Fishin report for Lake Iwanttobethere..

Bobby Bass · January 15, 2015

SITTING IN MY chair at my desk in the den. I have a space heater on the floor blowing warm air under my chair and desk. I got some kind of flannel throw on my shoulders and a box of the extra soft tissues close at hand. Partly cloudy sky can be seen out the triple den window and last night we got a dusting of new snow. Thirty-six degrees out and the new snow is melting on the roof as I can see the water drops coming off the eve outside my window. I still have leaves on my apple trees and I can still see two small apples hanging from a couple of branches. The brown leaves just hang there waiting maybe even pleading for the right wind to finally blow them off.

I was thinking flu but it looks like I just have a cold. I suppose that is good but never the less it is a middle of the winter cold and I was so hoping to make it through with out one. I actually don't feel all that bad, that is until I do something. Have still had to run into town for a few things, figure the ride and drive would do me good. Yesterday I was down at the Feed Store, they have a bandage called Vetgrip which works really good keeping the dressing on Barneys leg. The open wound is getting better but it is still pretty nasty looking. Twice a day he goes up on the table and we change the dressing, he is such a champ. Today as long as he was up on the table he got his ears clean out to. Duncan patiently waiting his turn as when Barney was done we put Duncan on the table and gave him a good look over, checked his nails and cleaned his ears even though they looked good. I find it is good to start him young so when he gets older like Barney it is not something new to him.

Last night granddaughter's number two and three were over for supper. The wife watched the youngest one and I took number two into the kitchen. We had fish for dinner and the granddaughter is now old enough at eight that she can do a lot of the prep work herself. She selected potatoes from the potato bin to be sliced up for American fries and she had to inspect them one by one. Since she is the one who picked most of the potatoes this past fall she had a story to tell me about each and every potato. As I peeled potatoes she got the fish out and rinse it off and then took a sleeve of crackers and reduced them to crumbs. Into the bowl they went along with a couple mountain size tablespoons of flour and then making sure grandma could not hear or see us she added our secret seasonings to the mix.

With oil hot in the big cast iron pan we added the potatoes and started to add fish to the dry mix. But first she had to break an egg which is something she is still working on to master. Second pan for fish was heated up and the potatoes were turned several times. Timer went off and rolls were done in the oven and I took them out and set them on the counter. She took a spoonful of butter and went across the top of the rolls letting the melting butter run down the sides and giving the rolls a golden glow. I cooked the fish and the granddaughter went to work on making a salad. A few minutes later and we were all gathered at the table and the youngest granddaughter had already abandoned her baby spoon and was scooping fish into her mouth using both of her small hands.

Of course there was banana bread for dessert, we had nut banana bread and we had raisin banana bread and we had rasin/nut banana bread. We even had a couple of banana cream pies but somehow they, the pies found there way to my neighbors, Elmer and Chuck. Speaking of Chuck I saw him yesterday. I was out on my deck and I could see him through the brush that separates his place from mine. He was out on his deck and we both caught each other's eye and we gave each other a series of Lake Iwanttobethere HIYA waves followed by the Lodge wave followed by the man wave. No words were exchanged as we covered all the basic information needed with those three waves. Let me break it down for you, the three waves and there order meant that yes, I to have a cold, no I am not going to come over and make small talk with you because you may have a different cold then I do and I don't want yours. We will talk more later when we both feel better, see ya later. I went back inside the cabin and did not tell the wife I saw Chuck because then she would ask me what we talked about. So for right now I am just sitting in my chair at my desk in the den. I have a space heater on the floor blowing warm air under my chair and desk. I got some kind of flannel throw on my shoulders and a box of the extra soft tissues close at hand here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,523,781}

Bobby Bass · January 16, 2015

SUN IS PEEKING through some snow clouds here at Lake Iwanttobethere this morning. I know they are snow clouds as just a few minutes ago some big snow flakes were floating down from them. Just enough snow fell to cover the deck and railings but I am not going to do anything about the acclimation. I figure the wind will show up here sooner or later and just blow the snow away. The wife went down with Duncan and brought the mail up, a spring fishing catalog and some bills. I am glad the fishing catalog came as I am running low on new reading material in the bathroom.

Not much to report on the cold it is still here and as a matter of fact I don't even think I am going to mention it anymore. I might write something when it is gone and from what I hear that won't be for several weeks. I did find a stash of candy canes in the kitchen that I have been sucking on. Told the wife they are working better than the cough drops so she is letting me eat them. I do have one comment to make about feeling a little weak and ache with this cold and that is if beer bottle caps were put on as secure as apple juice bottle caps there would be a lot less beer drank. I went this morning to open a jug of apple juice and you would think they had poison or something in that bottle. I was thinking about getting a vise grip when it finally, the cap gave loose. It must be that I am getting older but some of the package things come in nowadays are way too hard to get into. A store bought pack of bologna comes to mind. You have to grip both ends of the plastic container and then just about tear a chest muscle to get the thing open, just another reason that I buy my bologna from Ma and Pa's as he still wraps his cold cuts in white paper with some masking tape to seal them.

Elmer came over last night and we chatted for a while. We sat at the kitchen table and sipped on some hot cocoa and Elmer was hinting about how some banana cream pie would sure taste good. I agreed that it would except my neighbors seem to have gotten all the pie that the wife had made. Elmer responded with that he can take a hint and will bring the pie pan back. I asked Elmer if he was worried about caching my cold and Elmer just replied he does not have any time to have a cold but he was going to stay on his side of the table just the same. I didn't bring it up that just last week he was drinking with Vic trying to shake a cold but more then likely Elmer had forgotten he even had a cold. I find myself from time to time forgetting things to but I don't admit it, instead I just like to think that I have lost a few keys to the closets in my mind where I keep stuff stored. If I wait long enough I'll remember where the key is.

Well, the sun is gone, that didn't last long. Just a glow up in the clouds where the sun should be now. Bass thermometer on the side of the cabin says it is twenty-six out and the calendar in front of me says that is January 16 that makes it less then four months before fishing season starts. I was sitting back in my chair enjoying the brief sunshine and I was looking at the apple tree, I now count four apples hanging on, I must have missed a few yesterday as I am pretty sure no one is sticking any back on the tree. But then again you can never tell about my neighbors here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,526,946}

Bobby Bass · January 21, 2015

SPENT A FEW days at the Resort for some well-needed R&R not that I have been overworked but more of a cold break. I left the laptop at home, actually I left it at home sitting right on my desk where I had forgotten to grab it. Never the less not having the laptop and not writing anything for a few days was OK as I was not really seeing anything or doing anything to write about. Everyone at the Resort has a cold in some manner of severity, coughing, sneering, running nose, chills, body aches. Thing is with just a bunch of guys at the Resort no one really cares about what the other guy has. You can whine all you want but it gets old real quick and no one cares. Also there is no one there to fluff your pillow or bring you chicken soup. Of course there is also no one there to tell you how many hot totties you can have before noon.

I did do a little ice fishing but the first time out on the ice was the hardest. I really didn't want to walk out to the shanty as I was chilled and the thought of being on the ice was not a warm one. Vic told me that he and Elmer would go ahead and warm the place up and just call me on one of the Resorts two way radios when it was good to come out. They went out and I took a nap and it was a while before Chuck shook my shoulder and said Vic has been hollering on the radio for me. I told Vic I would be out in a minute and Vic told me make sure I brought some ice out with me. I put on my parka and grabbed a bag of ice from the freezer and made the walk to the shanty. I arrived to see the shanty shimmering on the ice like one of them desert mirages you see in the movies or in a dream after having a few to many Wild Turkeys.

I put my hand on the handle of the door and it was warm to the touch, I opened the door and a wave of heat rolled out and enveloped me. I stepped in and told both Elmer and Vic that the place was like a sauna and in the corner the little wood stove was cherry hot. I hug my coat on a peg and sat down on the third stool. About ten minutes later I found myself feeding some sticks into the little wood stove as either the place had cooled down or I had gotten used to the heat. Having a cold will sure mess with your idea of what is hot and what is comfortable. After awhile we had to head back, we didn't catch any fish but we did run out of wood. The walk back to the Resort felt cold but that might have been because we had forgotten to put our parkas on.

