I ran into some pretty nice lake trout on Friday

November 8, 2014 - Saturday 

32 degrees/snowy-rain/breezy

Pentoga Road

I've been hobbling around the past several days with a self-diagnosed case of sciatic nerve pain in my right butt, hip, and running down my leg into my foot. It must be the weather that is causing it to act up this morning. 

I had troubles with the sciatic nerve on my left side years ago when I was teaching at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka. As I remember, the pain was excruciating and was endured for a month before I awakened one morning to discover it was gone and never heard from again on that side of my body. 

Friday began with a trip into town to purchase the needed ingredients to make chili and a carrot cake. The weather was lousy, I was hungry for both, and the time seemed right.

I stopped on the way home at Larry-the-mechanic's to see how the snow blower is coming along. He's about half finished and is now waiting for a bushing to arrive. I told him there's no hurry... I hope... so after some socializing, I made my way on home.

I cooked and baked the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. I wasn't sure how everything would taste, but the house smelled great.

It was this time last year that I caught several large lake trout in shallow water. Throwing a spinning rod into the back of the Blazer, I drove the mile to the local lake. 

I was holding onto the rod with my left hand and snapped this picture one-handed as this monster, spinner in mouth, went screaming past. It took about ten minutes to land him.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the three trout I caught, the legal limit. 

Though it was snowing, I set up the cleaning table in the back yard so I could use the hose and keep the mess outside. All three will be cooked on the grill for the future Mighty Milligan Fish Feed. 

You know, living in the UP isn't all that much different than living in Alaska. When living north of the Arctic Circle, I used to pack my salmon in any available snow, the same as I did here. 

Sargie went to the Bras for a Cause event last night and found out her decorated bra received the second most Facebook votes. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I told her she ought to quit her job and become an international fashion bra designer. It only makes sense and no doubt, we'll be millionaires and travel the world. I could quit my day job and be her escort. Oh wait, I don't have a day job. Never mind.

I received an email last night from Mom saying she'd been cleared to travel to the UP and spend Christmas with us and the Milligans! We'll have so much fun and after her heart surgery, this will truly be a special time for everyone. I promised Mom, two and a half years shy of her ninetieth birthday who had open heart surgery just two months ago, that I wouldn't make her unload wood from the truck, but that a wheelbarrow full of firewood is brought to the house nightly so she can keep her skills sharp by carrying that in. I'm glad Mom wasn't here... I could almost feel the frying pan hitting me alongside the head. 

You might remember Mom's heart problems began last summer after she helped me unload a truck full of wood AND assisted in hoisting a heavy wall into place when I was building the storage shed. For all her hard work, she got a midnight ride in an ambulance to the emergency room. 

We enjoyed chili along with homemade bread that I'd just taken from the oven last night. Naturally, carrot cake and ice cream topped off our meal.

Sargie opens today and should be home early tonight. I want to install a security light under the eave of the barn and get that wired. After, I might try sneaking down to the lake to see if there is a stray lake trout swimming around. It's the weekend and I imagine word has spread among the fishing community that the fish are in. If other's are fishing, I'll wait until next week to seek more meat for the table.

Cleaned, wrapped, and in the freezer

I see it's snowing again. I guess I should go outside and shovel off the back deck. But first, there's that all-important cup of coffee to enjoy and some deep thoughts to think. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...