Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

[Bobby Bass]

SILENT SUNDAY HERE and so far I have not talked to anyone. Been quiet for the past few days as I have decided to take a break from writing. Am just tired of complaining about the weather as that is about the only thing to write about. Got a few e-mail's with comments about writing, mostly just keep writing about everything. Yesterday I was out with the dogs and I saw Elmer walking around in his yard. I decided to walk over and say HIYA and so I did. When I came up on Elmer he was standing at the edge of a five foot high snow bank. Wearing his bomber hat, carhart coat and some well worn bibs. He had a pipe in his hand and a leather chopper mitt on the other.

He turned slightly as he heard the crunching of the snow from under my boots and just said "Hey there young feller" "Hey there back" I replied. I took the few last steps till I was standing alongside of him and I was looking where he was looking. We didn't speak for awhile, I tend to do that a lot with Elmer. Finally feeling like a seven year old talking to his dad I said "What ya doing?" Elmer put the pipe to his lips took a few small puffs and the smoke drifted from his lips to mix with his breath and just said "Making memories" I nodded at that and continued to look in the direction of Elmer's gaze. What I saw was snow, and a lot of it. Snow banks that I could just see over the top of. Piles of snow resting against the garage and deeper on the North side then the South side. Ice hanging on the eves and the handle of a wheelbarrow poking out from beneath some crusted snow.

After a moment Elmer turned and was now looking at a different part of his yard. I moved a step so I could see what he was looking at now. More snow and the tops of the posts where his garden is buried. "What do you see?" Elmer asked me. I smiled to myself as I play this game with my own grand kids. I put my gloved hands in my coat pockets and I looked down at me feet. " I see a pairs of boots, one boot has a broken boot lace and the other has a knot that has not been untied in years. I see dog foot prints and a few hoof marks. I see garden post tops and a broken branch on the maple tree. I see a lot of snow and if I could see cold I would see that to." "Is that all you see?" Elmer asked me and I replied " Nope I see robins searching for worms on the dew covered grass, I see flowers along the garden fence and crows at the tree line, they are watching us curious as to what we are doing just standing here."

Elmer take a few more puffs from his pipe and I smell the tobacco as the smoke passes over me. "It has been a long winter" I nod my head in agreement and I keep looking out at where in just a few months will be all green and the snow will be all gone, just a memory. Neither one of us say anything for awhile, we both just look out at the snow covered ground and we both share a memory. After awhile Elmer knocks the side of his pipe against his leg and a few specks of black burnt tobacco fall onto the white snow. The pipe disappears into his coat pocket and the other chopper mitt appears. He slides an old weather hand into the mitt and then slaps both of his hands together a few times. "Still not writing" he asks. I just stand and shake my head and said "Nope" "You will, just write about memories because that is what life is all about" I nod my head in agreement. "When you stop making memories that is when you stop living" and with that Elmer turned once again to face a different part of his yard and we both watched as a rabbit burst out of the brush between my place and his. Duncan in hot pursuit a few yards behind. Long ears flapping in the wind and back legs digging hard in the snow Duncan ran right past us looking about as happy as a dog could be. Elmer turned a little to watch the pursuit and just said "Duncan does not have a chance" I added "But he will remember it differently" and we both chuckled some here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,782,451}

[Bobby Bass]

I ALMOST MADE it, went through fall and all of winter with out a cold but now that spring is here I am at my desk with a box of tissue close at hand. The daughter gave me her cold and she missed a few days of work because of it. I am not looking forward to all the symptoms that she had. As soon as I announced I had a cold no one wants to be around me. The wife is going on a trip to Ohio and that is not changed, matter of fact she was just talking about leaving a day early. Will be just me and the dogs and cats at home all alone. I am actually kind of looking forward to it. The stereo will be turned up loud and the dogs won't be the only ones just laying around on the couches. The wife and her sisters are leaving a day early because of yet another winter storm coming here in spring. It is supposed to warm up come the weekend so my plan is to let it snow and then let it melt and not do anything to change the outcome. In other words I am not doing any shoveling other then to move snow from the door so I can open it.

The wife was looking for maps to make a route to Ohio and I dug out my map briefcase. Years ago I had driven out to the East coast on a golf trip and I still had the maps for all the states along the way from here. I found the soft sided briefcase and put it on the desk. Gave the wife the maps and then I started looking through the collection of fishing and trail maps that I had in another pocket. Been years since I had looked at them and I carefully open the tattered maps and looked them over. I had made notations along the edges and a flood of memories came back. Fishing trips from twenty years ago and fishing trips planned but never taken. It did not take too long and I had the desk top covered in road maps and lake maps. I can remember sending away for the lake maps and I think they were like three dollars or so for each one. Not much now but back then it was an investment.

Now a days I have a lake map chip for my graph that tells me all I need to know and along with the GPs I don't have a need for all the old maps. I tucked them all back into the soft sided briefcase and put it back in the cabinet. I was not going to throw them out, not after paying all that money way back when. Besides I am thinking down the road some I will pull the old maps out and show them to the grand kids, it will be like treasure maps to them. Well I have been wondering what I was going to do to pass some time here as I wait for the snow to melt. Looks like the cold will be my answer. As DOC Burriem has always said I can do all the cold remedies and the cold should last about seven days or I can do nothing and it will last a week.

I have been meaning to watch a TV show and I have all five seasons available. Think I am just going to take enough medicine to stop my nose from dripping and hopefully keep my coughing down to a minimum. The only one who gives me any love when I am sick is Bud. I will find a quilt and lay on the couch and he will be tucked up right next to me. No doubt his head will be laying on my leg. I do know he is there just in case I drop any cookie crumbs and since I am sick with a fever he is close at my side because I am warm. Duncan will push his way up next to me on my other side as he is learning from Bud. I am looking forward to spending the next couple of days nice and snug with no interruptions, with the wife and all of her sisters and her mother gone the phone should be quiet here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,787,817}

[Bobby Bass]

MOTHER NATURE HAS been hitting me with jabs all winter long and now that spring has arrived she sucker punched me yesterday with eight inches of heavy wet snow. I figure she knows my snow blower has died and is trying to finish me off with a dumping of wet snow. Little does she know that I am playing rope a dope as I have no intention of even moving the shovel from its resting place up against the side of the cabin. Of course having a cold is all the excuse I need for not going outside and moving snow that is going to melt any ways.

Cabin is as quiet as it is going to be. Dogs are all sleeping as are the cats. I am in the den looking at just a few small clouds in the otherwise blue sky. No wind and the wind chimes hang straight and are not moving. It is warmer out then what Sunshine Ray was forecasting as it is just above forty out and the snow on the roof is melting and I can hear the water drip onto the deck. Just the ticking of the grand fathers clock here in the den and the sound of the keyboard as I type. I did go to town this morning, I had a hankering for a pastie for lunch but when I checked the freezer I found none. I let the dogs out to run and made the walk through the new snow to the Tahoe where I started it up and turned the heater on high. Like one of them rich folks I let the Tahoe warm up and melt the snow from the windows, no brushing snow off for me today.

With the dogs back in the cabin I grabbed a tissue and blew my nose and grabbed some more for the road. I followed my footsteps from before out to the Tahoe and got behind the wheel. A few swipes of the wipers and the windshield was clear and I was good to go. I turn the radio on and lowered the windows some, pretty hot with the sunshine and heater on. Headed down the drive and had to stop at the bottom, three deer were blocking my way looking back over their shoulders at something in the brush. I looked where they were looking but didn't see anything. I was in no hurry so I waited. A couple of minutes passed and they finally move off, not going far they made their way up the untouched driveway of Elmers.

Eight inches of snow at my place and as I got closer to town there might be a little more then that on the streets. I drove past the General Store where Big Earl was working on his sidewalk with his stiff push broom. I parked out front of Amy's Bakery and walked in to a healthy HIYA from Amy herself. After some conversation and a sliver of apple pie I headed back home with two pasties in my white paper bag. I was thinking of stopping at the Lodge but after having to pull over to the side of the road to blow my nose yet again I thought better of it. I was just getting ready to pull back on to the road when Frank the plow driver in the grader pulled up alongside of me. He turned the grader off and open up his door to shout a HIYA down to me. I yelled HIYA back up at him.

We made some small talk mostly about having enough of winter and Frank told me to keep an eye out for a bunch of high school kids at the end of Birch Avenue. He had just come that way and they plastered his grader with snowballs. I told him thanks and then told him not to plow the end of my drive in which all he did was give me a wave and put his hand to his ear like he could not hear me. With that he slammed the glass door closed on the grader and a black puff of smoke rose from his stack as he started the grader and drove off. A couple of minutes later and I was at the intersection of Birch Avenue. I drove up slow like as I spotted a group of some pretty big high school kids I was thinking. Getting closer I could make out a few faces, not high school kids but it was the Fellows. I beeped my horn and they waved me on, snowballs in their other hand behind their backs. I am sure they were waiting on Frank and his grader to come back. Can you blame them? I would like to throw a few snowballs at the grader myself here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,793,578}

[Bobby Bass]

A TIME OF change is what I have heard Spring being referred to by the old guys down at the Lodge as they sip on glasses of beer and munch on the free popcorn. Today is a pretty good example. Sunshine Ray has forecasted snow and lots of it to the north of the lake. He is saying as much as eighteen inches will fall back in the deep woods. Here at the lake it is going to rain and if he is right we will see over a half an inch by the end of the day. Since the ground is still covered in snow measured in feet the rain will knock the snow down some but make a mess. Almost all the snow has melted from the roof of the cabin, I still have a fair pile on the north roof where the sun still does not reach and an ice dam is doing its best to keep holding onto winter there.