Yesterday I made an appearance at the Lodge, Gus didn't want me around, afraid I was going to give him my cold. I checked messages and the FELLOWS were there working out some of the kinks on their latest invention. Since I had not been around for most of the week they wanted to surprise me with their new Tourist greeter. I don't want to get too deep into how this works but what the FELLOWS did is with the help of a cousin that works in traffic in the big city they managed to get their hands on a license plate scanner. Their idea is that they take the license plate scanner and they set it up to monitor traffic that enters the Lodges parking lot. The scanner is hooked up to the Lodges jukebox. The scanner sees a tourist car enter the parking lot, it reads the license plate sends the information to the jukebox which then loads a record that is a favorite in the state the tourist hails from so when they walk into the Lodge they get to hear their song!

They have been working on putting a song in for all fifty states including Hawaii. I was going through my pink telephone messages while Jim from the FELLOWS was explaining this all to me. I looked up and asked him "When was the last time you saw a car with Hawaii license plates here?" Before he could answer I heard the Jukebox start playing TINY BUBBLES and Jim with a smile on his face said that "Is our default song" sounds to me like it is all their de fault here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,540,216}

Bobby Bass · January 23, 2015

WITH THE LACK of any real snow here at Lake Iwanttobethere this season we have been able to do a few different things at the Lodge. As a matter of fact this weekend we will be holding a Curling Bonspiel here on the ice at Lake Iwanttobethere. Normally by this time of winter there is to much snow on the ice, especially the past few seasons. Some decent weather for the weekend is forecasted and it did not take much to clear away what little snow we had. Sheets were laid out and painting yesterday by the FELLOWS who had nothing better to do and actually should get the credit for putting on the event. Rocks are being borrowed from the local curling club in the town next to us with the promise that we will try not to lose any.

Mindy and Mandy will set up their root beer stand and the Mini Donut wagon will also be open. With no football this weekend the Bonspiel should draw a crowd. This morning it rained a little here and then it froze. Made driving into the Lodge a little interesting but now at lunch time things are pretty much back too normal. The lunch crowd is starting to come in and the coat pegs near the entrance are all filled with heavy jackets. State highway guys are sitting at one of the big tables, they not in any big hurry to get back on the road. But then their day started well before first light as they had to deal with the ice covered roads.

I have been making the rounds exchanging HIYA's and small talk with the locals and with a couple from Indiana who are sitting near the windows where they can get a good view of the lake. I got to admit that the FELLOWS Tourist Greeter just may be a hit. I heard INDIANA WANTS ME start to play on the jukebox and I looked at the door and watched the couple come in. I walked over and gave them a HIYA and said "You must be from Indiana" and the lady looked at her husband and back at me and said "Now how did you know that" I just gave her a knowing smile and a wink and showed them to a table by the window.

Some sun shinning through the clouds here and a little breeze making the tips of branches sway some. I took a bag of garbage out the back door to the dumpster and I looked up and I saw the blades of Windy the windmill turning steady. A couple of pigeons took to wing off the roof of the Lodge when I slammed the lid on the dumpster. As I made my way back to the Lodge I thought that maybe it is time to tell Elmer that he is not allowed to shoot at the pigeons with his pellet gun. I am pretty sure he will take the hint and he and Marv will be out there soon doing just what I told him not to do. Matter of fact a couple of the guys wanted to shoot a round of skeet and asked when I was going to open it up. As I stood holding the screen door open I looked back at the range and there is no real snow back there and I maybe I should see if any one is interested in a early shooting league.

Forty-four degrees out in the shade in the middle of January in the middle of winter. Been awhile since we have had some decent weather. Of course not everyone is happy, no snow so there are a lot of plows not getting used. Lots of snowmobiles sitting on trailers but those with ATV's are getting to use them still. Car wash is busy and the city sand pile is still looking good. Ice town has been busy as there are a lot of shanties on the ice and fishing has been kind of hit and miss but no one is really complaining too much. Town does not look to dirty as there are no real snow banks and no piles of sand along the curbs. Big Earl's General Store even has his outside displays set up. The postcard rack is out there right next to the shovel with the yellow tag hanging from the handle that declares it is the last one in stock. Christmas decorations are all down but a few store windows have big hearts painted on them for Valentines Day which is not really all that far away here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,545,286}

Bobby Bass · January 25, 2015

COULD BE A better winter day but I am not complaining because it is after all still twenty-six above where as it could be twenty-six below out. Yesterday was a decent day, it got over forty out and the Curling Bonspiel had some problems with a little water on the ice. Since it is a fun event some guys replaced their brooms with squeegees and they cleaned up. A lot of people out on the ice as the turnout was bigger then expected. Some boot hockey was played and since there was hardly any snow on the ice a couple of the ice boats made an appearance on the lake. I think one of the boats is owned by Nytelyter but the boats did not stop, they just made a pass by chasing the wind on the ice of Lake Iwanttobethere

Even with the crowd of people on the ice fishing was reportedly pretty good. A lot of the shanties had fishermen in them and most had their doors open and spent time out side of their houses. Lawn chairs and overturned five gallon pails were common on the ice as were shouts of HIYA to neighbors. White smoke curled from stove pipe chimneys and the wind carried the smell of brats and beans and the occasional sound of a beer can being opened. Parking lot was full and the access held trailers not with boats on them but empty with their load of ATV's out on the ice or riding the access road that weaves around the lake.

The Masterbaiters Shop was open and Vicki was hard at work dipping minnows and selling waxies to customers. Mini Donuts was doing a brisk business as there was a line waiting to get a small bag of the tasty little donuts. Not much wind so there were guys holding white Styrofoam cups of coffee leaning against white salt covered pickup trucks. When they moved they would leave a clean spot on the side of the truck and their coats would have that white powered dust of salt on them. Some of the fire rings had fires in them and more people gathered around them. Laughter could be heard from time to time and the groups were kind of the same groups you would see at a town hall meeting. Farmers together talking about the upcoming season with ladies gathered around another fire talking about what ever it is they talk about. I don't know as every time I walk pass a group of ladies they get all quiet and I think they point at me when I pass, but that just could be me.

I made the rounds on the ice, talked with some farmers and fishermen and Lodge members. Got invited to play some boot hockey but declined. They just wanted me to be the goalie since I take up so much space. I did have a few mini donuts and a couple of cups of hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is made to be sipped hot and outside. I got a ride up the hill on the back of Hammering Hanks ATV and caught Elmer and Gus along with Marv coming in the back door with the pellet gun. Like a couple of school kids they were chuckling away and I knew before they even saw me they were out harassing the pigeons. I just said HIYA and went about my business and they headed to the kitchen like they had an important meeting to go to. I smiled to myself as just like my parents did to me and yours did to you, it is sometimes better to not let on what you know is going on here at Lake Iwanttobethere. {2,549,480}

Bobby Bass · January 28, 2015

AT THE LODGE today, decent weather out but it could be better if we had some sunshine. Fire going in the fireplace and the drapes are pulled back from the big deck windows. Some movement down on the ice as some of the retired guys are out fishing here in the middle of the day. Duncan rode into to town with me today, matter of fact he is sleeping over on the wicker couch in front of the TV. He is on his back with his feet sticking up in the air and sharing the couch with Elmer who does not seem to care. Been almost four months since Bud passed away and Duncan has taken over being the Alpha dog in the house. Of course Barney did not put up to much of a fight as he will be fifteen here in just a few months ( knock on wood ) Speaking of birthdays Duncan will be four here in just a few days, don't know where the time went it seems like it was just a few months ago that I brought him home as a pup.

A couple of inches of snow fell the other morning and that put some smiles on some faces around town. Mostly guys who have plows hanging off their trucks. Just enough snow fell that the guys had to go out and plow their contracts and actually see a payday this winter. Another round of smiles when they went to the Gas-N-Go and filled up for half of what they paid just a few months ago. I myself bought some gas yesterday and was talking to the manager who was telling me they are actually pumping more gas. With gas below two dollars they are starting to get some of the out of towners making weekend trips to their cabins again and a few tourists are coming through just to see Lake Iwanttobethere in the winter. I was thinking that myself as I have notice a few cabins lights on around the lake that I don't normally see here in the dead of winter.

