Fishing

 My little Suzanne has been catching fish left and right.  I tried fishing and only got one bite, but it was a very hard bite by a big ole fish that eventually got off.  I didn't even get to see it, but I did get to feel its strength and the line moving from here to there for about 30 seconds or so.

Here are Ray and Suzanne's latest fish:

And here are Suzanne's fish:

It's hard keeping up with Suzanne, and she doesn't even care if she catches a fish or not.  She just loves being outdoors enjoying nature.

Chocolate Bunnies & Stuff

Here are some pictures of Ody and his daddy Brandon Hatcher on Easter.  I was watching a video that Krystal Hatcher posted online and Ody was inspecting his chocolate bunny, and to my surprise he took a bite of it, tasted it and spit it out.  Immediately I said to myself, "he doesn't take after grandma," which is Me, and I laughed.

Like all children, Ody likes to play in tents, and this first picture is of Ody and his daddy in their make-shift tent.

 Here's Ody tasting his chocolate bunny.

Now Ody is wondering what he should do with this thing in his hands.

Have we finally met someone that doesn't like chocolate?  I didn't think such a person existed, but he's still cute as a button and you never know, he might like chocolate better as time goes on.

Next is a picture of Sharon June who was out camping at S-Tree Towers in Jackson County, Ky. 

Sharon is never going to slow down and that's GREAT.  You stop and you're done, but she's not done yet!  It's good to see both of my daughters out enjoying life and keeping very active.  I'm lucky to be able to get out too....to doctors appointments, for lab tests and an occasional trip to the back yard to see what's going on there, and oh, to the grocery store which wears me out for a day or so.  Have you ever counted how many times you have to handle those groceries?  It's a job!

I also forgot to mention that Sharon loves chocolate bunnies just as much as I do.  She has my genes.  Suzanne would rather eat a block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. 

I'm not sure if I ever posted this picture of Suzanne doing her thing.  She also loves to kayak and spend time with her grandson Carson..

I found it and have already posted this picture, but that's ok.  I like seeing pictures of my girls over and over again.

Suzanne doesn't even care if she catches a fish

Suzanne, to our surprise fell in love with fishing.  She started her fishing career when she was 3 years old, but then abandoned it for a few years.  Now she is fishing up a storm whenever she can escape her duties at home, escape for 30 minutes or so, every now and then.

Suzanne has caught various types of fish and it seems she uses the same lure for everything, but to be honest I think she might change her artificial bait now and then.  She only uses artificial lures because she takes after her mother, which is me and I don't like handling slimy, squishy things that are alive.  The fish are bad enough trying to take them off the hook without hurting yourself.  

Speaking of hurting yourself, Suzanne once accidentally while trying to remove a fish from her treble hook stuck her finger or hand and had to drive all the way home with the treble hook and fish stuck to her hand. Ray had to help her remove the hook.  Now she no longer uses treble hooks.

I bought Suzanne some of those fisherman gloves to make it easier on her while she takes the fish off the hook.  She has to be quick because she always releases the fish, and she wants them to remain alive.

Here are just some of the pictures I had handy to post. The first picture below is a 4-5 foot long fish that we saw while on a kayaking trip at Owsley Fork Reservoir that she DOES NOT WANT TO CATCH!!!  Especially while fishing from her kayak.  This would definitely be a cut your line and release the fish as fast as you can situation.  

Oh, I forgot to mention that Suzanne only uses a 3 ft. fishing rod, and it goes with her every time she leaves her house.  Yes, even goes to the grocery store with her, because you just never know when you might get that urge to make a quick stop to make a few casts.  I seem to remember that Delores was telling me that she had an appointment and that there was a pond behind the Medical Clinic and Suzanne went out and made a few casts in it.  

If there's a pond or lake visible anywhere and it doesn't have a NO FISHING sign, you can bet your booties that Suzanne will try it out, and to our surprise she doesn't really care if she catches a fish or not.

(The only reason these pictures were handy was because when I first bought my new laptop I didn't know how to do anything on it and I accidentally posted these pictures on my Catzilla & Friends blog).

Thanksgiving with Brandon Hatcher, Ody, Krystal, Rick and I, AND Suzanne & Ray's accident

This year Rick and I were invited to Brandon & Krystal's home for Thanksgiving dinner.  Krystal must have cooked all morning and half the day.  The meal was delicious and of course I over-ate especially when it came to desserts.  I love sweets and Krystal made the most delicious Watergate salad and of course I pigged out.

Ody entertained us with his antics and his cuteness.  He stayed close by and wasn't a bit of trouble.  He played quietly around us and carried the Little Golden Book that I had brought over for him.  It was The Night Before Christmas, and I'm hoping that he will allow either his daddy Brandon or his mommy Krystal to read it to him.  He amazed me when he climbed up into a chair that his daddy had been sitting in and opened up the book and began gently turning each page very carefully as if he was reading the book himself, but then Brandon walked up to Ody and said, "Son, it might be better if you turn it this way," then Brandon turned the book right side up.  Ody continued to look at the pictures uninterrupted just as before.  Ody is two and a half years old, but still very much a baby.  He's a very snuggly baby and every now and then he had to get snuggles from his daddy while his mommy was busy in the kitchen.

