Hey, it’s Thanksgiving time again (I’m guessing September, October and November hid under the couch, because I really don’t remember them). Time to count the blessings that we should recognize on a daily basis, but often don’t.
Enjoy it. We will…
As someone who finds turkey a little on the dry side and American football a lot on the boring side, this used to be a day to look for a trout on a river largely abandoned by fishermen.
Two under-six rugrats have a way of altering that particular reality, and other things beckon. Still, there is plenty to be thankful for, and since time is at a premium, I’m going with the Lazy Writer’s Way To Make Several Points Quickly.
- My kids, who drive me crazy and make me happy in equal amounts.
- My wife, who knows I sometimes need a break from the above.
- My life up here in Mt. Shasta. Small-town life is hardly the idyll it’s suggested it is in documentaries like The Andy Griffith Show, but living on three wooded acres minutes from good fishing (and hiking, and shooting, and nature-watching, etc.) isn’t a bad thing.
- My Readers. The Underground began life as a simple Upper Sacramento fishing report almost exactly seven years ago. It’s morphed into something entirely different, and whatever happens from here, it’s offered one writer something of a refuge/vent/sanity check from the madness everyday life has seemingly become. At times, the support of my readers has been overwhelming, and I want you to know I realize it.
- Trout. Hey, on Thanksgiving, everybody focuses on dumb, barely-able-to-walk turkeys instead of the sleek, fast, impossibly beautiful trout or [insert fave fish here] that power our fishing lives.
See you eating way, way too much food, Tom Chandler.