This morning I had a few vendors coming through dropping off delivers and picking up orders. One of the guys who brings us our candy for the display case sat down and had lunch. I was looking over his slip as he ate and when the time came to give him his lunch bill I added a couple of quarters to the bill with a notation next to it saying it was a "fuel delivery adjustment" He looked over the bill as he was paying and asked about the "Adjustment" Told him it is the cost of doing business and then he said "Well how can that be when gas has fallen below two dollars a gallon." I pointed to my candy bill at the "Fuel adjustment line " and he just nodded his head and said "Point made"

Super Bowl Sunday and Duncan's birthday are on the same day this year, don't really know if I want to bring Duncan to the Lodge as he might think the Super Bowl party is all for him. The last Friday night of the month here is normally Gizzards night but I think Gus has ordered extra for the Super Bowl. Of course we will have chili and Coney's, hot wings, cold wings, fire wings and chips and dips and all the other salty foods that make it one of our best beer sales days. I don't care who wins but most of the guys will be here for the food and the commercials and of course the beer. It will also be the first of February which means winter is well on its way of being done with here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,557,218}

Bobby Bass · January 30, 2015

HAVING ONE OF those kind of days today here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Like every home or cabin owner things break and usually they break when you need them. Woke up this morning to a cold cabin, but it took me awhile to find out it was cold as I was warm in bed with Duncan pressing up against me on one side and Barney on the other. I made my way out to the kitchen and no sooner did I get there then the wife told me the furnace was not running and she had already gone down and tried to reset it. Now my wife whose father was a master mechanic believes that her fathers magic has rubbed off on her and when things break she takes it on herself to fix them before telling me.

With no heat on in the cabin I asked if she had started a fire and she told me no she was waiting for me to get up. I asked how she was staying warm and she told me she was baking cookies and it was just fine in the kitchen. I sat down on a kitchen chair and tried to remain calm, I have learned in the past that I needed to question the wife on just what exactly she had done to the furnace in her attempt to restore heat. I do this because once a long time ago my wife told me there was a rattling sound in the dryer. I went to the laundry room and tore the dryer apart looking for the rattle when the wife appeared and told me she forgot to mention that she had removed a loose bolt that she found when taking out the clothes. I asked her if there was a chace that the loose bolt could have come from one of my pants pockets and she replied that it may just have. I put the dryer back together and guess what? It did not rattle at all.

I made my way down to the furnace room and did some troubleshooting, looks like the blower motor is going as it was not running till I gave it a couple of taps with a hammer. Something my father in law taught me, his words were that you only need two tools, one is a hammer and the other is a bigger hammer. I let the furnace run for a couple of minutes but the blower was not moving enough air so when it shut down I turned the power off and put in a call to Jeff the furnace guy. Of course he was not in the office so I got Lisa who ran me through about twenty questions that I am sure she was reading off a form. I then went and started a fire in the fireplace and sat down in the den to wait for Jeff to call me back.

Now have you ever noticed that when you are waiting for a call that people you have not talked to for awhile pick that time to just pick up the phone and call to chat with you? In the first hour I had three calls come in and the UPS guy shows up. I made the calls quick and went back to waiting, now a couple of hours later I get a call from Lisa telling me Jeff is pretty busy and will call me when he has a chance. I took my laptop to the living room and pulled the chair closer to the fire and jotted this all down. The wife asked me what I was doing and I told her just waiting on a call here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,5633,411}

Bobby Bass · February 1, 2015

DUNCAN IS CELEBRATING his fourth birthday today, of course he does not know it as it is just another day for him. At seven this morning he went around the place trying to wake someone up to let him outside. A game we play every morning and I am usually the best at pretending I am fast asleep so he will go and bother the wife who gives in and lets him out. After taking care of business and depending on how cold it is outside he will then check the grounds for any rabbits that might still be on his property. With rounds completed he will go to the back door and jump up to ring the doorbell to let the wife know he is done and ready to come in.

Sooner or later he will find me and wake me up, this is usually done by sticking a cold nose where it does not belong. With me up he then sets out to check up on the old dog Barney and then on to hassle the tomcats who have no right in his mind to be hogging the sunshine coming in through the windows like there is this morning. For the rest of the day he does not let me too far out of his sight which can be difficult for him as he has become the Alpha dog of the house and has to watch everything. A lot of time is spent at my feet with a paw on my foot while he watches what is going on. If I move my foot I get a look from him asking me if I asked him if I could.

Duncan is kind of like your first girlfriend, always wants to be touched, never lets you go anywhere with out him and is always leaning on you. When he runs he has only two speeds, a trot and a flat out sprint that starts off sounding like the Road Runner in the cartoon and even ends up with the Beep Beep and then a small cloud of dust. Since we have a couple of grand kids who visit and have just learned to how to walk he does take the time and allows them to hold on to his collar as he shows them around his place. Pretty mellow and laid back I don't think this dog is ever going to have any stress. Even when Edd and Eddie the squirrels are teasing him his answer is to just lay down on the ground and watch them, no barking no wasted running just him pointing a paw at them and then back at his eyes to let them know he is watching them.

With the passing of his deck bud Buddy a few months ago Duncan was a little lost there for awhile as was I. I don't mind at all that Duncan is always at my side, To be honest I don't let him get to far out of my sight either. In the winter we sit on the couch and watch TV and in the summer we sit on the swing and watch the clouds. He may have a paw on my knee but I always seem to have hand on his back rubbing him. He has taken the place of Bud but he is not quite as good as listening to my stories as Bud was, Duncan from time to time talks back to me but then he is only four and still has a lot to say. I am writing this now with Duncan standing on his hind legs his front paws resting on the desk and he I swear is looking at the screen and watching the letters appear as I type. He just gave me a snort and jumped back down, I think he approves of what I have written or he wants to go outside here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,567,847}

Bobby Bass · February 4, 2015

WISH I HAD good news to report on here from Lake Iwanttobethere but I don't. The best laid plans for several extended fishing trips to far away fishing lakes this summer have been put on the back burner. Had Jeff come out and look at my furnace and he confirmed the blower was doomed but even more serious was that the heat exchanger had a crack in it and that is the kiss of death for the oil furnace. You would think that they would last for more then twenty-seven years. So there has been a constant fire in the fireplace for the last several days as I wait to hear on a couple of bids for a replacement furnace. As I get older it is becoming easier to turn up the thermostat instead of the falling a tree, hauling it home, cutting it to length, splitting, stacking, drying, hauling into the cabin, burning and the last act of hauling the ash back out of the cabin. Sounds like a refreshing way to spend your days in the great outdoors when you are in your twenties, not so much when you are in your sixties. Of course that is not going to stop me from burning wood but got to have that furnace for back up so a new one is now on top of the budget and some fishing trips will have to be put back on the wish list.

The cats are suffering the most as their daily routines have been irrupted. No longer can they take their naps in front of the registers as no heat has been coming from them for the past several days. They now have to lay across the top of the couch waiting for the sunshine to come through the window. This morning finds all three of them sunning themselves looking like turtles on log during summer. With the lack of snow on the ground and winter as a whole being much better then the record setting cold of last winter I was getting used to just making a trip up to the wood pile every other day. Now it is an annual morning and afternoon event to load the wheel barrel and make a trip to the wood pile. It could be worse as I do have Duncan to help drag wood down to the deck. Lucky for me he still thinks it is a game. The wife moved Barney's dog bed in front of the fireplace and other then getting up to eat or go outside he is content to just stretch out in the heat and enjoy his old age.

I watched the super bowl by myself as when word got out I was without a furnace the guys who were going to come here elected to find someplace with heat and hot wings. It worked out all right as Duncan was content to sit next to me and we shared a quilt. Today the cabin is warm as the fire is burning and sunshine is streaming through the windows. The wood pile is taking a dent but I still have more on hand then I did this time last year. Matter of fact I was just looking at some pictures I took last year and I feel so much better looking at my dusting of snow in the back yard instead of the several feet of snow that was on the ground this time last year. Can't do to much work around the cabin and the Honey Do List is gathering dust. Told the wife no sense in working in the basement as it is going to be a mess when the furnace gets installed. I might be better off spending my time sitting in front of the fireplace, reading a book and keeping an eye on the fire, somebody has to here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,574,340}

Bobby Bass · February 8, 2015

I SIT AT my desk here in the den in stocking feet listening to the sound of warm air coming through the register. Yes the furnace is back on line and we have heat through out the cabin again. Just a small fire burns in the fireplace as Barney does not want to give up his heated sleeping spot. The fire could be bigger but I have had enough of hauling fire wood this past week so I am breaking in the new furnace instead. I wish I could say that the new furnace was a breeze to install but like everything here at Lake Iwanttobethere it was an adventure to remember. Took a few days for Jeff the furnace guy to locate the right size replacement furnace and nowadays everything is or has to be hi-tech. Could not just put in the same one that I had, no we had to go around the cabin and measure the size of the windows, measure insulation in the attic and walls and put the numbers into a program that determined the right match for the cabin, When I talked about it down at the Lodge the FELLOWS said it sounded like one of them online dating sites, not that any of them would know anything about that.