A few days ago we had heavy wet snow fall, yesterday it was over fifty out in the shade and the smell of Chuck's BBQ was in the air. Today the wind chimes are banging loudly as the ice has finally melted from them and the wind is blowing strong. True to my word I did not shovel but the shovel is laying on the deck. The melt of yesterday removed the snow from where the shovel was leaning against the cabin and the shovel toppled over. Snow also melted off some of the deck chairs that had been left out and I did go out and sit for a spell. My cold is better but still hanging on. As I sat on the deck with the dogs I spotted not one but two flights of geese flying high and heading NW right into the coming storm. I could not hear any honking they were to far up and they looked pretty intent on where ever they were going. I was going to yell them a warning about the storm but I doubt if they would have listened anyway.

The wife is on her way back from Ohio, should be here sometime this afternoon hopefully before the storm hits. I will of course blame her for bring the storm as that is what married people do. Have to give a shout out to her cousins who I hear are now reading about the lake. I am sure they don't have a clue as to what is going on up here as it has been awhile since they have visited. Have not had much of an appetite but the daughter convinced me we should go out and eat last night. I was thinking of just walking over to Chuck's and see what he was cooking on the BBQ but she offered to buy and I am not one to turn down a free offer. We headed into town and made it as far as the Middle of the Block Cafe where there was an empty parking space out front.

We sat at a booth and looked over the menu and we didn't have time for any of the ice to melt in our water glasses before we were waited on. The daughter ordered first and went with the mashed potatoes, gravy and turkey hot sandwich with a Lake Iwanttobethere root beer and a side order of hash browns. An interesting combination I thought so I went ahead and ordered a clubhouse sandwich on wheat with a root beer and an order of hash browns myself. With our waitress gone the daughter told me the best part about eating out is you can order anything you want and no one looks at you or tries to change your order. I nodded in agreement but I was already looking at ordering some apple pie.

Our order arrived and I had forgotten how big a side order of hash browns is or was. A separate platter for each of us held our hash browns and then our meal came on another. With the order in front of me I thought I might have gotten a little more then I could handle but I was hungrier then I thought and I cleaned my plate, both of them but had to pass on the pie. The daughter made a good dent on her plates but ended up getting one of them little Styrofoam boxes to bring leftovers back home in. This morning when I got up I saw the box of hash browns in the fridge and they were soon joined by a couple of eggs in the frying pan. The daughter appeared and looking at the pan she asked if they were for her. I looked at her hash browns and my eggs and just said sure. She slid the hash browns and eggs on to a plate and left. I reached into the fridge and pulled out the Styrofoam box with my apple pie, I had still ordered it I just didn't eat it last night here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,799,366}

[Bobby Bass]

SO MOTHER NATURE does have a sense of humor. That is how Sunshine Ray is explaining his forecast of the winter storm that came and went. No doubt we got some snow and the rain last night with thunder was interesting but then this time of year I expect a thunderstorm. It would have been a lot better if there was not several feet of snow on the ground but still it was rain. North of here some power lines went down and they are still working on getting the power back up. In town the road sander broke so Hammering Hank and Skinny were seen driving the work truck with Skinny in the back slinging sand with a shovel up Tomahawk Hill which was pretty ice covered.

I had to run into town this morning but the storm was done by then. The Tahoe doors were froze so I had to tug at the driver's side till it broke free. Ten minutes of running the heater on high and the glass cleared up and the other doors could be opened. The sidewalk to the Tahoe was like walking on lake ice, a little snow covered then slush and in a few spots you broke through to ankle deep water. Ice dams on the cabin have been diminished by the rain and one of them actually slid off during the night. I heard the thump when I was in bed and I knew there was nothing I could do about it so I just rolled over.

When I got back home Duncan was hard at work, the wife was out with the dogs and they were gathering broken branches and bring them to where the fire pit is, that is when the snow melts off of it. Barney was the supervisor as he just stood and watched as Duncan dragged branches back from where Bud had found them. Duncan thought dragging branches through the snow was great fun as young dogs like little kids are easy to mislead into thinking work is play. Sun is high in the sky and it is bright out with the light reflecting of the new layer of snow. Water is dripping off the eves and I suppose with a little work I could shovel the deck off and it would soon be dry. The wife asked me about the shoveling part and I told her to go ahead and knock herself out, I for one have had enough of shoveling snow.

Wife did make it back to the cabin from her trip before the storm came. Was not here more then twenty minutes before the wind picked up and the rain started to fall. Dogs greeted her at the door and got pats and some sweet talking then just like that they left her to go back to doing what they were. I asked the wife if she brought me home any souvenirs or knick knack's from her trip and she looked through her purse and then gave me a couple of receipts for the turnpike for Ohio and Indiana. She then went to inspect her kitchen and found the sink empty and asked who came over and cleaned the cabin while she was gone. I didn't tell her that I just drank milk and orange juice from the jugs and used paper plates.

Going to wander over to Chuck's and give him a hand. Maple sap time and I can smell it in the air. A little snow and some rain is not going to delay syrup time, at least not here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,802,782}

[Bobby Bass]

SO SUNSHINE RAY was on KCUM radio this morning telling everyone that yet another snow storm is on its way. We are looking at eight inches of snow and strong winds and drifting snow is going to be something to prepare for. I was over at Chuck's helping to tend the fire as we cooked some sap and I just kind of muttered something to myself. Chuck started to laff and I looked at him and started to laff myself, not anything we can do about the weather. As we worked on the sap we made small talk as old friends do. Sentences were not always finished as we already knew where they were going. We talked about this year's gardens and it is not looking good. Just to much snow on the ground and with more coming spring planting is not going to be on schedule.

I guess I didn't pick a very good year to try and grow tobacco, the plants are growing in the cabin but it has been to cold to even move them out to the greenhouse. Elmer said this year he is really thinking about not putting in a garden at all. Will still plant some tomatoes and cucumbers but he thinks the ground is going to be to wet for tatters and Sunshine Ray is calling for a cool May and June. If this summer is anything like last summer the growing season will be measured in weeks instead of months. The only good I can come up with is it will leave me more time to fish if I don't have to tend to the garden. The wife offered up that it might be a good summer to stain all of the cabin and decks, it being cool out and me having extra time on my hands.

To add to the problems I heard today that the county is going to go ahead and tear up the road by my place. Going to make it hard to get the Puddle Humper out of the point we live on and it will mean that I will have to do some backing up down the road to get my trailer to where I store it in the summer. I am sure the road will be nice once it is done but this summer it is going to make driving just another chore. I could just take the boat and park it at the Resort, maybe just stay there for the summer but I got a real nasty look from the wife when I said that, guess I didn't realize that I said it out loud.

Down at the General Store the space has been cleared for the chicken tanks. The chicks are due in next week and like everything else the price has gone up on them. Matter of fact I heard the price has doubled. Chuck was thinking about not replacing the chickens he lost over the winter but then he heard that the price of eggs were going up, the price on the chicks would seem to confirm that. As we sat back and watched the sap I gave Chuck a hard time as I told him I could see him come the middle of summer with an egg stand down on the road alongside my grand daughters kool-aid stand. He could make some fishing money selling eggs by the dozen to the tourist that would drive by on their way to town. I didn't needle him too hard as he is the source of my chicken eggs.

Saturday the ponies are leaving, Chuck's wife found them a new home and the gal is coming to pick them up. I for one am going to miss hearing the naying in the early summer mornings. Always peaceful to hang over the side of the white washed fence and watch them standing out there in the middle of the pasture chewing on sweet green grass with tails flicking from side to side, but I won't miss having to bribe them with apples to be quiet when I am head over to Chuck's to pick up a few fresh eggs. If the plan goes as plan in a few months some beef will be in their place and I will instead be looking forward to the sound of steak sizzling on the grill in a few falls here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,804,548}

[Bobby Bass]

A WINTER WONDERLAND greeted me as I forced the deck door open this morning. Ten inches of new bright white clean snow had fallen over night. The heavy heart attack wet snow was not going to move out of the way of the storm door easily. The dogs pushed past me to go out and do their thing, they had been inside the cabin since last night. I took the shovel that had been leaning against the side of the cabin and shoveled for a few minutes moving snow away from the door and making enough room so the door could open freely. When I was done I just poked the shovel into the snow on the deck and there was more then enough snow to stop the shovel from falling over.

Some snow was still falling but the wind had finally calmed, the wind chimes were still making noise behind me but now just a clear ring one at a time instead of the banking and clanging of last night. I watched the dogs plow through the new snow, heads down sniffing. Duncan being Duncan bounced through the snow trying to see and be everywhere at once. I would say there was ten new inches of snow on the wide railings of the deck, that would push our snow total up over a hundred and seventeen inches for the season, way too much. Here it is April and we have already had fifteen inches fall, last April we had over fifty inches fall and that was supposed to be a freak and here we are this year ahead of last year's pace. I must have missed the memo where they decided winter should now be seven months long in these parts.

