What is it about fishing that makes it so wonderful? I bet I could write a book (literally-- no pun intended) on this one question. When I'm on the water, every emotion comes into play-- The anticipation of the day when I'm leaving the boat ramp-- will it be a nice day? Will I be able to pattern the fish and catch "the big one"? Sitting there with a few dozen other boats, waiting for "blast off", the adrenaline building up, and then your number comes up, and the throttle stick gets jammed forward. In an instant, you're going across the lake at 60 miles an hour. It's the closest thing to flying that there is! At the same time, looking around at your surroundings, just enjoying the absolute beauty of it all, feeling the warmth of the morning sun, thanking God that you're alive to appreciate this!! Once you get to your "spot", (and this includes fishing from shore, as well) there's the aniticpation of the bite-- a complete paradox of feelings-- you're waiting for that first "tap tap tap" on the end of your line signaling that age old instinctive battle of life, but at the same time it's a very calm, peaceful time, when it's easy to get lost in yourself-- almost like a focused meditation. Then there's the hit, and the battle's on-- you've got a milliion things going thru your mind, all focused on that fish at the other end-- Is the knot on the lure going to hold? I hope the line isn't too chaffed? Will he measure? Is it a "PIG"? Then, depending on whether YOU win, or the FISH wins, it's either complete elation, or frustration, and either way, it's time to do it all over again. Also, either way, you feel a very special connection with nature that's indescribeable. There's also times when God sends you very special gifts, that have nothing to do with fishing. Things like a beautiful sunrise over the water, as the mist is rising in the new light. Or the time a couple of ducklings decided they wanted to follow me for a couple of hours. Or the best one-- as I was silently going along the edge of the lake one morning on the trolling motor, I came around a point, and there was a doe and her fawn taking a morning drink, and as I came around the point, the doe picked her head up completely startled and I'm sure, wondering how the heck I could have snuck up on them so quietly! but the best part was that once she realised there was nothing to fear from me, she and her fawn went back to their "breakfast", as though I wasn't even there. An absolutely beautiful sight. This is only beginning to touch on what I love about fishing, and why it's very literally what I live for.

I really like that doo-hicky blade thingy that I can scrape dough up off of a surface, or use to divide a lump of dough in two. I've started using it more frequently as I bake. I just can't remember what it's called. For a higher price bracket, a nice mortar and pestle would be a good gift. One that's large enough to do a lot with. I have a small one that I grind spices with occasionally, and I use it when I make my own salad dressing, or pesto, but mine is too small to make a good batch of pesto. I know that food processors make that a fairly easy job, but they're a hassle to clean, and I love using the pestle. Today I was crushing cumin seed for some lentil soup. It smelled so good, with the scent wafting up from the mortar to my nose. Of course, a modern young woman may look at you cross-eyed if you gave her something like that, but I'd love it. Weren't there some people here talking about some kind of dough whisk they really loved? Sally

Softball, I see some good ideas for next year in your list. The kids gave us a digital picture frame for all our pictures from when we got married to now, 40 some years later. Can't remember what it is called. It plays them or freezes. Older DS loaded it so we could use it as soon as we opened it. I had forgotten some of those pictures. Gads, I looked thinner and better in my younger years! I wanted and received a screech owl house from younger DS. We live close to a preserve, and this area is over run with mice and rats. I wish I could have gone for a barn owl house for the rats, but they make too much nocturnal noise for us and the neighbors. This will help and be interesting to watch. DH gave me a new closet to be installed later. New shelves, rods, etc. by California Closets. We are not do it yourselfers and the builder's lousy rods and shelves are kaput.

I used to bake when we were super poor and had no money. I found baking really inexpensive. I baked all the time for my children so the supplies were almost always on hand. I would bake cookies and bread, and one year I made chocolate covered cherries (I don't recommend it: they take FOREEEVVVER!) I even made Turtles, but over cooked the caramel so they were a little rock hard. hahahaha I even made little sled ornaments out of popcicle sticks. I keep meaning to make them again, they're so cute everyone loved them. But now? I don't have the time, nor the energy to make home made gifts. Besides, todays generation does not appreciate the home made things as much as we used to. I grew up with almost everything home made: my mom cooked from scratch (hardly 0 processed foods growing up), she baked everything (we never ate cookies from Christie), and mom is a seamstress so the vast majority of my clothes were made by mom. She also knitted so I had a lot of home made knit sweaters. I honestly don't know anyone who would appreciate them anymore.