Basement was cleaned up so there was plenty of work space and a date for the insulation was set. Jeff and his helper arrived at nine and by ten the new furnace was down in the basement and the old furnace was in sections waiting to be hauled out. That is when Jeff when unpacking the new furnace found the damage. Somewhere down the line the furnace had been dropped and the bottom corner crushed in. Up the stairs it went and back on the trailer and back to the city for exchange. A couple of hours later Jeff was back and I was in the basement trying to stay out of the way but getting an education on the new furnace and the ICBM, er I mean the ECM blower motor. I think the ECM blower may have more tech stuff on it then an old ICBM missile so that is why I got the two of them confused. Duct work was being done and the new furnace is a lot smaller then the one I had so sheet metal needed to be shaped and fitted. Gone is the red button you just push to reset now you have to go through trouble codes and flashing lights. When I get a chance I will sit down with the instruction book and see if I can figure it out, or I will just call Jeff.

Today I have heat and the furnace needs some fine tuning, the cold air return is not yet hooked up completely. I had to go down to the general store and figure out how I am going to get the old booster fan hooked back up but that problem has been solved with a heat sensor outlet that I bought. Since it is a mess down there I started digging in the ductwork and cleaned things out. Found some balls and dog and kid toys along with a lot of dust and a skeleton. I don't know if it was a mouse or the remains of Convict the pet hamster that was always escaping till the one time he got away and we never found him. During one of my trips down to the General Store I starting hearing my steering on the Tahoe making noise and long story short there the hose I had replaced last winter split again and now I need to replace it again. Lifetime guarantee on the hose so Dan at the auto parts store gave me a new one, no questions asked but why do these things never break in the middle of summer when it is seventy in the shade instead of today where it is sleeting out and windy. I do know one thing that after having a week of a cold cabin and the wife complaining of a cold toilet seat that I am not going to be complaining at all when summer finally arrives here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,581,750}

Bobby Bass · February 10, 2015

I THOUGHT I saw the first sign of spring when I drove past the outdoor hockey rink yesterday. I spotted two young lads tossing a dirty baseball back and forth and they were wearing gloves. It was perfect timing as I was listening to KCUM radio and they were talking about spring training starting down south. As I got closer to the boys I noticed it was not a baseball they were throwing back and forth but a hockey puck, still close enough I guess. For awhile there the sun was out and the streets were wet as the temperature was in the middle thirties. Today it is back to overcast and Sunshine Ray is forecasting snow is to start falling this afternoon and as much as six inches may cover the ground before tomorrow morning.

With the new furnace in at the cabin the basement is a mess and going to get worse. As long as things have been moved the wife now wants to do some serious spring cleaning and even hinted at painting. I just want to put stuff back where it was but the wife seeing the cleared out space is coming up with ideas as to what can go in the newly cleared area. Her thoughts being the stuff in boxes can just stay in the boxes. Right now I am at a disadvantage as my cold has mounted yet another attack and I feel like I got beat up with a bag of oranges. I decided to come down to the Lodge as I can't be working at home if I am down here. On my way to the Lodge I suddenly got hungry, I was close to the Sizzle Barn and there was an open parking spot right at the front door. I made my way in and found a table close to the door and sat down and ordered a 2.5 ham and cheese with a little onion omelet. The 2.5 omelet is two and half eggs, advertised as when two is not enough and three is to many. I always laughed at it but this morning a 2.5 omelet was really all that I wanted. Of course there is always a side of bacon at the Sizzle Barn and I ordered a large glass of orange juice to wash it all down. I got back in the Tahoe and had second thoughts about the omelet, maybe I should have gone with the 1.5

I drove to the Lodge and parked out back, sat in the Tahoe for a little while because I could. The heated seat was pretty comfortable and I had a view of the trap range and a couple of pigeons that were flying circles overhead. Windy the windmill was turning over and I watched for a few minutes and relaxed as the heated seat cooled. If there was some sunshine I bet I could have taken a nice nap as I am finding a new appreciation and excuses for them. But after a few minutes the seat was cool and I got a chill so I went in and exchanged a few HIYA's with fellow Lodge members and checked the messages on my desk. The lunch crowd was starting to come in and I was not on the schedule to work so I was not needed. I poured some more orange juice and made the rounds so to speak. Listening in on conversations and joining a few of them.

Depending on the table the topics were different. There were on going discussions about tax refunds starting to come in and what was being done with the savings with gas being just a few pennies over two dollars at the Gas-N-Go. Another table had guys talking about spring turkey season while another table was talking ice fishing off Root Beer Island. A few guys stood by the big deck windows looking out at Lake Iwanttobethere not saying much, I could almost read their minds though as I have spent a lot of time looking out the same windows. Today I looked out the window with a glass of orange juice in my hand and thought, I really don't want six inches of snow to fall, I don't want to have to shovel here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,585,541}

Bobby Bass · February 11, 2015

TAKING A BEAK here at the cabin on the shores of Lake Iwanttobethere. Late yesterday afternoon it started to snow and when it was done there was six inches of the whitest snow I have seen in a long time. This afternoon finds the sun higher in the sky and with no clouds it is actually almost too bright to be outside without sunglasses. The bright sun light reflecting off the pure white snow is hard on the eyes. Temperature is only in the middle teens as there is a trade to be made for sunshine and that is cold. Wind is whipping things around to as it is blowing the snow on the ice and building drifts. Already the quiet of the bay I live on has been disturbed by the howling of a couple of snow machines out on the new snow covering the ice here. Just like in summer when the jet skis come in to the bay to stir up the water in the winter the sleds coming in to tear up the virgin snow. Been a long snow less winter so I just watch them and hope they don't hit a hidden pressure ridge out there.

My neighbor Chuck was here with the big truck with the big plow but only so much you can do with it. The tractor is broken down and he is waiting on a part and I am still without a snow thrower so that leaves me with a shovel. I have been pretty spoiled with the lack of snow so far this year so it is going to take me a couple of sessions to clear up the six inches we got yesterday. It's not all bad though because with the clear sky and bright sunshine it is warm out in the greenhouse. I have taken a few breaks getting out of the wind and I ducked into the calm warm air of the greenhouse. The smell of dirt is in the air there and sun on my face and being really warm for a change feels great. Of course I do have to go back outside and the shock of leaving ninety degree calm air to wind-chill air is eye watering.

Valentine's Dinner will be held down at the Lodge on Saturday, I will not be attending as I am going to be watching granddaughter's number two and three at the cabin. Their mother my daughter and her husband will be going out on a date and the wife and I agreed we would watch kids so they can have quality time together. Of course my daughter is also one week a way from her due date so I don't know how long they will be staying out. Yup grand kid number seven is due to make an appearance here in a week and we are all excited to find out what it will be. I have three grandsons and three granddaughters so this will tip the balance of grand kid power either way here. I hinted to the wife that I might have to build another place house for the boys but I was met with a stare and a brief conversation about the playhouse I built last year for the girls.

The wife came out and moved the Tahoe so I can clear the snow away from around it. I thought she was just being nice till she kept backing out, turned around and just left. Of course the Tahoe was cleared of snow while her Jeep sits covered in it. I thought briefly about clearing the snow off the Jeep but instead made the command decision to take a break and go back in the cabin and put my feet up and sit for awhile. Getting to be that time to start some seeds in the cabin so I added that to my buy list here on the desk. Figure I can have the granddaughters help plant seeds when they are here on the weekend. They have just the right size little fingers to pick up seeds and carefully put them in the mini greenhouse starters. Starting seeds means it is only three months away from fishing season, a good reminder. Now I just have to get back outside and shovel some more snow and hope that this snow fall was just a fluke and we are not going to get a couple of months of real winter here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,587,482}

Bobby Bass · February 14, 2015

SUN IS SHINNING and the wind is whistling through the pines. Cedars are twisting in the wind and the smoke from the chimney is being whipped away before it can turn into a cloud. The bass jumping on the wall thermometer on the outside wall of the cabin is frozen right at minus two and winter is not yet done here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Good fire burning in the fireplace but when it is this windy and cold it needs a little help heating the cabin so the new furnace is blowing some warm air from time to time. Spent time in the basement yesterday afternoon cleaning ducts off and wondering if I should give the FELLOWS a call. One of their many money making ideas is a duct cleaning service. Of course it is not your normal way of doing it with the brushes and big vacuum truck, no they use remote controlled trucks.

