A Love Story

I'm getting softer, as I grow older. 

Something happened today that needs to be told.  I'll do my best to give this story substance, not sure I can.

I was in a new store this afternoon near Waco, Tx, one that isn't even open yet, finishing up our product set.  As sometimes occurs, a customer walked in the front door.  This person happened to be an elderly gentleman.  One of the gals explained to him that the store wasn't open yet.  I heard him say that he understood, but that he wondered if maybe someone could give him some directions, as he was lost.  I turned around to look, and at the same time, three associates all pointed at me and said, "he can help you!" 

I walked over, so that he didn't have to cross the store to me.  I asked where he was going, and he said Dallas.  Dallas is a BIG place, so I prodded him for a more exact location so that I could get him to where he wanted to go.  He told me that he was actually headed to Rowlett.  I told him not to worry, I knew where that was and could get him directions.  I asked if instead of telling him, if he would like me to write it down.  He said, "Young man, that would be wonderful!  I don't remember as well as I used to".  I smiled, mostly because of his gentle nature and genuine honesty.  I know we'll all get to where he thinks he is someday. 

As I was giving him the directions, and carefully writing them down so he could follow them, he was telling me that he was from Corpus Christi, Texas.  I figured he was doing some Holiday traveling, but just for small talk, I asked him why he was headed to Rowlett.

What happened next was truly amazing!

He said, "Well, that's kind of a long story".  He then reached into his pocket, took out his wallet and opened it up to a picture.  It was a couple, obviously taken many years ago, but very well cared for considering its age.  "You see this picture", he asked.  I nodded.  "This was taken in 1947, in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  I had just finished basic training from the Navy, and was there visiting a friend". 

"That's you?", I asked.

"Yes, that's me, and a young lady that I was introduced to.  We spent a couple days together, and then I went back to the Navy and spent 20 years there and retired. We went our separate ways, she married another guy, I married another woman, we raised families and never saw each other again."

I knew there was more.

He went on to explain that a couple weeks ago, he found her on Facebook through a mutual friend.  Once they connected, she came down to Corpus Christi to see him.  Now, he was taking her to Rowlett so she could spend Christmas with her daughter and her family. 

I was speechless.  What a wonderful story.  For two people, to find each other, after all that time, and reconnect, was, well...............pretty special.

I went over the directions with him one final time, just to make sure this elderly prince would be able to deliver his princess to the designated place.  We gently shook hands, and as I watched him walk away, I couldn't help but have a tear in my eye. My gaze followed him to his car, I guess just to make sure he got there.  One of the gals in the store came up to me and asked if I was okay?  I looked her, and really couldn't talk.  The other two joined us and wanted to know what happened, so, I very quickly told them the story.  And then I realized, I wanted to meet her too!

I headed for the door, just as he was backing out.  I waved him down, and realized, all three girls had followed me out of the store as well!  I apologized for stopping him, but said, "I just want to meet the young lady that you told me about".  I went around to the other side of the car, the girls all talked to him, while I introduced myself to her.  I asked if she was going to be able to read my writing and be his navigator, she said she was.  I took her by the hand and told her that he had told me the story of how they met and then reconnected, and I told her that it wouldn't have been complete to have not met her as well.  She thanked me, for being so kind, writing down the directions and then said, "we got together after 67 years and it was like we had never left each other". 

I said, "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you"? 

She said, "I'm 84.  He's 86".  I could see the care in her face, and hear it in her voice.  They were both giddy.  I smiled again and wished them both a Merry Christmas.

As I watched them drive away.  I realized they probably had exactly what they wanted for this Holiday Season.  My only regret was not getting their names, otherwise, it was a very cute and heartfelt love story.

As I drove the two hours home, I had two thoughts:  The first was that I hoped my directions got them to where they needed to go.  The second was that, I too, have exactly what I want this Holiday Season, and I didn't have to wait 67 years to find it.




 

Sometimes, one bite matters!

Haven't blogged in a while, since just before our move from Iowa to Texas.  Been busy with a lot of things.  Initially, it was looking for work and hanging with the grand kids.  Then it was putting a lot of effort in the new job (still am and love it) and hanging with the grandkids.  Now I'm adding an old, yet new, twist to my spare time; I've joined the Denton County Bass Club and it's tournament season in Texas.

Reality is, it never ends.  There are tournaments 12 months of the year!  If I wanted to, I'm sure I could find one. Unlike in Iowa, where the ice is still 14-24" thick and ice fishing is in full swing, the weather here is like early spring.  Windy, still cold at night, warmer during the day, but, can change at a moments notice.  Still no spring storms, matter of fact, we need some rain so those would be welcome.  The lakes are low and the boat ramps lower in many places.  With water down in all but a few locations, it creates conditions that many Texas boys haven't even seen and puts this Northern boy of a bit more level ground!

Denton County Bass had their first tournament last weekend.  It was on a warm water lake called Brandy Branch, which is near Longview and Marshall, TX, about three hours from home. Got over there on Saturday for a few hours, long enough to determine that the water temps ranged from 52-69 degrees. Fish were in all three stages: Pre-spawn, spawn and Post-spawn.  There were quite a few beds, but no sun.  Shallow beds were empty....so I thought.  Deep beds, those in 10-15 foot of water, could be seen, but couldn't see anything on them without any sun. There was a lot of grass in the lake.  Explored both sides of the lake in the little time I had to poke around.  Decided that the warm water side was where I was going to spend the majority of my time.  Went right to the egg beater and started throwing Hot Rod Baits senkos looking for fish on those beds I could see, but still wasn't seeing any fish. They were there though and the first two keepers came early!  By 8am, had the third, the fourth came about 10 minutes later.  In the next hour and a half, I had four more bites, but didn't get that fifth keeper until 10:30am.  Five in the box, 5x3, we all want it, we all look for it, and there is a sense of relief when the fifth one hits the deck.  Now it was time to go after upgrades.  Fished hard for the next four and a half hours, but could only bring in short fish.  Just couldn't get that one bite that mattered.

Time for the weigh in:  I was a little nervous.  Had five, but there were small, and I knew it.  There are some pretty good sticks in this club, one of them is a past state champion! My co-angler had one super nice 5lb fish, I let him go take the bag and go first.  When he came back, I loaded my fish and took them to the scale.  They were all Kentucky Spots, and I knew 10lbs was a stretch, but was happy to have the five I had.  Tale of the tape:  8.88 lbs.  Now just had to wait.  There were some pretty nice bags weighed and the winner had nearly 17lbs.  weights dropped to 14, 13, 11 and 10 and then me.  Sixth.  Not bad, not good, I'll definitely take it.  This year will be a big learning experience for me back on lakes, and in territory I've never seen.  It will take all my knowledge of early tournament days in order to put five in the boat every tournament, but, we are gonna give it a shot.  Good start, just have to keep it going.

A co-worker of mine, Ray Sims, is a seasoned tournament angler, having fished tournaments in Texas and Tennessee and other parts of the country for over 40 years.  He needed a partner for this weekend and I wasn't going to tell him no.  This was an extra opportunity for me to learn something about another lake that I wasn't going to have on my Denton County schedule this year.  Saturday came quickly.  The weather had improved temp wise from the previous weekend, but we were only a couple days in to an upper 50's weather cycle, meaning, the water we were fishing was still super cold.  Matter of fact, Ray went out Friday afternoon for a while and called to tell me he had never seen water this cold in Texas.  He was dumbfounded after not having one bite in four hours. He told me it was going to be tough and I knew he was right.

We showed up Saturday morning, launched and took a 10 minute drive down the lake.  Man, it was damn cold.  38 degrees, on plane on a bass boat, the fingers and face were feeling it.  We hit the first spot and started pitching rocks, nothing.  Started cranking...nothing.  Started throwing a slow rolled spinner bait a little deeper...nothing.  Threw the jerk bait, then a beaver, then a senko.....nothing.  Moved to the second spot.  Rinsed and repeated.  Nothing.  Moved on to a third and fourth spot.  Nothing.  Neither of us had gotten a bite.  Got to the fifth location further up the lake, water was a bit shallower and was warming in the sun, all the way up to 45 degrees.  Grabbed a chatterbait and started tossing to another bunch of rocks.  Three casts in, fish on!  Finally!  Was a short battle and Ray expertly worked the net.  Looked to be about 2.2-2.3 lbs.  One in the live well.  It was almost 11am. 

