Day 205
I'm takin' the night off from anything creative or relevant.
Until tomorrow.
Ken
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
Memorial Weekend Beginning of Summer Season in Houghton Lake
Day 204
Memorial Day, a day of remembrance. We take time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Here in Houghton Lake this also signifies the beginning of the summer season. And the return of the Michigan snow birds.
When vacationers and summer home owners flock to this area for sun and fun, fishing and boating, hiking, camping and golf. For cookouts and relaxing by a campfire eating s'mores and telling stories.
A great way for families to reconnect.
They'll open their summer cottages and inspect them to see what damage, if any, old man winter has done. They'll prime their wells and open the windows. A good cleaning is always in order. A trip to the grocery store and the hardware for supplies. Bringing much needed revenue to the area.
That's the vacationers. The residents are another story.
Much like the bears who hibernate in winter, the residents of our small town hibernate in summer. They stay out of town as much as possible, especially over weekends. They shop very early to avoid the crowds or even travel to another town to shop.
Going "up north" here means crossing the bridge to the U.P. I have to wonder if the yoopers (someone from the upper peninsula of Michigan) feel the same way we do, when we go there in the summer or for snowmobiling in the winter.
Let the fun begin.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
Here in Houghton Lake this also signifies the beginning of the summer season. And the return of the Michigan snow birds.
When vacationers and summer home owners flock to this area for sun and fun, fishing and boating, hiking, camping and golf. For cookouts and relaxing by a campfire eating s'mores and telling stories.
A great way for families to reconnect.
They'll open their summer cottages and inspect them to see what damage, if any, old man winter has done. They'll prime their wells and open the windows. A good cleaning is always in order. A trip to the grocery store and the hardware for supplies. Bringing much needed revenue to the area.
That's the vacationers. The residents are another story.
Much like the bears who hibernate in winter, the residents of our small town hibernate in summer. They stay out of town as much as possible, especially over weekends. They shop very early to avoid the crowds or even travel to another town to shop.
Going "up north" here means crossing the bridge to the U.P. I have to wonder if the yoopers (someone from the upper peninsula of Michigan) feel the same way we do, when we go there in the summer or for snowmobiling in the winter.
Let the fun begin.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
Sunday, May 29, 2016
I'm Just Saying...Great Food is in the Conversation
Day 203
"Good company and good conversation can make even a meager meal seem like a feast fit for a king."
My friend Irene would call me up after going out with and old boyfriend of hers and tell me about this great restaurant they went to the night before. She would rave about the food being so wonderful that we would have to go there and eat some time.
Invariably we would go to this palace of culinary delights and each time we would be disappointed. After awhile this became a pattern with us. After awhile I also noted that when we went out we usually talked about business.
When Irene went out with her ex-boyfriend, they would talk about old times and the things they used to do. None of which included business. Also she would have a couple of cocktails.
I wasn't exciting conversation. And just so you know, the topic of conversation was not my choice. I was more like the old comfortable pair of jeans, popcorn and a movie. Sans the cocktails.
So while I was good company, talking business over coffee wasn't the same. Ergo, the meal wouldn't shine as it had the last time with whats-his-name.
More recently my mother, my brother and sister in law and I, had a very simple holiday dinner. Ham, potatoes, rolls and green bean casserole, with cranberry sauce and pickled beets. Meager compared to holidays when I was a child. But just as fabulous with family and good conversation. It was all we needed for a feast.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
"Good company and good conversation can make even a meager meal seem like a feast fit for a king."
My friend Irene would call me up after going out with and old boyfriend of hers and tell me about this great restaurant they went to the night before. She would rave about the food being so wonderful that we would have to go there and eat some time.
Invariably we would go to this palace of culinary delights and each time we would be disappointed. After awhile this became a pattern with us. After awhile I also noted that when we went out we usually talked about business.
When Irene went out with her ex-boyfriend, they would talk about old times and the things they used to do. None of which included business. Also she would have a couple of cocktails.
I wasn't exciting conversation. And just so you know, the topic of conversation was not my choice. I was more like the old comfortable pair of jeans, popcorn and a movie. Sans the cocktails.
So while I was good company, talking business over coffee wasn't the same. Ergo, the meal wouldn't shine as it had the last time with whats-his-name.
More recently my mother, my brother and sister in law and I, had a very simple holiday dinner. Ham, potatoes, rolls and green bean casserole, with cranberry sauce and pickled beets. Meager compared to holidays when I was a child. But just as fabulous with family and good conversation. It was all we needed for a feast.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Leeches, Night Crawlers, Minnows or Artificial?