Actually they have a couple of different ways of cleaning your ducts, they mainly do cold air returns as they have a couple of radio controlled miniature street cleaners. They mount cameras and lights on them and send them into the cold air returns and they brush up the ducts pretty good. They also have a couple of them automatic round hardwood floor cleaners that you can rent and clean your own ducts. You just put them in the ducts and close the vent behind them and they go through the ducts bumping they way around till they find there way back to the beginning. A little unnerving for the cats though as they hear the little sweepers running though the duct and they want to find out what is making all the noise. After mentioned the idea to the wife and getting "The Look" I just went ahead and used the shop vacuum and a long wand.

I did have to go down to the General Store and buy some furnace filters. The new furnace has a much better blower then the old one did and some dust bunnies were loosen and soon found their way to the filter. Only bought a couple of filters as I only need to change one instead of two at a time now. Valentine's candy was already on clearance so I bought several boxes of hearts for all the girls. Also bought a couple of bags of Kit Kats as they are wrapped in red which makes them an automatic Valentine's candy. When I got back to the cabin I found my neighbor Chuck blowing out snow along side the work trailer. To make a long story short Chuck was done waiting on his part for his broken tractor and he went down to see Big Earl at the General Store and bought his last thirty inch snow thrower and he had already cleared his place and still had gas so he came over and did me, I may yet get out of this winter with out having to buy a snow thrower.

Granddaughters were going to come over today but plans got changed and they are coming over tomorrow instead. Better tomorrow anyway as I brought in a couple of bags of potting mix and the bags are frozen solid, matter of fact they remined me of frozen beaver tails. Might be till tomorrow before they are thawed out and warm enough to dig into. I do have my seeds, three different tomato and a couple of peppers will be started. Not going to do any tobacco this year, the growing part of the experiment is over. I am still drying leaf from last season but it is just much easier to buy some leaf already dry and make my own cigars. This year I am going to try some rain gutter gardening and also grow some corn in bags. Build a few more raised beds and see if I can get my onions even bigger then last year. Three months from fishing opener and I am looking for ways to keep me busy here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,591,895}

Bobby Bass · February 15, 2015

CHALK BOARD AT the General Store this morning...

Bobby Bass · February 18, 2015

GOT THE BIG woolly socks on today here at the cabin. Even with the furnace on and the fireplace loaded there are still drafts on the floor. I was sitting in the living room looking over seed catalogs and I had the big chair at an angle so I could catch all of the sunshine coming in through the south windows. Cats kept climbing up on my lap as I was in their spot and they were not going to give it up without at least making an attempt to annoy me. Both Duncan and Barney just scooted across the wood floor laying on their sides and they stayed in the sunshine and just napped. If there is a constat thing to write about I always have the weather to fall back on. Not much going on around here and I blame the weather for that. Windy out and the day has never gotten above zero. Last night it was so cold I didn't even have to look at the thermometer to know it was cold. I made my way out to the Tahoe this morning and I got maybe ten feet off the deck when I swear I heard the hair of my beard just make this frozen crunching sound from the cold.

Had to run into town and pick up some things from Ma and Pa's grocery. Wife made sure I brought the freezer bags with. Not to keep things cold but to make sure stuff didn't freeze on the way back to the cabin. The ride into town was rough as when it gets this cold the tires feel like they are square. I didn't notice to many cabin around the lake that have someone in them not have any smoke curling out from the chimneys. I did pass a few other people out on the road and I am pretty sure they gave me the Lake Iwanttobethere finger wave but it was hard to tell as everyone looked like they were wearing choppers. Hats were pulled down over ears and no one had their windows down.

Not looking good for the next ten days weather wise, Sunshine Ray before he left for Florida in his last weather forecast just said "Good Luck" I see this morning it is only thirty-eight there, jokes on him. Sun is shinning out so that is good, we went a long time with nothing but cloudy days so having sun almost makes the cold bearable. I have seeds in growing trays started and hopefully in a couple of days I will see the first green. I look at the garden through the window here and all I see is snow, always a surprise that in three months I will have stuff planed and growing out there. Of course the Puddle Humper looks pretty cold out there covered in her tarp with snow drifts up around the tires. Three months before the boat gets wet and I will feel a warm breeze in my face. Matter of fact I got off the phone with my neighbor Chuck a little while ago and he said he was outside and he could feel the warmth of the sunshine on his face, I told him he should have his wife check him for frostbite.

Tonight's forecast is for below twenty something and the wind will be blowing. When it gets this cold it does not really matter what the thermometer says. Dogs go out long enough to do their thing and they are quickly ushered back in the cabin before they can freeze their paws. Will be a week of baking in the kitchen and every night will be a roast or turkey or some all day long cooked soup or chili. Tahoe will be plugged in just in case there is a need to go someplace but right about now I would rather be on vacation down south. I have heard a rumor there is a twin Lake Iwanttobethere where they don't have snow and fires are only used to make smores with. Right now it is hard for me to even imagine someone asking for ice in their drink here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,599,048}

Bobby Bass · February 19, 2015

I AM HOPING that last night was or will be the coldest night of the winter. It was cold and it still is out. I went out to start the Tahoe this morning and when I turned the key all I heard was NooooooNooooo. My neighbor Chuck was out at the same time I was and he told me that it was so cold last night that his electricity froze in the line. It was so cold last night that when I got up this morning Duncan the dog was wearing Buff the cat around his neck like a shawl. Old McDonnell the farmer called me and told me it was so cold this morning that when he milked his cows he got Ice Cream. It was so cold this morning that I broke a piece of my beard off. It was so cold that we had to salt the hallway in the cabin. I heard it was so cold in town that the wind froze. This morning the city cleaned Main Street with a zamboni! Was so cold this morning I had to preheat the fireplace before I could start a fire. So cold this morning that the wife had to fry my eggs in 5w30. Was so cold that the FELLOWS were tasering each other to stay warm and last but not least I went over to Elmers and played some checkers, we used lit tea candles as checkers. I guess I am saying it got a little cold up here at Lake Iwanttobethere last night.

This morning I have gotten a few telephone calls and of course some e-mail from friends and relatives. They send me e-mail to tell me how cold it is here at the Lake. I don't know why, I mean I live on the lake and I already know how cold it is. Of course they do make a point to tell me how WARM it is where they live. These are the same people who tell me how dry it is there when it is raining here. Of course now that I think of it I might be returning the favor to them when I tell them about how good fishing has been and when the ten o'clock freight is not blowing its horn it is pretty quiet here on the shores of Lake Iwanttobethere. I tell them of the smell of cedar and pines in the air and try and describe the noise the old wood row boat makes as it rubs against the dock when the small waves of the lake move it. Bees flying low like bombers and dragonflies hovering looking like helicopters as they search for places to land. Hummingbirds dipping into flower tops and deer grazing in the deep grass along the shoreline where the old goose and his mate lead the way for their off spring.

Mayfly hatch and rising bass the snapping noise gills make in the reeds. Muskrats swimming close to shore and beaver slapping tails in the quiet of the bay I live on. The crash landings of loons and bets made on loons trying to take off before running out of water. The rising of a full moon and the howl of a wolf pack under a sky filled with twinkling stars. Duncan the lab walking close with his nose down on a clover covered trail edged in knee high brown grass. The explosive sound of a grouse taking to wing and the boom of a shotgun and the call of Fetch yelled out on a once again quiet trail. Picking wild berries and borrowing eggs from the neighbor's chickens. Maple syrup and harvested honey, hay rides, boat rides, county fairs and demolition derbies. Golf with no carts and sail boat races. Apple pie cooling on window sills and red checkerboard table clothes. Hot buttered sweet corn and dripping chilled slices of watermelon. Blister wieners cooked on an open fire and potato salad with root beer on ice. The distant mooing of a cow as the sun starts to set. OK maybe I do deserve a few emails telling me when it is cold up here or even when it is raining. But all I am doing is reminding them of what they are missing here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,600,594}

Bobby Bass · February 20, 2015

MABEL'S STEAM AND Sauna, as soon as I heard my neighbor Chuck mention her name I was in. In a round about way Chuck is a distant relative of Mable and every year he gets a couple of free passes from her to come and take a steam and a dip in her pool. The passes get used in winter as we don't need them in the summer. I have a sauna here at the cabin and of course we have the lake just down the hill for our swimming pool. As soon as Chuck mentioned how good a soak would feel I told him I would drive and we were off to the steam house. It would seem we are not the only ones who thought that a steam was the thing to do on the coldest day of the winter. We had to park down the street a ways and walk back to the steam house. As we came up to the door a couple of guys were coming out and a cloud of steam rolled out of the building over their heads. It quickly formed a cloud that froze and fell back to the ground and shattered right at our feet, Yup it was still that cold.

