Life is happening...

It has been a long time since the last post. Unfortunately, I have been busy with that aspect of life which hits us all at some time. I have been living with my head down, day-to-day, one day at a time, attending to those important things, like family and more family. I am not feeling sorry for myself, nor apologizing, for that matter. Just stating the facts.

It is still very much winter up here on the south shore of Gitchi Gummi. The wind is sweeping off the lake from the north-northwest, making the 15 degree temperature feel like -5 degrees.

My dog, Maggie, is sitting at my feet as I type this post, sighing every now and then to let me know of her frustration with the weather. She loves to walk with me in the forest in the deep snow, as I trudge to my trap-line, but she has to stop every 25 feet to clean out her paws, as the snow and ice build up between her toes. As you know, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are dogs that have webbed feet, among others, of course. The snow builds up in Maggie's paws and she has to stop and nibble them clean. I tried getting her to wear booties, but she will have none of it.

After I get done with this post, I will go and tie some more trout flies, depending, of course, if my fingers don't get too numb. Unfortunately, I have to tie my flies in the basement, which is not too warm this time of year.

Saw a "Saw-Whet Owl" last evening awaiting the opportunity to extract a few rodents from the abundant population now living below one of the decks my wife uses as a giant bird feeder. These little owls are so "tame" that you can literally walk up to them where they are roosting and actually get them to perch on a finger. I have done this a number of times. Yet, they are very fierce hunters. I have seen them kill 5 or 6 mice, one right after the other, without stopping to eat them as they are killed. I have watched as they stuff the dead mice in small openings in some of the adjacent trees to let them freeze and return at a later time, extracting a mouse or two and then sitting on them until they are thawed enough to eat. These are truly amazing birds of prey.

Well, time to go. The boss has told me I have no time to tie flies as I have a roof to shovel off. Guess she heard that I just renewed my life insurance policy.

Vaya con Dios.

Hawkeye.