Ray was pretty happy, I wanted four more.  He kept telling me that if it was this hard for us, everyone was having trouble.  While I agreed, I still didn't think one fish was going to get us a check.  Ray thought differently.  I was certain that someone was on fish and we would see some nice bags at the weigh in. We fished hard till 2:30, and headed for the marina.  We got the boat out, and all I heard was fisherman complaining.  Ray took a walk while I was getting stuff put away and came back telling me he thought our one fish was going to cash.  I shook my head, asked him for a weigh bag and got our fish ready for the scale.  When I walked up, there were maybe 20 guys standing around and only two of us had bags in our hands.  I knew that there were still teams trying to get out of the water as there were 32 boats/64 fishermen in the Forney Bass Club Tournament this day. 

I looked at the guy standing there with his bag and he looked at me and said, you first.  I didn't waste any time and put that one fish on the scale.  I guessed 2.26.  Total weight was actually 2.32.  I took my fish and went to release him.  When I got back, I learned that the guy that weighed in second had two small fish for something like 3.78 and neither fish went 2 lbs.  Another guy came up, weighed one fish in at 2.21 lbs.  There was some conversation about one more bag, so we waited and that guy came up with his bag and I still expected a five fish limit.  It wasn't to be today.....he pulled one fish out that weighed 1.84 lbs.  That was it.  My one bite mattered a ton today.  Was good for second place and we won big fish.  Just a head shaker.  Oh well.  Reminded me a lot of a couple early season Hot Rod Baits tournaments last season with Brent Roloff.   Those were brutal, from both a fishing and weather standpoint.

To all my Northern Fishing friends, live vicariously through me for a couple more months.  Your day will be here soon enough boys, soon enough.....and just remember;  Sometimes, one bite matters!

Small town "Thank You"!

     My days in Iowa are growing short.  A week from today, I will pack up the remaining items I have, hook up my boat and head to Texas.  If all things go right, I will be sitting in our home in Lewisville next Sunday evening, enjoying some down time with Kim, and maybe the grandkids will be around too!  But before I go, there are some things that need to be said!

     A few years back, Kim and I moved from Waterloo to Cedar Falls.  We had a nice home, but never really liked having our neighbors so close, and as close as they were, never really got to know anyone that lived next door or across the street.  After five years there, we started looking for something more........we wanted to build and we wanted some room.  I spent a lot of time driving around the Iowa countryside, looking for just the right spot.  After a year of looking, still nothing.  It seemed the search was a bit futile.  I then put a "wanted" ad in the swap sheet.  We were really looking for something that was primarily south of Waterloo.  We got lots of calls, but most of them were about properties that were in northern Butler and Northern Bremer counties.  One of them, however, was just north of Janesville, Iowa, which was close, so, I went and took a look at it.

     It wasn't perfect, but it was the right size, had easy access to Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Waverly.  It was six acres, meaning, no neighbors, that was nice. The School size was a little bit of a concern, as our youngest son Blake was still in High School and I wasn't sure he would be that thrilled about attending a school with a graduating class size of 16.  The property was also right on the highway, which was a little concerning to me from a noise standpoint, but it wasn't terrible. After some negotiations with the property owner, which were very slanted towards him, I decided it was going to become our property and bought it.  Shortly after, I was speaking with Kevin and Connie Hansen and they told me their builder lived next door and introduced me to Rick Garcia who owns Garcia Properties in Cedar Falls.  Rick began construction immediately.  I spent a lot of lunch hours driving up to Janesville to look at the progress of our new home in late summer/early fall of 2006, asking questions and offering suggestions and ideas.

     Blake decided it was Janesville H.S. that he wanted to attend and we began the transformation from "big city" to small town life.  It had its trials and tribulations early on.  First, there was the "transfer rule" involving high school athletes.  Blake fell into this rule and was ineligible for varsity sports the first 90 days.  He was upset, which was upsetting to Kim and I.  The other thing, as we quickly learned from some of the other parents in the community.....they knew more about us than we knew about ourselves.  We found that comical.  No one knew us, they only knew what the tin can and string game had told them.  It reminded me of telling a secret and passing it around the room.  Have to love small town gossip. For what it's worth, none of it was damaging, most of it was just very inaccurate and kind of made us chuckle.

     The one thing that really came from all that was some very strong friendships and very special relationships.  To leave, and not acknowledge these would not be very small town friendly of me.  I tried to stop and see some folks, and say my good-byes, but there wasn't any way I could get around to everyone;  this is for those I saw and those I didn't. 

     Doug and Corrine Bettis:  We've known each other for a very long time.  Doug and I worked together at Warren Transport for almost 24 years.  Being able to pop in and see them, talk about Janesville, work and fishing, was always very nice.  Rex and Carole Tompkins were also Janesville residents that were part of the Warren family.  Loved seeing Carole and was fortunate enough to buy Rex a beer last night during Janesville Days.

     Mike and Serena Zwanzinger, Christine Billingsley, Tova Mather, April Mueller, Chris Coffman, Josh Hansen, Al and Robin Johnson and myself, all members of the Janesville Days Committee at one time or another (and all others past and present).  No matter who or when, the committee puts in a huge effort each year to raise money, hold planning meetings and put on the event the last weekend of July known as Janesville Days. The best part of Janesville Days was the Friday fireworks show put on by Jeff Mather and J&M Displays. While you are never going to get a group of people to agree on everything, this one did a pretty darn good job of getting along and getting it done.  Good job folks. I somehow got put on the Prom committee for a couple years as well.  Probably would have run for some council position if I hadn't lived outside the city limits.  I like this community that well.

     Maurie and Cheryl Bolt, love you two and your kids.  Maurie, you're lucky to be alive, you dork.  Put on a safety harness next time you go on the roof and don't do it in the winter!  Thanks for all your help when I needed it and thank you both for being great friends.  Cheryl,  I'm sure we'll see you sooner than I will Maurie cause I hear you have already been planning a trip.

     Dan and Wendy Brace, love you both too. Wendy, tell the sissy he should have manned up and came with us last night. Wish I could have seen him Friday night, first time I haven't seen the fireworks with Dan in four or five years I think.  He loves them as much as I do.  Danny, you were always there when I called.  I appreciate that.  Thanks for letting me use tools, the trailer and for everything else you did.  Wendy, I don't know if we ever played together at Eick's, but we played a lot as adults.  Pool parties, Tap (Janesville Trap) parties, bus trips, there was always a reason to get together with a group, wasn't there?  If there wasn't, we made one up.

     Scott and Brenda Immerzel and Mark and Collette Hagadorn:  Brenda and Collette are sisters.  Brenda has a twin named Glenda.  The Schares girls are from....anyone?  Yep, you guessed it....Jesup!  Okay, most of you said Gilbertville cause that's where all the Schares, Beckers and Weber's are from, right?   Scott, thanks for all your help too.  As most of you have probably surmised from this blog, I'm not that mechanically inclined and every male in Janesville is.  Thank god!  Scott (Squeak) and Brenda have a cabin in Lansing that they were gracious enough to allow me to use on more than one occasion for my Bass Fishing adventures.  Mark and Collette, always loved seeing you up in Harpers.  I know most of the time I was a party pooper cause I had to get up early to fish, but not always.  Thank you for your hospitality as well.  Scott and Mark, bring the girls to Lewisville and Texas Motor Speedway.  Always welcome.

     Tammy Bender:  I will never, ever, ever look at a picture of some drummer, guitarist or lead singer on a rock and roll poster and not think of you.  You groupie you. I speak for both Kim and I, you have been a wonderful friend.  You have great kids.  Love giving Casey a little of his own medicine.  (yes, Casey, I could have out run you, no problem). 

     Tracy Bright:  Not sure what Kim and I would have done without you.  You were always there when we needed you.  You and I were each others "dates" for everything from weddings to funerals and everything in between.  Can't believe that little town never talked.....if they did, it never got back to me.

