March 11, 2024

Fishing Buddy

I felt a little sick throughout the night. The dogs were restless and went through a few barking fits, waking me every few hours. They seemed to know when deer were in the pasture or when there was a rabbit in the backyard. During our first few weeks on the property, the dogs woke us regularly, rushing out the door to chase a rabbit in the yard. After we buried our fifth rabbit, we finally got wise to their deadly games.

In the morning, I sat down in my office and wrote for about 90 minutes. Since my wife had been working nights and sleeping later, I avoided going out into the woods in the morning. Anytime I left the house, the dogs would start up, first crying, then barking, and finally ending in a four-dog choir, howling like a pack of wild wolves. I was convinced that the wildlife in the area knew I was heading into the woods when they heard the howls.

Later, my wife woke up, made a cup of coffee, and went to the front yard to sit. I was waiting for work to start, so I went outside and sat with her. She had finished her round of evening shifts and was off school for the next two days. Although it was my Monday, today was her Saturday. 

While working, I thought about how to make her days feel a little more like the weekend and came up with a plan. I texted my boss and got approved to work a half day, both today and tomorrow. That would allow me to attend a few key meetings and stay caught up on projects. And it would give my wife and me the rest of the day and evening to do as we pleased. She was excited and thanked me several times, as she knew well that I rarely took time off work.

The afternoon started off with a trip to Señor Munchies, a food establishment in Wilson, housed in a festive neon pink building. They served amazing street tacos, filled with pork carnitas and served in small corn tortillas with cilantro, onion, and an amazing green salsa that was both flavorful and terrifically spicy. My wife ordered the carnitas quesadillas, and we shared a side of rice and beans. 

My wife recently asked me to take her fishing and this morning, while we sat outdoors under the warm sun, she proposed we go somewhere to fish. She even purchased a one year inland fishing license from the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. After lunch, we drove straight to Lake Wilson. Before we left the house, I let my wife know that the temperatures around the water were unpredictable. To our surprise, however, the weather at the lake was horrendously cold. We stoically grabbed our fishing gear out of the back of the SUV and walked to a sunny patch of grass alongside the bank.

I looked out to study the lake. The wind felt like it was blowing straight at us, but when I observed the water, there were ripples being torn in opposite directions perpendicular to the bank. The lake water cooled the air, making the wind feel frigid. Despite the conditions, my wife hung in there, learning how to use a spinning reel. She cast the line several times into the wind, landing the line a good thirty yards away. She was a natural. Viewing my wife’s face as she practiced casting, I saw she was shivering. One thing I learned about her early on was that she was tough. Boot camp and field medic training had put her through much worse conditions, meaning nothing we did as civilians intimidated her. That didn’t mean she was having fun, though.

If I had asked her to stay and fish, she would have. Or, if she was miserable, she would have gone to sit in the car and studied while I fished, but none of that was the point of our trip. Today, she learned to cast a line, and did it well. There was no reason to make her first fishing experience miserable or hard, so I called it and we grabbed our things and headed out of the lake. Spring was just around the corner and there would be better days to repeat this exercise.

Somewhere in my studies, I came across a relationship specialist who said a person should always guarantee their partner three things. The first was to make them feel physically comfortable. The second was to make them feel protected. And last, was to make sure they felt accepted for who they were. Paying attention to these three things, in my experience, helped set the foundation for a strong relationship.

We arrived home to a very unpleasant surprise. One dog got sick and had a bad bout of diarrhea inside the house. It was a mess, but my wife cleaned it all up. Usually, she handles any dog poop issues, while I handle any vomit. Long live the valiant tradition of rescuing dogs only to be ruled by them.

By late afternoon, the weather had warmed nicely, making our time at the lake feel like a completely different day. The green grasses were growing and getting long in the backyard, so my wife pulled the riding mower out of the shed and cut the backyard. She often told me about how mowing the yard was something she loved to do. She felt like it was relaxing and that there was little to no thinking involved, other than paying attention to the next line of cuts, which all kept her mind present.

There were two large bushes, one on each side of the rear deck we trimmed down last year, but their large stumps were still in place. I’m not sure how long the bushes were there, but the stumps were easily ten inches in diameter. My wife and I took turns chopping at one stump with an enormous axe that weighs as much as a sledgehammer. It was hard but satisfying work. Once I hit the stump, I wanted to hit it repeatedly. Of course, this sapped my energy and reminded me of the hard work that comes with spring and summer. Farm Fit, as we called it, was back. No need to go to the gym for a workout. Upkeep on the property was a harder workout than most people do at the health club. My wife makes fun of me for calling the gym a health club. Young whippersnapper.

By evening, we were ready to rest, so I cut some wood and my wife started a fire in the pit. We grilled teriyaki chicken wings on the Traeger while sitting outside listening to country music and sipping a cold beer. It was a satisfying end to her first day off. We both looked forward to a solid night’s sleep, so we could finally shake the recent schedule change. After showering, we both crawled into bed and fell fast asleep.