If this was November ten inches of the white stuff would be welcomed but it is April and no one wants this stuff now. The strong winds of last night has taken the snow and filled in all my paths. Trouble there is that the paths were dug out of snow that is several feet deep. I look at the Tahoe buried under a wet coat of new snow and it has the shape of a mammoth that was trapped. A drift maybe five feet high is between the truck and the deck, I am guessing at the height as Duncan is standing on the top looking at me. A couple of hours work with a snow blower that is if I had a snow blower. But mine is resting upside down covered in snow just outside the shop door. Parts removed that can be salvaged and just the frame poking up through the snow. Kind of looks like a battlefield around here actually. Destroyed snow blower, plastic green house with the roof caved in and just mounds of snow scattered about. Wood pile covered in a tattered and torn tarp and the paths look more like trenches that are now filled in with snow. Patio furniture with deep snow covering the seats rests on the deck waiting to be used but that is not going to happen today.

Got a few telephone calls this morning, friend who has a dairy farm on the other side of the lake has seventeen inches of new snow on the hay bales. From time to time I go steelhead fishing with him but there will be none of that tomorrow. Gus called from down at the Lodge, told me a water main broke over night and the road is blocked by county workers with their big yellow trucks and flashing lights blocking the roadway. Clear Lake Iwanttobethere water is boiling up through the ground to mix with the dirt and become mud. The mud flows down the hill to mix with wet snow to make a reddish slush river, the white snow is no longer white. I asked if he needed me down there and he said no, he had it under control. I hug up the phone and looked out the window at all the new snow.

I know I made a promise that I was not going to shovel but I guess I spoke too quick. To much of the stuff for the Solar Shovel to clear away. I'll have to shovel the path to the Tahoe open and maybe to the shop. Tomorrow the sun is supposed to be out and warmer weather is on its way. I'll let the sun do my work and hope it actually does show up. Maybe I just need to go down to the dock and throw up my hands and tell Mother Nature she wins this one. Maybe she will stop making snow and will not notice that I have my fingers crossed here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,807,583}

[Bobby Bass]

THE MELT IS on, at least today it is. Blue sky here at Lake Iwanttobethere and even though the bass thermometer on the side of the cabin is only showing forty degrees out the melt is on. The snow from yesterday is just about gone from the cabin roof and it is dripping from the eves like it is raining out. I can only hope that it will take care of the snow drifts that I did not even try and move yesterday. Five weekends till the fishing opener and there is a lot of work to be done by mother nature if she is going to make it to the deadline. Sunshine Ray's forecast is calling for daily temperatures to keep rising a few degrees each day and by mid week we are going to be in the fifties for at least a few days. Southern breezes are bring us warmer weather but it feels cool outside even standing in the sunshine. Funny how a forty degree day a month ago would have had us in shorts and flip flops.

Ponies are still over at Chucks place at least for another day. The gal who is taking them is digging out from the storm and said she could not make it over till tomorrow. I was over for a little while this morning with a few apples that I just happen to have around. I gave them each a couple of apples and got a head bump in return, going to miss them but they are going to join up with seven other horses and a bigger pasture. Gal has a big barn and they will each have their own stall probably best for them but hard on Chuck right now.

Yesterday afternoon I did go into town, made a brief stop at the Lodge just to check in and all was fine. The water break was repaired and the only thing that let you know it had happen was the colored snow and the clean spot on the street. I did on my way back to the cabin clean all the rust and dirt off the Tahoe. With the new snow on the pavement I kind of forgot where the town public works had done some work this winter and put in a temporary patch on a hole they made in the street. I was on top of the patch before I remembered where it was. I for some reason thought the space between Tahoe wheels was wider then the patch but I was mistaken. I hit the front of the hole the same time as the back wheels hit the back of the hole and bounced the Tahoe up in the air like I was doing a Duke of Hazards promo. Think I bounced my head off the roof and I know for a fact that I rearranged everything in the back. I landed hard and bounced once before I continued on my way. Dang patch was more like a shallow tiger trap if you ask me. I got home and walked around the Tahoe making sure I still had my bumpers attached and air in my tires. Made the way through the snow to the deck and thought it might be a good idea if I remember that pot hole for the next time I go to town.

With Spring arriving late and winter staying long I am already way behind on things that should be done around the cabin. Trouble is until all of this snow melts there is not much I can do to catch up. I am going to make some modifications to the front deck on the Puddle Humper, going to put in a step so it is easier for me to get up on the deck and off again. But I can't even get to the Puddle Humper to work on it till this snow goes. Plastic green house needs to be taken down, the heavy snows have shredded the roof but it was time anyway. The granddaughter wants to start work on her new house but I have to explain to her that all of our materials are buried right now. Nothing like having a seven year old boss who wants to start pounding nails. So far I have been able to distract here with questions about paint colors and flower boxes. I could go sort out tackle boxes but I can't get to the big work table in the wood shop, you guessed it, to much snow blocking the way. I did however clear snow from a deck chair and I see the sun has melted the rest and the chair looks dry. Maybe I will go out and sit a spell and lite a cigar and enjoy watching snow finally melt here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,810,049}

[Bobby Bass]

IT MAY NOT be fifty out but the melt continues. Time to put the boots back on as now when you walk around the cabin you have to watch your step. More then once today I stepped on what I thought was snow only to find cold standing water beneath. I should have started a thread on signs of spring as I have run into a few today. First off I traded in a stocking cap for a hat and found out it did not fit to well. I have not had a haircut all winter and now there is to much hair on my head to get the hat to sit down on my ears. For most older guys that is not to much of a problem as there are plenty of guys at the Lodge who would welcome a covering of hair on the top of their heads. These are the same guys who usually have the big bushy stashes and the thin beards. Speaking of beards I think the longer days are helping my beard as seems to be growing again to.

Ran into Diggers this morning, needed to pick up a bag of potting soil. Thought I had a bag but the wife used it and forgot to tell me. I needed the dirt for transplanting some of the tobacco and tomato plants. Thought I would give them some more room to see if I could encourage a growth spurt out of them. While I was in town and dropped in to the Lodge to see what was up. Found my parking space filled with snow along with several others. Hammering Hank had the snow thrower out and was tossing snow from the piles along the edges of the parking lot back out onto the parking lot where the sun was melting it. I would not do that as I consider it a "Make work" kind of a job. But it was working and the snow was melting and we are gaining some of our parking lot back.

Melt is doing a job on the Luge run, even a few spots where you can see the hillside. Patch of ground down by the access had a couple of geese strutting around on it. About the only part of the shore where there is no snow and they are staking claim to it. A couple of trucks down by the access, guys just sitting in the cabs looking out at the ice of Lake Iwanttobethere and I am sure they are trying to mentally help it melt a little faster. The town is slowly trying to shake winter off its shoulders. A week of fifties would sure help, snow banks along the street are still shoulder high and now you have pools of water standing where the drains should be but are covered in snow and ice. General Store is wide open though, Big Earl pays to have the snow removed from in front of it so there is never any need to walk over a bank to get to his sidewalk.

Business hours have been expanded, it is just that time of the year where people start doing projects. I know Diggers is open till nine at night now and people are coming in to look over the plants and thinking about getting gardens ready. If the snow was only gone they would be buying instead of just looking. Guess I am not the only one with snow on my deck, a few guys at the Lodge were talking about how they just ran out of space to put snow so the snow on the decks just stayed where it was. I know one guy has been just using his BBQ and moving it around the deck, Cooking supper and melting snow as he goes. I should try that but my BBQ is still just a big snow covered mound on the deck. Dogs want to go outside so I guess I should put an end to this and follow them out. Not a bad silent Sunday here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,813,818}

[Bobby Bass]

YESTERDAY SOME LIGHT rain fell in the morning and I was out and about. By mid afternoon the rain had stopped and the clouds had moved on to rain on someone else's parade. The grand kids are on spring break so they are taking turns coming to the cabin and spending a night. Yesterday granddaughter number two was here and she is the one who has the order put in for a new fort. After a pancake breakfast of pancakes in the shape of a fish we got dressed and went outside. The granddaughter wanted to survey the area that I had picked out for the new fort and wanted to see how the snow melt was going on. With hands on her hips standing in her purple glitter boots she told me that if I was to start shoveling the snow away we could get to work that much faster. I walked over and picked up a shovel that was leaning up against the deck and handed to her. "Knock yourself out" I told her. She took the shovel from me looked at it and then asked why she should knock herself out?

I smiled and then explained to her just what the saying "Knock yourself out" means. She listened intently as she always does and then handed the shovel back to me. "It will melt" is all she said and we moved on to other things. The granddaughter had friends coming over to her house later in the day and her ma, my daughter wanted her home by one so she could clean her room. Didn't make much sense to me to clean the room before four little girls tear it apart again but I did get her home on time. My daughter met us at the door and we both got a kiss on the cheek. My daughter asked her daughter how things went at Papa's house and my granddaughter just said that she got to knock herself out! I had to explain to the daughter what the granddaughter was talking about.

