Next best thing

[Riley Smith]

I felt terrible, but the Vicks on my chest had gotten rid of the sore throat. I definitely wasn't going sailing as I had considered. The small rain we got the other day flipped a switch on the Black-Eyed Susans (and the ragweed too!) and I always get sick when they bloom. They're so pretty too....lining all the roadways and pumping their pollen into my sinuses.
I figured, heck it's my birthday, I get to do what "I" want. But I didn't want to go sailing. I didn't have the energy and felt every one of those 69 years. So the next best thing was fishing under the lights. I got things ready and headed out toward the salt about 4am. But I forgot my jacket. Rats, teacher. I didn't discover this until I had arrived in Gautier. Oh well. I turned the bathroom heater on so I could come back in and warm up, and faced the damp and chill under the lights on Hal's pier.
 I am careful of the lights when I fish. I am quiet and keep in the shadows as much as possible. And I saw a huge redfish roll up to the surface just as I reached the end of the pier. But there were no bites on the Voodoo shrimp for a while. I finally nabbed a decent speck and got a couple more nibbles. The water was crystal clear and I knew the fish could see me ten yards away, so I kept in the shadows and made my casts. Eventually a small redfish followed the speck, and was released the same way. There was no movement on the tide and for the fishing to get hot right there, it's a requirement.
 Finally I started fishing the outer edges of the lights and had a really nice speckled trout take it. I could see the fish running with the bait in the clear water. My life is lived for moments like that. Oh yeah, REALLY nice speck. Which was backed up by the load on the rod as I set the hook. The big fish immediately surfaced and shook fiercely, ejecting the lure. And I got to moan to an empty shoreline.
  Just my luck. The water was so clear I was SURE the fish had swallowed the lure. Ah well, it wasn't the first that one had outsmarted me and hopefully won't be the last.
 The cool air and dampness got to me and I went and warmed up and then headed home. I ached all over but was happy for the chance to see dawn break over the lower river one more time. Yeah, it's been a good 69 years. The pathways we travel along our journey through life are amazing. You just stumble through as best you can, sometimes batting a .1000 and other times striking out.
 And one tidbit. Despite the reliance on the medical profession for many things, I have a reluctance nowadays to go that route unless forced. I could tell I was getting SICK and once back home, my daughter brought me some oil of oregano and I was directed to put two drops under my tongue. Not bad nasty and kind of hot too....but I slept the rest of the day. And woke up last night soaking wet with sweat. I mean dripping off me.
This morning I'm much better, a little worn around the edges, but relatively perky. Take it as it is offered, free and what you do with it is your business. But I know that stuff, along with the Vicks on the chest, kept me from dealing with the sawbones.

[Riley Smith]

PS...thought I'd mention seeing the mullet and needle fish. The needle fish are almost always there and hang close to the pier. They'll nip at your bait but you can see them and keep them away. They're not worthy of catching except for bait offshore. The mullet were milling about and it was pretty much an aquarium worthy sight. And there was a school of hundreds of thousands of small minnows that came through too. It's pretty much worth the trip to see all the critters without catching a thing!