     Each of you hold a special place in our hearts.  But, you aren't alone.  There are a ton of other folks in that town that are very special too.  It is one of the best kept secrets of the Black Hawk/Bremer county areas.  I know there are a ton of other people that live in Janesville that I have forgotten, like all the Wrage's, Monaghan's, Fishers, Kressin's, Thode's, Woodyards, Despards and Aunt Sue Stapleton who is probably wondering how she got into this blog.  It takes all kinds Sue, and in the words of Larry....."my wife has seen you in your skivvies", so you deserve a spot, and recognition, I'm sure. Merle Sorenson, Shane, Leanne, Vicki......you are all wonderful people  Salt of the earth.  None better.  You made small town life easy. You all have, and are, friends for life.  Kim and I will miss all of you and we hope that you will plan to visit us in Texas.

     For any of you that haven't experience small town living in this great state, and have considered it, I highly suggest it. You will find some fantastic people make up the backbone of these small communities. It will be an experience you will not soon forget!  I know we won't. 

    
    
    

Tournament Weekend

It wasn't that long ago, five years, that Brent Roloff and I decided to change directions in regard to our tournament livelihood and take a shot at the Mississippi River.  After all, how hard or different could it possibly be to catch fish on the river versus catching them on lakes?  The answer, as we soon found out, is actually quite complicated. 

We were fooled the first tournament we fished out of Harpers Ferry, Iowa.   We went out, had no idea where we were or where we were going and managed to catch five fish pretty easily.  It put us in the middle of the pack as far as results, but we felt pretty good about what we had done and how we had accomplished it.  It wasn't long before we realized we were taking on water quick and we would soon be over our heads.

The difference between fishing a river and a lake are actually quite vast.  The concept is the same, it is all about HOW different baits are fished and WHEN different baits are fished.  The factor that plays the largest roll in whether or not you are successful or a complete failure is understanding the weather, flow/current and changing water levels.  All three of these things will cause variables that will change the HOW and WHEN.  Those three things are also going to play a key role each and every single time out.  When the flow is high, the current is stronger and the river is dropping quick.  When the flow is low, the river is lower and the current will still be a big a factor, but for different reasons.  While this affects your fishing differently, its what it does to the fish that causes that affect.  They can, and will, survive and they determine their actions by what the water is doing or not doing.  Temp, level, flow, sun, wind, rain, clouds, it all affects how those fish respond. 

We aren't going to get into the details, but lets just say this:  Every river tournament angler should keep a diary or log.  Really, every angler, tournament or not, should keep a log.  Track what the day was like, the air temp, the water temp, what your lake or river was doing (high vs. low, etc.), the atmosphere conditions (sunny/cloudy), whether or not a cold front had just come or gone.....it will all help you and will give you something to look back at and compare notes.

This past weekend, we had two tournaments on the river.  We thought we had it licked on Saturday, till we got to "our spot" and discovered the river was really down 3 feet and not the 18 inches NOAA was telling us it was.  That makes a huge difference.  When the water is dropping that fast, the fish pull out.  They find water that is more suitable, deeper, which will keep them from being trapped in an area they don't want to be in.  If all of us knew where they went to, our weekends would become much easier, but we don't.   So, we look, and try and keep track of what happened when and surmise why it happened. I can tell you this, the tournament on Saturday was different from Sunday and it all came back to conditions:  Weather, flow and level!

Saturday morning, we had a Bass World Sports Tournament that launched from Harpers Ferry, Iowa.  We were sitting in 4th place overall after three events, which really wasn't too bad....if we were only concerned about points.   I was ready for a win.  We locked through to pool 9 and went up to the first spot we had designated as our starting spot.  Vastly different from the Weekend before, as previouisly mentioned.  We gave it a shot, struggled through  the shallow water, and came up with a couple keepers.  Nothing to write home about.  The weekend before, that same spot had been producing some high quality 3+ pound fish.  We got out of there quickly and headed to spot numbers 2, 3, 4 and finally 5.  We had a limit, but it was definitely a job on Saturday.  We headed south, locked back down to pool 10 and went to spot #6.  We quickly culled two of our keeper fish and upgraded a little.  Thank goodness for cull beams...cause every ounce counts!  We ended up in 5th on Saturday with 11.07.  Pretty disappointing, considering the expectations we had going in.  After the tournament, we talked to some of the other anglers and everyone agreed, almost unanimously, that the drop in water affected their fishing as well.  Still caught fish, but those bigger fish had left the area in search of deeper waters.

Buzzy and I had a short discussion about the next days fishing tournament and we quickly decided that Spot#6 was going to be spot #1 on Sunday. 

Sunday arrived and we showed up for the Hot Rod Baits series final.  Todd Reed is the tournament director and he did a nice job with the three events he put on this year, even with the seriously inclement weather in April and May.  Lets just say, I'm very glad it wasn't April and we were fishing on the river this time.  We definitely couldn't "win" team of the year after our dismal lake performances, but we were looking for a little redemption.  

We launched out of the very same setting we had launched from on Saturday.  Being boat #2, we were pretty confident we would have our spot to ourselves.  It wasn't going to happen!  Boat #1 had the very same idea and beat us to our location.  We decided to fish a secondary spot just south of where we had hoped to fish.  I quickly put a fish in the live well, than nothing.  After an hour and another very short discussion, we headed north and locked through to pool 9 again and systematically started going through the five locations we had up there.  Slowly but surely, we were putting fish in the boat.  The bite wasn't anywhere near as good as it had been the previous day, which had been overcast with a bit of a breeze.  Sunday was just the opposite, with Bluebird skies, plenty of sun and not a ripple on the water.  Big difference in how those fish see baits.  I'd prefer the overcast day to a sunny day any time!  Ultimately, we scratched out a tie for 4th place.....not bad, not good, wanted better.  I will say this though, couple years ago, we were getting humbled every single event.  Now we are disappointed with a 5th and a 4th on any weekend because we feel like it should be a 1st every time.  We're close, and getting closer.  Too bad my days on the river are number.

I would like to thank my sponsors, BW Contractors from Cedar Falls, Iowa and Roling Ford from Shell Rock, Iowa.  They make more things possible. I really appreciate the opportunities you both have given me and thanks for sticking with me after a very disappointing 2012!

Moving and other Life Changing Events

After three years and multiple attempts, we have finally sold our dream house.  I say it like that only because it was a labor of love getting it built.  I had decided early on in the process that I would just kind of go "along for the ride" during the process and not let anything bother me when it came to upgrades, timing, decoration or anything else. I was there at least three times a week, providing input and asking if the builder could do this or do that to make it turn out exactly the way we wanted.  Did it?  Not completely.  Hindsight being what it is, and if I had to do it over, there are a couple things I would probably change.  It was, however, pretty special.  The new owners should know that they got a very nice home.  So, after signing the closing papers (life changing event #1) on June 28th, the movers showed up and said the same thing Maurie Bolt and my step dad said.........You don't have enough truck!  Boy, oh boy, has that been mentioned a time or two since!! 

I don't plan.  Hmmmm, I'll be darned. Really?   I got us the biggest truck I was allowed by law to drive without a commercial CDL. Thought it was enough, it wasn't.  You roll with it.  What else you gonna do?  So, after a few calls, I was able to secure a second truck, Kim talked the movers into staying (Thanks Wray Brothers crew), and we got everything loaded into the two vehicles.  We then loaded Kim's little SUV on the automobile carrier and, much to her dismay, she climbed behind the wheel of the 17' Budget and I got in the 26' UHaul and we started our little journey to our new home in Lewisville, TX I wondered more than once if I was supposed to be stopping in those weigh stations I saw from Iowa to Texas, but never bothered.  After all, I wasn't "for hire", I was just moving.  Besides, I didn't want to know how overloaded my truck(s) might have been on that little drive.

