Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

We can certainly say that we have not been short changed when it comes to winter weather. This winter has been pretty consistent because the temperatures have remained in the single digits, either above or below zero for quite some time. Every time it warms up just a little we have a steady, but luckily not heavy, dusting of snow. It’s weather like this that can lead to the onset of that dreaded illness that some call “cabin fever” and there is no sure-fire cure for that.

I have found that watching a lot of fishing shows or even golf, not a duffer myself, on TV tends to almost give a person the illusion of warmer weather. It’s not a cure, but it can be a temporary bandage for what ails you.

For years I would subscribe to many outdoors magazines like Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, In-Fisherman, Fins and Feathers and Outdoor News. Eventually, with the encouragement of my wife I eliminated most of them, but I did keep up my subscription to Outdoor News. When I would watch a fishing show or read an article that featured some guy hauling in one fish after another using the latest “sure fire” lure or technique I knew that I just “had to have it”.

I’d guess that this is the reason I have so many tackle boxes and so many lures with no bite marks on them. There have actually been occasions when the fishing has been so great that I could put on one of the many lures that I have never caught a fish on just so I could say that I caught a fish on that lure that I just couldn’t get along without five or so years ago. There are times when, even though the bite is good, a lure still won’t catch anything except the original sucker who bought it.

I have found that just relaxing in my “easy” chair and letting my mind drift to a quiet place like my favorite fishing lake or imagining myself at our cozy, warm cabin with the wood stove blazing while watching the critters through the deck doors. Our little cabin actually has two deck doors side by side that face the lake which makes for a great view.

Yes, this is the time of the year when I long to be there with the only care in the world being feeding the wood stove and filling the feeders. Oh, there is quite a bit of work involved in spending time at the cabin because we have no running water and the electricity comes from our box which is a 100-ft. drop cord away from the cabin. We have only had electricity for about five years and before that we used car batteries, lanterns and oil lamps for light. When TV was analog (free) we got three stations which ran off a car battery. Two batteries would easily last a week and usually the only time we used the TV was after dark, which in late fall and early spring is pretty early.

Whenever we go to the cabin we still have to haul some water in, which has is not a big deal anymore. My wife Jean gave me two rain barrels for Christmas a few years back, so all of our water for cleaning and bathing comes from them. The owner of the nearby convenience store told me that any time we need drinking water we can fill our water jugs there. Just like Albert Lea, there are lots of good folks in that area who are willing to help you out whenever you need it.

My neighbor to the west comes up once or twice during the winter and for the last two years he has checked on our cabin and sent me pictures. I really appreciate that he does that, but after one look at those pictures I feel like I want to drop everything and head due north.

Well, I do have one more remedy for the dreaded fever and I do believe that I will have to use it. This is the visit to one of the area’s sporting goods stores to find that “gotta have it” lure that I have been needing and to restock some of my plastics. You just never know when the next lure that I buy might just turn out to be the one!

Until next time, spend some time in the outdoors sharing an adventure with a youth whether it be your child, grandchild or a friend’s child. It’s what memories are made of.

Please take some time to honor those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy today. Also, take some time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who served and those troops serving today.