The weather is still completely bonkers! We survive Monday's storm, enjoyed the touch of Spring in the air Tuesday, yesterday was warm and cloudy and today I get up to ...SNOW! Which doesn't surprise me at all. The Maine Fishermen's Forum starts today and if we don't have a screaming snowstorm it's just not a good year at all. Many are the times the Captain drove us home through a storm that generally included"white outs". The 35th Maine Fishermen's Forum is held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport Maine. Lots of chances to connect with people and always a very informative time. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.mainefishermensforum.org/.
Still dealing with the aftermath of the boat fire. Every time the Captain goes out to his boat, he comes back home looking like Michael Jackson going in reverse. He is covered in soot from head to toe. Soot is showing up in the oddest places. He leaves piles of nasty clothes all over the place and doesn't turn his sweaters, etc to right side out. Pet Peeve! Nasty clothes that have to be turned. I don't wanna, I don't have to and I'm NOT going to! If they are still nasty after they have been washed, not my problem.
Did I mention the day of the fire my sweetie was nice enough to bring me some shrimp home to pick for the freezer. Fifty friggin' pounds of the little beasties! Nothing like waking up to fifty lbs of shrimp needing to be picked. Not the best way to start the day. Of course the Captain has to get his vessel sorted out so no help from that quarter. My brother the self proclaimed "Shrimp Picking God" is not around either. It has to be done regardless, so my spleeny nieces proceed to help me. One whines the whole time about the shrimp being slippery, plus the whole time the air is punctuated with screams of agony if she happens to get stuck by one of them. Now bear in mind 50 lbs of shrimp is THOUSANDS of the little guys. I turn the music up. The other niece a quite and a good sport. She giggles at her sister's outbursts and rolls her eyes at at the antics we are privy to. Hours later we are finished and the winer never wants to see another shrimp again. "Oh, didn't I tell you? We are having shrimp for dinner.", I tell her sweetly...the girl will make a fine actress some day.
As I said earlier, today is snow. They have a saying in Maine, "that if you want the weather to change just wait fifteen minutes. " Truer words were never spoken. I curse the weather gods. On days like this it just doesn't pay to chew through the restraints. The wind has picked up again and the Captain is pacing. He notices it himself for a change and points it out to me. I think, "look honey I figured that out 20 minutes ago!" The Captain doesn't do "sit" well and I don't do the pacing well. One of the great impasses of our relationship. I just can't seem to figure out his laid back, type A personality. An oxymoron at best.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Just Another Day...
After yesterday's torrential deluge and wicked winds, today dawned bright and clear. Sunshine and a hint of Spring fortold the promise of better days to come. The good Captain was up at his usual 3am to check the marine forecast. I grumbled and rolled over in bed. I didn't go to sleep until 12:30, was watching "chick flicks" on the computer. So when he got up I had no intention of visiting with him this morning.
The marine forecast must have been acceptable, because when I did get up my hard working man was gone. The Captain is fishing for shrimp this time of year and he needs to make every day count when the fishermen are receiving 40 cents a pound after expenses. Which is a crime in my opinion! These men risk their lives on a daily basis to bring the best seafood in the world to the American people. Shrimp season is much mellower than groundfishing, where they go out for days at a time, a lot further offshore. Shrimping is a day fishery and they are home for a hot meal every night. I don't know about the rest of the fishermen but the Captain has been caught falling asleep in his plate on more than one occasion. Generally, though I don't worry about him so much when he is shrimping.
Today being just another day in Paradise brings the usual routine for me. Rabble rouse on Facebook taking shots at Monsanto and the thugs at the top in fisheries management. Posting items that regular people don't see, not being as involved in the commercial fishing business as I am. Port Clyde Lobster Tours on Facebook was started to help get the Captain's tour business off the ground. With Summer so far away it has turned into my personal, private soapbox. I try to make it a point to provide some educational componet each and every day. I'm heavily into Food Sovereignty and eating local. Imported seafood and "frankenfood" really piss me off! Call me crazy but I don't think it is good for us to eat food that has been messed with. Monsanto and their "genetically modified" seeds and Bovine Growth Hormone's are seriously scary stuff! Farm raised imported shrimp is also really scary stuff. Shrimp imported for Viet Nam have shown up with traces of Agent Orange in them. Guess who made Agent Orange? Umm...that would be Monsanto!
I leave the house for town around noon to run errands and go to the bank In Rockland. I return back home at 2:30. There is a big tub of shrimp waiting in the sun-room. This means the Captain is home early, although there is no trace of him in the premises. He isn't generally home this early in the day. Unless...something has gone wrong...
