Oddities, Profundities, Profanities and Dad Stuff

Tag: fly fishing

February, Fishing and my Alexa Ranking.

Good February everyone!  I can’t believe January is over already.  It is moderately cold here in Utah right now but not snowing.  I am not sure if I like that or not.  It seems like winter should either get with it and snow for more than 15 minutes (like it has the past couple of nights) or turn into spring already.  I got the spring yard clean up/landscaping bug this weekend while watching some home improvement shows on HGTV.  I can’t wait for the ground to thaw!

I keep hearing about this Alexa thing that apparently is important to be on the high side, in the top 100,000.  So I decided to look up where my site is.  On Saturday Jan. 30, I was at 12,829,290.  All I could do was laugh.  This morning, February 1, I was almost shocked to see I had DROPPED to 12,850,206.  I dropped nearly 21000 spots in 2 days.  I am not sure what this means but I will keep looking at it.  At least it is better than the other website that I run with my wife Brendasquiltshop.com.  That site doesn’t even have a ranking so 12,850,206 must be ok.  What does it mean?  I need to get out there more and not worry too much until I get some more incoming traffic.

And finally I so want to go fishing.  Not ice fishing which should just be called “freeze your butt off while sitting on the ice” fishing but real fishing.  From the bank, from the boat, standing in the stream I don’t care.  Winter gets long some days and my gear calls to me.

Last fall our family went to Kidney Kamp.  It is sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation and the Great Salt Lake Truck Show and it lets families of people with kidney disease and or kidney transplants a chance to go to camp.  I am glad my 3 year old is in the latter category now.  For 2 years that was the only camp we could do because they had facilities to do dialysis.

I digress yet again.  This camp has a very small pond that they stock with fish and let the kids check out poles to fish with.  Me, I keep a travel fly rod in the car and wanted to practice.  But they only want kids to fish so I recruited my 9 year old and told her it was her first training session.  We didn’t catch anything that day, the fish were more interested in the gummy bears that the kid across the pond was using for bait than a natural looking fly.  Hmm, that is another post idea, Seeking out the flash we want instead of the stuff we need.

The lesson here is I will try to find a way to fish anywhere I can, even if it requires my kids to do it.  I just want to fish.  Anyone want to come with?  My wife will be having our 4th child this July so I know my fishing outings will be limited, but I will still go some.  Not actually going fishing will leave me time to work on my e-book about beginning fly fishing.  I am reworking and updating a website I made in one of my college writing classes to work as a book.  I should take pre-orders to force me to finish by my St. Patrick’s Day deadline.

Anyhow, Life is Great when you are satisfied with it.  If you are reading this, You Are Awesome. Thanks for your support.

Justin

Fiction Saturday! Today A Poem!

Hello Folks!  Well today I have something slightly different for you.  For various reasons, including my sons birthday, my regular fiction Saturday needs a change.  There is not an episode of The Man in the Hazy Suit today.

But, in order to not fill you up with crap or something that doesn’t have any heart, I have dug out one of my favorite poems.  I wrote this poem a few years ago and it is still one of my favorite things that I have ever written.  Please enjoy.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

A patient Man is he.

Waiting through storms, the winds,

While wading in the Stream.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

Is hoping for a dream,

A Rise, a Strike, a Fighting Fish

Taken from the Stream.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

Imitation is his aim,

As he strives for natural perfection,

To ever cast, and play the game.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

And waits for fish to rise,

Will toil countless hours away,

Under natures azure skies.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

And wonders what it means,

Will solve what ails, his truth prevail,

Walking further up the Stream.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

In harmony is he,

The Land, the Brook, the Man, the Fish,

Content to just let be.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

And reels in trophy fish,

Releases same, to swim again,

Knowing all is worth the risk.

Who casts his fly upon the waters,

A patient Man is he.

Waiting through storms, the winds,

While wading in the Stream.

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Justin