Brandon and Krystal had their Christmas tree up and decorated with vintage ornaments from her youth.  Ornaments she had made as a child that her mother and sister had saved, and now that they are both gone Krystal is carrying on the family tradition of putting up the Christmas tree for the Thanksgiving meal.  Krystal and Brandon's parents are gone, so holidays are hard for both of them, and for me as well.  But now that they have Ody they do their best to make holidays joyful events for Ody.  I am the only grandparent that Ody has and I am his great-grandmother.

Spending the afternoon and evening with my grandson Brandon, Krystal & Ody was lots of fun.   We told stories of things present and of course re-lived the past as well.  We laughed and had the best time, but the evening ended very abruptly when my son-in-law Ray called to tell us that him and my daughter Suzanne had been involved in an automobile accident that totaled their car.  

They got knocked around, went airborne, and were blinded by all the explosions of the airbags before they came to a safe stop.  It seems that an oncoming truck hit a large deer, sent it flying over two lanes into the path of Ray & Suzanne who ran over it.  Ray received a large scraping wound to his lower leg which was caused by one of the airbags.  He was taken to the hospital which determined that he didn't break his leg, but the doctors were more concerned about his elevated heart rate, b.p. and possible damage to his four aneurysms.  Suzanne didn't want to get checked out, but now she is frightened by airbags.  Ray's leg is all swelled and bruised and he's limping around, and Suzanne is just shook up and without a car for the moment.

I'm so thankful and blessed.  My children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are all fine and healthy.  God was watching out over Ray & Suzanne.  God is always watching out and taking good care of my family.

ODY, Dennis & Laurel's Visit

 This is our sweet little Ody.  He's 13 months old now and just started walking.  His parents Brandon Hatcher and Krystal are very proud of him, and so are we.

We don't get to see as much of Ody, and his parents as much as we'd like even tho they just live in the next county because of unforeseen circumstances beyond anyone's control, but maybe good fortune will strike and things will change for the better.  They are just on a different schedule.  When I'm sleeping, they are awake and visa versa.  Third shift is a bummer that can't be helped for now.

These last couple of days we've been playing cat & mouse with them.  They had cell phone and car trouble and when we were one place they were where we had been and all of us never got to see Ody and his parents.  It's hard to meet at a specific location when you can't reach them by cell phone or Messenger.   

I grew to appreciate cell phones more these last couple of days when my brother & his wife came to town for a visit.  It seemed like I was on the cell phone texting or talking letting everyone know where we were at any specific time.  We had a wonderful time with Dennis & Laurel, but now that they have gone back home it seemed like it was such a whirlwind visit.  I enjoyed every minute of their visit even tho at times Dennis and I were raising our voices at each other, and if you know my brother Dennis you would understand what I just said perfectly.  He is such a gentle soul tho and I love him with all my heart.

I'm going to do my best to post a few pictures of our visit below.  My very old laptop doesn't always want to co-operate with me.

My Birthday Surprises

 I had the Best Birthday ever from Rick this year.  It wasn't the money spent, but the quality of time spent with me and the places he took me to.  It started with Saturday night at the river listening to a live band play for about 4 hours.  They were good and the name of the band was Vanguard, and they were from Lexington, Ky.

Before going out to hear the band play we went to Wendy's for Chili and a hamburger and fries.  That was so we wouldn't get hungry while listening to the band.  The band was appearing at Proud Mary's, a local restaurant at Clays Ferry, which also sold alcohol, so many people were drinking, eating and dancing while their kids played in a huge sandbox.

After we left Proud Mary's Rick was hungry so we stopped at a McDonald's, bought burgers and took them home to eat.  The next day, which was really my actual birth date, Rick took me for a motorcycle ride and we ended up at Madison County Regional Airport.  There was a big jet there, so we unlocked the gate and went inside the tarmac to get a closer view of the jet.  We don't see too many small jets land here, but they do land here at times.  We waited there and soon it boarded and took off, so we came on home.

We were waiting at home killing time for about an hour and then Rick was going to take me out for a birthday dinner at Derby City Truck Stop in Mt.Vernon, Ky. because I like to eat there and then we were going to go to Lake Linville and watch the sunset, but we didn't get to do any of this because a friend called Rick and asked him what we were doing, so Rick told them that it was my birthday and that I wanted to go out to dinner.  They quickly told us to be ready in ten to fifteen minutes and they would pick us up and treat us to a birthday dinner.  In about seven minutes they pulled up in a brand new Mercedes Benz and we were off for a great adventure in the country.  We drove on roads we have never been on before and saw some of the most beautiful countryside that I had never been to or seen before.  After about an hours drive we ended up somewhere near Nicholasville at a Malone's Restaurant.  There I was treated like the Princes that I am, (haha) and we ate some of the most delicious food that I have tasted in a while.  Nothing was spared, they even insisted that I have a goblet of wine with my meal.  They all made me feel so special.  They even sang Happy Birthday to me as loud as they could.  We all had so much fun.  On the long way home they turned on music that we could all relate to and we sang out loud all the way home.  