After I left the daughters house I took the back way to the Lodge, was looking for some signs of spring but all I found out was that we are going to have a really good year for pot holes. Matter of fact I was wondering out loud was is the difference between a pot hole and a sink hole. The pavement at the Lodge was steaming as the sun was high in the sky and the asphalt was actually hot enough to dry the rain a way. Has been several months since I have seen a steaming parking lot and I added that to the list of spring sightings. I pulled into the Lodge's parking lot the same time as my neighbor Chuck came in from the other end. We pulled up door to door and exchanged HIYA's. Chuck was just coming from potato Joe's place and was on his way over to another farmer who has some young beef to sell. With the ponies gone Chuck was not wasting to much time looking to buy a couple of head to put in the fenced in pasture.

Chuck pulled out and I sat in the parking lot, I had a reason to come to the Lodge but I just didn't remember what it was. I took out my phone and checked my do list on it but I forgot to put down what the Lodge trip was for. O well I did see on my things to do list that I had on getting some tee shirts. I put the Tahoe back in gear and went out the far side of the lot. I was headed to the Fat & Short Shop. It once was a Big and Tall men's store but here at Lake Iwanttobethere we have a lot of guys who are just short and fat so the guy renamed it. I had noticed the wife was doing some cleaning at home and her rag looked pretty familiar. I went over to examined it and sure enough it was one of my favorite tee shirts. Is it just me or does your wife go through your drawers or closets and decide when a tee shirt is no longer wearable but can now be used as a wash rag? I know for sure that I would never think of going into the wife's closet and sort through her clothes. If memory serves me right just about when a pair of pants or a shirt gets broke in just right it disappears. Paint shirts are supposed to have paint on them, that is why you call them paint shirts. I pulled up to the free parking space outside of Fat & Short and parked. I will have to tell you tomorrow about shirt shopping here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,818,610}

[Bobby Bass]

FAT & SHORT SHOP was not busy when I came through the door. Slim the owner greeted me and we exchanged HIYA'S and said he would be right with me as he walked by carrying a stack of shoe boxes. Slim who is actually slim moved to Lake Iwanttobethere several years ago. He told me that he had enough of the big city and always wanted to have a nice little shop that would let him get to know his customers and have some flexible hours. When he first got here it was a big and tall men's shop but after the first year Slim had it figured out that most of the guys who came through his door were looking for shirts to cover their guts and a lot of tourists that were looking for something with Lake Iwanttobethere on it.

With the help of Katrina the town artist and Hammering Hank and Skinny he hung a new sign and renamed the place. Fat & Short Shop brings in customers who want to know who would name their shop that. Would never see a name like that in the big city, he would have skinny people protesting. A lot of guys around town are just short with guts, myself included. It would also cover a lot of farmers around here, for every tall farmer with a piece of straw in their mouth is a short farmer with a bologna sandmich in their hand. Going to Al-Mart in the city you can get bigger tee shirts but they are never long enough and they charge you for the extra material. Slim has shirts and more importantly pants that fit us short legged guys. Nothing worse then trying to buy a pair of pants that fit ya in the gut but the pant legs are a foot past your toes. Having twelve inch cuffs was not cool when you were back in school nor are they when you are an adult.

Another problem with buying big shirts is you get sleeves that hang halfway down your forearm when you buy a big enough shirt to cover your gut. Here at the Fat & Short Shop shirts actually fit you in the shoulders and arms and cover your gut without having to stuff a lot of extra material in the back of your pants. Slim also carries a mess of shoes and boots in the wide category, Us short fat people tend to have wide feet to. I went over to the tee shirt rack and picked out a couple of your basic gray, blue and green shirts. I picked the ones with two pockets on the front because one pocket is not always enough. I paid for the shirts and made some small talk, mostly about if Slim has found any rain bibs that will fit a short fat guy and he told me he is still looking. With my shirts in one arm I shook his hand and left.

Got back to the cabin and was greeted by all three dogs, Duncan seem real happy to see me and as I stepped up on the deck he grabbed my hand and took me around the side of the cabin. There on the snow covered ground was the big ice dam from the roof. I checked around the other side and that one too had fallen. No damage that I could see so I was a happy camper when I went into the cabin. The wife seeing the tee shirts under my arm told me that she was glad I went out and got some shirts, she had already cleaned out a spot in the drawer for them. I set the new shirts on the table and headed back to the bedroom to see what good shirts of mine she had taken. I got distracted by the telephone ringing.

Today the forecast of Sunshine Ray is calling for us to hit sixty in the shade, I sure hope it happens. I have plans to dig the BBQ out and maybe dropping a couple of steaks on it for an early dinner tonight. With the ice dams now off the roof that means there is nothing left up there to melt. Lot of snow on the ground but there are a few places under the trees where you can see some dirt. The rag box is at the cabin deck door for wiping the dog's feet off when they come in from outside. So far no mud and the old dogs know better then to go looking for the mud. Duncan on the other hand has not figured out that he should stay out of the water and makes a point of going where ever he wants to go. A sixty degree day would sure make it feel like Spring is here and dare I say we could be looking forward to summer here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,820,424}

[Bobby Bass]

SIXTY-TWO DEGREES out yesterday, don't think it has been that warm since sometime last October. Snow is melting and brown ground is appearing around the base of trees and along the fence line. I can see a darkness under the snow in the garden where I plant cucumbers. The snow cover must be thin there. I have been moving snow on the deck from the piles to where the sun has heated the wood, I am enjoying watch the snow melt and then the water drip down between the cracks in the decking. Almost like payback against mother nature. Last night a few hours after darkness fell the sky was lit up as lighting flashed across the sky. North of the cabin a thunderstorm was moving across the area. I was hoping for some rain here but just a few drops fell and the storm missed us. A good rain would help melt even more snow.

Garden is still deep in snow but this morning I saw a few robins standing on top of the fence posts. They did not look none to happy but as soon as Duncan saw them they took to wing and headed towards Chuck's place. Frank the mailman honked his horn this morning, I was out on the deck kicking at snow and sipping on some coffee. I walked down to the mailbox and like a kid at Christmas I had a few packages along with the envelopes hiding bills. I do like Spring, besides all the obvious reason of melting snow and grass growing, this time of the year is when my fishing orders start to arrive. Today I got my mount for my Flip cameras that will allow me to put my camera on a pole and take video from new angles and heights. I quickly got out a camera and attached the camera to a pole and started doing some test shooting.

I ran the camera now attached to a sixteen foot long painter poll around the cabins eves. I should have done this years ago I am thinking as I took a video of my roof and inside my rain gutters without having to get a ladder out. I am looking forward to shooting some video out on the water this season having the camera high over head to get some different vantages points of catching fish and just a different look at fishing. With the video shot I played it back on the den computer and thought this is pretty slick. With Duncan looking over my shoulder I put the camera back on the stick and this time shot some video low, like from a dogs point of view. Yup this is going to work pretty slick.

Another package had some lures I ordered and I tucked them out of sight and distracted the wife with some of the footage I shot when she came in the den to see what came in the mail. Parking area has some dry rock on it, I am sure you would not have to dig much with the tip of your toe to find water though. Roofs may be clear of snow but a lot on the ground and then it is going to take awhile for the ground to dry out. Dodge is almost free of snow and it looks like it should after a winter of snow on it. Few more days and I should be able to pop the hood open and give the battery a charge. Some fresh gas and an oil change and it will be ready for another summer. One more month till fishing starts, I sure hope it goes by quickly here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,823,381}

[Bobby Bass]

NOT AS WARM a day yesterday but the snow is going and revealing more of what has been hidden under it for months. This morning I was up early for me and I took a stroll with the dogs around the yard. The dog trails that cris cross the yard have now melted to the ground and once the trail hits grass they seem to widen on their own. The wheel barrow that just a few days ago had nothing but the top of the handles sticking out of the snow now has the entire wheelbarrow revealed. I open the work shop roll up door to let out the old March air and let in some fresh April air.

Robins have been moving in as I saw a couple more this morning, geese to have been showing up as I saw a flight go by in a hurry to get somewhere. Standing pools of water have disappeared and in town the street gutters are clear and free flowing again. Streets are dry and dirty with piles of snow still along the curbs covered in gravel and sand. A good spring rain is needed to clean things up. Back at home the Dodge just has a pile of snow and ice in front of it. All the snow in the bed has melted away and just for the heck of it I dug my keys out of my pocket. I opened the door which creaked loudly stuck the key in the ignition and turn it expecting nothing but it started right up. I patted the truck on the dash and said "Good girl" I let it run for a few minutes and gave it a walk around as it idled away. Mentally I was making a list for the old truck, oil change, some fresh gas. Maybe some touch up paint and for sure a trip to town and the car wash. Not today though as there is still a snow and ice pile as high as the front bumper in the way. I turned the key off and slammed the door closed, adding some WD-40 for the hinges to my list.