I followed Chuck into the lobby and as the door clicked close behind me my eye glasses fogged over. I took them off, wiped them off and put them in my parka pocket. Chuck was talking to Mabel at the counter and she pushed a couple of big fluffy white terry cloth towels towards us with one hand as she reached to answer the ringing phone with the other. A quick change in the locker room and after a shower we stepped out into the main room and took in the heat and the view. Back in the old days it was either a men's day or a lady's day but now every day was a mixed day. Chuck was holding in his gut till he noticed there were no young ladies in the spa today and as we looked around all we saw was a couple of members from the Woman's Auxiliary lounging under the heat lamps, We headed in the other direction.

Choices to be made here, we had the steam room or the wet sauna or the dry sauna. Several guys were floating in the pool and no one was anywhere close to the cold plunge. I headed for the steam room while Chuck headed for the wet sauna. I spent time in the room slowing warming up till I was ready for a quick dip in the pool. I climbed out of the pool and headed next to the dry heat room where I cooked and dried off. When I figured I was just right I went over to the cold plunge and with everyone watching I stepped off the edge and sunk in the freezing water over my head. I was up quickly and stumbled my way up the steps made the walk to the pool and fell in. I rested my arms on the edge of the pool as the feeling came back in my arms and legs. My skin was tingling and I just nodded at a few of the guys who walked past me and called me crazy. A loud splash and a spray of water fell on me as Chuck hit the pool after coming out of the cold plunge. He surfaced next to me and just gave me his grin. I told him "Nice dive" and he looked around and leaning in to me he said that he had tripped he could not feel his legs.

Must have been ten minutes hanging on the side of the pool before the tingling stopped and we decided we would go back to the dry sauna and warm up and dry off. We spent some time in there and when we came out we found a couple of empty lounge chairs and sat back in them and just enjoyed being really really warm for a change. We made small talk and people watched. A couple of farmers sat over in the corner next to the potted palm trees, you could tell by their fading tan lines and tractor caps they were wearing. Couple of different groups of retired guys you can tell how old they are by how long or short their swimming trunks are. The newest retired guys are wearing shorts that end halfway down their calves while the guys in the nineties are wearing shorts mid thigh. You can also tell by what kind of canes they have at their side. The ones that have been coming here for a while have wood walking sticks or wood canes and the newer guys have the aluminum canes. Always entertaining watching a guy with a metal cane walk into a 200 degree sauna.

Just a few miles north of here the over night temperature dipped down and hovered for awhile at forty-one below. Pretty much anywhere you go when it goes below forty below you will remember that. On the evening news I watched as weather guys out east talked of the bone chilling five below they were forecasting. I think as part of going to school to be a meteorologist that you should have to come up here and actually feel what cold is. Five below, heck that would feel like a balmy day here, for some that is even short wearing weather here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,603,015}

Bobby Bass · February 22, 2015

A CATCH UP day here at Lake Iwanttobethere and I got a lot done. My granddaughter spent the night last night and this morning after a breakfast of pancakes and sausage she was ready to go to work. The daughter had to go to work so the wife drove her into town and then was going to spend the afternoon shopping with her own mother. This left the granddaughter and myself alone till her dad came to pick her up after lunch. With my guidance she fed the dogs, vacuum the living room, dinning room, the theater and the den. Then she sorted though the toys in the toy box over in the "Kids Corner" Back in the den she picked up my tool bag and put it where it belongs and carried several small cardboard boxes out to her play house. The boxes she told me I had to save for the playhouse and when summer gets here she will turn the playhouse into a store. Every store needs boxes for carry out she told me as she balanced her load and went out the back door.

Back inside we put the basement stairwell back in order. I had to take all the shelves down when the new furnace was installed. Shelves went back up and tackle boxes found their shelves and rods were put back on their slots on the rod rack that hangs off the wall on the side of the stairs. There was just a few minutes left before her dad was to come and pick her up so we spent it in the dinning room just talking. The granddaughter likes coming over and working but it is a secret we keep from her ma and dad. If you listen to her parents they can't get her to clean her room let alone do any house work. With her back pack sitting on the floor next to her and both of us sipping on some juice she looked at me and told me she had next weekends project. I was trying to figure out what she was talking about, I didn't have any thing on my list that needed to be done. Seeds had already been started and last week she had dusted off all my duck decoys and my reel collection. I was going to ask her what she had in mind when she pointed at the wife's collection of porcelain bells on the archways. She then counted them out loud and came up with seventy-four and according to her they all needed to be washed.

Her dad showed up and while he was busy petting Duncan and Barney I got a hug and a kiss good-bye from the granddaughter and had to pinkie swear not to say anything about the house cleaning. I of course may her swear that she would not tell her grandma that she helped me. The cabin was quiet after she left and the dogs found places to lay down and I headed to the den and decided to catch up on all the TV shows I had missed during the week. I watched stuff on the computer and did putts work during the commercials. Cleaned my desk up, sorted through a tackle box and smoked a cigar. Trouble with this time of the year is most of the shows I watch are ending in cliff hangers or killing off characters. A few shows are in their final final and will be missed.

The wife showed up with bags of goodies just as the sun was going down and I had watched the last episode of CSI. I helped put stuff away and then showed her all the work I had done around the cabin while she was gone. I know I never notice what she does around the place when I am gone so I figured I have to show her what I did otherwise she would not notice either. Time now to just sit back and listen to the hockey game on the radio, sometimes life is just so hard here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,604,536}

Bobby Bass · February 24, 2015

I NEED TO go fishing, I know I have written a story in the past with the very same tittle but I really do need to go fishing. I was telling the wife that I so do miss making that walk from the Tahoe parked in the grass with water dripping off the trailer. The sound the rubber boots make as they flop against my legs. The short walk to the waters edge where I push against the side of the Puddle Humper then step inside as I move away from shore and leave everything behind for a couple of hours. Yesterday was just one of those days that don't happen very often but when they do they just snowball as bad things happen one after another after another.

I started the day off by getting the mail and the bill for the new furnace. I already knew what is was going to be but seeing it in ink made me let out a groan. I walked up the driveway with the bill in hand and told myself there is not much I could have done, got to have heat. That is when I looked up and saw the glass door of the greenhouse banging against the side of the greenhouse. Someone had forgotten to latch the door and when I got to it I saw the door closer was bent out of shape. Add that to the fix it list and I came in the cabin trying to figure who I could blame for the door and the only person I could come up with was me. That started a string of events taken one by one are nothing but inconveniences. Add them all up and they became a snowball rolling down the hill.

I won't go over the loaves of burnt bread or the leaking washing machine, the wrong size furnace filter or the mother in law who wanted me to drop everything and come over to her house at that very minute. I will tell you about taking the wife into town to pick up a few things and as she sat in the Tahoe she watched an old guy back his pickup truck into the side of the Tahoe. I came out of the store to find this guy taking pictures of my Tahoe and asking me as I was putting a bag in the back of the Tahoe if it was mine. Having no idea what had happen I just told him I just always go around putting groceries in stranger's trucks. He then said that he had just backed into this one. I said something under my breath like of course you did, it is just par for the day. I stood back and looked at the dirty Tahoe and I didn't see anything wrong, not even a clean spot where he said he hit me. He did tell me he hit me real slow as if that was going to make a difference. I chalked it up to just being the day, told him I think we are fine and shook his hand and sent him on his way.

