When I was a kid
The most common trouble I got in was Laundry day. I would hear Mom yelling from downstairs, and I would get a lecture about leaving pens, frogs, worms, and snakes in my pockets prior to a wash.
Worms were nasty because they often got out before being boiled and managed to die horribly in someone elses clothing. Snakes were a specific horror to Mom and were always followed by some beating, the intensity of the beating directly realted to the amount of shock Mom got and if the snake was dead.
Worms were usually fishing related. I’d toss a couple in my pocket to go fishing, and oif they weren’t biting, leave them there.
Yesterday I put a couple worms in the pocket and went off in search of the elusive bluegill, and barely caught a thing. The worm in my pocket, on the other hand, turned on my phone and figured out how to use the unit converstion function of my scientific calculator, a skill that has up until now eluded me.
I’ve been outsmarted by a worm. No wonder I can’t catch anything.
17 comments Og | Uncategorized
I knew those screen key would cause some kind of problem.
I always need to check the pockets. Never put any critters in them, mostly pens, lights and knives. Money left was lost.
First, I *SO* miss bluegill. I’ve been trying to explain what it is and how yummy when fried…great now I’m craving it again.
As for the worm and your phone, thank you for that. I needed that chuckle today. :-)
Yeah, we think we’re safe because they don’t have HANDS….
Tammi! Good to see you back. Ed: I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.
Oh the perils of a young boy’s pocket during a Southern summer…
My poor mother was assailed by the same collection of critters, the occasional skeleton (or partial), assorted rocks that may or may not have been fossils (a lot were), various small gears and cogs if I’d been with her dad at the shop (they services gas pump and the bone yard out back was heaven for a small boy), fishing tackle,writing implements of all sorts, BBs, the list goes on…
Frankly I’m amazed she didn’t just give up and buy me new clothes every week. Would have saved a lot of time and the way I grew at times she practically had to anyway.
Sigh….
Not a lot has changed really. The BBs are more likely .45 brass now, and there are fewer live critters, but my pockets can still be an interesting place to explore.
BGM
Og, you’re DAMN luck that that worm, the dominant sentient creature on Zargon-5A, didn’t have time to reconfigure you phone for inter-galactic conversation so as to issue a distress call to it’s mother world.
BTW, for those times that bait isn’t attracting those ‘gills, get a frog-pattern fly-rod popper bug and cast it with a clear bubble and 4-5 feet of leader. The popper bugs float, and you work it with small jerks, just so it gurgles a bit. The bluegill and small bass will take it for a peeper frog that fell into the water. Those, of course, are gourmet fare to the fishies.
Best with a fly rod though, use a light, short tippet.
Tammi, you can prepare Tilapia just like you would prepare bluegill, and the result will be very close. Not much challenge in reaching into the frozen fish section for a bag of frozen Tilapia filets, though.
I prepare both bluegill and crappie the same way (Greek method). Scale them before cleaning, clean, remove head or not, rub fish (watch out for the dorsal spines) with garlic-flavored olive oil, place on baking sheet, sprinkle with fenu-greek herbs and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Tease the meat off the large bones, and enjoy!
Dog: Yeah, my company would NOT like that long distance bill.
What I like about your tales is that they sometimes stray into Paul Bunyan territory. But by not being anywhere near that outlandish, yet containing that bit of doubt, make your tales fun to read. It’s a gift. Do more.
Rivrdog, I would have NEVER guessed that. And we always dregged in Drakes and fried those bad boys up. If Tilapia works as a sub, you’ve just made me very happy – ruined my diet but made me VERY happy. ;-)
And Og, it’s very good to be back. I’ve missed y’all very much.
If that worm can use an RPM calculator you need to hire him out as a consultant.
RE: worms. My late and much missed Dad smoked Half ‘n Half, and bought it in those little tins with the round edges. They were perfect for carrying worms. I raised worms to earn money during sixth grade through Hah skrool. I packed ’em in baker’s dozens in tiny Chinese food take out boxes with the wire bails. The boxes cost two for a penny, and I sold the worms to local (within bike riding distance) sporting goods stors for a quarter. I was the rich kid in school. Never got an allowance, though. I raised my worms in beds made from truck tires, in bedding made from composted produce waste and coffee grounds from a nearby cafe. My worms, in the words of Patric F. McManus, “Could take the average trout in a fair fight.” Those worms were so hyped up on caffeine that they’d almost climb up the fishing line to get a bite out of you.
Gerry N.
Bluegill are great fun, even the tiny ones put up a fight, and if you latch onto a nice-sized one you’d swear you caught a fresh-water shark with a REAL bad attitude. Never tried eating one, since the vast majority of what I’ve caught has been maybe 3-4 inches long.
All fishing a great fun. I’ve regretted many things I’ve done, but have never once regretted going fishing.
I miss trolling for crappie. Put ten hooks on a line and reel them in bulk lots. God that’s good stuff dipped in egg wash and flour and fried up.
That and walleye cheeks. I haven’t had walleye cheeks since I was in my mid teens.
Sorry, BGM, I don’t know why that went to spam. Retrieved, now. Anyone else post and the post got eaten? I have been trying to be more vigilant about checking
I am trying to picture how the worm did this… and not very successfully, either :o
Android phone, Fi. Touchscreen. Worm turned stuff on and used it by crawling across the screen.
I know… have one myself… but by golly, what a fluke for it to turn stuff on in the first place.