It was a birthday that I won't forget.  It's not often that I spend time with friends like that, and they said that they would like to do this more if it was alright with us.  I'm looking forward to more fun times spent with friends, but next time I won't be drinking anymore wine.  That was something that was just out of the ordinary for me and for Rick.

Rick wants to go back to Proud Mary's again next weekend, and I'm looking forward to it.  Rick doesn't dance, and I do just fine wiggling around in my chair to the beat of the music.  I'm quite content with that.

My two wonderful and loving daughters gave me an Adidas jacket that I love for my birthday, and I will be wearing it tonight when I go to watch Carson play ball.  All in all, I had a wonderful birthday.  My children have always made sure that my birthdays were great, but this year for the first time in nine years, Rick remembered my birthday and showed me that I was someone special to him and he made my birthday last for the whole entire weekend.

Thank you all for making me feel so special.  I love all of you.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the birthday videos that I received from Sharon & Bo, and from Megan & Myles.  They were so cute.  

THIS IS THE WAY TO KAYAK

That's me on the end of the tow-rope with my feet all propped up there on top of the kayak.  My kids really love me to take such good care of me........

 Zac and Sharon took turns pulling me back across the lake.  I did paddle myself for the first two or three hours, but then Suzanne decided that it was time to tow me for a while so that I wouldn't get sore.  I have such sweet thoughtful kids & grandchildren always thinking of dear old mom's welfare.  I love them all.

Kayaking with the kids

 The kids have been kayaking for many years now, but for me I'm new to it and this was my 3rd time.  The first time that I ever kayaked was at Eastern Kentucky University in a class that I took prior to 1990 with my daughter Suzanne.  There we learned how to roll a kayak completely around, but it was in a swimming pool with an instructor looking on and keeping us from drowning.

Then in 2023 Suzanne and Ray asked me if I wanted to go kayaking with them and I agreed to go.  It was fun, but getting into and out of the kayak was very difficult for me because of my recent total hip replacement.  I let myself down so hard on the kayak that I bruised myself and after that for a while I just fished from the banks of Owsley Fork Lake and any other lake I could easily drive myself to.

Suzanne & Ray use their kayaks to fish out of and to observe nature and the beautiful peaceful surroundings.  They see deer, big fish swimming by, green turtles sunning themselves on downed trees and tree limbs, and of course they watch the sun come up in the early misty mornings and the sunset in the evenings. Suzanne & Ray's grandson Carson also goes kayaking with them at times, and so does Matt, Victoria and her boys.  Kayaking is a family affair.

My other daughter Sharon, kayaks with her children & grandchildren, among other activities.  She has so many outdoors interests and you just never know what Sharon is doing from week to week.  Sharon may be on her Razor 4wheeling, her dirt bike, kayak, boating or camping primitively somewhere out in the woods, or on her motorcycle riding around the countryside or to another state all by herself.  There isn't anything out-doorsey that Sharon can't do.  I failed to name cycling 60 miles before breakfast on her mountain bike, mountain climbing or running in a marathon.  Sharon and her kids can do about anything they can afford and put their mind to doing.   

I've been pretty much a couch potato since Jimmy died, but then Rick came along and we fished and boated for a little while, but his job got in the way and we stopped going anywhere until Suzanne got me interested in fishing again this year.  Below are some pictures of last weekend when both Suzanne & Sharon got together and we all went kayaking, even me.......

We got on the lake very early.  

Suzanne & Ray arrived there at around 5:00 a.m., I got there around 5:30 a.m. and Sharon & Zac arrived around 5:45 a.m.

We immediately launched our kayaks when Sharon & Zac arrived and started on our journey.  Everyone except Sharon & I fished.  I didn't fish because it was all that I could do was to paddle myself around. Zac, Suzanne & Ray fished, but mostly we observed our beautiful surroundings and visited a lot.  Suzanne spotted a 5 foot long carp and we all got to see it as it fed around the banks of the lake.  It looked like a shark with half of its tail fin  out of the water.  No one wanted to cast near that fish because we all knew that it was way too big and would easily turn a kayak over.  I'll try to put the video of the large carp up on a later post once I figure out how to do it.

I'll attach 5 more pictures of us kayaking in the next post.  And also,  if you look closely at the last picture you will see a towrope going from Zac's kayak to mine.  We were on the lake around 5 or 6 hours with two very brief stops, so the last hour Suzanne suggested that I get towed for the trip back to the docking area.  Sharon volunteered to tow me and then Zac took over.  In the picture above, Zac is towing my kayak.  Getting towed is great and allowed me to take pictures, but only pictures of everyone's backs.  I was extremely sore the next day, but an Aleve helped with the soreness for a day or two.  My kids and grandkids are so considerate and thoughtful.  I love my family so much!  Even the ones who weren't with us.  I have a great family!!!

 

Fall is here

Fall is here with beautiful colors and the autumn colors are just beginning to appear.  It's definitely going to be a very pretty Fall this year.  Here are a few pictures that Suzanne, Ray & I managed to take.

 

More Kayaking pictures and a video: Fall is definitely here.