I got in the truck and the wife sitting in the passenger seat just looked at me and didn't say anything. I asked her if she saw what happen and she told me she watched the old guy back into the Tahoe. I asked her "Did you think maybe leaning over and blowing the horn might have been an option" She looked surprised and said "No, I never even thought about that, I'll do it if it happens again" I started the truck put it in gear and just drove home on auto pilot. Thinking to myself I just need a few hours on the water, a warm breeze in my face a tug on my line and maybe a ham and Swiss on rye.That should have been the end of it but no I had one last thing to break. I reached into the fridge to get a vial of insulin and it fell out of the box and broke on the floor. They never break when they hit the floor but last night it did, two hundred and fifty bucks made a little puddle on the kitchen tile and I just smiled. I then yelled at the wife and asked her if she was pregnant, she yelled back "No, why would you ask such a thing?" Finally some good news to end the day here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,609,308}

Bobby Bass · February 27, 2015

SOME GOOD NEWS here at Lake iwanttobethere to report today. Yesterday afternoon I became a grandpa for the seventh time! Little H was born yesterday afternoon and tipped the scale at 9 pounds 10 ounces. That extra week she took to come out seems to have been well spent. Of course little h is now the younger sister to big H and baby M is no longer the baby but is now the middle of my daughters three girl package. Daughter and son in law are glowing with so much pride you don't even have to have the lights on in the hospital room. Not to much of a story to tell on my part, got a call yesterday morning that the daughter was ready to go to the hospital and I had to tell the wife to just stop and take a breath. I could see her eyes rolling around her head like a slot machine as she was thinking about everything that needed to be done all at once.

I went out and started the Tahoe and the wife grabbed her GO bag and I drove her to the daughters house where her husband was already double parked outside. I followed the wife inside to find the daughter with baby M resting on her hip telling her ma stuff that needed to be done. My son in law was in a hurry to get his wife to the hospital but there did not seem to be all that much hurry in her. They finally left and I watched from the window as the daughter waddled out to the car and her husband helped her inside and then ran around to the driver's side, got in and zipped off. I left the wife with baby M and took the two dogs back with me to the cabin and started calling buddies and letting them know that the daughter was in the hospital. I then call the Lodge and put a dollar in the baby pool and picked 2 PM as baby time.

After that I was pretty much out of the loop, the wife had her cell phone with her and the house phone was quiet. As soon as the mother's network went active all the aunts and grandmothers and sisters were kept up to date. Us males just had to wait to hear what was happening. I got a text at 1:50 telling me it was a baby girl born at 1:35. I called the Lodge and guess what, I won the baby pool. This morning I took my winnings to Marv's cigar shop and bought stogies with the "Its a Girl" wrapper on them. I quickly passed them out and now I find myself back at the cabin with some peace and quiet and no one but the four dogs scattered around the floor. I am getting to be a pro at this, four of my own kids and now seven grand kids, I got the hang of being cool and calm. But between you and me it is always a relief to have a healthy baby, ( knock on wood )

Of course things have changed over the years, I can remember when my first son was born and he was two weeks late. We had a fishing trip planned up to the BWC of A I think it was about twelve hours after he was born that Chuck and I were in the Chevy with the camper and on the road. Five days later we got back home the same time the mother in law was bring the wife and son home. She never lets me forget that I left my wife to go fishing while the wife stayed four days in the hospital. To this day I still say there was nothing I could have done for her, she had a whole hospital to wait on her plus the mother in law didn't stray far. My father in law never let me regret it either and that is because I didn't ask him to go along fishing with us. Last text that I got from the daughter said she will be coming home this evening. Twenty-four hours is all they stay in the hospital now, hardly time to even get a good day trip of fishing in here at Lake Iwanttobethere {263244}

Bobby Bass · March 3, 2015

FIVE INCHES OF white powered snow rests on the rails here at the Resort this morning. Already the forecast of Stormy Clearweather is off. She was calling for one to three inches and maybe another inch late this afternoon. I am still waiting to see if the twenty to thirty mile an hour winds are going to appear which would make this five inches of powered snow pretty interesting to drive in. The snow is still falling and from time to time I can hear Frank the plow driver and his rig. He must be scraping rock as the sound of the plow makes an eire scream as it works its way around the road that circles Lake Iwanttobethere.

With granddaughter number four home with her mother and doing fine after having a check up the cabin has settled back down. The wife of course is over at the daughter's house helping out and the great grandmother (mother in law) is also over their drinking tea and supervising. The best place for me was out of the way so I came up to the resort yesterday and it is just me and Vic and of course Duncan hunkering down for what may actually turn into a winter storm here. I think the five inches of snow we have may be the most we have received at one time so far this winter. I was already out and shoveled off the steps, nothing to it as I think a shovelful of snow may weight a pound. Kind of snow they like to make commercials in. Looks deep and then just the act of walking through it blows it away. Matter of fact I cleaned the snow off the side of the Tahoe just by opening and slamming the driver's door.

Yesterday Vic and I spent our afternoon planting seeds in the great room. We hauled out the plastic trays and filled them with potting mix and started our tomatoes and peppers. Back at the cabin I have seedlings already coming up so I am ahead of Vic here at the Resort. I also just the other day started four different kinds of tobacco. Seems that word has gotten out that you can grow the stuff and now a few other guys want to try it as long as I give them some starter plants. I figure I'll do a little bartering and spread the plants around and see who can grow the biggest leaf. This being the second year growing tobacco I have learned a few tricks to make things easier and of course I am doing some experimenting. Doing some net cup growing to see if I can grow even bigger, healthier plants and I am going to do some self watering gardens. Guess I am just never content without trying to grow something new. Vic and Elmer both tell me I am turning into an old man with to much time on my hands. I figure they both seem to be doing just fine so I can't be too far off the mark.

This morning when I let Duncan out he was hot on the trail of something. He had his nose resting on the ground and tail high in the air as he bulldozed through the snow in a zigzag. The snow pushed up over his head as he plowed through the snow and I was thinking if I could get him to stay on the paths there wound be no need to do any shoveling. He finally stopped and lifted his head either to get a breath of air or he lost the scent or he needed to check his bearings. As he shook his head of snow he did take a moment before he spotted me and came back only to be sidetracked by another new smell. The snow has stopped for now, sky is a little brighter and no real wind to speak of. Kind of looks like one of them winter postcards that you see on the rack in front of Big Earl's General Store. Then Duncan comes bulldozing through leaving a broken trail of snow behind him and the picture is gone here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,619,257}

Bobby Bass · March 5, 2015

SUN IS SHINNING, there is some wind and we are climbing out of a thirty below night. Sunshine Ray has returned to Lake Iwanttobethere and he says he has brought warmer weather with him. His forecast is calling for teens today but tomorrow it will be in the thirties and by the early part of next week we will have a good shot at fifty above with sunshine! I can already see myself on the deck with my feet up smoking a cigar and sipping on some lemonade. Might even hear the sound of running water as the snow will be melting and the roof dripping. I am hoping that I do not hear the sound of the furnace running. Matter of fact with the road construction pretty much done here summer should return to being quiet. The thought of not having to hear heavy equipment and blasting all summer is going to be nice.

Yesterday the wife came home from her mothers with some red potatoes, the bag broke and she did not notice till she was inside the cabin. This morning I went out and found a trail of potatoes leading to the Tahoe. I was not going to pick them up I figured I would leave them where they fell for the deer but I kicked a few out of the way. I was surprised when I kicked one into a couple of others it sounded just like I was hitting a cue ball at a rack. They made the same clicking/kinking sound. They will be a real surprise if any deer tries to eat them.

Came home from the resort yesterday and had to shovel my way to the cabin. Was not hard as we got maybe six inches here of the lite fluffy stuff. I cleaned off the big deck and set the shovel next to the rail and made my way inside. No sooner did I get inside then the wife reminded me to bring my bag in. I went back out the door and slammed it closed behind me and the timing was perfect as I had made it two steps away from the door and had just cleared the short roof over the door. Just in time to catch the six inches of snow that slid off the roof and down the neck of my coat. Not much I could do but shake like a dog which only helped the snow on my neck go down my back. I turned to look inside the cabin and the wife who was pointing at me and covering her mouth in laughter. If I didn't know better I would think she had set me up for the fall.

Will be down at the Lodge tonight, high school hockey tournament will be on the TV and we usually get a pretty good crowd. I know Gus has ordered extra wings and we will have a beer special and if you ask you can get your name in the betting pool kept behind the bar. We have a couple of local teams in the mix so there will be some interest in the games. This weekend we will be down on the ice cutting blocks of ice to fill the ice house. Looks like it will be a nice weekend to do it. We still have some ice in the house but we will go ahead and fill it up to the rafters. I have this feeling that this coming summer is going to be warmer then last years. We will of course put a keg of Hamm's in the icehouse to chill and Gus will have the big outside BBQ fired up and maybe we will toss a few steaks on the grill. With the price of hamburger these days it is not much more to buy steak.