Kim was terrified, I don't blame her.  I certainly empathize with how she felt.  Dan Brace, thank you, for helping out and offering to make that drive with us.  Kim and I both really appreciate that.  She did great though.  Earned her big girl pants driving through KC, Oklahoma City, Des Moines and even into Northern Dallas Metro.  It wasn't easy. (Life changing event #2)  Certainly had our moments along the way, but by the next morning, when we left Emporia, KS, she was doing fantastic and we were working in tandem making those lane changes and she was keeping right up with me.   We arrived in Lewisville about an hour and a half quicker than I had originally thought we might.  Nice job punky, nice job!

We got to our new house, unloading movers arrived and we got both trucks unloaded, made multiple trips to the storage facility and ended up getting both trucks turned in that same day. Quite impressive, really, considering. David Fontana and Michael Jenkins (son-in-laws) were both very helpful and instrumental in getting us that far the first afternoon.  Thank you both.

The rest of the week, Kim and I spent the majority of the time we had being pissy with each other.  I can tell you this, moving, to another state and environment altogether, particularly to a place where the population of the metroplex is twice that of the entire state you just left.........is stressful.  For all parties.  We both know why we are there and why we are doing it.  We have a couple really special grandchildren that we wanted to be close to. (Life changing events #3)

Maybe the biggest life change for me will be two fold:  First, I'm basically jobless.  I'm currently back in Iowa finishing out my commitment to my current employer, but that is short term.  While I have been diligently applying on positions in the Dallas metro area, I'm getting very little response from prospective employers.  It's a little frustrating, but here's something I've come to realize......CPM has given me the opportunity to not only bolster my resume', but, grow as an employee.  They have been gracious enough to not show me the door when I told them I was preparing to move.  They asked if I could stay a while longer to cover some absences and I agreed.  Ultimately, it will work out best for all of us.  Gives me a couple weeks with a paycheck coming in.  Gets us closer to the time Kim and I head to Cancun for 10 days of nothing but sand, sun and Amanda's official wedding and might even tell me whether I need to try and venture back in September or October to capture the Co-Angler of the year title for the Cedar Valley Bass Masters and qualify for a National event with Bass World Sports.  We sit #1 and #4 respectively, so, well on our way.  Wish I could say that accomplishing either of these would be (life changing event #4), but it won't be.  It will just prove to me that I can, and will continue, to fish with some of the best bass fisherman I've ever met.   It's been fun. 

As I close this chapter of my life, and begin the next, I'm looking at it as just another adventure.  One that will, like so many others, turn out just fine.  And who knows, maybe my quest for a double digit Largemouth will actually come to fruition in the great bass fishing state of Texas.  Cause, like they say, everything is bigger.........in Texas.  And its true.......the interstates, the cities, the trucks and the bass. Can't wait to take those two little ones fishing with me. (Maybe just one at a time!).

Just a little "Catch-Up"

It’s a new year, and it’s been quite awhile since my last blog.  We are in the middle of a good old fashion Iowa Winter, and I have the fishing blues.  So much so that I have even considered a trek out on the ice with a seasoned and very experienced ice fishermen, @Todd Reed!   If only he’d invite me…..:).

                Couple things new……..one, we have a new Grandson.  Mason Dale Jenkins was born on 12-26-12, weighed in at 7lbs, 10ozs and was 19” long.  He lost about 10 ounces right after coming out, but he is already putting that back on with a vengeance.   He’ll be a big boy, two weeks in and he’s already getting longer too!  I told Amanda that they just didn’t get a good measurement on him when he was born, but Michael says they did.  Must be like measuring a bass……they relax a little after being in the live well and always measure a bit longer.  Maybe babies relax a little too!  He’s doing well.  Grandpa (me) and Grandma (Kim) were both under the weather the week we stayed with Amanda, unfortunately, so while we still held him, we were pretty cautious.  Me more than Kim, but it appears everything is A-OK.

Second, we got to spend plenty of time with Olivia.  She was the one that started the whole sickness thing to begin with!  We had a nice Christmas with the kids down there and one afternoon, Kim and I were playing with Olivia and we got her to take a few steps.  Every day since then, she has gotten better and better, taking more and more steps.  She will have it mastered in no time.  The look on our faces when she took off walking…..well, I’m sure I’d like to see that on camera! 

Big Bass Club Meeting tonight, Cedar Valley Bass Masters  Not sure what I’m going to do in that regard. Was thinking that maybe I would just take a back seat position this year and be a non-boater for my remaining time in Iowa, but not sure I really want to do that.  Would like to find a partner that pays half of the expenses for my weekend trips to the river, but that has proven difficult.  Turns out, either they are broke, or, their work schedules haven’t sync’d up with the tournament schedules.  Either way, it means I have taken on the majority of the expenses and I’m not sure I’m willing to do that again this year.   Even with a couple of paying sponsors last year, (Thank you BW Contractors and Roling Ford), it was tough to stretch the dollars to last an entire season.  Matter of fact, it was impossible to stretch it for an entire season.  We’ll see what happens, not sure what I’m going to do at this point.  Either find a partner and run my boat, find a new partner that needs a non-boater and go that route, or, just fish to fish.   Either way, I’ll be on the water come March, guarantee that!

It’s going to be an interesting year for Kim and I.  Many unknowns coming our way.  I think we are prepared for them and I feel we are in position to tackle each as they come along.   More later.

Terrorist Invasion

DISCLAIMER:  This content should be viewed as humorous and not taken any other way (for all you politically correct, all the time, people out there)!

Al-Qaida, Arabic for "the Base," is an international terrorist network founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s. It seeks to rid Muslim countries of what it sees as the profane influence of the West and replace their governments with fundamentalist Islamic regimes (Bajoria & Bruno, 2012).

Many of Americans first introductions to Al-Qaida happened on September 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center’s twin towers were brought down in what is the biggest and most brazen attack by terrorists on U.S. soil ever.  I knew of them well before that, but only because of my participation in our very own U.S. Army.  I got out after the first Gulf War, but the conversation was already out there about militant terrorists groups like Al-Qaida.  So, thanks to all of you who have served, suffered and died doing your best to protect what we know as the greatest country on the face of the earth………….but all of that really has nothing to do with where this blog is going.  Not really anyway.

For the last six years, Kim and I have lived in our dream home on six acres south of Waverly, Iowa and North of Janesville, Iowa.  The Cedar River is across the highway, we are close to anything we want to do (sorta) and our nearest neighbor is 500 yards away.  Love it.  There is one little problem though……I’ve been fighting a war of my own. That’s right, I have my own group of terrorists!  They aren’t Muslim, although they are hairy.  They don’t carry the Quran, although it appears as if they could be with those big paddle feet of theirs!  They ruin grass, make it impossible to level a yard, basically, they cause “gardener stress related syndrome”.  And they cause me to pull my hair out…which is another problem all together, cause I really don’t have as much as I used too!

They are the Al-Qaida Moles!

I have tried everything. Water, gas, traps and even standing and waiting patiently with a shovel in my hand for them to make their move so I could end their pathetic, frustrating existence!  It has truly tried every thread of patience I have in my body.  Good thing I have a lot of it!

I decided, much like our own government, that I needed to identify the Al-Qaida Moles that were causing me the most trouble, then, systematically eliminate them from the face of the earth.  To effectively know whether or not I was successful, I developed a “Ten Most Wanted” list.  As an Al-Qaida Mole was eliminated from the list, another would take its place, kind of like the real terrorists group.  There was a whole line of “terrorists” just waiting to be the next Mole Bin Laden.

I recently, much like our own Armed Forces, feel that I have started to gain the upper hand.  This past week alone, I was able to eliminate Al-Qaida 1A and 1B.  I also got #’s 2 & 5.  Mole #3 and 4 may have expired from residual activities related to eliminating this particular terror group that I just wasn’t aware of at the time.  There hasn’t been any activity in their areas of operation, so I’m hopeful.  If that is truly the case, I really only have 6-10 left on the original list.  Of course, as I said, there is always another just waiting to add his picture to the top 10 and I’m always watching for them to try and keep them from getting to number one.  Since I was so successful this week, I’m going to need to juggle my list a bit, moving the current #3 to the #1 position and #4 to #2 until I can verify their demise. I would post photos as evidence but these would be far too traumatic for those with weak stomachs.  I’d also post those surveillance videos of night time activities, but the .270 with night vision is probably overkill and I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I had totally lost my mind with this endeavor.