It was not on my list of things to do yesterday but I found myself walking past Burt and Bart's Barbershop and there was an open chair calling my name. The thought of a haircut was on my mind as I tried to put on a cap that morning and was having a hard time keeping it on. I exchanged HIYA' s with a couple of the guys who were sitting around just making small talk and sat down in the empty chair. Bart with a comb in one hand and a scissors in the other approached me with a grin in his eyes and a comment about what he could do. I told him I just wanted a trim and he made me an offer. Told me he would give me a decent haircut and today's special was beard trimming that he would throw in for free. Always looking for a deal I told him to cut away. Been fall since I had a haircut and the beard is usually kept closely cropped but this winter I had let it grow. I settled back into the chair and Bart started clipping and talking.

My dentist Mike when he gets me in his chair starts asking me questions that I can never answer because he has his fingers in my mouth or has me so numbed up I can't make words come out as intended. Sitting in the barber's chair I have a nice conversation with Bart and the rest of the guys. Was not to long for my hair to start piling up on the floor around me and the clicking of the scissors seemed to be loud in my ears. Topics of conversation ranged from the weather to hockey to ice out to fishing and of course if I was going to have any camping spots open at the Resort. I was asked about Chuck's ponies leaving and if he, Chuck that is had found any beef to buy yet to replace them. Does not take to long in town for people to find out about other people's business.

Bart seemed to be taking his time cutting my hair, guess it was a slow day. He spent a lot of time stepping back from the chair and talking. He jabbed his scissors out in the air from time to time when he wanted to make a point. I learned long time ago you don't want to get in to a heated argument with him when he is cutting your hair. Or be next in the chair after he has had an argument with someone else. A few questions about how long I wanted my summer beard to be and I was spun in the chair to face the mirror to see what he had done. The questions about how long I wanted my beard were asked after he had cut my beard as he had gotten distracted by talk of DOC's retirement. I nodded my approval and he slipped the apron off my shirt and gave me a quick once over with the shop vac. I took my cap off the tree rack and had to adjust the ban to make it smaller. Looks good I said out loudly and Bart said "Yup, just what your wife ordered" I gave him a look and paid him. "You can get your tip from my wife" I said with a grin and stepped out of the shop and onto Main Street here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,826,559}

[Bobby Bass]

AT THE RESORT today, a tackle order came in and we have it spread across the great table in the main room. Pretty good timing I was thinking as the weather has changed and outside right now the wind is blowing strongly and the trees are swaying back and forth. Some rain is falling but not a lot. Just enough to get ya wet if you stood in the same place long enough. I was planning on doing some work outside here but with the rain that plan has changed. Duncan came up with me and he has already made a tour of the grounds and checked out all the rooms that are open to him inside. He is now laying on the floor stretched out to take up as much space as he can. Vic with his eye glasses low on his nose is tending the tomato seedlings that are sitting on the wide window sills of the main room. Watering and poking and prodding the little green plants.

The deck is clear of snow, yesterday day Hammering Hank and Skinny spent time with the ice choppers and broke the piles of snow and ice up and then pushed the mess out off the edge of the deck to melt. Today's rain has the deck clear of any snow that was left and I was thinking of taking a broom out but I think I would be better off using a hose, that is if it was not raining. With that job tabled I went back to check on Elmer and Marv who were working in the Bait Room. The shelves have been cleaned and rearranged along with some new pegboard hung. They were spending more time walking around with their coffee mugs then really working but we are not in any real hurry. The sound of water bubbling can be heard as one of the minnow tanks has a few minnows swimming around in it. The bait room outside door is on the lee side of the wind and they had the inside door open. The screen door kept the rain out but let the noise and the smells in. I walked over to the door and holding my own coffee cup I stood and looked out at the little ice covered bay.

The bottoms of the turn over row boats can be seen. The metal attracting the sun shine when it is out and heating up to melt snow away from the boats in a widening circle. Yesterday Vic told me a couple of geese were hiking around the shoreline but he has not seen them today. Vic's ice shanty rests on the shoreline, Hank has already promised to build him a better one for next season. Vic has a white board where he has been writing down what he wants in the new shack, it seems to change every couple of days. Hammering Hank seems to think he can recycle the old ice shack and turn it into a chicken coop. The idea of having fresh eggs up at the resort is a good one and we are going to see if Chuck will take on a few extra chicks till we can get a coop ready up here. With the pegboard clean I start to bring in tackle from the table and we start filling hooks and rearranging things. No hurry we just hang one item on a hook so we can see how everything is going to fit.

I was hoping to do some work in the wood shop this afternoon. Was going to start a fire in the potbelly stove and tune in the baseball game this afternoon. The long wire that we hung last summer for an antenna is still up, I thought for sure the wind or snow would have pulled it down over the winter. I am having second thoughts about going out there now as the wind is going to steal all my heat from inside the shop. I sat down in the first booth and watched Duncan as he lay on the floor and watches me with one eye. I think he has the right idea, it might just be that kind of day to just sit back and watch other people work here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,830,242}

[Bobby Bass]

HAD AN ITCH to take a drive yesterday so I grabbed a stogie from my stash and me and Duncan climbed into the Tahoe and we did a road trip. I think back in the old days they use to call it a Sunday drive. I can remember a few of them Sunday drives back in the day. Usually it was into the big city to go to Dairy Queen. Always thought it was interesting that the country folk would drive into town and the town folk would drive out to the country. Now a days a lot of people live out in the country but work in the city. Can't say the same for to many people working out in the country and living in the city, if that makes any sense.

So with the window just cracked to let smoke out for me but open wide enough in the back for Duncan to stick his head out we took a drive. Ditches that were just a few weeks ago piled high and deep with snow just have water in them. Pretty cold looking water at that I thought as I drove down the road. I spotted a couple of deer and a rabbit running across the road. A raccoon who did not make it across was on the shoulder. Some geese flying low looking for a place to land, the pond they were by was still froze and you could see the tracks that snow mobiles had made during the winter. A few horses were out and they would look up from the snow they were nuzzling and give us that horse look.

Not a lot of people out I noticed. You would think people would be out working in the gardens or mending fences. Getting lawn tractors up and running. Might be all the snow on the ground and the blowing wind was keeping them in. Sunshine Ray is forecasting a chance of more snow come midweek. Enough that it will stick to the ground and shovels may be needed. Pretty tuff to work in a garden still buried in snow and too cold to paint a fence because the paint will freeze before it will dry. There is water to be seen, the rivers are open and flowing near the top of their banks. Everything is black and white along the river, no color to be seen. No green grass or green leaves on trees. No colorful rowboats or canoes on the water. No bright red coolers or daisy printed sun hats. Just cold dark water with snow on the banks and an occasional ice chuck floating down river to go under a white colored concrete bridge. Winter is still holding on and she has a firm grip.

I pulled the Tahoe off the road and went down a narrow track that ends up at the lake. Just enough room in the summer to park a couple of trucks with trailers. It has not been plowed but the snow has melted enough where other people have driven down and made the turn to come back up. I figure if the tracks went down and came back up then I should be able to do the same. I follow the tracks and drive slowly, Duncan has his head out the window and I can hear him snorting in the air taking in all the smells that he can. I drive right up to the edge of the lake and I stop in the same spot where others have before me. I get out and Duncan climbs from the back set to the front and out the door to the snow covered ground. Head down he goes to work sniffing and inventorying smells.

I follow in the footsteps of someone who has been here before me. They lead to the waters edge where just a little sliver of water separates the shore from the ice of the lake. I stand and look out at the ice the same way I am guessing someone else did before me. Less then a month till fishing opener, things are going to have to speed up I am thinking. I turn and head back to the Tahoe, I give Duncan a Whoop Whoop and he runs back to the truck before skidding to a stop and sniffing something that somehow he missed. I give him a minute because I know he needs it. He is satisfied and bounces the last few yards to me and hops into the truck and into the back seat. I wipe the snow off the seat that he left me and climb in myself. I turn around in the small space and drive up slowly back to the road.

I just reach the road when a pick up comes slowly to a stop. We exchange head nods and I pull out onto the road as he pulls into my tracks and heads down the narrow track to the lake. No doubt he is going to check on the ice just like I did, here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,836,746}

[Bobby Bass]

I WOKE UP at three this morning, I didn't do it on purpose but I knew there was going to be a lunar eclipse and when you get old you have an internal clock that just goes off by itself. I woke up and went to the bathroom and as long as I was up I headed to the kitchen. For some reason I had a craving for a soda. A couple of black cats crossed by path but that is OK, they are mine. I got to the kitchen and no sooner did I open the door to the fridge when I heard the stereo meowing of my two black tom cats Buff and Smokie. I got out a piece of sliced cheese and gave them each half, a blatant bribe to keep them quiet so the wife would not hear me in the fridge. I took a can of soda to the living room and tried to open the can quietly in the still of the night. It took but three long sips to finish the can and in-between sips I looked out the window at the moon. I thought about getting out the camera but I figured I could just go on the computer and see pictures shot with better equipment then what I have. A satisfying burp later and I was headed back to bed, the black cats leading the way like mine sweepers in the darkness.

