Fishing for Summer

Most of southern Minnesota is under an air quality alert for ozone this afternoon and evening. Since I’m a diligent environmentalist, I’lll follow the guidance and forego doing yard chores today. Tomorrow will be soon enough to collect more dead branches scattered about the yard. There’s no rain in the forecast for the next week or ten days, so open burning in the southern half of the state isn’t allowed yet. I wonder if spring burning restrictions will continue into summer this year. Perhaps Mother Nature is sending me a message that this would be a good time to go fishing.

a fine place to spend the summer

Photo by J. Harrington

While running an errand today I confirmed another absolute sign it’s summerish. The roads are full of triple- and quadruple-axle dump trucks and side-dumpers. Road construction season, Minnesota’s alternative to winter, is underway. Congestion and slowdowns, here we come.

Moments ago I learned from the Better Half that, among other things, we’re having strawberry pancakes for dinner tonight. I don’t recall ever having had strawberry pancakes. It will be, at a minimum, summery. And that’s as it should be since we are now less than a week from Memorial Day. In preparation, I should plan to give the Jeep it’s summer bath sometime this week.

Golden Rainbow

by James A. Tweedie 

Silver shimmers swirl and eddy,
Gurgle, splash, slip-slide away.
Rounded river rocks unsteady
Underneath my feet today.

Hiding in the water’s shadows
Hungry trout are standing by
Hoping that the nearby meadows
Feed them with a juicy fly.

Carefully I creep and tarry
With my fishing pole held tight.
Hoping the dry-flies I carry
Trick the trout to take a bite.

With a practiced flick of wrist
I cast my line and float my fly.
Rising trout has hit—but missed!
I’m ready for a second try.

With my fly adrift I’m jerking
It to make it look alive.
Splash from where the trout is lurking—
Barbless hook—it takes a dive.

Carefully the fish is landed,
Lifted to the light of day.
As the fish is held wet-handed—
Golden rainbows on display.

Quickly now, the fish will be
Released into the rushing stream.
Then, when it has been set free,
I’ll ever hold it as a dream.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.