Memories of fishing

I have great memories of pleasurable times fishing I had as a kid. When I was just a little one, my Dad would rent rowboats and take me and my family fishing, I loved fishing with Dad. As I got older, about 9, Dad rented a cottage for a week on Lake St. Clair, and the cabin came with a rowboat for us to use. I remember rowing out by myself, feeling so strong and and in control of it. I would anchor out and try to fish for a while and looking down into the water to see any fish swimming by. I loved the feeling of being all by myself and in charge of where I go and how far.

Dad took us many places on vacation. Many times it was just a cottage on the lake, and one time we rented a little trailer and we went around Lake Superior through Canada and back through the upper penninsula of Michigan. The lakes and parks were magnificent! We have my Mother's relatives in Canada, and many times we visited them. One Aunt had a cottage on an island in the French River, nestled between huge rocks. It was great to swim and camp there and we had great fun. I cried when we had to leave, I didn't want it to end. That was the life for me!

My Aunt had a lot with a garage only by a small inland lake, and I could see lots of fish swimming around just below the small dock she had. I got a piece of fishing line with a hook and baited it with a piece of balogny from our picnic. I laid on the dock and lowered the line to the fish. I could see when the fish bit and caught by hand a mess of perch, bullheads, (that I would throw back), and many small bluegill. I had a bucket full of fish that Dad cooked later.

I almost drowned in that lake, because I was not a good swimmer, and I walked in water up to my neck. The man from next door pulled up with his motor boat pretty fast toward the shore and the wake knocked me off my feet. I was under water for what seemed like forever with my hands over my face trying to keep the water out. The man in the boat pulled me up by my hair choking, and sputtering water that had gotten in my lungs. My Dad walked in and got me, and carried me to the shore. It's such a bad feeling having water in your lungs, it burns like crazy. After that I learned quickly the swim well. I wanted so bad to be able to swim out to the deep part to a raft they had made for diving off of, and it wasn't very long when I was able to do just that.

Later, Dad bought a small speedboat, and one summer we took the boat to a cabin on Lake St. Clair. One day, early in the morning, Dad let me take the boat on the lake all by myself. It was a beautiful, warm morning and the water was still as glass. We had all taken boating classes from the coast guard, and I knew the rules of boating. I left the dock slowly and made my way out to deeper water. When I got out far enough, I pushed the gas as far as it would go, and glided with ease across the water, the wind blowing through my hair and loving every minute of it! It was the greatest feeling! I buzzed all around the bay feeling like the queen of the world for a while.

Later that same week, a big storm hit the lake in the night. It broke the lines the boat was tied up with and luckily washed the boat onto the shore and filled the boat with water. We were able to bail all the water out and get it floating again, with no damage to the hull. That was exciting and scary at the same time. Good thing it didn't wash the boat out to sea!

Through the years, I got to be a good fisher. I usually always got the most, or the bigest fishes. We had great luck catching anything in those days, but lately you can fish all day and were lucky to catch a one. My biggest was a 10 lb. carp, the best fish was a 6 1/2 lb. Walley, that was 26 inches long, it had a huge belly and hung between my hands. It was the best eating fish I ever ate! I knew the Lake pretty well, and could find all the landmarks. My husband even depends on me to find our way when we go out.

One winter my Dad took me out ice fishing, and rented a ice shanty. The place drove us far out onto the ice in a stripped down truck to where our shanty was. They had little gas heaters inside that make it cozy, and when you were inside in the dark, you could see to the bottom. It was like watching the fish swim around on TV. The outside light lit up the water and you were able to watch them when they took the bait. What fun!

My husband and I have had many small and larger boats over the years, and we really loved fishing and boating and so did our girls. We had many good times with them, and they were avid fishers too.

We have a boat now, a 24 foot cabin cruiser, but the fun has kind of been taken out of it with my illnesses, and have not been able to enjoy it much. My legs are still too weak to pull myself out of it, and he has to help boost me up to get back on the high dock.

The cost of the dockage and winter storage fees and some repairs we've had to make have really cut into our pockets. That's too bad. My husband really wants to enjoy it more at least one summer more, and maybe then we might give it up.

Does anyone else have good memories like this? Please tell me about yours.

Help! I need some games for picnic.

We have a family reunion picnic for my husband's family every year (we have over a 100 people) the weekend after the Fourth of July, and we are in charge of notifying the families and getting little toys and things for the kids to win as prizes for the games. This year we decided to also get some adult prizes and want to find some good picnic games for them to play. Last year we only played one adult game, which was a water balloon toss.

Any body got some good suggestions for both adult and kids of many ages that we could play this year? It sure is difficult to think of new and inventive games. HELP ME IF YOU CAN!

More News on (alleged) Pipe Bomber YEAH RIGHT!

Well, today on the news:
We saw the alleged pipe bomber from my husband's shop has gone to Federal court and the charges against him have been dropped! He claims that he was only trying to make fireworks to sell, and NOT making a bomb. --------- There are a lot of questions not answered here---------- Like, there was a report earlier that the pipe found in the shop was filled with nails and pieces of metal, I DONT THIS THAT THIS CONSTITUES A FIREWORK!

AND-- Don't people who handle or produce fireworks and explosives have to be licensed to handle these products? NOW ------ Does the man get his job back with the company because he was found innocent? I worry for the people who have to work with him...including my hubby. HOW CAN THIS BE???????

I will let you know if I hear more.. this is scary to me.

Stitches come out today!

