Every once in a while, I just stop in an attractive spot and watch whatever is happening. This breather provided a man fishing early in the morning, seemingly to catch the all-elusive trout. He appeared peaceful though he was fishless. I never had an interest in fishing and couldn’t understand why anyone else would. In watching him for a while, I finally figured it out. The interest wasn’t in catching the fish. It was standing there under a bridge on a rainy, foggy morning, daydreaming while you waited for a gullible fish to nibble (or not nibble) at your bait.
I’ve always had a rather strange relationship with my sons-in-law. Tom is an avid hunter of the deer that are a nuisance on his property. He usually keeps several for the family and friends and gives the rest to a local “Hunt for the Hungry” program. One year when I was visiting, he offered to take me hunting. I said, “I’m surprised you would invite me to go with you while I am carrying a gun.” His reply, “I didn’t say I was going to give you bullets!”
In the same vein, during one of our family reunions, the younger daughter talked about her volunteer board member responsibilities with a retirement home back in VA. I jokingly asked if she had made reservations for me yet. Tom said, “They don’t have full hook-ups.” With no hesitation, my other son-in-law, Bill, piped up, “Mom doesn’t either!”
I’m ashamed to admit I once said to my grown-up oldest daughter who was being obtuse, “Oh, don’t be so stupid!” She replied, “Why, when I finally have it down pat!” By the way, although I have used great license in writing humorous stories about my children, I am eternally grateful that neither of them are writers. Their “Mom” stories are bad enough without putting them in print.
I’m not as afraid of snakes as I am curious about them. I should amend that, I am only not afraid if I see them first. Initially I go for the camera if Mr. Snake isn’t moving too fast. This particular morning I was out raking my rocks and found a Mojave Rattler asleep next to one of my giant boulders. It was too early in the morning and thankfully, he was too cold to be on the move. After I got my photos, I called neighbors over. By the time they shot their photos, he was awake. My neighbor hooked him around the neck and hauled him out to the desert to slither once more. Which reminds me, I love a stewardess with a sense of humor. After announcing all that we could not take on board my Southwest flight, she added, “Snakes are welcome.” I hope she is never puts that to the test.
As I pushed my cart along toward check out, an old geezer (probably about my age) looked into my cart and said, “I’ll be over for dinner tonight!” I laughed and thought, what a line. All I had in the cart were two pairs of Jeans, a box of diet shakes, saltines, strawberry jam, and breakfast cereal. It made me wonder what the line would have been if I had had a bag of potatoes, a ham hock, and a bag of fresh green beans. Hmmm. See, life isn’t necessarily dull in your 70s!
God Bless and Happy New Year.
Winter in the Wilderness, the first e-book novel published by Minshall, is offered at most Internet book sites. A print edition may be obtained from Amazon, or you can order an autographed copy from the author at Box 1040, Congress, AZ for $7.95 plus $3.50 for postage and handling.
The fourth edition of RVing Alaska and Canada is available through Amazon.com.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
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