Feather likes to help me feed the bream and catfish in our small pond. If I strike out across the yard with a slice or two of bread in my hand, she's my shadow. We sit on the edge of the dock and our routine begins...
Three or four bread bits for the fish, one for feather, three or four bits for the fish, one for feather. Should I mess up on the count (in the fishes favor) she gently nudges me or may take my wrist in her mouth and gently squeeze while...mumbling some dogginess that I always take to mean something like, " I adore you supreme being, I am your fawning servant...bread please"
Of all the dogs I have been blessed to know, this one truly adores me. If I grab Flounder's massive head in my hands and tell him how wonderful he is, Feather will come running up and shove him aside so that she has all my attention all the while "talking" to me in her doggy way.
Yesterday, Feather and I made our sojourn down to the dock. The Bull frogs squeaked and hopped into the clear water as we approached and a green heron screeched away into the willows. I was taking a mental health day from work which turned into a remodel your buns off day, but enough of that.
The highlight of our pond visit was a gift of the dropping pond level. It's easier to see the fish now as they are more concentrated. I love watching fish the way many of you love watching your birds and can do it for embarrassingly long stretches. I was pretty stoked to see not just the usual crowd of big bluegills, but a bunch of big catfish from my stocking attempts in '04.
The cats were deeper, but feeding hard on the bread and I made a mental note to get some fingerling catfish chow from the feed store. The bream were popping bread at the surface pretty hard and I got to thinking about dusting off an old flyrod up in the barn loft.
Now if I can just tie a fly that looks like a crust of Wonder Bread...
13 comments:
Nice tale. An idyllic account. No koi in your pond? or would the herons get them all?
I love dogs like Feather. The way they talk and nudge, they're such fine companions. They acknowledge their love in the most obvious and adoring ways. She's a cutie pie too!
Sounds like a good way to spend the day!
How did Feather get his name, by the way?
Feather sounds like the kind of dog we refer to as "hover dog".
I'm glad you're seeing more big catfish in your pond!
Pablo,
No koi...too exotic a species for this pond, but I am considering them in a more controlled setting.
Feather got her name from a previous Feather owned by a ranger friend of mine long ago. I always thought it was an excellent dog name and stole it when the opportunity arose.
RD,
She is a cutie and can really make your day when the rest of the world does not adore you.
ThunderD,
It was.
Deb,
She is definitely a hover dog. My fish angst has lessened since the 100 catfish post a while back!
I love that dog. And, Feather is a perfect name.
We had a pond full of Koi and the herons had a feast on them. So now we have cheap feeder goldfish that have grown fat and healthy. We started with 12 and are down to four, thanks to the herons.
(insert a lot of grumbling noises here).
What type of dog is Flounder?
Feather sounds like a sweetheart :) And I've never met a lab that wasn't hungry all the time. I suppose there is one out there, but he'd be a whole other species of lab. lol
by the way, have you ever seen the Fragments from Floyd blog? Fred (owner) posts about his dog Tsuga from time to time. Tsuga a gorgeous yellow lab. What i'd give to own a dog like that one.
Hope you enjoyed your mental health day. I don't really think drywalling is good for the sanity, however. :)
DPR,
I'm shocked! I had pictured you as a flyfishing purist. I am greatly relieved to know that you are a pragmatist also.
Hick,
Thanks, she is very loveable.
Laura,
I have kept up with your pillaging heron posts. It does sound like cheap feeder goldfish are the way to go...koi are pretty expensive bird food.
As for Flounder, he is Feather's sibling. Their father was a Golden Retriever and their mother was a Black Lab.
Flounder is yellow and skinny, and Feather is ...ruebenesque. They are sweeties and we still refer to them as "the puppies" even though they are 10 years old in January...sigh.
I agree on the always hungry gene in Labs. I will check out FFF and Tsuga.
oh and as for the mental health benefits of drywall...it's better than a class full of 7th graders...some days.
I know that look...Hannah gives me that look - she can count too :)
Swampy,
It's a good look, ain't it.
Aha! I knew I recognized that "breed." Hannah's mom was a golden retriever and her dad was a black lab. It's a great combination...once you get past the first couple of years of puppyhood :) Hannah is going on 12 and is getting a little cloudy in the eyes and a lot gimpy in the hips, but she's still my puppy (have to stop now, can't see the screen, eyes are tearing up...damn dog)
Swamp,
I know, believe me...I know.
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