Well, today I see the doctor and get the hundreds of tiny stitches out of my face! I am a little scared it might hurt some, but anxious to get it over with. I am SO tired of the watery fluid draining from the opening behind my ear that the doc created. I can't stand the elastic bandage around my face any longer! I do take it off and get some air, but the fluid drips like a leaky faucet down my ear and onto my collar, so I have to put the gauze back on and that stupid elastic again. I am so sick of being sick all the time! I want to have a great summer this year, I have a small above ground pool and Hubby wants to get out a few times on our boat.

It's been almost three years of sickness for me, and I think that's enough for anyone to take.

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By the way, I haven't heard any more about the guy who brought the pipe bomb into my husband's shop. Last I heard, he was to go back to Federal court on the 7th, but nothing was on the news about it. Maybe he postponed the hearing. Will let you know when I hear something.

I've been challenged to fill this out, will you do the same?

3 names you go by- Gammamom, Mom, Paula

3 screen names you have- gammamom, butterflysweety, nothing else

3 physical things you like about yourself-eyes, lips , personality

3phisical things you dislike about yourself- body, feet, health

3 parts of your heritage- french canadian, polish, and I understand some Irish

3 things your wearing right now-shirt, shorts, undies

3 favorite bands/musical artists- Righteous Bros. , Elvis, Bob Segar

3 favorite songs- Many of the oldies from the 70s

3 things you want in a relationship- Appreciation, fairness, tenderness

3 physical things about the preferred sex appeals to you- Body, muscles, tenderness

3favorite hobbies- Art, crafts. traveling

3 things that you want to do badly right now- get my health better, live to see my grandkids grow up, purpose to life.

3 things that scare you- thought of death, violence , more hopitals

3 of your everyday essentials- food, clothing, my kids

3 careers that you considered or are considering- have retired Don't know

3places you would like to vacation- Hawaii, Tahiti, Italy

3 names you like- tiffany, Elizabeth,

3 things you want to do before you die-take a cruise, see the grandkids grow up, See my kids doing well and happy

3 celeb crushes- Elvis, cant think of others

3 people that you would like to take this quiz- everyone

More news

Well, then, this morning my daughter, Caroline saw the wet, rumpled wrappings I had tried to repair on my head and went straight to the store to get some new gauze to wrap my sores. Awww! Sweet girl! That felt much better, and I could see that the drainage was still coming out when I washed it with peroxide.

Later that evening the doc unwrapped it and said that I will have to continue seening him every day until it starts to heal properly. He squeezed it, but not as hard as the other doc did. ( I think that the swelling is starting to go down considerably.) He made sure the hole was still open, putting some antiseptic on it. He then placed some more pads on the area, and wrapped me with a elastic bandage with velcro attachments used for people that have had face lifts, This puts pressure on the wound, from under my chin to the top of my head, then straps around the forehead to secure it. (Let me tell you, it is very uncomfortable AND HOT!) The he told me to come back the next day again.

I asked him if he heard from pathology about my tumor, yet, and he told me he hadn't , that they are really slow lately. I had a biopsy last summer and it turned out negative, but who knows what has happened since then. I pray it will be alright. :o)

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As a side note: My husband had an appointment with a dentist on Tuesday and I went with him. While I was talking to his receptionist to fill out the papers, the dentist walk in the office and took a couple big stares at me with the wrappings on my head. I bet he was thinking that I REALLY had a bad tooth ache to be wrapped up like that. Just like the Our Gang movies of old! HA HA HA! ;-)

Surgery is over, but not healed YET

Hi everyone!

I made it through the surgery, I was really knocked out the first day, but the second day I woke to find my face wrapped up in gauze like a mummy! Later in the morning they removed the pressure bandage and I got to see how big the cut was, and how swollen my face was! They had cut me from the top of my right ear,down the front, and then under and behind the ear about 3 inches, then down the back edge of the throat about half was down the neck. I understand to get at the tumor, they have to spread your skin way back to scrape the tumor off the nerves and the salivary gland it was connected to. I'm so glad I didnt see what was happening to me! :-(


I had a drain tube attached to a plastic bulb to catch the blood and fluids draining from it. I got to go home the second morning with instructions to push on the swollen area to push the blood and fluid into the tube, but it was so sore that I could not seem to push hard enough to get anything to move. I felt like a huge toothach on the whole side of my face. The swelling looked like I was going to grow another face on the side.I had to go back to their office on Friday to have the drain tube removed, and that didnt hurt much. They sniped one stitch and pulled in out. The doc who did this was not the surgeon who did the operation, but one of his associates. He told me to clean it three times a day with peroxide and put some antibiotic cream on the stitches. He had me come back after the holiday on Tuesday to check it again. I still had much swelling and nothing was said about it then.


On Tuesday I saw another associate who said that I had too much fluid building up in the site and she had to numb the area and open up a few stitches and press out more fluid to drain out. I tell you--- I cried -- she pushed so hard and she kept pushing on the sore no matter how much I begged her to stop. She then wrapped gauze completely around my face and around the back to get it around the neck area. She put gauze squares to catch any further fluid coming out and told me to come back for more of the same, from my original surgeon tomorrow. I got home and a few hours later the gauze pad was soaked and the wrappings were falling around my neck from the lack of little more tape to keep it in place. Right now I removed the soaked pad and replaced it with some gauze she had placed near my cheek and retaped it with some tape I have at home for now.

I am not looking forward to more of this happening this evening when I see the surgeon tonight at my appointment at 6 pm! I sure hope no friend of mine ever has to have a perotid tumor removed.