So, while I continue my quest to secure the borders of my little piece of heaven, and protect those that I love, I’m sure there will be setbacks. However, I will strive to rid the world of Al-Qaida Moles and their off spring, in an effort to not only protect my interests, but the interests of my friends and neighbors, not matter how far away they happen to be.

Bajoria, Jayshree & Bruno, Greg (2012). Backgrounder, Al-Qaeda, retrieved from website: Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations/al-qaeda-k-al-qaida-al-qaida/p9126

Ever Have That Feeling?

There is a point, in every young tournament fisherman's life, where they do something they know they shouldn't have done.  I'm not young anymore, but I made that mistake last weekend, and it was costly.  Mostly from a pride standpoint.  I knew when I made the decision to fish where we were going that it was, at best, iffy.  We needed a couple good fish, and I was after the big bite for sure, but more importantly, we needed 5 fish.  My partner, Steve Pasker, and I talked about what we were going to do the night before after fishing all day and only having 5 keeper fish.  I felt like we could go North, jump around or "run and gun" five fish.  While the bite might have been light, it was decent from a weight standpoint.  With the water being high, and steady, I felt like we could probably piece together a decent bag. 

Then we talked about it again on the way to the ramp Sunday morning.  Then we talked about it again in the boat.  Each time, it was me that initiated the conversation, mostly because I wasn't feeling very good about it.  As it turned out, there was good reason.

We didn't catch anything at our first stop.  Nothing at the second either.  Or the third, or the fourth.  Steve finally hooked up with a really nice smallmouth at our fifth stop.  It was more of the same after that.  The fish just weren't cooperating on the North end of the pool at all.  My decision was looking worse and worse by the minute, which, were ticking away much too quickly.

At some point, you just have to realize you made a mistake and head to where you think the fish might be.  We went back down towards the south and stopped at a place that had been pretty good to me in the past.  Nothing!  We moved up the slot, stopped, first cast and POW.  I hooked up with a big 3lb largemouth.  Now we had two fish, still needed three more. We continued to fish hard, but nothing else came our way. 

We made it back to the weigh-in and were not surprised to hear and see that there were some nice 5 fish limits.  I really wanted to just crawl in my truck and get the heck out of there, so I did. While I was driving home, I replayed everything in my mind over and over only to come to the same conclusion;  We fished an area on Saturday in an effort to learn more about the pool, which was the right thing to do.  It was wrong, after struggling on Saturday a bit, to think Sunday would be any better.  I knew where we could catch 5 fish, I wanted 5 better fish. Truth is, it there were 5 okay fish in the southern edge of the pool, then there was probably as good a chance as any that we'd run across one that was "better".

I learned it's okay to poke around that big body of water known as the Mississippi river when the lights aren't on.  But when the lights come on, stick with what you know and you'll always bring five fish to the scale.  Better luck next time!

Cancun and Spring State

Someone reminded me that I hadn't been blogging lately.....and they missed me.  I agreed so felt compelled to jump in with both feet and catch everyone up just a little.

Had a great early part of the Spring because of the weather.  Warm, fishing was awesome. Then April showed up and we were back to a somewhat normal weather pattern.  All that means in Iowa is:  Unpredictable!  One day it would be below normal, the next it was above.  Rainy, dry, cool, warm, and above all else.....WINDY!  I was pretty sure we were all going to blow away a few of those days.  Much of my time was consumed with finishing my final college classes....(yes, I'm finally done)...and that feels great!

Some of my other time was spent working on the yard, tilled the garden, working on rental properties and being very busy at work.  Kim is back on her weekly travel schedule, so, she's gone four days a week.  I miss her.  Fishing helps though.

We had a trip to Cancun planned for lateApril/early May for Tyler and Ashley Hamerlinck's wedding.  Of course, Tyler had a little fishing trip planned for the boys while down there.  The goal was Marlin, what we ended up catching was Barracuda, Bonita and Red Snapper.  Always a good time fishing with Tyler, really enjoyed it.  The wedding was awesome as well and Ashley was an absolutely beautiful bride.

Kim and I accomplished exactly what we set out to do in Cancun, and that was relax!

Relaxing allowed me to begin thinking about what was coming next:  The Iowa Bass Federation Spring Tournament.  I was already thinking about spending time with the guys, Brad Rockwood in particular.  Brad and I go way back....wish we would have spent more time together as kids!  We got home late Tuesday night and I spent Wednesday morning getting packed up and ready to roll.  Left Wednesday afternoon and arrived at the river late Wednesday afternoon.  Went right to where we were staying and settled in. Got a phone call from our club president asking if I still wanted to be a boater instead of a non-boater.  The answer was obviously yes!

Thursday morning, met Brent Roloff in Marquette and we waited out a thunderstorm and then hit the water in pool 10.  Fishing was............different.  It was not the normal spring bite I expected.  Part of the problem was the river was really low.  I hadn't seen it that low since the mid-90's.  I managed to catch 5 keepers from the back of Buzzy's boat, but one of them was a little questionable.  But I didn't have any of my questions answered.

Friday, I went out alone on pool 9, starting way up North. Apparently, that is where all the Northern were living, because that is really all I caught early.  Had a couple really nice ones though.  As I moved south through the pool, I began catching a few more bass, but nothing with too much size.  Couple nice ones, but wasn't cooking with fire just yet.  By the time I got off the water on Friday, I was probably more confused than I have felt in a long time.  The Spring tournament was going to start in the morning and I was in the front of my boat making the decisions for the first time and wasn't sure what I was going to do!  Got off the water a little after lunch, went and got cleaned up, then drove down to Prairie to check in, wait for the meeting, and think some more.

The meeting went quick, got a very good draw, boat #4, and got a good partner in Mark Sexton from Spirit Lake, Iowa.  Mark works for Berkley and I have fished against him for years.  Our little meeting was short and sweet, we are going North and locking through to pool 9.  We talked about a couple spots and settled on one.  Once that was over, I headed for the trailer and tied and re-tied, getting ready for my second state tournament and first as a boater.  To say I was anxious, well, that wouldn't come close to describing what I was feeling.  I had also decided how I was going to fish the spot we had chosen and it was a method I had NEVER used.  I mentally committed to it and there was no turning back. Time for bed, Saturday morning was coming early!

Saturday morning started off pretty well, arrived at the lock, got through, and made it to the spot we agreed to fish and hit it hard.  I looked at Mark and said, "I'm about to do something stupid", and I did.  I started throwing exactly what I decided I would throw the night before and had never thrown before.  It worked.  All day.  Felt great to catch fish after fish after fish.  Had my limit in the first 40 minutes or so and worked hard all day to improve on that catch.  I did, but only a tenth of an ounce at a time.  My culling beam got a work out.  My partner, however, was struggling.  I like Mark, and I remember how Steve Huegerich treated me when I was struggling last year on day two.  He did what he could to help me catch fish.  It was my turn to do the same.  I told Mark to hook up and start grabbing the baits I was throwing and see what happened.  He did.  We worked hard but could only get him two in that same area we had fished all morning.  We took off and fished one other spot in pool 9, where Mark got one more.  It was time to head south. We made it into the lock right in front of a North bound barge and locked back South.  I had another spot in pool 10 that I thought we could possibly get a couple out of.  It worked, they weren't huge, but Mark got his fourth and fifth fish and it was time to weigh in.  I thought I had 11 and a half, turned out it was only 11.02lbs.  I was happy to have my five fish and was ok with the weight.  Something to work on improving on Sunday.

Another short meeting, met another new partner for Sunday, had a short conversation with him (Darrin Corley).....and off to tie and re-tie.  Spoke briefly with Brad, he asked what I was going to do....I said if I have learned anything, the one thing was never leave fish.  I was going right back to where I had caught my limit the day before.  He agreed. 