I check the voice mail on the phone. The Captain is there saying I need to call him and oh, by the way "the fire is out." FIRE!! What FIRE?!?!? Can't get him on the phone, I drive to the shore. His boat isn't tied to the wharf, it is out in the harbor. It has the skiff tied to the stern of the Leslie & Jessica. I hope all is well. I return home worried about this business of a fire. The good Captain is a big, laconic, laid back guy. Not much gets him too excited which is a worry all by itself. Honestly, if he were anymore laid back he'd be dead!
So he drags in an hour or so later, looking like Al Jolson getting ready to sing "Mammy" with a black face, black hands and covered in soot from head to toe. My first words are "What Fire?" He has been having problems with his exhaust on the boat for some time. He has tried every method that he can think of to make this thing work until he can have a new exhaust fabricated. Apparently the exhaust has had enough and decided to catch fire. Having fought fires in his youth as a Junior Firefighter, I'm sure he calmly grabbed the fire extinguisher and proceeded to put the fire at bay. Of course residue of the extinguisher has messed up his alternators, both the 12 volt and 32 volt. So that's a trip to Windsor tomorrow to get those fixed. His mate, my son is pretty useless in situations such as these. The big guy brings him to shore and releases him to the four winds. I'm sure he is out of there like a shot! The Captain returned to his vessel afterwards. The fire was still smoldering and the wooden platform the exhaust was sitting on was on fire also. He tore all that apart and made sure the fire was out. It wouldn't be a happy man if he had found his vessel burned to the waterline. Good thing he knows the nature of the beast!
He is out of commission until his new exhaust is fabricated and his alternators are fixed. The good news? He now has no excuse not to attend the upcoming Maine Fishermen's Forum this weekend. Just another day in the life of my fisherman. By the way see you at the Forum!
The marine forecast must have been acceptable, because when I did get up my hard working man was gone. The Captain is fishing for shrimp this time of year and he needs to make every day count when the fishermen are receiving 40 cents a pound after expenses. Which is a crime in my opinion! These men risk their lives on a daily basis to bring the best seafood in the world to the American people. Shrimp season is much mellower than groundfishing, where they go out for days at a time, a lot further offshore. Shrimping is a day fishery and they are home for a hot meal every night. I don't know about the rest of the fishermen but the Captain has been caught falling asleep in his plate on more than one occasion. Generally, though I don't worry about him so much when he is shrimping.
Today being just another day in Paradise brings the usual routine for me. Rabble rouse on Facebook taking shots at Monsanto and the thugs at the top in fisheries management. Posting items that regular people don't see, not being as involved in the commercial fishing business as I am. Port Clyde Lobster Tours on Facebook was started to help get the Captain's tour business off the ground. With Summer so far away it has turned into my personal, private soapbox. I try to make it a point to provide some educational componet each and every day. I'm heavily into Food Sovereignty and eating local. Imported seafood and "frankenfood" really piss me off! Call me crazy but I don't think it is good for us to eat food that has been messed with. Monsanto and their "genetically modified" seeds and Bovine Growth Hormone's are seriously scary stuff! Farm raised imported shrimp is also really scary stuff. Shrimp imported for Viet Nam have shown up with traces of Agent Orange in them. Guess who made Agent Orange? Umm...that would be Monsanto!
I leave the house for town around noon to run errands and go to the bank In Rockland. I return back home at 2:30. There is a big tub of shrimp waiting in the sun-room. This means the Captain is home early, although there is no trace of him in the premises. He isn't generally home this early in the day. Unless...something has gone wrong...
I check the voice mail on the phone. The Captain is there saying I need to call him and oh, by the way "the fire is out." FIRE!! What FIRE?!?!? Can't get him on the phone, I drive to the shore. His boat isn't tied to the wharf, it is out in the harbor. It has the skiff tied to the stern of the Leslie & Jessica. I hope all is well. I return home worried about this business of a fire. The good Captain is a big, laconic, laid back guy. Not much gets him too excited which is a worry all by itself. Honestly, if he were anymore laid back he'd be dead!
So he drags in an hour or so later, looking like Al Jolson getting ready to sing "Mammy" with a black face, black hands and covered in soot from head to toe. My first words are "What Fire?" He has been having problems with his exhaust on the boat for some time. He has tried every method that he can think of to make this thing work until he can have a new exhaust fabricated. Apparently the exhaust has had enough and decided to catch fire. Having fought fires in his youth as a Junior Firefighter, I'm sure he calmly grabbed the fire extinguisher and proceeded to put the fire at bay. Of course residue of the extinguisher has messed up his alternators, both the 12 volt and 32 volt. So that's a trip to Windsor tomorrow to get those fixed. His mate, my son is pretty useless in situations such as these. The big guy brings him to shore and releases him to the four winds. I'm sure he is out of there like a shot! The Captain returned to his vessel afterwards. The fire was still smoldering and the wooden platform the exhaust was sitting on was on fire also. He tore all that apart and made sure the fire was out. It wouldn't be a happy man if he had found his vessel burned to the waterline. Good thing he knows the nature of the beast!
