Telepathic fish princess

I have been on a quest.
Lake Shawnee has stocked trout for decades in November and February.  A trout in Kansas seems far-fetched, but I had to try.
I became attached to the little boogers while teaching Job Corps in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota.  Rebecca and Bruce taught me to flyfish.  They taught me a lot.  They taught me their love for the rivers and the mountains.  Flyfishing and rafting.
Trout were my companions in the four corners.  Alta Lakes by Telluride, Colorado was my dream spot.  10,000 feet elevation, the treeline, glaciers, and marmots were the setting for high mountain camping and trout with pink meat.
Now, how could it be that I could have trout five miles from my house?
Every morning since November 3, I have been at the lake trying to catch one!  I woke at 4:30 AM Saturday morning dreaming of catching them by hand.  I better get up for opening day.
I sat with 37 other fishermen.  Frozen and tired, I gave up at 9 AM.  By then, I only saw 6 trout.  Beautiful, beautiful. 
Well, I became relentless.  I have tried the past 5 mornings.  I finally became lucky tonight.  It happened about 10 minutes after sundown.  First, my brother, who came for the first time got a bite and pulled it close.  I was left cursing and almost stomping mad in jealousy!  It got away!  Then one hit mine. 
Tomorrow, Mom and Marv will come for breakfast.

Farmer Fred

The fall garden before the first hard freeze

The first hard freeze came and went.  It took tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.  Later the basil withered.  The survivors include cilantro, potatoes, and beets of the summer garden.  The fall garden is still going with spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, radishes, carrots, and lettuce. 

Reunited as I babysit

Can't Get Fresher Than This!

One sure way to get the buzz of the work week out of your head is to go fishing.

I didn't stop for worms today, so it was just grasshoppers.  I don't know if I caught grasshoppers or if grasshoppers caught me.  Some jumped and landed on my shirt.















By the time Mom and Marv showed up, I became an expert catching grasshopppers.  I could almost catch one as fast as Mom was catching fish.

Mom and Marv spent the day fertilizing and reseeding the yard.  They were pooped.  Mom ended up sleeping early.  Marv and I cleaned them, cooked them, and ate them.  His line of the day was, "You can't get fresher than this!  Catch 'em. Clean 'em. Cook 'em and eat 'em!

Sugar babies

Canning