no end.  Later, Hubs said I could use the tadpoles as bait.  I shuddered.  Having a childhood history of making friends with frogs/toads and keeping them as pets and generally enjoying their company, I don't think I could ever put a hook through one - either in adult or tadpole stages.  It's totally my hang-up, though.  If you're inclined to use frogs, go for it.  Just not where I can see you or I might end-up ralphing on your shoes.

As a side-note, the summer people and the weekenders have arrived with their noise and their trucks and their kids and their kayaks and their sometimes lack of consideration for others.  (Not all summer people and weekenders are bad, but the good ones are a smaller percentage.)  This means my fishing will most likely be held to weekdays and mornings until fall arrives.  Which is probably how long it will take for the water level to reach normal again.  I'm joking... kinda.  It's 926' right now.  Normal pool is 915'.  Eleven feet.  Ugh. 

Well, that's it for me.  Hopefully, I'll have something more to say next week.  Time and temperature and weather will tell. 

Thursday This n That

Brainfart. I thought I had something to say when I started this post, but by the time I typed the title, it was gone.  I think the thing I wanted so say was something that would've been better suited for a Sunday Update post than this one.  Something about reading, I think.

June 1st.  Tomorrow would've been my dad's 81st birthday.  He's been gone 15 years now.  Wow.  it doesn't seem that long.  He never got to meet Hubs.  Missed it by two years.  Not sure what they would've thought of each other.  I think Dad just wanted me to be happy and secure, and I am, so that's good.

Not going fishing is seriously harshing my groove, man.  Nice weather + heat + truncated fishing spots = poor fishing prospects.

There hasn't been a damn thing on TV worth watching lately, so we've been turning on the AWE Channel.  They call themselves 'A Wealth of Entertainment' and they certainly are geared for the wealthy - Selling Yachts, Mega-Mansions, Behind the Gates (with glimpses into rich people's homes), Private Islands.  It's awesome, but I learned one thing quick - wealthy home buyers are just as weird as less-so home buyers.  They're just getting neurotic for a lot more money.

Also, since there wasn't anything on yesterday afternoon, I went scrolling through the music channels on the satellite.  Fun fun.  Spent most of the time on the 70's channel and the 'Soft Hits' channel, but when I scroll down, I hit all the channels here and there.  Singing along as I go.  Hubs would hear something and laugh, or say 'I remember that one' or 'I hated that song, they played it all the time'.

That's it for me.  Off I go.  What's on your this and that tap for today?