With the wind blowing and snow in the forecast for tomorrow I needed to go find some warmth. I was out in my greenhouse but it is barren in there. It has been too cold to move the little seedling out there as I normally do by this time of the year. I still need to do a cleaning in there but it did smell pretty good as I gathered up some small pots to bring in the cabin to do some transplanting. A few old cherry tomato plants are still in their pots and a couple of shriveled up and dried out pepper plants add to the earthly smell. Warm but not warm enough to leave plants out there overnight yet. I drove into town and headed over to Diggers Garden Center. He has a big greenhouse there and I walked in the front doors of the store and then made my way back to the greenhouse entrance. My daughter works there so I can come and go as I please in the greenhouse.

I opened the door to the greenhouse and was greeted with warm moist air and the aroma of tomato and pepper plants. A delivery of flowers had arrived and they were spread out on the big center table. The daughter greeted me and then went to wait on a customer. I noised around the flowers some and then went out to get the cart that the daughter had set a side for me. I have been putting it off but it was time to get my cart of onion sets and tatters. No sooner do you put something in a cart and put a name on it then people think it is something special and want to buy what is in the cart. An old trick of the greenhouse is to take plants and mark them as being SAVED and sure enough someone will come and want to buy what is in the cart. Works really good when the sign says it is for the town or county. Big Earl uses the same trick when he hangs them little yellow tags on stuff saying that it is the last one he has in stock.

With spuds and onions I added a couple of bags of soil and some seeds, I had added some Butterfly Weed seeds to my order and they went in the cart. I pushed out to the checkout and paid for everything getting the daughters discount along with my HIYA discount. Out to the Tahoe and I opened the doors and emptied the cart. A few small bags of tatters were going to my place but the rest were going to the RESORT where we are going to expand the garden and add these seed tatters to some we saved from last year's garden. The dirt was going home to be used for transplanting cherry tomatoes and my tobacco plants. The Tahoe was at least starting to smell a little spring like inside. The smell of tatters, onions and black dirt mixed in well with the mud that Duncan has been tracking in.

I went to the RESORT where I unload the tatters and onion sets into the BAIT ROOM. Good as place as any to store them till we can get around to tilling the garden and planting. They were not sitting in the corner for more then thirty minutes when Arlo came by to chat and saw them sitting there. He asked Vic how much we were selling the tatters for. Vic told Arlo they were not for sale then asked me if he should put a sign on them saying they are not for sale. I told him no I will find some other place to store them. Soon as we put a sign on them then someone will come and make Vic a offer he can't refuse, that is how it works, here at Lake Iwanttobethere 1,840,374}

[Bobby Bass]

THE TIRED SNOW shovels lean up against the cedar siding of the cabin, alongside rest a couple of leaf rakes waiting their turn to go to work. Not going to happen today for them as I am looking out the den window at falling snow. Some wind moves the long tubes of the wind chimes just enough for them to bang softly together, they sound like a distant Buddhist gong. If Stormy Clearweather is correct with her forecast the soft wind chimes are going to soon sound like the first day of band practice at middle school. Just when parts of the big garden are starting to show dirt more snow is going to fall. I can't tell you how old this is getting, not just this year but the same thing happen last year to. A little token snow is fine come spring, I can live with that, but the forecast is calling for as much as twelve inches and you know sometimes the weather people actually get it right.

Yesterday I was down at Big Earl's General Store, had a list of things I needed to buy. Lots of little projects that are just piling up and I needed to start on them. There was some grumbling about the weather from customers who stood blocking the aisles but then there always is. Thing is we can't do a thing about it but having yet another winter storm in spring is going to make summer feel that much shorter, and it is short enough already. I had enough stuff on my list to buy that I pulled out a shopping cart and started pushing it down the aisle. I took a left to the outdoors section as I was looking for some new outdoor furniture for the deck at home. The stuff we have is showing its age and I have been kind of looking the past few years on replacing it. Trouble is I am looking at buying some wood chairs and no one seems to make anything in wood anymore. Even here at the General Store it is just a bunch of thin metal or plastic weave that looks like it will rust or rot through after a few seasons outdoors.

I didn't notice them when I came in but this time of year the big water tanks are usually by the front door filled with baby chicks. I found a couple of the tanks back by the patio furniture and the heat lamps were only on over one tank that had a few ducklings in it. Even the baby chicks are behind schedule it would appear. I wandered around the rows of garden tractors and pull behind mowers. I looked at priced tags and shook my head some. I then weaved my way through the fishing tackle and even though the shelf's were stocked and the pegboard hooks full I didn't see anything that I needed. Finally getting past the distractions I made by way to the paint department and got a can of flat black and then over too electrical to buy a new flood light bulb. House wash was on sale and I picked up some, sooner or later this summer I am going to stain the cabin and I will need to clean the siding off. Looking at my list I headed back to the paint department. Stain brushes were on sale so I got a few of them along with some roller covers for an indoor project. Next stop was clothing, I needed a few replacement tee shirts but I had to stop to answer my phone.

I have a cell phone and it rarely goes off, I feel that the fewer people I tell my number to the less calls I will receive. I always seem to get looks when I do answer my phone as I always just say out loudly "Yes Mr. President" and for a few second's people around me get real quiet. This call was from my grand daughter, so it was an important call that I had to take. After a few yes yes yes from me I ended the call and then walked back to the ducklings where I took a picture and then forwarded it to my daughters phone so the grand daughter could see the ducklings. I then went back to shopping.

As I sit at my desk here in the den the snow has picked up some, the deck is now white and the handles on the shovels and rakes are resting places for snow flakes. I can hear the wind blowing through the trees and the wind chimes have a little more sway into them. Duncan walked over to the deck door looked out and then made his way back to me. He bumped his head against my knee and I moved so he could climb under the desk and lay at my feet. His head is resting on my foot and he just gave me a heavy sigh, Winter can come to an end anytime here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,843,025}

[Bobby Bass]

STORM IS DONE, at least this one is. Another eight inches of heavy wet sticky snow covers everything in sight. The bare ground of the garden is gone back to sleep under yet another blanket of snow. The driving wind of the past twenty-four hours has taken the snow and covered the South wall of the cabin from the peak to the foundation. I wish it would be that easy to stain the wall. Overcast sky but the sun is up there, somewhere. There has been times in years gone past that by this time of the year I could go outside on the deck in bare feet, That is not going to happen today or tomorrow for that matter. I did shovel some, but only enough so the storm doors would open and a clear spot to rest the shovel back up against the wall, I am going to let the sun melt this last batch of snow, I hope.

I walked down to the mailbox, was that time of the morning and as I got there Frank the plow driver was bring Khan the grader around the bend. He pulled up alongside of me and turned the motor off and open the glass cab door and gave me a hearty HIYA. I gave him a HIYA back and we chatted some. Frank was in good spirits and I soon found out why. With this last snow storm he figured he would have enough overtime between this years and last year's snow falls that he was going to be able and buy himself a new boat! He actually said he was hoping that we would get one more good snow fall so he could upgrade the trolling motor on a boat he has his eyes on. With a grin on his face he starter the grader up and slammed the cab door closed, He even lifted the blade when he drove past my drive.

I watched the grader go around the next bend and thought well at least someone is still happy about all of this snow when Mark the mailman came around the same bend. I waited as he stuck mail in Chuck's box and then came to a stop alongside me. HiYA's were exchanged and some small talk. Mark gave me some bills and a large box that I have been waiting on. I watched as he drove out of sight and quiet returned to my stretch of road. I turned and followed my footsteps up the long drive back to the cabin. Bud and Barney sat together at the top of the hill, watching me. Somehow I get the feeling they are blaming me for the snow as no sooner do I reach the top then they both get up and turn to walk slowly to the cabin. The cold and snow of the long winter can not be feeling good on the two old dogs.

The wife opens the door and Duncan comes flying out of the cabin, jumps off the deck to sail out into the snow and runs past the old dogs to race past me before losing his rear legs trying to make a turn and wipes out in the snow. He is back up and at my side with his tongue hanging out and giving me the look of "I meant to do that" What can I say Duncan just cracks me up and I reach down to rub one of his ears and call him a crazy pup. The wife lets the old dogs into the cabin and I stop at the stairs to take a breather. A couple of robins are singing and I look for them. On the garden fence post I see a couple. I know they are a couple because one robin is singing away and the other one is looking away but no doubt has to be listening. The wife is telling her mate " I told you so, we should have stayed down south longer, we could have been warm and dry at my sisters in Atlanta" I know this because I speak robin.

The box in my hand holds a fishing tackle order, Several of the guys got together and we made an order sharing in the discount by buying in quantity. Chuck has been asking about the order as he has a mess of spinnerbaits and trailers. I put the box on the deck and with Duncan I head to the wood pile. That is where I was headed when I first came outside. The wood pile is on its last row, winter had better end here soon or I will be out of this year's wood and will have to dig into next years pile. I don't really want to do that, it is just plain depressing. I grab and arm load and Duncan helps by bring a stick with. I walk back to the cabin and lookout over the lake, I am really hoping I won't have to shovel the dock off for fishing opener here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,845,373}

[Bobby Bass]

TWENTY-ONE DAYS till opener and looking at the piles of snow and water dripping off the eves I am just a little skeptical at what opener is going to be like. Bluebird sky overhead but not really warm out. Bass thermometer in the shade is saying it is forty-four out and I am thinking of moving the thermometer into the sun to raise the temperature some. Snow has melted from the deck so that is good but I still am not going to walk out on it in my bare feet. Cabin is busy today as this morning the daughter dropped off her two dogs. Four labs and an Austrian herding dog running around. Well actual it is Duncan and Mia doing all the running around. Bud, Barney and Buster are just laying in the sun covered floor of the living room doing what old guys do best, nothing.

