As the year winds down and the temperatures keep dipping lower, I’m sad to say my fishing season has officially come to an end. Some of my buddies are still squeezing in a few more cold-weather trips, but honestly? I’d rather stay warm and dry than risk capsizing and taking another unexpected swim in that icy water. Once was enough for me.
Looking back, though, I can honestly say this has been my best fishing year ever. Part of me wishes I’d kept track of the exact number of fish I caught, but even without a count, I know this season was something special. I’ve caught more bass this year alone than in all the previous years combined. Every trip held its own little thrill, its own memory, its own reason to smile.
Now it’s time to clean the gear, let the rods rest, and start looking forward to those early spring mornings when the water warms, the fish wake up, and the season starts all over again. Until then, I’m holding onto the stories, the quiet moments on the water, and the pride of a truly unforgettable fishing season.
I know—it’s been a minute since I’ve posted anything. Honestly, I don’t even remember what I wrote about last time, so forgive me if I repeat myself a bit.
My weight loss journey has finally leveled out—or at least I think it has. My original goal was 190 pounds, but I’ve actually surpassed that by almost 20. I weighed in this morning at 174 pounds and have been hovering there for several weeks now. That’s over a hundred pounds lost in total, which is still hard for me to wrap my head around sometimes. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at.
I don’t regret having the surgery one bit—if anything, I just wish I’d been able to do it sooner. That said, there are a few side effects I could do without. I get these hunger pains unlike anything I’ve ever felt before—sharp, deep aches around my stomach area that only fade after I eat. And since they removed my inflamed gallbladder during surgery, well, let’s just say I have to stay close to a restroom after meals. What goes in tends to come out quickly, and sometimes with little to no warning. Sometimes it’s 30 minutes, sometimes hours later—but when the tummy starts to rumble, it’s a do-or-die situation. I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest.
On a more personal note, my old buddy Clyde is still hanging in there. He’ll be 21 in January if he makes it that long. About a month ago, we found out he has a tumor on his liver. We don’t know if it’s cancerous, but because of his age, surgery isn’t an option. All we can do now is keep him comfortable and make sure his final days are filled with love. The vet couldn’t give us a timeframe, so we’re just taking things day by day. It’s tough to think about, and we’re trying to prepare ourselves mentally—but that’s easier said than done.
I’m still getting out on the river for some kayak fishing about once a week. I love it, but those 4 a.m. wake-up calls are brutal. I usually try to be on the water by sunrise to make the most of the day, and I’m typically done around 2 p.m. That’s a long stretch to be sitting in a kayak, but it’s peaceful out there.
As the temperatures drop, though, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep it up. I’m chronically anemic and stay cold most of the time. Anything below 76 degrees is jacket weather for me. In fact, my thermostat is set at 76, and I still wear a jacket indoors most days. I have a trip planned for this Thursday, but the forecast says 43 degrees in the morning. I can bundle up, but once it warms up, I’ll have to stash my jacket somewhere—and space is limited in a kayak. The front compartment is out of reach when I’m seated, so it’s always a bit of a puzzle.
But hey, that’s life. I’ll enjoy it while I can—cold mornings, creaky joints, and all.
I’m also going to try to stay more active on here, share a bit more often, and hopefully regain some of my old followers—and maybe even find a few new ones along the way.
Feel free to ask me anything about my gastric bypass journey, my buddy Clyde, or my fishing trips. I’d love to share what I’ve learned and experienced. And if you’ve gone through weight loss surgery, have a special pet, or just want to chat about your own hobbies, I’d really enjoy hearing about them too.
I’ve been absent of late and for a good reason. Although the doctor stated during my last oncologist appointment that my medicine is not working, I’m still feeling pretty good so I’m taking advantage of it and getting some things done around the house. With that being said, I had to increase the dosage by 100mg and it’s starting to take a toll on my breathing. Not much mind you but just enough to where I know that eventually, I’ll have to have more fluid drained from around my lungs.
