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Memories of a one-of-a-kind gentleman

After breathing earth’s air for more than seven decades, I have some vivid memories of people who made life difficult. I try to have a forgiving spirit but forgetting some of those experiences can be difficult. When memories of jerks pop up, I try to focus on the kind and decent people who have been a part of my life. One of those kind and decent folks came to my mind recently. The Rev. S.E. Carlson was the pastor of a tiny Assembly of God church in Jewell when I was a boy. My family did not worship at his church but, because our church was an 11-mile out-of-town drive ...

Lure color counts

As the ice fishing season starts to wind down and the open water fishing season gets closer, it’s good to think about some of the things that can affect our fishing success. There are a good number of those things. We think about where we’re going fishing, when we’re going fishing, or ...

It took a village of good uncles

One of the sadder realities of growing older is the loss of so many people who played an important role in your life. When I was a kid I had 16 uncles. Today, I’m down to just one. Uncle Ron, my father’s youngest brother, is only 11 years older than I am. He’s a fascinating guy who has seen more of the world than I ever will. My mother was one of 12 children and Dad was one of six so I had more uncles and aunts than many folks have cousins. My mother’s three younger sisters are all that remain in her family. Family gatherings were always good times and our ...

Memorable bites

For one reason or another, I’ve been unable to get on the ice for a couple of weeks. I’m guessing that warmer weather will provide the opportunity and encouragement to go ice fishing a few more times, but for now I’m doing a lot of remembering. Mostly I’m remembering past fishing ...

You cannot do an act of kindness too soon

In case you haven’t noticed, the annual National Random Acts of Kindness Day is coming up soon. The week of February 14 is National Random Acts of Kindness Week and Wednesday, February 17, is the official day. The “kindness movement” began in the mid-1990s with the release of a book called “Random Acts of Kindness” which recounted personal experiences with the practice of offering unexpected kind gestures to strangers. As a member of the local Rotary Club, I read about Rotarians in Bakersfield, California, who were among the first to join the effort. The Rotary ...

Catch ‘em when others can’t

When you’re ice-fishing, just like when you’re open water fishing, there are days when the fish get finicky. They might be finicky due to weather conditions, or it could be fishing pressure that has them closed-mouthed. Whatever the reason, just like in open water, there are some things ...