Daughter and her husband along with the two granddaughters have gone for a weekend getaway. Some place with pools and a hot tub and room service. It is not around Lake Iwanttobethere because the only hot tub I know around here the Fellows have, and it involves fire. The kids will be away till Sunday night and I have the dogs. They all get along so it should not be a problem. Will be Mia's first sleep over so tonight might be interesting when the two black tom cats come out of their day sleeping hiding places. My daughter has a black tom to so Mia has been trained by a cat already. Might be a surprise for her when she comes up against two cats at the same time, both of which are black and might be confusing for her.

I can hear hammers pounding over at Chuck's, he is working on the roof of the Love Shack as I call it. With snow melting the tarps have been removed and he is back at working on the shell of the building. Roof tresses are up and the walls have been covered in sheathing. Working with one of his a son in laws they are looking to get the roof sheathed today and some ice shield on. Stormy Clearweather is calling for rain tomorrow so there is a little hurry in getting the roof covered. I have not heard if there is any snow in the forecast so maybe just maybe it will just be rain in our future. I should get out and clean the greenhouse up, with no snow I may finally get the plants from inside out into the greenhouse where they all should be. Yard is a mess and as the snow melts I keep seeing more work appear. With the long winter things that should have gotten done in a dry spring are now going to have to get done in a few weeks instead of a couple of months.

Snow has melted a lot in the main garden revealing a pile of branches that I trimmed from some trees and just tossed in there. I had forgotten all about them till the branches started to emerge from the snow. Going to have to get Duncan to drag them down to the fire pit so they can get broken down to size and burnt. Poor Duncan has a lot of work to do around the cabin, I need him to haul some firewood down from the pile today and I wonder if I can teach him how to wash windows.

I have so much work to do and get caught up on here at the cabin and at the Resort that I just don't know where to start. I seem to spend all my time just making up lists of things to do. Right now I have a list going for what parts of Lake Iwanttobethere am I going to fish when opener gets here. Of course the list has another list depending on what the weather is that day and leading up to opening day. Matter of fact I have another list for the week after opener and then there is the list of lakes to fish around Lake Iwanttobethere. I have rain day fishing spots and windy spots and sunny spot and secret spots. I also have another list that is encrypted and stored under taxes on my computer, that is the list of excuses I have thought up to use on the wife for getting out of work and going fishing here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,848,14}

[Bobby Bass]

OVERCAST DAY HERE at the Lodge, some sprinkles of rain falling and the wind is blowing a tad. The women of the Ladies Auxiliary are in the side meeting room and they came in looking none too happy. It being Easter tomorrow the ladies were sporting their latest Easter weekend fashions. A few of them had what appeared to be shower caps over their colorful sun hats. I have learned from Gus that when the ladies come in I just move to the far end of the bar and try to avoid eye contact. I brought Duncan with me to the Lodge mainly because I did not have much choice. No sooner did I open the door then Duncan was outside and heading to the Tahoe. Mia the daughter's dog has been chasing Duncan for the past twenty hours. Mia is just a little more then a year old and I think Duncan has decided that he needs a break from her. No sooner did I open the Tahoe door then Duncan was in the truck and in the back seat. I swear he was ducking down so Mia could not see him.

Ride into the Lodge was uneventful, still snow in the woods and water in the ditches. I had the window down but the heater on high. The fresh air of spring was flowing in but it was still cool enough to need some heat added to it. I did see my first turkey buzzard doing lazy circles overhead, about that time when the big birds returned to Lake Iwanttobethere. Some rain fell early in the morning and the potholes were full of water. I took my time driving through them as you don't know what surprises are being hid under the dirty water. Big Earl was standing outside of his store, red apron on and corn broom in his hand. I gave him a wave and he returned one. I drove by Del's Sub and Pizza Shop and he was outside with some of his employees. I pulled over and watched from a safe distance as they were practicing flying the new drone that he had ordered.

The sub shop as you know is known for its special way of delivering pizza in the summer using the pizza cannon. The pizzas are placed in a double sided pan and then flung out the back door of the pizza shop with a modified trap thrower to skip across the water to waiting fishing or pontoon boats. The personal size pizza are just shot out across the water using the pizza cannon, something the Fellows designed. Now trying to stay ahead in the pizza game Del is going to use a drone to deliver pizza's with this summer. With the drone he will be able to get to make delivers to the trailer park and the campground. From the looks of things flying the drone is not all that easy to do. There was a problem that has been fixed when it was discovered that Little Louie's Licorice and Liquor Shop was on the same frequency with their beer delivery drone. Seems orders were getting mixed up and for awhile there the pizzas were going to Louie's and the beer to Del's.

Seagulls are down at the softball field, not finding anything to eat as the field is still covered in snow. Crows are sitting on the light poles watching to see if the seagulls find anything. Orange barrels sit in neat rows stacked along the backside of the park. County has not yet come and picked them up yet as with the snow no road projects have started yet. Picnic tables are not out yet and only a couple of garbage barrels are in their places. The landing is pretty quiet with only the occasional truck driving down to the edge to get close enough to get a good look at the lake. The pink fish cleaning house is about the only thing standing out on the shoreline. I was just looking out the big deck windows. I had a white bar towel draped over my shoulder and a baseball game on the radio playing softly in the background. A few drops of rain hit the glass and started chasing each other down to the sill. I just shrugged some and returned to the bar, at least it is not snow here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,851<232}

[Bobby Bass]

CATS & DOGS and muddy ground, Easter came to the lake and it was the warmest day in six months I heard on the radio today. Any family gathering always bring a wealth of things to write about so I will just touch on a few things here. After a long long winter when the family gets together it is time to catch up and a telephone call made during the winter does not do justice to stories that are better told with hands and smiles with weird noises. I arrived late as the wife went ahead of me. I was at the cabin waiting for the daughter to come and pick up her two dogs that I had been watching over the weekend. With the dogs gone I drove over to the mother in law's house and managed to sneak in the back door to the kitchen where I had my plate just about filled before I was noticed. Everyone had already eaten and there was no waiting to fill my plate from a table that was piled so high with food it was unsteady on its legs.

Ham and turkey, tatters and gravy, corn and stuffing, Sliced bread and of course cranberry sauce. I made my way into the dinning room and exchanged HIYA's with the relatives and found an empty chair at the long table. I sat and ate and listened to conversations going on around me. Little girls with white Easter dresses and chocolate covered fingers chased by mothers ran by me. There was an arguement of which is better Brachs or Jolly Rancher jelly beans. Russell Stover bunny's still rule as proven by the few chocolate bunnies I saw on the table with their heads bitten off. As I ate I moved my head from side to side and ease dropped on different conversations. Talk of E-85 and old problems with new trucks and new problems with old trucks. Snow still in yards but mud is appearing. Garden talk and Butterfly weed planting, cruise missiles and sinking ferries. Price of heating the house this past winter and changing to propane might not have been such a great idea.

Smokers were outside on the front porch and I could hear them through the open window. A few sister in laws talking that once smokes get to ten dollars a pack they will quit for sure this time. Kids yelled at by parents to get away from the root beer colored waters of the creek and teenagers sitting in their parents trucks texting each other. Dessert had already been served and adults sat back with empty plates and half full coffee cups. As I finished up my meal the table realigned and men moved to one end while the ladies moved to the other. Now talk was about spring sales and up coming graduations on one end while at the other end talk of turkey hunting and ice out was mixed in with the idea of everyone getting together for a fishing trip.

Toddlers wander around being watched by the ladies and comments about how much the kids have grown. The mother in law fussed around making sure everyone's coffee cup was full and with out asking she took my plate away and set a healthy size piece of apple pie in its place. I got a pat on my shoulder and a kiss on my cheek and the wife smiled at me in approval from the other end of the table. With the pie gone I wiped my lips with a Easter egg covered paper napkin and thought about wading in on a couple of the conversations. My youngest grandson climbed into my lap and proceed to leave chocolate covered hand prints all over the new shirt that my wife had bought for me to wear. I bounced him on my knee and smiled at my wife who finally looked in my direction and just smiled. What could she say? Here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,858,583}

[Bobby Bass]

A GOOD DAY and a bad day yesterday. The good part was it was a good day for melting and my big garden has appeared from beneath the snow. Can't walk in it because it is way too soft but if we were to get some drying weather I might be able to walk on it here next week. Some more good news finally got around to replacing the leaking power steering hose on the Tahoe. Now for the bad news. One of those freak kind of deals I was getting out of the son's car who I rode in down to Dan's parts store. I was getting out of the car with my hand on the door and the old hose in my hand when the door started to close on its own. The hose came back in a arc and the end of the hose with the metal fitting hit me square on my eyeball.