I’ve got 39 more days to work and boy am I ready. It can’t come fast enough. I’m supposed to meet with HR on Tuesday to discuss my retirement and post-retirement insurance. More about this later.
The last four years have really played havoc around my house. I’ve been fortunate to have a wife who is willing to cut the grass around the house but the other duties have gone by the wayside. My deck on the back side of the house needed cleaning four years ago and now it’s, well, pathetic. The deck was black with mold and some of the hand railings needed to be replaced. For the last three weeks, I have spent the afternoons and weekends cleaning this deck. I have finished with the inside now to do the outside and then paint or stain next.
I have found the time to do a little bit of photography in the last few months. I’ve really taken a liking to lightning pictures. I’ve spent hours waiting on a storm to come through just close enough away that it would make a good picture while staying far enough away that I won’t be a target for a lightning strike. I’ve had a few storms to come through.
There was a Fourth of July celebration up the street and I was fortunate enough to take some pictures of some fireworks from my front yard. I didn’t get all I wanted because at the same time I was trying to get my drone off the ground to video the event. My phone kept locking up so I had to settle with just the pictures.
I am currently sick with a sinus infection. I went to the doctor today. The drainage is making me cough and my chest is hurting. I had plans on washing my truck and cleaning the outside today but that didn’t happen. Maybe I’ll feel like doing it tomorrow.
We had some pretty bad storms come through the northern part of our state yesterday afternoon and evening. There was an EF3 tornado hit one of our colleges and destroyed a lot of student dorms and apartments. Luckily, most of the students were away for spring break. I’m not sure where the students will live once school resumes. Thankfully there were no fatalities. Although, we keep hearing of one fatality through social media but not through official sources.
I had a small altercation with another vehicle this afternoon as I’m trying to enter the interstate. As you can see by the sign I was clearly in the right. If I hadn’t slowed down we would have sideswiped each other. I’m not sure who’s fault it would have been but at times I wished I had a machine gun attached to my bumper.
I’m a bit late posting this but I’ve just now got around to it. This trail head in the Jasper/Double Springs area of the Bankhead National Forest. If you’re ever in this area I would highly recomend this place.
The trail starts off down hill for about twenty yards or so. Which is fine but you’ve got to come back up. The trail itself is rather nice. It’s farly wide for the most part but does narrow down to a single person for a bit before reaching the falls.
My wife and I followed this trail for about a mile and a half when we saw a young lady sitting on a log off to the side of the trail. Surrounding her was another female and a male friend. The lady on the log looked like she was having some heat related issues. I offered one of my bottles but they refused any help from us. Evedently, the hill going down to the falls was steeper than I had read.
Going down this hill was tough on my legs but not near as tough as going up it. Once to the falls you had to climb down to the creek to get any pictures of the falls. There were several young people swiming and I feel sure the water was cold. My wife didn’t venture down to the falls because she was afraid she’d fall. The same thought had entered my mind as well but I just walked a little over a mile to get here and I wan’t going to let a little climb turn me around.
As we guessed, the climb out of there was slow for me. It took me a while for me to reach the flatter area because I had to stop and catch my breath several times. Once we made it to the top of the hill it wasn’t so bad getting back to out truck. With the exception of the last twenty yards.
For anyone with breathing issues or congestive or heart issues, I would not recommend this trail. All others, have at it. Simeple two mile in/out trail.
With my camera!!. Come spring time I’ll wish I had got her with something more lethal. I love most animals and I love to take pictures of them. What I’d love to shoot and I have never been invited is a deer. Not with a gun mind you but with a camera.
I’m assuming this is mother Mocking Bird waiting on her mate to bring nesting material. They have nested in this same tree for over five years now. I keep calling her a she but in reality I’m not sure what sex this bird is. Two summers ago I found feathers of a Mocking bird on the ground next to the tree where they nest. I figured that the mate would move on but to my amazement there were two nesting last year.
She kept moving around and I found it hard to get a decent shot of her due to the limbs in the tree. I know my neighbors thought I was crazy but who cares. I knew what I was doing.
Grayfeathersblog 