Woke up at 2:30am Sunday morning and couldn't get back to sleep.  Way too excited.  Rolled down to Prairie, found my partner, got launched, helped Buzzy get in the water, went to the blast off area and it was another quick drive to the lock (last boat in on Sunday) and back to the same spot.  I was not immediately catching fish on Sunday, Darrin was the one catching fish right away.  He put two in the boat and then it was my turn.  Same bait, same rig, four straight keepers in the live-well.  Darrin caught another, then I caught three more and began culling.  I had made the decision early that we weren't leaving that spot on Sunday, regardless of what was happening.  It worked.  I caught mine, Darrin actually caught a bigger bag.  Weighed in 11.43 on Sunday, which put me in the top third at 41st, 2lbs out of the top ten.

Congratulations to a member of our club, the Cedar Valley Bass Masters, Greg Seitz, who was the Spring Tournament winner.  The club had 6 members in the top 50, which was as good a showing as any other club.   First Club tournament this coming weekend.......feel pretty good about the plan I already have in my mind.  Guess we'll see.

On the Board

     There comes a time, every year, when the desire to fish wins out over everything else.  The last week or so has been that way for me.  A week ago today is when it started for me.  I went down to a local park and caught a couple little walleye and a small sauger.  They all went back in to fight another day, just like the bass I catch.  Later that day, I went looking for Mr. Small Mouth and Mr. Large Mouth, but was unable to get either.

The next day, I went to a different spot on the Cedar River, and got skunked again looking for the suddenly elusive Smallmouth bass.  My luck got better early yesterday morning when on the second cast, I hooked a nice little keeper smallie.

That was it though.  Threw for them for a couple hours, and nothing.  All that smallmouth did was get the competitive juices flowing even harder, so, I devised a plan.

I knew of a small pond that I've been meaning to fish for some time.  To get in there, I was going to need permission.  I left the river on a mission to get permission and that's exactly what I did.  I was excited to finally have the opportunity, but it wouldn't come until later on Sunday afternoon because of prior committments we had on Sunday.

As Sunday wore on, I was getting more and more excited about what "might" happen later that day. I was fairly confident that I'd have the opportunity to put some fish on the end of my line, but what was I going to use?  I asked my wife, who knew I was getting antsy, "what should I use to catch the monster bass I'm going to catch later"?  Her answer was one word....Chartreuse!  I looked at her and said, Okay, sounds good!  Right then, I knew I was throwing a spinnerbait today.  I also knew that with 30mph winds, gusting higher, that I would need to be strategically located in order to take full advantage of it.  The time came and I was off and running. 

I arrived at the semi-private pond and headed for the near corner.  After a few casts, had a pretty little large mouth grab the spinnerbait and game was on! Among bass fisherman, this next picture is the sign of a good day on the water.  When your thumb is all tore up from taking fish off the end of your line, its a very satisfying feeling.

The following are the pictures of the the bigger fish that I started catching shortly after I started fishing this afternoon.  It was, without a doubt, the best afternoon of fishing I've ever had, and it all came from fishing off the bank! Hard to imagine what it might have been like pitching plastics from a boat!

I know most of you have heard of "cookie cutter" fish, meaning, that every fish is identical, but what you are about to see is borders on ridiculous:

Fish#1, I knew I was going to need my scale!  Conservatively estimating the weight of this fish over 5 lbs.                                                      

Fish#2 - a little smaller, but not a lot.  Pushed 5 lbs pretty hard.

Fish#3, Which, by the way, is likely the biggest largemouth I've ever caught and I've caught a LOT of largemouth.  This fish was an estimated 23+ inches.  My best guess, again on the conservative side, would be a light 7 lbs. This fish almost never got caught, one more jump and she would have been free.  I picked her up and the spinnerbait fell out of her lip! 

Fish #4 - again, this fish is over 5 lbs.  This, literally, had me wondering what the heck was happening!  The bass gods had aligned every bass planet perfectly.  Maybe the Mayans are right and the bass were being kind because they know this is the last year I'll be able to fish for them!

And then fish #5 decided it was her turn to eat! She was a spunky little 2.5 lb fish that rounded out the first 5 keepers, but we weren't quite done........

Fish #6, keeping in mind that these are only the "keeper" fish I was catching, was again well over 5 lbs!

I actually lost track of how many total fish I caught out of this pond today, but it was somewhere close to 50 fish and I only made one trip around it and didn't fish the north side too hard because of the wind. The first five fish would have made for a really solid tournament bag.  Throw in the kicker fish at the end, and my six keeper fish would have been over 30lbs!  Seriously stupid. 

I wasn't done.  I ran to another spot I had been wanting to fish.  When I got there, I discovered that the water level was really very low.  I know this is a problem in many locations, but the "Lake" was nearly empty.  I made a few throws, walked around a bit, and gave up.  One more place to try before the sun went down.

The last thing I did was go down to the Cedar River across from my house.  I wanted a smallie to cap the day.  I parked just off the hwy and climbed down the West bank under the bridge.  I had never fished here before, even though it is just a 1/4 mile from my driveway.  I tied on a jig and made a couple casts and BAM!  My line got smoked hard!  I fought the fish for about 10 seconds before it turned and broke my line.  I stood there dumbfounded. I thought, "well, that sucked, now what?" I decided to go back after the smallmouth with the spinnerbait that I had been using earlier.  Made a cast to the back side of the bridge piling......nothing.  Made a cast to the front side of the bridge piling...........FISH ON!  Here is the last fish I caught today, a chunky little small mouth that would have been my seventh keeper of the day!  As you can see, the chartreuse and white spinner bait is still in the smallies lip, just for proof.  It has a little something else that you might be able to distinguish, but not going to tell you what that is.  You can probably figure it out!  Can't wait for my next fishing adventure.  Probably won't be as exciting as the one I had today, but it will have it's own memories, I'm sure.

Remember to always get permission to fish the waters you would like to fish that are on private or semi-private land.  Whether its a small farm pond, a quarry or access to a larger lake that requires you to trek through private property, ASK.  

Fishing Obsession!

I've often wondered at what point something you like to do becomes an obsession. I think I've figured it out.

Does it start when you realize you don't have a rod for flipping, and HAVE to have one? Or maybe when you buy a brand new boat?  Or how about when you buy all new storage boxes for your baits, many of which you rarely use, and put permanent labels on them so you know what they are for? Regardless, when the thing you like to do becomes the first thought on your mind at some point of every day, it has officially become an obsession. Period. Fishing has done this to me. And lets clarify it a little more....Bass Fishing.  Tournament Fishing.  Winning tournaments, which isn't something I can say I've done a lot of, but I've had a taste.  And let me tell you this, it gets in your blood!

Of course, it helps to understand why.  I don't, but I know this;  I'm highly competitive.  Even during tournaments, we would have competition between partners on who landed the biggest fish, who caught the most fish, who caught the first fish, who caught the majority of the fish we took to the scale.  It doesn't stop there.  Who caught the first Smallmouth?  Who caught the first Largemouth?  When you spend 8-10 hours a day, in a boat, on the water, with the same guy, you need to figure something out that keeps the competitive drive flowing. 

Then there are the bets against other teams.  We really only have one and we just call it or "Sammich" bet, or, lunch.  $10 bucks per guy on who does better.  A tournament within the tournament if you will. I have to admit, we lose more often than we win, but it's still fun!

There is the trash talk that takes place as well.  It isn't meant to hurt anyones feelings or anything, just get under their skin a little.  Anything to gain the competitive advantage.  Most times, keeping your mouth shut is the best idea!

I have a lot of friends who fish.  Saw a Facebook post the other day from one of them who hasn't fished competitively for two years, all related to work.  I applauded his decision at the time with a bit of a golf clap.  He wasn't wrong to stop.  I applaud him now for jumping back in with both feet with a fist pump, a high five, a very long whistle!  Good for you Scotty Grapp, and good luck buddy!  It may only be one tournament, but I can tell you are excited.  I have another friend, who refuses to sponsor me even though I'm pretty much throwing his hand poured, made with all the fishing love in the world, baits.  He's getting excited too, I can tell.  Itching to get back into the competition that many of us haven't seen since, well, probably last October, or longer.

