Thursday, June 25, 2009

Don't Text Me About All The Fish You Caught While I Am Sweating In The Yard

It's cooler today, only 92 at 2 PM.
I've been working in the "yard" following the shade mostly. As soon as the job I'm doing becomes exposed to the sun, I move to a shadier zone that has some job to do.

This summer, I've hired Emma and Junior for a host of grunty, grueling jobs that need to be done. Some are torturous and some are not too painful, so it's a mix of pain and less pain.
They cleaned all my aquariums a few days ago. They had sat out under the oaks for a year and become positively fuzzyfilthified.
This qualifies as a not too bad job as it involves water and getting wet is part of the duty.
Hauling away tons of scratchy brush into the woods and stacking firewood in the summer heat qualifies as pretty miserable ... ("it's not the heat it's the humidity " ... no DA, it's both)

Beloved, yet dead trucks are always eager to prove they can still be useful. My old 1982 GMC (pre government takeover) S-15 Sierra proved to be a handy aquarium drying rack after the cleanification.

Never throw anything away prematurely ... especially trucks.

This is my old tilapia aquaculture area after the first stage of clean up.
Yes, that is after ... it was a jungle before.

I am redesigning and prepping for a start up ... not tilapia though.
Something else.
Tell ya later.


Here's some of the firewood that Emma stacked this week. That's mainly from the branches of the two oaks I removed. I'm just now getting to the trunks.
Need some oak?
We couldn't burn all that in 3 Florida winters.
Maybe one of the local BBQ places could use some.


Attached to the barn shed is a pole shed roof for storing stuff ... like more firewood than you could ever use.
Today I climbed up on a step ladder to take a look at the barn roof which needs some major TLC and I discovered ...

... that I was growing small trees on the shed roof in a rich composting mix of decaying oak leaves.
I knew there was a branch or two up there, but I had no clue that I had a soddy starting.
Action shot!

So I pulled the cart up into a strategic position and raked the soil and leaf mixture off for transport to the woods.
While I was doing this, the adult barred owl landed on a branch about 20 feet away and stared at me. My camera was in the barn, so I slipped down the ladder, grabbed it, and slipped back up.
As soon as I raised the camera, the owl flapped off.
Oh well.

I think it was about then that Junior, who is spending some time down near Crystal River at his good buddies house, texted me:
"18 fish today! Eleven rock bass, 4 sharks, one grouper, one blowfish, and one sea trout."
grrrrrrr. I could hardly read it as the sweat rinsed the sunscreen off my skin and into my eyes.
Then ... another text:
"Mr. Jim trolled us around the sandbar and a pair of dolphins got within, like one foot of us!"
Not fair.
I swatted away the biting ants that were caught in the mix of sweat, dirt, and sunscreen on my neck, and texted him back:
"Okay, that is just waaaay too awesome to tell someone while they are doing grunt work! Be sure and take some pictures for PF. "
He responded:
"Will do, we're going spearfishing tomorrow so I'll get some then too."
Ack!!
Rub some salt in the wound, why doncha!

15 comments:

Pablo said...

That's parenthood, ain't it?

Carol said...

hang on to the wood. you might need it if they keep raising the electricity bills.

www.riverwildlife.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

A boy needs to enjoy his summer!!

So do the girls!

Patti

MamaHen said...

Well, at least know that you are not alone in your horrible, hot and miserable grunt work. I'm right there with ya. Maybe we can both escape to some water soon.

Deb said...

That woodpile would last a week or two in January here.

lisa said...

It just plain looks like work to me. I am glad to have a worker still living at home.(my son)

Mark said...

I could use the oak, but I don't think it would make energy/money sense for me to drive my 10-mpg pickup down there to get it.

Dani said...

FC, is it okay if I use your baby owl pic for my screen saver?

threecollie said...

Never a dull moment at PF...are your rock bass a different fish than our rock bass? Being in the same water as grouper and all? Ours are a drab green member of the sunfish family...just a pan fish but we have a lot of fun going after them.

Aunty Belle said...

youse too virtuous in this heat--Sugar Pie, git thee up to nawth jawja--'syore turn ain't it?
Thanky so much fer dear thoughts fer Granny--I begin to fear we's losin' ground we ain't never gonna retake.

Thunder said...

Too funny! Who would have expected you, of all people, to have a surfer style son and a responsible daughter?! :-)

jean said...

Your day will come. And think of all the great photos he'll get for you. (snicker)

Miz S said...

Where you at, FC?

R.Powers said...

Pablo,
Parent hoodwinked more like it!
I'm glad he had a good fishy day. I never hooked him on fishing the way I was hooked.
One of my Dad failures.

Carol,
I like the cold so I'm set for that!

Patti,
Yes they do! ... and they are!

Annie,
I hear ya gal. I am ready! Need to put down the chainsaw and pick up the kayak!!

Deb,
That is just too funny. Are there any trees left up there?
LOL!

Lisa,
We must squeeze as much toil out of them as we can before they leave!
Just kidding sorta...

Mark,
Not unless you convert it to a woodburner!

Dani,
SURE! I'm honored and grateful you asked.

3C,
No, very different fish. He called them rock bass, but I'm sure they were black sea bass, a smaller cousin in the grouper clan. Very delicious!

Aunty,
Lucky me, I was raised without A/C so the heat doesn't bother me. Yes, it is almost time for a north GA retreat and some Mercier's apple scones.
So sorry about granny's trouble ... thinking of you.

Dave,
Who would have expected me to get married and be a parent?

Jean,
You got that right. I'm gonna make my day come this week. Loading the kayak Sunday night.

Miz S,
I know, I put off posting til later and the later never came!
Sorry!

Anonymous said...

My friend Dan did this t me the other day when I was deeply involved in my WORK. 8 snook from his boat, in Wiggins Pass. I answered back last weekend, though, with my own 8 while he was stuck in town, on call.

Fishing's great right now, but only for the dedicated. It's HOT down here.