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October 24, 2011

There is nothing in my prior experience as a fly fisher which prepared me for the situation I now find myself in. Although I suspect the sentence I just wrote doesn't fall into proper English, something about prepositional phrases maybe. At any rate, we are packing up and getting everything in order to make the trip back to Tucson Arizona for the winter.

It is a bit easier this time as we left stuff in our home down there: clothes, computers, beds which are made up and some basic food stuffs in the cabinets. I know there are some things clothing wise that I should have taken last winter such as a couple of nice white blouses so I have more than one "uniform" to wear for our chorus performances, and a couple more dresses for church social events. Fortunately my husband Trav is willing to take me shopping as needed, but frankly I really don't like shopping for clothes. 

I can spend an inordinate amount of time in a good grocery store, extended time in plant nurseries (in fact I ran across a desert plant in a magazine I would love to get while we are in Arizona, nicknamed the Desert Rose) which gives me a good reason to go nursery hopping. I also like hardware stores and lumber yards, probably the result of tagging along behind my dad anytime he left the house on a Saturday to do 'chores.'

But I'm off the topic, sorry. 

I'm hauling more books on watercolor painting this time, as well as my small portable sewing machine. I have the time to do some nice leisurely stuff, except I need to get organized so on the days Trav is working at Saguaro National Park or at the Tucson Botanical Gardens I can work on my various projects. Of course the magazine continues to be produced and that takes time as well.

I think you can see that if I'm not a little careful with my time the six months we spend away from the wind, snow, cold and ice of Montana winter I end up with nothing to show for it except a nice tan. That isn't a complaint really, but I do like to have my mind occupied.

We also try and walk every day. On the days Trav works I walk about the neighborhood, one of my friends down there said if they walk each street just in Tucson Meadows where we live it is just short of five miles. I think our average walk here in Livingston is about two miles (or at least that is what I tell my doctor when he asks how much we are walking.) The distance may not be all that crucial, except that I continue to put on weight, which is another problem to be solved, but not today.

Back to my original comment about not being prepared, the situation specifically is not fishing.
Nephew Tom stopped in here at the house almost every evening over the summer and we talked about fishing a lot. Sometimes about the particular fishing that day, or maybe something he discovered fishing on the Yellowstone or in Yellowstone National Park or on one of the spring creeks. We had lots of neat discussions over the summer. They did sort of keep me in the loop and it is important to me to be in the loop. I've fished nearly all my life with the exception of childbirth, raising three daughters, and various medical problems which kept me from fishing.
It really is part of who I am and I do miss it. I do read the Bulletin Boards and try to keep abreast of what our readers are discussing at any given time. That is important to me as well.

I had a phone discussion with the gentleman who is Tenkera USA a couple of weeks ago and when we come back to Montana in the spring I may give that a try. It might allow me to fish some, which would be better than what I have now. I seem to recall someone else on our Bulletin Board (BB) who was having a shoulder or wrist problem who was trying Tenkera, but unfortunately I don't remember who. If it is you, you might post something on the Reader's Voice part of the BB and let me know how it worked for you.

For the folks who are beginning to wonder out loud if we will continue to publish FAOL if I can't find a way to fish, don't panic. Trav would probably say that the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

~ LadyFisher

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