Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

     Let's face it, we're all going to die some day. Who knows, it could be today. I'm fast approaching the age of seventy, and with all the pains that have become a part of my every day life, I'm constantly reminded that I'm not going to live forever, nor do I want to. I haven't got the strength. My wife and I had long ago drawn up a will. We didn't want the state determining where our estate would go. We still need to sit down and come up with a list of existing bank accounts and where our 401K and IRA's are located, and I suppose I should commit to paper where I would like some of what I've treasured in this world to end up. I won't give my wooden fishing boat to either of the boys, I don't want to burden them with that. I do have quite a bit of commercial fishing gear though that they could keep or sell. Then there are the tools and books and other odds and ends. I've already told my granddaughter that she can have my stamp collecti...

 Here's a picture of me from a few weeks ago, coming to the top of the ladder at the cold storage. I had just unloaded my catch of cohos and had to climb up the ladder to get my fish ticket and check. Like so much else lately, the trip up the ladder was a workout. I try not to do it much any more. I get winded, in part because I'm packing a lot more pounds than I should be. No discipline I guess. It's also part of the aging process though I think. As we get older we have less energy and slow down. We need more time to rest and we're less active. Lately I've taken to having an afternoon nap... or several. Sometimes they're planned, and sometimes they just sneak up on me while I'm in my chair watching the TV for a few minutes. I was up at the post office today and my friend John Murray, who is always outspoken was talking to a lady. When he saw me, he said-"Botts! Pull up  your pants!" He was right, they were starting to sag a little. I'...

 Tonight I'm going to write one of the saddest posts that I've ever done. Today around noon, our beloved dog Rigby passed on.  These pictures were taken just over a month ago, but when he passed today, he was just a fraction of the size that he was when these were taken. Over the past month he had steadily been losing weight. His ribs were starting to show and the skin on his belly was hanging. He's always loved to eat, and I indulged him. The kids were constantly telling me he was spoiled, but I don't care. My feelings were that if you were going to have a pet, and especially a dog, he was going to be getting the royal treatment. I've been thinking back over his life, from the time that our daughter Autumn first brought him down from Wasilla in a small carrying case that fit under the airplane seat. He was as cute as a button. For the first week or so he slept in that case in the laundry room and would cry at night. Eventually we purchased a small bed fo...