He is out of commission until his new exhaust is fabricated and his alternators are fixed. The good news? He now has no excuse not to attend the upcoming Maine Fishermen's Forum this weekend. Just another day in the life of my fisherman. By the way see you at the Forum!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Mother Nature still in a bad mood
Mother Nature is apparently still in a bad mood. It is blowing a gale this morning. The good Captain has gone to town for supplies for his vessel. Imagine that! The wind chimes are ringing madly. I wonder if we are going to have a repeated loss of power episode? Maybe I should draw off some water just in case. I guess March is coming in like a Lion. Does that mean if we survive another month of this the weather will finally smarten up? I certainly hope so, I can see why people become "Snowbirds". I'm thinking that it isn't such a bad idea after all. I would miss the seasons but we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good.
This morning when the Captain was droneing around on the computer, he was checking the marine report. He seems to think that I need an audio version and he reads it to me. Knots, gusts, wave height, how often, how long...Good Grief! I do my level best to tune him out, a skill I acquired years ago when my children were small. I know this stuff is important but I don't require the entire report read to me. Just give the gist of it and let me go on my merry way. Gusts to 60 knots is all the information I need. That tells he that he will be pacing and muttering to himself ALL DAY! I told him years ago that he had better not even think of retiring because he will drive me completely out of my mind. I would be forced to bury him out back, tell people that he went out for a pack of cigarettes and haven't seen him since. Only trouble with that story is the Captain doesn't smoke. Nor does the man do idle well...
The "Big Kahuna" just called. He is the Captain's father. He just informed me that Travis went out in this mess. I can never tell when he does this if he's complaining that the Captain should be out also or not. I tell him that Travis is nuts! He agrees for a change, I guess he just needed something to do, kind of like grousing about the weather for other folks. The "Big Kahuna" is at loose ends these days. His truck is broke down and it has thrown his daily routine off. Usually he drives around town at least twenty times a day nosing around. If you want the low down of what is happening in Port Clyde just ask the "Big Kahuna". If he doesn't have the information no one does and that's a fact! He will be 78 this year, I hope I'm still getting around like he does when I'm 78, if I live that long! I'm afraid the fishing business might do me in before then.
Ah, the fishing business. Now that's a story all by itself. I'm fond of saying, "That I know more about commercial fishing that anyone born in Cincinnati Ohio has a right to know!" But I am going to save THAT story for another day because I think I need to draw off that water I mentioned earlier.
This morning when the Captain was droneing around on the computer, he was checking the marine report. He seems to think that I need an audio version and he reads it to me. Knots, gusts, wave height, how often, how long...Good Grief! I do my level best to tune him out, a skill I acquired years ago when my children were small. I know this stuff is important but I don't require the entire report read to me. Just give the gist of it and let me go on my merry way. Gusts to 60 knots is all the information I need. That tells he that he will be pacing and muttering to himself ALL DAY! I told him years ago that he had better not even think of retiring because he will drive me completely out of my mind. I would be forced to bury him out back, tell people that he went out for a pack of cigarettes and haven't seen him since. Only trouble with that story is the Captain doesn't smoke. Nor does the man do idle well...
The "Big Kahuna" just called. He is the Captain's father. He just informed me that Travis went out in this mess. I can never tell when he does this if he's complaining that the Captain should be out also or not. I tell him that Travis is nuts! He agrees for a change, I guess he just needed something to do, kind of like grousing about the weather for other folks. The "Big Kahuna" is at loose ends these days. His truck is broke down and it has thrown his daily routine off. Usually he drives around town at least twenty times a day nosing around. If you want the low down of what is happening in Port Clyde just ask the "Big Kahuna". If he doesn't have the information no one does and that's a fact! He will be 78 this year, I hope I'm still getting around like he does when I'm 78, if I live that long! I'm afraid the fishing business might do me in before then.
Ah, the fishing business. Now that's a story all by itself. I'm fond of saying, "That I know more about commercial fishing that anyone born in Cincinnati Ohio has a right to know!" But I am going to save THAT story for another day because I think I need to draw off that water I mentioned earlier.
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