|
|
Hi, gang! Leaf-Peeping season is almost over . . . the days are getting shorter and a whole lot chillier. This is the time of year where we see how long we can go before having to turn on the heat. This is where having a fireplace or wood burning stove comes in real handy. I was ready for the heating abstinence competition this year: Cover-up throw-blankets were within easy reach on the couch and in the upstairs bedrooms. Sweaters and slippers were strategically placed both upstairs and down; I even made sure that there were lightweight wool hats within reach in both the upstairs bedrooms. There was an ample supply of hot cocoa, soups, and various coffees and teas in the cupboards. Yeah, this year I wasn't going to succumb early . . . ..I was prepared to be in it for the long haul, why I believed that I could make it to Dec. 1 with no trouble at all.
Teenagers are funny . . . .even after you tell them how great it would be to make it to 12/1 without succumbing to 'the call of the thermostat', and that learning to live in a colder environment will help to better prepare them for the cold, (sometimes) cruel world . . . .they still have a mind of their own. I had given my daughter the thermostat lecture with the full belief that she had actually listened to my 10 minute long tirade about rising fuel costs, the thrill of seeing how long we could hold out . . . etc, etc. Secure in the knowledge that I was indeed going to cut my fuel consumption by half of last year's total . . . evening, I happened to wander into my daughter's room bearing a load of clean clothes. I noticed immediately that the room seemed really warm . . . ..abnormally warm . . . .warm to the point of feeling like a southern beach type warm. One glance at the thermostat confirmed my fears . . . .the dial was set around 75 degrees. All of a sudden, odd happenings seemed to make more sense.
Those nights where I thought I was just going through some extreme hot flashes were instead, the result of the beach-type setting of the thermostats. I don't really know what felt worse . . . the fact that I had lost the challenge to remain heatless until 12 / 1, the inevitable pricey future fuel bill, or the fact that secretly it felt really good to be standing in a room where I didn't need to have three layers of clothes plus gloves and hat on. So, I had to sheepishly admit to my fellow competitors that my household had indeed fallen first. Once my defeat was admitted, heating attitudes hanged. Recently, while visiting my 50 degree friend up north, he actually turned on the heat for me!! It was ok to do this as he was only doing it for ME . . . .never mind the fact that it was actually warmer outside the house vs. inside! I guess if you turn the heat on for a friend's comfort, it doesn't count against you. All I can say is that it felt darn good standing over the register letting the warmth seep into my bones.
The moral of this story is: The thrill of going without heat does not compare to the thrill of letting go . . . living life on the edge . . . ..and feeling that first wonderful warm blast of air that chases away the numbness in your extremities and brings you into your comfort zone.
With warm thoughts,
Colleen
Nominations are now being accepted for club officer positions. Herm Hertkorn and Colleen Drenckhahn are the contact persons. Herm can be reached at: 673-9595. Colleen can be reached at: 695-4573. Please call before 9 pm.
General election of officers will be at the January pot-luck. All nominations should be made before Dec 20th in order to be in the January newsletter.
Club Members, Mike and Jeanne Brown, are looking for a tandem Kevlar Canoe. If you, or someone you know, are interested in selling, contact them at 216-4805
The club would like to extend their hearty thanks to newsletter editor Julie Raddell for her outstanding efforts in regards to making the newsletter happen each month. This is a challenging job for anyone to take on. Deadlines need to be met, and extra effort is made to accommodate mailing schedules in order to ensure that the newsletter reaches everyone in a timely manner. In addition to her newsletter duties, Julie has an extremely busy work schedule that keeps her on the go. Due to her increased workload, she has asked that she be relieved of the newsletter duties at this time. The plea for a newsletter editor was answered at the October meeting. Pat McCooey will be taking over as editor, beginning with the January newsletter.
Julie, thank you for all the hard work that you have put into the newsletter. You did a fantastic job of making it happen every month. To Pat: welcome aboard, and thank you for taking on this important club responsibility.
The club would like to thank Jeff and Ruth Smith for doing such a fantastic job bringing refreshments to each meeting. Refreshment duties were handed over to Ted and Dianne Coggen at our October meeting. Thank you Ted and Dianne for volunteering for this extremely important duty. (Mutiny would be inevitable if we didn't have our "goodies"!!)
This is the time of year when most of us start thinking about the upcoming seasonal changes we will be making. The birds will soon be starting their migration south, the Trout and Salmon in the Finger Lakes will move from the deepest parts of the lakes to cruise back and forth along the shorelines. I, too, will migrate from stream fishing to fishing offshore at Borodino Landing on Skaneateles Lake. This is one of the few places on the lake that are available to fishermen without boats or who own property on the lake.
So, back to my story. On a warm and sunny day last spring, I was fishing offshore for rainbow trout. There was a little wind and a Mallard Duck was swimming along the beach. I was watching my rods and checking the beach. There is a lot of waiting around in this kind of fishing. I spend it walking on the beach picking up litter or sometimes something of value. This day I found some discarded monofilament line which began winding up on a stick. The line kept coming up out of the grass and then it went across the small stream and into a patch of grass where it was stuck. When I pulled more, I dragged a small and very frightened Mallard Duck into the open, a young hen.
I called my fishing buddy over to help remove the fishing line from around the duck's neck. We could not, try as we might, we could not see the line to cut it; it was buried under the feathers of the duck's neck. We were trying to find the line when a van pulled up, in it a young couple with two children. The woman came over and she soon understood our problem. (Perhaps prompted by the sight of my partner standing there holding a knife with a seven inch long blade) She suggested they take the duck to the veterinarian whose office was near. Three minutes later, they and the duck were gone.
We fished a few more hours and when they did not return, I drove over to the veterinarian. Yes, they had the duck. Yes, they did free it from the fish line, but did not know if the duck would survive the stress of its captivity.
Four days later, I stopped back at the vet to find out the duck had died.
There are one or two lessons, maybe more, to be learned here. I still carry a trash bag with me everywhere I go. Most times, I bring it home empty; sometimes it has fish line in it.
The Mallard Duck, I never saw him again.
|
|