Monday in August

Working as I do, under the influence of an obsession, making my handmade rustic willow furniture, I usually have difficulty unplugging and taking time to get away. I usually do this by making a road trip to the sawmill in Knightstown, with a couple of secondary targets, such as fishing on Sixmile creek or stopping by Sparky's doghouse or Summitlake.

Today I did stop by the sawmill, but there was nothing in the scrap pile. It felt futile returning without something to justify my trip. When I got back to Lapel, I decided to go fishing at Perkinsville. I arrived to find a couple of other fishermen who went downstream to occupy my favorite spot. Instead of encroaching on them, I decided to explore the upstream area of the river where I had never been. I wound up in deeper water than I have been used to, up to my shoulders. The water is clearing and I was able to explore this part of the river, discovering several spots where there were piles of large Canadian boulders right in the middle of the river, just as I have experienced in several other rivers such as the Mississinewa. These boulders are in the middle of the deepest part of the river and are out of place in the largely limestone bottoms. They are remnants of the glaciers of 14,000 years ago.

Despite the fact that I was fishing with jumbo shrimp, bites were few and far between. There was an approaching cold front, usually a good trigger for fish, but I only caught a few smallmouth and rock bass.

It was a lovely day, and I was able to unplug from the intensity of getting ready for the Country Living Fair coming rapidly up. I feel better prepared to face the intensity of gathering willows and making trellises and gathering bittersweet against the deadline of the show. There will be fewer and fewer times when I will be able to be comfortable being deep in the river. Cooler weather will make wading only possible for another month or so.

I did note that I heard the sound of rufous-sided towhees all day, starting in my back yard, in downtown Lapel and all along the river. These birds are seldom seen. I had a number of them at Mt feeder in early spring and I always see and hear them when I go mushroom hunting.