Seems Like Only Yesterday 8/9/2024

 Good Morning, 

I can't put this cup of Door County Inn Keepers Blend Coffee down this morning. I am extremely happy with that hot cup in my left hand soothing a small bout of arthritis. I tried typing with one hand. Not working too well for me. So here we go. My own motto needs to be applied to my day. "Suck it up Buttercup."

I used to spend part of my summers with my grand parents in a small town of Northern Michigan when I was a pre teen and for a year or two into my teenage years. Those days of home made pasta, gnocchi, and ravioli are some fond memories I still enjoy and try to imitate those memories now and then. Just about every day I would accompany my grand father to one of his favorite little lakes for a morning or evening of fishing. Grandpa had a small row boat, good oars and no motor. My nephew still uses that boat to this day. If only that boat could talk! We rowed our way around the five lakes he liked to fish. The lakes were small and the fishing could be great or not so great. But I remember the great days and can't recall the bad ones. 

Leviticus 19:32 "You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man., you shall fear the Lord your God : I am the Lord. 

I smoked my first cigar in the boat with him and had to keep one eye open for one of his pranks. He liked to catch my hat right off of my head with his fly rod and send it soaking in the lake. He thought that was hilarious, until he missed and pierced my ear. We never ran into anyone else fishing on those lakes. I don't think other folks thought the small lakes were worth fishing. I used to long to go fishing on a big bass boat, but would give anything to be on one of those lakes with that small boat and the company of Grandpa. 

Before I knew it, the time would come for me to go home to the big city  and wait for another year to go by for my annual "lessons on life", great food and why it is good to wake up at 4:40am and be on the water by 5:45am. Note 4:40am, not 4:30am, not 4:45am or 5:00 am. I was always waiting for that explanation, but I never really heard it. Grandpa had a few quirks and I just won't ever know why he chose that time. I do believe it had something to do with regular bowels??? 

My point for the day is this. Enjoy those times with the old folks. Drink your coffee the way they hand it to you. Smoke a Toscano cigar ( Grandpa loved those cigars) even though you choke at first. The smoke was good mosquito repellent. And wait to hear the door close on the out house before jumping into the car. It only seems like yesterday that I heard, "suck it up buttercup, it's only rain. The fish are biting." Maybe that motto isn't my own. 

Have a great memorable day!

Marty