Not really that much snow fell the other day, and we don't have that much on the ground. If we get the week of warmer temperatures I don't think it is going to take much to really put a melt on and we may be looking at bare ground here soon. Of course the ditches and the backsides of hills will hold some snow but that will go soon enough. I don't have a problem with it as I have had enough of winter this year. I was just telling the wife I need to get outdoors and me and Duncan need to get some air. She told me I can go out anytime and I told her I don't want to see my breath anymore. I am actually looking forward to walking in some mud here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,622,65}

Bobby Bass · March 6, 2015

SPRING ARRIVED TWO weeks early here at Lake Iwanttobethere today. The wife was out shopping and I had the cabin to myself, well at least me and the dogs Barney and Duncan did. I had the radio on and KCUM was broadcasting its morning movie theme music show. I had just entered the bathroom and the timing could not have been any better. With the music of Also Sprach Zarathustra also known as the theme song to the movie 2001 Space Odyssey I happen to look up at the snow covered skylight. As if on cue a tiny slit of light appeared and as I watched the slit grew wider in time with the music coming from the radio. The snow started to slide off the skylight and with the music reaching its crashing pinnacle the snow fell off the skylight and blue sky appeared and with it a bright ray of light filled the bathroom. I looked at the clock that rests on the ledge and noted the time, 9:15 and with the light pouring in and the pounding of drums I declared that Spring has arrived here, at Lake Iwanttobethere and then I flushed the toilet.

I then went to the kitchen and poured myself some juice and walked over to the deck window and looked out at the snow covered ground and Edd and Eddie the squirrels raiding the bird feeder. I was at the Lodge last night working behind the bar and it was kind of slow during the hockey game but then between periods everyone was at the bar getting refills and chatting away killing time. Many topics of conversation were going on and one I thought was a little interesting and that was about bird feeders. How to keep them filled, how to keep the squirrels out of them and around my place how to keep the deer away as they will come in and clean out a feeder quicker then any squirrel will. Elmer never feeds the birds and will always bring up the question to someone who is bragging about how much bird seed they put out is why they feed the birds but then go and eat chicken? Usually is a conversation stopper unless someone is looking to get into an argument about bird feeding.

Back at the cabin here I have been in and out already a few times this morning. Took a shovel and pushed some snow away from the edges of the deck and I did put a wood deck chair in the sunshine to warm up. Water is dripping from the eves and splattering on the wood deck and the bass thermometer hanging on the siding says it is thirty-six out. Not exactly spring temperatures but that is sixty degrees warmer then what is was just a few nights ago. The Puddle Humper sits under the boat house roof and no snow is under it. Just the pad of limestone and a few surprises that I think Barney left. I did walk over and check the ropes holding down the tarp and made sure there were no surprises inside. One year I had a cat decide it was a good place to stay but I ran him off and Barney makes a point of checking the boat to make sure the cat never returns.

Got a list of things I need to get down at the General Store, been holding off waiting till there is enough on the list to make it worth while to go into town. For some reason I have a hankering for a loose meat sandwich from Amy's Bakery so I think I am going to have lunch there and maybe a nice slice of apple pie for dessert. If I time it right I can watch the first period of the hockey game here, 2nd period at Amy's and then catch the third period at the General Stores TV show room. No matter what I think I will be driving to town with the window open some here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,624,190}

Bobby Bass · March 8, 2015

JUST CAME IN from outside here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Was over at Elmer's place resetting his clocks for him. Daylight saving's time means nothing to Elmer and unless I go over and set his clocks they would not get done. As Elmer puts it, he is retired and does not really care about any time except the time he has left. I sat down and had a cup of coffee with him and he offered me some apple pie. I saw he had but just one piece left and I knew he was just making a gesture and didn't really want to give the last piece away. I told him I was good, just had a big breakfast. We chatted some and Elmer finished the pie, ate it right out of the pie pan. When it was time to go he handed me the pie pan and told me to tell the wife thanks.

I took the trail back to my place and here and there you could see the brown of the earth starting to show up. Last couple of days we have had some sunshine and it had gotten just warm enough to do a little melting. Of course melting snow means running water and running water means overnight ice. I saw the sidewalk had a couple of patches of ice where there are low spots and the water gathers. I have them on my do list to level sometime, come to think of it they have been on the do list for about as long as I can remember. Something else always seems to be more important and bumps the leveling of sidewalk's way down the list. A murder of crows flew over my head and they made like I was a rock in a stream as they slipped by on either side of me but none flew directly over my head. I raised my arms like I had a gun and they dipped and dived away and made a racket. I don't know where they roost but the cabin must be in the flight line to where ever they go in the morning.

I heard the door of the cabin open and watched as Duncan went screaming off the deck like he was shot from an aircraft carrier's flight deck with a catapult. He was running before he landed and must have saw me while he was airborne. He made a slight turn and ran up to me and gave me a hockey stop as he threw snow up in my face. I reached down and petted him hard on his rump and looked up to see Barney lumbering across the deck to stop at the edge and look in my direction, tail wagging like clockwork from side to side. I stayed outside for a while and Barney did come off the deck and wander over to me to get his ears rubbed and a couple of pats. Duncan and Barney then did their thing going to the bathroom and checking the gates to the garden and doors of the out buildings.

Forty degrees out and if the sun was shinning it would feel pretty nice out I was thinking to myself. I headed inside and the dogs followed. They stopped right inside the door as the towel box is now out and they took turns letting me take out an old towel and wipe off their paws before telling them it was OK to go on in. With Bud gone the box of old towels will last longer now. As I wiped Duncan's paws off I thought of Bud and how many times I have cleaned him off over the years. Bud was built closer to the ground then these two are so he always needed his belly wiped off because there was never a stretch of water that he could not walk through, wade through or swim through. The thought of walking around water was just something Bud never ever did. With the dogs clean and off to the kitchen to convince the wife they needed a bone I tossed the dirty towel in the hamper and had a smile on my face at the memory of Bud here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,627,814}

Bobby Bass · March 10, 2015

TOOK MY GLASS of juice outside with me this morning when I let Barney and Duncan outside. First thing I noticed is I didn't really need to have my gloves on but I kept them on anyway. Second thing I noticed is when I went to the edge of the deck and looked out at Lake Iwanttobethere that most of the snow on the southern slope of my yard had all but disappeared. The past couple of days the sun and southern winds had bumped the red needle on the bass thermometer over the fifty degree mark and the melt was on. I also noticed or I should say did not notice the furnace running at all yesterday during the day. The solar collector is busy pumping free heat into the house and it is enough to keep the furnace from running. I took the steps down to the yard and went inside the green house and it was warmer then outside but I figure by late afternoon I will be making a point of going out and enjoying some eighty plus temperatures inside it.

Of course there are some down things that happen every spring. It would seem that Barney and Duncan have made up for Bud in the dog waste department as the yard has a few popular places where it is not safe to walk now that the snow has melted. Early morning is a good time to walk the yard before it gets soft from the sunshine that is why I notice this all today. My neighbor Chuck has been out in the Ranger checking on his maple trees, still dry but sap should be running here soon. I did go over to Elmer's yesterday afternoon, he was standing in his driveway leaning on a square shovel. I walked over and lightly slapped him on the back of his head. He looked at me and was about to yell and then had a sheepish look come over his face and said "Thanks" I just nodded my head and took the trail back to my pace. The slap on his head was because he was starting to shovel snow from his yard to melt on the blacktop of his driveway. He told me to slap him on the head if I ever catch him doing totally useless make work, as that is what old people do and Elmer is never going to get old.

The county must have some money on their hands as this morning on the drive in I saw the street sweepers out on Main Street. I don't ever remember them out so early in the year. Matter of fact this morning when I was in town I saw a couple of people wearing shorts and several more not wearing coats. Spring I think is a state of mind and we have it here at Lake Iwanttobethere. Of course we are not satisfied as Sunshine Ray is forecasting highs in the upper fifties later in the week and people are already asking when we are going to see sixty. I was at Ma and Pa's grocery as I was out of milk and some how had forgotten to get some yesterday. I over heard a lady ask Pa if he had any watermelon and I was thinking to myself, come on it is not that warm out but then I leaned in to hear Pa's answer as watermelon did sound like a good idea here at Lake Iwanttobethere {2,632,351}

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