Day 202
I just saw a picture of an angler who caught a 24" walleye, using leeches, on Houghton Lake. It wasn't me. I'm rather squeamish concerning leeches. My brother uses them but complains their hard to put on the hook.
Many people swear by leeches. I can't see the difference in shape and color from a nightcrawler. I must assume the leech moves differently in the water. Fish are attracted by motion.
Nightcrawlers come from earth but will wiggle around in water for a short time. Leeches are water dwellers and will "swim" if put on the hook properly, for a longer time.
My father always swore by small minnows. His favorite fish was perch. I've never had much success with minnows. It seems no matter how I put a minnow on the hook, the hook ends up bare and I don't have a fish. I've hooked them through the lips. I've hooked them through the middle. I've never hooked a minnow through the tail, maybe that would work.
Other than my lack of success with minnows, they just don't last. With an aerator they last a couple of days. Without an aerator they only last hours.
I have great success with nightcrawlers. When bottom fishing with a panfish rig, I use a small piece of worm, thereby I stretch out a dozen crawlers over several fishing trips. I've kept nightcrawlers in my fridge for over a month. If you try this I suggest taking them outside before opening the container to check them, Once dead they decompose quickly and stink something awful.
Here are some other ways to put the bait on the hook.
Artificial bait.
My dad never used artificial bait when fishing with me. He may have when fishing with my brothers, but by the time he got me out there, it was just panfish rigs with two separate hooks and live bait, fished off the bottom. I accidentally discovered bottom bouncing because I was always lifting and dropping my pole to feel the sinker hit the bottom. I usually caught the most fish. Of course, my dad sleeping didn't help his catch numbers.
Now I like to troll with a 2 hook spinner rig. Often, as I troll along, I can feel small fish tugging at the end of the bait. If I was to use a live bait, it would be gone a piece at a time.
Instead, I use an artificial bait that resembles a fat nightcrawler called a shimmy stick. It wiggles as it moves through the water and unlike plastic it has a real feel to it. This causes the fish to keep the bait in it's mouth longer.
Once the fish decides your bait isn't food, it will spit it out. This can take just a few seconds. So you want to use an artificial bait that looks and "feels" like the real thing, so the fish will keep the bait in it's mouth long enough for you to set the hook. I have caught a lot of big fish with this rig.
Another of my favorite artificial bait rigs for trolling is a combination jighead set inside a white shad with a swim tail. I know I wrote I don't have success with minnows, but that's live minnows on a panfish rig. This is trolling while on a shallow lake with an artificial. It works well for bass and northern pike.
I haven't been out yet on either of the two smaller lakes that I like to fish in my two man Bass Raider boat. But I will soon. The winter was mild so the winter kill should be low. That means fewer fish have died during the winter months due to lack of oxygen caused by thick ice.
It's going to be great year for fishing.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
I just saw a picture of an angler who caught a 24" walleye, using leeches, on Houghton Lake. It wasn't me. I'm rather squeamish concerning leeches. My brother uses them but complains their hard to put on the hook.
Nightcrawlers come from earth but will wiggle around in water for a short time. Leeches are water dwellers and will "swim" if put on the hook properly, for a longer time.
My father always swore by small minnows. His favorite fish was perch. I've never had much success with minnows. It seems no matter how I put a minnow on the hook, the hook ends up bare and I don't have a fish. I've hooked them through the lips. I've hooked them through the middle. I've never hooked a minnow through the tail, maybe that would work.
Other than my lack of success with minnows, they just don't last. With an aerator they last a couple of days. Without an aerator they only last hours.
I have great success with nightcrawlers. When bottom fishing with a panfish rig, I use a small piece of worm, thereby I stretch out a dozen crawlers over several fishing trips. I've kept nightcrawlers in my fridge for over a month. If you try this I suggest taking them outside before opening the container to check them, Once dead they decompose quickly and stink something awful.
Artificial bait.
My dad never used artificial bait when fishing with me. He may have when fishing with my brothers, but by the time he got me out there, it was just panfish rigs with two separate hooks and live bait, fished off the bottom. I accidentally discovered bottom bouncing because I was always lifting and dropping my pole to feel the sinker hit the bottom. I usually caught the most fish. Of course, my dad sleeping didn't help his catch numbers.
Now I like to troll with a 2 hook spinner rig. Often, as I troll along, I can feel small fish tugging at the end of the bait. If I was to use a live bait, it would be gone a piece at a time.
Once the fish decides your bait isn't food, it will spit it out. This can take just a few seconds. So you want to use an artificial bait that looks and "feels" like the real thing, so the fish will keep the bait in it's mouth long enough for you to set the hook. I have caught a lot of big fish with this rig.