Speaking of sponsorships, I've tried a couple times to get local companies to sponsor my obsession.  No luck.  Not good enough yet?  I don't know.  I know that I'm better now than I was five years ago and I'll be better in five years than I am today. Not even going to look this year, but St. Croix, MinnKota, Nitro, Daiwa, Yum, Hot Rod, Strike King, Rebel and and other local companies that want opportunities to advertise their products on my boat or tow vehicle should sit up and take notice. That's all I'm going to say about it, but, the opportunity is there for anyone that might want to take advantage of it.

What was an enjoyable pass time for me has become, without question, an obsession.  A quest for the next big fish, the first fish, the last fish, the next tournament win, club angler of the year, club co-angler of the year, state tournament team member, and whatever is beyond.  My boat is organized, my thoughts are clear, I'm getting my body into the kind of shape it will take to withstand the rigors of an aggressive schedule, and I'm ready to get this thing started all over again.

Man, there aren't a lot of things better than a day or two on the water!

Every Day is Love

Valentine's Day comes once a year.  It's a day of love, expressions of love and a lot of "I love you" statements that seem innately appropriate.

Most Valentine's Day, I don't have the opportunity to send my significant other flowers, chocolates or a card, simply because she isn't available. Like many working people today, she is a traveler.  Her job is in the land of make believe, far, far away (Los Angeles).  Of course, I realize that I could send my token sentiments of love to her office there, but that isn't anything we've ever really done. Heck, I don't even know the address!  This year, she happened to be on an airplane, or in an airport, most of the day, so it really wouldn't have done much good.

I used to feel bad about not doing something for her.  And while I still feel a little pang of guilt, it quickly passes because I know our love is something much bigger and better than a boquet of flowers.

At some point, and I can't tell you exactly when this happened, my wife became more important to me than, well, anything else in my life.  I love my kids, and I'd defintely do anything to protect them, but it isn't the same feeling I have towards Kim.  She's my everything, my true love, my eternal light, my lover, my partner and my best friend.

We both have other interests.  I fish, she lets me.  I love football, a lot.  Have been an Iowa season ticket holder for a very long time (23 years).  She puts up with everything associated with it. She likes to be very social, entertain, visit our new grand-daughter and would like to travel more.  We do a lot of things that mean we aren't always together, and I guess that's the point I'm making.

We are both secure enough in our relationship to understand that we don't always have to be together to know each of us loves the other more and more each passing year. We don't need to worry about what the other is doing, who they are with or where they are going.  Jealousy doesn't exist in our relationship and either does drama. It took us a lot of rocky roads and a long time to get to this point, but it sure was worth it. If I had one wish for everyone, it is simply this: 

I hope all of you can find the same type of love in your relationships that Punky and I have.  It's pretty special and the feeling is, well, better than landing a 5 lb bass or a game winning touchdown.  Besides, if you don't have someone to share those experiences with, what good are they?

Changed my URL - Sears Still Sucks

I've decided I kind of like writing this blog, so realize that the URL searsstillsucks probably isn't an appropriate website.   Not that they have gotten any better in my mind, and I may remind all of you on occasion, BUT, I've changed the URL to my name.....

So, mikezierath@blogspot.com is alive and well.  We are going to keep tinkering with this Blog and will have additional updates as I think of blog worthy material.

The Value of Education

Does that little piece of paper really mean anything? That is something that has been asked by many, many people over the years and this is just my opinion......

I'm sure, that over a person's normal life time, if you get a college education in the traditional sense right out of high school, it likely will pay for itself.  The individual still has to utilize the skills and knowledge they have obtained in the choosen field of study and aggressively pursue opportunities with greater responsibility.  Pretty simple concept.

But, what about those of us who receive our degrees later in life? 

Take me for example.  I'll be 49 when I graduate from college.  That is about 27 years later than many, 26 if you factor in a 5th year.  I worked at one job nearly that long before making a switch almost two years ago.  The money I've spent in order to obtain this degree has been on the level of, well.....let's just suffice to say that college is expensive, no matter when you go. So, am I going to suddenly start earning more money because I have a diploma to hang on the wall?  Probably not.  I'm going to have to follow my own advice and try and make it pay off well before my current employer can make it worth the effort it took to get it.  Will that happen overnight?  No, probably not.  I like my job.  I like the area we live in.  I like my house.  So why bother at all?

I've asked myself that many times the last few years. It became personal at some point.  I've had a very supporting wife and family who have encouraged me along the way.  I'm anxious to frame the diploma and put it right next to my wife's undergrad and masters diplomas. I want the sense of accomplishment that comes with it and I want to be able to answer that damn question about education with "college graduate" instead of "some college".  You all know the one.  (Like it matters).

Will I ever get the money back that I've invested?  I hope so.  It isn't every day that you have a nearly 50 year old college graduate, but I can tell you this.....its more common now than many of you think. Had a guy been able to purchase stock in the field of education 25 years ago, that money would be worth a lot more today.  Since you  can't, the value is an investment in self. That alone has to be worth something.  What you do with it isn't necessarily where all the value lies.......

There are a lot of factors in life that make a person more marketable.  A college education is only one of them and my personal feelings are that the education portion is over-rated and over priced.  I will be no better or different when I finish in April than I was when I started.  Having lived life and experienced some of the things life offers.......I can tell you without reservation that college has been  much easier the second time around because of the those experiences.  My feelings are those things are more valuable than showing a future employer that I had the fortitude and perseverance to finish college. Maybe that's too simplistic. It just seems, now having done it, to be seriously over-rated. And don't get me wrong, I certainly see the other side, obviously, and could argue the finer points of having an education and what it does for you.  I'll save that for conversations with my grand-daughter. Hopefully, she travels the more traditional route in obtaining her higher education and takes a little friendly advice from grandpa in that regard.

I will tell her that education opens doors that otherwise might not open.  That alone might be the greatest value of all.  Is it right? Nope. But it is what it is. So educate yourself.  Answer that question with "College Graduate".  I am.

WASABI.......

WAAAAASSSSSSAAAAABBBBIIIII!  Remember those commercials?  Never understood them until I started eating Sushi. That's when I discovered wasabi.   Man, I love that burn!  I can't wait to spread a bit of wasabi on a roll or piece of sushi and start chewing.  My eyes get big, my head gets hot, my sinus' clear......super good feeling.  Love the taste too! My wife is entertained by it every single time I do it.

I like most hot foods, but at 48 years of age, there are some (NOT VERY MANY) that I just can't eat anymore.  Call it, well, educated if you will.  I've gotten smarter over time.

So, wasabi......I walked into work this morning and one of the guys that always brings in home-made meats, jerky, sticks, etc.....walks up and tells me he brought some deer sticks in.  He had my immediate attention.  "Are they hot?" He says no, but, I brought some Wasabi paste to put on them.  Now he really has my attention.  I don't even make it to my desk to take my jacket off, I just head down to his work area cause I gotta try this stuff.  One of the guys that works for me was tagging along saying how good that wasabi was and how good the sticks were.

We get there, and the guy that brought it in tells me the wasabi is the real deal....straight from China!  One of our sales guys brought it back for him on his last visit.  I'm like, "cool", and proceed to grab a deer stick and the tube of wasabi.  He again tells me that it's the real stuff..........and I'm thinking, "Ok, wasabi is wasabi, right?" Not even close.

I squeeze some out of the tube, probably as wide as a pencil and maybe an inch long. The guy that works for me says, "Have fun with that hot stick", and starts walking away.  The guy that brought them in is looking at me a little wide eyed, yet, I'm totally oblivious to what is about to take place!

I take a bite.

I get two chews into this and my whole world turns up-side-down! I can no longer breath.  Literally!  Can't catch a breath at all.  My mouth is on fire....not like a burning sensation, but just the same, on fire!  I don't know what to do......every time I try and breath, I'm sucking this wasabi stuff directly into my lungs!  It begins to rain........from my eyeballs!  The snot, that wasn't in my head prior to taking that bite, begins to run from my nose!  I'm choking and no one is trying to help!  I realize I have to get that stuff out of my mouth, so I do what any normal person would do.......I spit it out! 

I'm thinking that this should solve the problem, right?  WRONG!  The choking feeling gets worse! I never felt like I would vomit, but I never realized how much saliva the human body could generate!  I bent over and just started spitting it on the floor.  At some point, I wondered how long this was going to last.  All day? 