There are only a few places on a grown man that can stop you in your tracks, getting hit square in your eye ball I have discovered is one of them. Spent the rest of the afternoon hiding out in a darken room with an ice pack. Today finds me with a watering sore eye and very sensitive to light still. Even sitting here at the keyboard I have to take frequently rests. Sunshine Ray is forecasting that rain and maybe some snow is in our future and this will be one time I am going to welcome some cloudy skies. At least till the swelling on my eye goes down and I can go outside with out having to wear sunglasses and my hat pulled down low. My granddaughter was here last night to pick up dog beds and when she heard I was hurting she came into the room to check on me. Being seven years old she seems to have a lot of answers to things and the first thing she asked me about getting hit in the eye was "Didn't I see it coming?"

So I am going to take some time off writing and let my eye mend itself with out straining it any more then I have to. I got a couple of audio books for Christmas and now I am going to go ahead and listen to them. Of course I have always said baseball was a game made to be listened to so I will tune in a few games and just kick back and try and take it easy. I did watch the hockey game last night which might now have been the smartest thing to do but hey it is the playoffs. Lucky for me the next game is not till Thursday night and I hope to be on the mend by then. So just a short story from here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,861,960}

[Bobby Bass]

HERE IS A surprise for you.... It is snowing here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Not little flakes that you may mistake for snow, no these are big old flakes the size of daddy long legs falling from the sky and not just a few of them but an entire army of them are falling with plenty of backups. Already the deck is white again and the big garden is covered. Just last night I went out and pulled the straw off the strawberry patch and found green plants growing, now I am wondering if I should go back out there and fork some straw back on them.

The eye is on the mend, having an overcast sky helps as it is not as bright out. I did go see DOC Burriem up at the Resort and he got out his black bag and looked me over. Gave me some drops for the eye and told me to buy some sunglasses and wear them for awhile. I asked him if there was anything else I could do and he told me yes, "Don't hit yourself in the eye" So today the swelling and pressure is down on the eye and I am very happy that DOC didn't see any scratches on it. A few years back I was holding a ladder for the son who was trimming a tree and got saw dust in my eye. That time I did scratch the eyeball and when they flipped my eyelid up to clean the eye out, well that is something I was not looking forward to doing again. This morning under the cover of clouds I went into town, wearing of course my sunglasses on a overcast day. There was already some light rain falling so I wore my black hooded sweatshirt and just pulled the hood up over my head.

I was at the General Store in search of some lemon drops and I had a hankering for jelly beans. I was getting some strange looks as I wandered around the candy aisle with my head down low trying to stay out of the bright over head lights. I never even heard Big Earl till he was right up behind me and spoke. He was saying something about shop lifters till I turned around and he looked hard at me. I pulled the hood back and looked up over the top of my sunglasses at him. "Booby, what happen to your eye?" Big Earl asked me and I told him the story. Pulling the hood back down and pushing the sunglasses back up on my nose I followed Big Earl to the end cap where he had a few bags of Easter jelly beans. I grabbed the bags and a bag of lemon drops and flashed them at Barb the cashier and just asked her to put them on my tab.

I have been hiding out in the theater at the cabin, nice and dark in there and of course it has a good sound system. I got a couple of audio books for Christmas and I did listen to one, just a tad over eleven hours long so it took up two evenings. I have another one to listen to that is why I need the lemon drops. As for the snow and rain let it fall, can't spend any time outside in bright sunshine for a few more days anyway so I might as well embrace the overcast days that are forecasted. Play off hockey game on tonight and I will watch it in the theater with the brightness turned down. Sixteen days till opener and it is snowing out, does not look good. Cool weather in the ten day forecast and there is talk at the Lodge that some guys are going to try and find a lake with some ice for opener, just so they can say they were ice fishing on opener here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,868,222}

[Bobby Bass]

WATER DRIPPING OFF the eves of the cabin here is loud, not too unusual here the last week of April. The old line of April Showers brings May flowers comes to mind. Except here at Lake Iwanttobethere the dripping water is from melting snow on the roof of the cabin. Depending on where you are around the lake anywhere from four to nine inches of heavy, wet, shushy snow fell yesterday and overnight. The strawberry bed that I removed straw from is now back under a blanket of snow. I walked by and I can almost hear the plants who were nice and snug under a foot of straw now complaining about the cold, wet snow.

I was out in the yard, actually I was over by the pet cemetery checking out the still frozen ground. Got a call last night from my daughter that they have been talking with Mike the town vet about their lab Buster. Buster who was here last weekend has failing health and is not doing very well. The daughter called to tell me that they are thinking real hard about putting Buster to rest and the granddaughter wanted to ask me something. She came on the phone and we exchanged hellos and then she asked if she could bury her dog, Buster at my house.

My heart hit the floor and I told her of course. Buster has always been welcomed here and it would be no problem at all if he was to come here for his resting place I told her. We talked some more and she told me she wanted to have a place where she could come visit him and maybe a place where she could decorate with some pretty rocks. I told her for sure we can find something and then she promise that she will be coming over tonight and we can talk some more. Her mother got back on the phone and we talked about Buster and how his health was failing. Mike the vet had giver her some options and her and her husband talked it over and the granddaughter was explained what was happening. She cried but she seems to understand what is happening.

Never an easy thing to do I have had to put to rest a few dogs over the years. Buster is my daughter's dog and the grand daughter has not spent a day without him with her. Buster has spent many a weekend here with me and I have grown attached to him like he is one of my own dogs. Makes it hard to write about but even death happens here at Lake Iwanttobethere. So I was out side leaving tracks in the new snow and kicking away at the dirt. Frozen solid and I am going to have to figure out a way to dig a grave. Not going to be done today as the daughter has decided they will wait a week so they can have time to pamper Buster like a king. Next Tuesday my two old dogs Bud and Barney will be having their fourteen year old birthdays. They are getting extra pats on their heads today. As much as I love my dogs I hate what is coming. I have had many a conversation with guys at the Lodge as we discuss our best friends. Just not fair that they are not with us longer. I'll share some of Buster life with you but not today, he is not yet gone from Lake Iwanttobethere {1,871,453}

[Bobby Bass]

LOUD OUT TODAY and it is not because the granddaughter is still here watching cartoons in the living room. She is sprawled across the couch using Barney as a pillow and Bud to rest her feet on. Only reason Duncan is not in the mix is because he is laying under my desk with his head on my foot. It is noisy out becomes the wind is banging the wind chimes together and I can hear the ringing inside the den here. Also the sound of the ice pellets that are falling and being blown against the glass making a ticking sound. Sunshine Ray is not forecasting the best start to the week as rain and freezing rain and a small chance of snow is in the works for the next few days. Might not be cold enough for the snow but with the wind it is going to feel cold anyway.

Just a few days away from counting down the days till fishing opener in single numbers but there is no rush in the air. I still have an ice pile in front of the boat house. The snow is all gone but the ice remains, the ground is still frozen where the sun, when it is out shines. I have taken an interest in the frozen ground as I have to make a place for Buster here soon. I shoveled off a few inches of dirt but then hit frozen ground. The rain might help speed the process but right now the digging area is mud and I had to make a small trench to divert some of the water. I think Buster knows something is up as the last few days he has made a real effort to show he is not ready to give up. Might also be all the attention he is getting as I even drove over just to see him yesterday. Between rain drops I took him out into the back yard and followed him around as he slowly checked things out and wagged a lazy tail at me. He is on some new medication and seems to be more comfortable. The daughter has a terrible decision a head of her and Mike the town vet has just told her she will know when it is time.

I left the daughter's house and made my way into town, drove past the Chicken Shack on the way in and I thought about stopping but it was raining out and I didn't want to get out of the truck. I picked up my other daughter who was working at Diggers and drove her into town. She had some shopping to do and I parked as she went into the pet shop. She is setting up another fish tank and was looking to buy some bottom feeders. With the truck window cracked and the wind blowing the right direction I put flame to a cigar and turned on the radio. Baseball game was on and I settled back to listen to the game and watch the smoke from the cigar get sucked out the open window and get blown away by the wind. A few drops of rain ran down the windshield and I people watched as I smoked. I noticed a couple of things right off, a lot of people were still wearing winter hats and I saw several pairs of boots. For being just a half a week away from May a lot of people were still dressed like it was November.

This time of the year I should be seeing a few boats on trailers and some campers. But as I watched I didn't see a single out of state license plate. Sidewalks were pretty empty and the town was quiet. Matter of fact I did not even see Big Earl standing outside his store. Hammering Hank and Skinny drove by in the work truck, a section of dock hanging out the back of the bed. I thought that to be a good sign, at least someone is thinking about getting out on the water. The daughter came out of the pet shop with a paper bag that she was holding by the top with one hand while the other hand was on the bottom. I figured she had bought fish and I was right. I rolled the window down some more so the smoke would get out and she got in and said "Home James"

Today finds me at my desk doing more planning then doing. The cold wind and rain has me inside so nothing is getting done outside. Not looking to good for fishing opener, there will be guys on the water but they will be doing it to say they went fishing on opener or that they have not missed an opener in X amount of years. Resorts will be busy but not as busy as they would be if the ice was already out and we had some sunshine and even normal temperatures for this time of the year. I heard Sunshine Ray on the radio the other morning saying it has snowed fourteen of the last nineteen months. Alaska is starting to look kind of good from here at Lake Iwanttobethere {1,877,701}