Never gave using a Hebe a thought.

 

Today was one for everyone who enjoys nature.  Didn't get up until 7:30 and was out on the porch checking the temp when I heard the noise a hummingbird wings make. She acted like I'd invited her for breakfast, sat right down on the feeder and took a drink, then sat and drank at each of the other three "flowers" on the feeder. When she was done she rested for a couple minutes on a limb of the apple tree and then took off south across the yard climbing as she went to get over the ridge on the other side of the river. Jean and I always leave the feeders up for a few days after the locals leave as somehow, travelers seem to find them and refuel on their long journey south.

Finished breakfast and looked out the sliding glass doors to see two adult does come together and start licking one another's heads and ears. It went on for a good five minutes. My best guess is that they were trying to get rid of ticks or lice that they themselves couldn't reach. Their gentleness, patience and willingness to help one another is a lesson all of us need to learn from.

Gave some thought to yesterday's shellacking. Where I was fishing, the sun set straight down stream and as the temp dropped, the bugs stopped and the fishing was over all within a few minutes. Today I fished a place where the river ran north to south and the sun went behind the western hill long before sunset. At three-thirty when I started, half the river was already in shade. The bugs kept flying and the fish kept rising. 

While on the river mother nature continued to provide me with noteworthy experiences. What appeared to be a yearling bear crossed the river about 100 yards down stream from me. He didn't seem to enjoy the crossing, running and jumping all the way across. About ten minutes later momma crossed in the same place (now about 75 yards below me. She proceeded with a done it before attitude but didn't really waste any time. A little while later an adult bald eagle flew up river while I was fighting a fish. He lit in a tree on the ridge above me and watched until I landed the fish. Didn't give me a thumbs up, just got up and left when the fish was in the net.

The fishing - A promise is a promise. Lets just say that today was quite a bit better, in all respects, than Monday and Tuesday combined.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All my life's a circle.

  Headed down to the Lordville Estate about nine this morning after watching a nice buck decide  not to tend the scrape I was perched above. Drove through Deposit where the Troutfitter Shop was dark and closed for the season. My fishing equipment did not make the trip. Had far too many things to do in the few hours of daylight we are currently being allotted. The doe with two fawns was in the backyard when I arrived and was joined by the orphaned button buck who spends his time either bedded down in my flower garden or walking around under the peach trees looking for the peaches he grew so fond of in September. Arrived with a trailer full of wood hitched to Jean's car (it has the trailer hitch) and spent the first hour replenishing the wood I burned this season. As if by magic both wood piles topped out just below the garage windows. Was interrupted by the button buck who walked up between the house and the garage and stood watching the wood stacking operation. A river friend and f
Read more

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN!

 It's Wednesday night, a fire is going in the fire place, an empty Perfect Manhattan glass is washed and back up on the shelf, 30 shrimp netted from Zane Gray Creek ((did you know that Zane Gray (famous fly fisherman and writer of westerns) was a dentist and that his office is now a museum that you can visit on the Delaware River?)), have been consumed by Jean and me, prior to the three pieces of venison backstrap that traveled from home to Florida and back, an early spring snowstorm is raging outside and most importantly, we're glad to be back home again! With that season opening sentence, Mrs. Haskins has no doubt thrown in the towel and disavowed all responsibility for my literary malfunctions. Run on sentences she could handle, but my never before attempted "double aside" was apparently beyond the pall. I sent her a "Go Duke" banner with apologies and hopefully she will cool off before the fishing heats up. Our trip back home was uneventful. Started at 2
Read more

A rational explanation escapes me.

 Yesterday after driving up and down the "Sulfur Zone" in the afternoon without seeing bugs or rising fish, I headed back to Lordville without even putting my waders on. Headed out again at 6:00, got into the river around 6:30 and had two hours of delightful dry fly fishing to medium sized fish eating duns in a good sulfur hatch. Today, I made the trip up to deposit at about 1:30 figuring the cloud cover would delay the hatch (if any), it did, but by 2:30 the afternoon sulfurs were going and the fish were up and on them. Enjoyed about two hours of good fishing with four decent fish hooked and landed, two yearlings landed and a passel of refusals. About 4:30 the rise forms changed to boils and my fly was ignored. Tried half a dozen flies without so much as a look from the still feeding fish. Was happy with the afternoon fishing, (a big step up from Sunday), and at 5:00 it was too late to drive all the way back to Lordville. Decided to get something at Wendy's (calorie capi
Read more