I haven't been out yet on either of the two smaller lakes that I like to fish in my two man Bass Raider boat. But I will soon. The winter was mild so the winter kill should be low. That means fewer fish have died during the winter months due to lack of oxygen caused by thick ice.
It's going to be great year for fishing.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
Friday, May 27, 2016
Peter Pan
Day 201
I've been reading two of the first Peter Pan stories.
1. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens 1906, an excerpt fro the original story The Little White Bird 1902.
2. Peter and Wendy 1911, adapted from a play called Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up 1904 premiere.
All by J.M. Barrie a Scottish novelist and playwright. Very well written and imaginative.
I highly recommend reading them if you get the chance.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
I've been reading two of the first Peter Pan stories.
1. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens 1906, an excerpt fro the original story The Little White Bird 1902.
2. Peter and Wendy 1911, adapted from a play called Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up 1904 premiere.
All by J.M. Barrie a Scottish novelist and playwright. Very well written and imaginative.
I highly recommend reading them if you get the chance.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Captain America Say It Isn't So
Day 200
What's up with Captain America? I should say, what's up at Marvel Comics?
I've been reading some disturbing things about America's patriotic super hero.
First. Captain America is gay. Say what? His love interest was Peggy Carter played by Hayley Atwell.
HAYLEY ATWELL!!!
Do I really need to say more?
O.K. So what's the story behind this sudden change of sexual orientation? She ruined him for every other girl, so now he's batting for the other team!
Isn't there already a gay super hero out there? Let's leave well enough alone. If that means Cap stays alone, so be it.
I've been alone for years. It's not so bad. Really.
The next most disturbing rumor (?), Cap is really an undercover Hydra agent. Has been all along. That's just wrong in every way.
We always need hero's. People who do what's right. No matter the cost. Now we have a heroic icon betraying us so that Marvel can sell a few more comics? Is nothing sacred?
Oh, uh, does anyone have Hayley Atwell's phone number? Just asking.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
What's up with Captain America? I should say, what's up at Marvel Comics?
I've been reading some disturbing things about America's patriotic super hero.
First. Captain America is gay. Say what? His love interest was Peggy Carter played by Hayley Atwell.
Do I really need to say more?
O.K. So what's the story behind this sudden change of sexual orientation? She ruined him for every other girl, so now he's batting for the other team!
Isn't there already a gay super hero out there? Let's leave well enough alone. If that means Cap stays alone, so be it.
I've been alone for years. It's not so bad. Really.
The next most disturbing rumor (?), Cap is really an undercover Hydra agent. Has been all along. That's just wrong in every way.
We always need hero's. People who do what's right. No matter the cost. Now we have a heroic icon betraying us so that Marvel can sell a few more comics? Is nothing sacred?
Oh, uh, does anyone have Hayley Atwell's phone number? Just asking.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Memorial Weekend
Day 199
What shall we talk about, hm?
Memorial weekend will soon be upon us. The traffic in town has already reached annoying levels. Soon the Walmart shelves will be picked over by Friday night. Locals will shop early, or late, but seldom on a weekend.
The Kmart in Houghton Lake is finally closing. I don't think it will cause more than a ripple. I never saw much traffic there, even at Thanksgiving. Walmart will have complete control for this area, not that they didn't already.
We're in the middle of the first rain storm we have had in awhile. Everything is greening here and the rain will help. That also means I will have to cut the grass soon.
Fishing has been improving all over the area and soon the lakes will fill with boats. Now if the wather will just cooperate.
The annual Memorial Day weekend Arts and Crafts Show will be at the Houghton Lake Elementary School next to the library, for three days.
O.K. That's it for now.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
What shall we talk about, hm?
Memorial weekend will soon be upon us. The traffic in town has already reached annoying levels. Soon the Walmart shelves will be picked over by Friday night. Locals will shop early, or late, but seldom on a weekend.
The Kmart in Houghton Lake is finally closing. I don't think it will cause more than a ripple. I never saw much traffic there, even at Thanksgiving. Walmart will have complete control for this area, not that they didn't already.
We're in the middle of the first rain storm we have had in awhile. Everything is greening here and the rain will help. That also means I will have to cut the grass soon.
Fishing has been improving all over the area and soon the lakes will fill with boats. Now if the wather will just cooperate.
The annual Memorial Day weekend Arts and Crafts Show will be at the Houghton Lake Elementary School next to the library, for three days.
O.K. That's it for now.
Until tomorrow,
Ken
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