Sunshine and Beagles

Second day of the New Year and I am wondering where the last week went. The pain medication they give out these days may work good for ‘pain’, but they sure don’t do anything for the memory.

I was sleepless late last night and while I sat reading, it occurred to me that a friend had visited me in the hospital on the day of my surgery, that I had not remembered. I ask my wife and she knew nothing about it. So I had to check the facts and sure enough, said person was there and it had not occurred to me for almost a week! Right then I pulled the plug on the medication.

There is not much that can lift ‘downed spirits’ as a bright, cold, sunny MN day (7° at daylight). Just a few inches of snow with the gale wind laying down, made a most agreeable time to break out for some fresh air and locomotion. Walking back and forth across the house just does not cut it, when you are an outdoor person at heart, I don’t care how big the house is!

Have some friends that have been ice fishing and the reports are good. They are kind enough to send me pictures of great northern pike laying on the ice and walleye, fresh out of the water. It is enough to make the mouth water and start eyeballing the portable fish house hanging in the rafters!

In a few weeks me and some fishing buddies will be up on the Lake of the Woods trying our hand. Usually we get good eating and sometimes we hit it just right and catch hundreds of fish. Either way it will be nice to continue a ‘tradition’ that four friends have kept up for over 20 years.

There are some benefits to being ‘laid up’ for a few weeks in January, not many. One is that I can relax a little and enjoy the beauty of some fresh fallen snow that was not enough to require my attention with the tractor and snowplow, that would have been inconvenient in my weakened condition.

This morning I had the treat of watching our beagle “Trigger”, pull our daughter around the driveway on a sled. Beagles are not known as sled dogs! But this little fellow is ‘game’, all she has to do is throw a treat about 30 feet in front of them and away they go. It is good, though, that I did not witness the cat chase, I don’t think my incision is up to that much of a belly laugh, especially when the cat went under a low building, too low for the child on the sled! J

No one knows what this new year holds, except God, and He ain’t telling, that I know of. But one thing is certain, I made it through December, even though my wife adds, “barely”, when I make the statement. Either way December of 2011 is history. We might have deep cold yet in January and February and piles of snow in March and April, but the days already are getting longer hours of daylight and by February the pace picks up and before one is aware of it, another year will be well on its way.