Just as quickly as it started, it ended........ok, almost. I finally caught some air, was able to stand up and realized that everyone had left the area!  Bastards.  I'm sure it was like watching someone fall down.....as funny as it is, you always ask them if they are okay before you start laughing at them.  My two co-workers had laughed their way to the other end of the shop.  They couldn't breathe either, but for an entirely different reason.  Apparently, they thought I was fairly entertaining as well!

As I'm standing there looking at them, through blurry, tear clouded eyes, I realize I have to prove a point.  So I grab another deer stick and that tube of wasabi and I go about it a little different this time, knowing "a little dab will do ya."  I walk back down to where they are, share a little laugh with them over the whole thing, then show them that I can handle the wasabi and take a bite. 

Much better.  No gagging, no choking, no tears, no runny nose, no spitting, can still breathe and I get the full bodied taste of the deer stick with the wasabi spread.  Much, much better the second time around.  

Of course, everyone in the entire office and production area knows that I tried to commit wasabi suicide this morning and are getting a bit of a laugh at my expense, but that's okay.  Anything I can do to make their days better!

Fishing Bug

The fishing bug has really grabbed me.  Got home after taking Kim to the airport late this afternoon, and felt like working on organizing the boat a little.  Still have a LONG way to go, but definitely made some progress tonight.  It's all about having the stuff you use at your fingertips and knowing when you are getting low on the things you use the most.  Thank god for Plano and Plano knockoff boxes!  Walmart needs to get some more in as I've pretty much purchased all they carry.  You can never have too many Plano 3700 & 3750's.  Wonder how many will fit in the boat and still leave room for my partners gear? Guess we'll see.

Speaking of fishing, I can't help but think about the guys that I grew up with who have gone on to be pretty good fishermen.  There is a whole host of Professional Walleye Fishermen from the local area, my favorite is Neil Hammargen.  That's just my bias showing through.  There's Tom Skarlis, Scott and Darrin Grapp, Doug Newhoff and Greg Azbill.  Bunch of good sticks there.

On the Bass fishing side, which of course I'm very partial towards, two of the best I've ever known are my cousin Steve Runge (Waverly) and my good friend Brad Rockwood (Cedar Falls).  I've always said that if you put those two in a boat together, they'd probably never lose.  There's Jeff Ritter, who is from Waterloo but now lives in Prarie Du Chien, WI.  Bob Howland from Cedar Falls is someone I need to fish with a few times.  Andy Sommerfelt from Waterloo is another guy that can find fish.  Kevin Christensen and Garry Satterlee from Independence are real consistent.  They you have the younger crowd from Indee, Trent Beier, Todd Reed, Dave Gissell and Brent Roloff.  On any given day, any one of these guys can bring a winning bag to the scales.

Then there is me. I'm not in the same class as most of those guys I mentioned.....I'm sure that I over think this thing and talk myself right out of fish most of the time. I started fishing with my cousin in tournaments back in 2005.  I was so pumped!  We finished 2nd at our first tournament down at Smithville, MO and I was hooked, lined and sinkered!  After Steve, Brent Roloff and I got together for 3 years.  Some days we fish like professionals.  Some days, well, its like we've never fished.  I think most guys have those days, I hate them.  This year, Brent and I are going to try running our own boats and different partners.  Steve Pasker is going to be in the back of my boat this year.  We'll fish the CVBM tournaments and try our hand at a couple of the Bass World Sports events and go against some of the guys I listed above. 

I realized I have a scheduling issue already this year with Spring State.  Kim's cousin Tyler is getting married at the end of April.............in Mexico.  Spring State is May 4, 5 & 6.  Since I'll be in Mexico on April 28th for the wedding, not sure what I'll do about fishing Spring State.  May have to skip it.  If I miss Spring, I'll need to miss Fall State too.....no sense in fishing one if you aren't fishing both. That's okay, I qualified as a non-boater for this season through the club, I'll be boating next year. Guess we'll see what happens.

I'm sure there will be plenty of fishing conversation between now and next Thanksgiving.  Until then, here's something for all you guys that are getting bit by the same bug:

Sears Still Sucks

You may have noticed that the URL for my blog is "searsstillsucks".  Self-explanatory, but, there is a story.

Sears was my inspiration for this blog. Fittingly, they should get the first major contribution.  Let me give you a little background: 

When we were building our new home in 2006, we bought all of our appliances from Sears.  2 refridgerators, 2 stoves, 2 dishwashers, water heater, water softner and added a lawn tractor and some other outside lawn and garden equipment.  I had always used them, grew up that way.  They were my first choice for everything and all was well. 

2 years into living here, the mower needed a blade engagement cable.  I went online to purchase it.  While I was there, I figured I better go ahead and get a blade engagement belt as well.  I knew I was going to need one sooner or later. Both items arrived, I fixed the cable and put the belt on the shelf for later use.  Later came.  I went to the shelf and grabbed the belt, took the old one off and started to thread the new one one.................wouldn't fit.  Too short. I looked at the packing list, looked at the book, everything showed that it should be the right one.  I looked at the belt and discovered that they didn't pull the right belt by the number.  Easy fix, right?  Call them.  So, I did.

Wow, what a trip through customer service hell.  The person who took my call understood exactly what I was calling about, but had to transfer me to online order customer service.  He got me there.  I explained what happened to the new person.  They basically told me they couldn't do anything about the situation but would be happy to place another order for me for the right part.  I said, wait a minute, what about the fact that you pulled and sent the wrong item even though I asked for the right part.  They said that the reason they couldn't do anything was because internet orders had a 90 day return policy. (might have been 30 day, been a while).  I still objected, saying reminding the person it wasn't anything I did, it had everything to do with what they had done.  Still got nothing.  The customer service person was being completely unreasonable.  I asked to speak to his supervisor (now I was probably being unreasonable).  He said no.  I asked why.  He told me he was the supervisor and that his decision was final.   

I wasn't done.  I looked up the person responsible for Sears E-Commerce and sent them a very informative  and professional email explaining the situation.  I never recieved a response.  Nothing. Nada. I almost felt violated and felt like my only recourse was to never purchase anything from them again.  But it gets worse!

Shortly after that, our ice maker on our primary fridge started acting up.  Guess who I had to call.......we set up an appointment, one of those, "I'll be there between 2-5pm" appointments.  Repairman showed up, said that the icemaker was broken and that he would order a new one.  I asked him how much that was going to cost me?  Well, with his service call, the new ice maker, installation, tax, it was over $300.  I was not happy. 

The ice maker showed up a couple days later.  I opened it and without even needing to compare the two, knew it wasn't the right one. Just to be sure, I went out, and made the comparison.  Not even close.  I started looking at how easy the ice-maker was to change.  I took the old one out.  I looked at the part of the ice-maker that the repairman said was cracked.  There wasn't a crack...not a chip, not a dent..........nothing.  There wasn't anything wrong at all!!!  I tinkered with the ice maker, bent the water fill tube, tightened a couple of screws on the back wall of the ice-maker that were really loose, and turned it back on.  A couple hours later........ice.  That was 18 months ago!  Still working like a charm.

So, now, we have two incidents with Sears that make me go, hmmmmmmm, I'll be darned.

After spending my entire life, 46+ years at that point, being loyal to a company and brand, I decided that they were no longer worthy of my loyalty.   They were no longer entitled to my money.  They were no longer on my list of retailers to purchase, well, I would just never purchase another item from them EVER!  Not tires, appliances, electronics, clothes, shoes, gym equipment or lawn care items.  All things that I've purchased from them in the past, now I would make it a point to go elsewhere for those things.  The other thing I could do, and have, would ensure that my relatives, children and friends all knew that "Sears Sucks".

This blog should have been the first step in my damnation of what once was a proud and reliable retailer.  They are anything but that at this point.  Sears Holding Company, who now owns K-Mart, should probably use a little more common sense in situations like this.  Hey, Sears.......don't bother to call, don't bother to offer anything as consolation, don't ever think about the potential loss of income that comes from this household alone....think about all the people I will ensure never shop at your stores again. 

Sears Still Sucks.