Thank God it's spring!!

I love this time of year!  

Howdy ; Finally it feels like winter's back is broken! The air is cool and crisp at night (at least for the time being!) and the days are getting warmer and warmer. It was actually in the 80's yesterday and today it was in the 70's and awesome! I took our Poodles out for a good run before I brought them in for their Spring Grooming at "Petpourri" and we had a ball. No, literally, we had a ball, a tennis ball that my dogs will fetch all day long if you had the stamina to keep up with them! They look so good with the "haircuts". You would swear they were show dogs, but the are real dogs despite how much I imbue them with human characteristics and emotions. The white one, Buddha, is 7 years old and lives up to her name. There are times I would swear that she is meditating when she sits with her head up and her gaze is skyward and pensive. She is definitely the "calm" one. Sadie, the black one, is 18 months old and really full of the joy of life and boundless energy. She is seldom still. The way she bounds, bounces and pounces you would believe that she was the model that they based "Tigger" on. Sadie is a true hunter. She is constantly sniffing the air, the ground and anything new she comes upon. She loves to chase birds, squirrels, butterflies and bugs! Every nook and cranny in our yard has been explored hundreds of times and will probably explore them hundreds of thousands of times in the future. She is not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" but what she lacks in intelligence she make up for with exuberance. We went out to play again after their haircuts and they ran and ran and ran until their tongues were flapping and they were panting like there wasn't enough air in the universe. They LOVED it!! I always keep a bottle of water in the van for them and a bowl, but they would rather drink directly from the bottle. Its hilarious to watch; tongues lapping and water splashing all over them and me. They always get a treat or two after they play. What does all of this have to do with fishing? Absolutely nothing, but its fun! I also collected some of their hair to use in flies that I tie for fishing! I tied up a couple of "Woolly Buggers" with it and it will be interesting to see if they catch fish. It is really funny this spring because I haven't had a chance to get out on the water yet! Conditions have been good, the water great and water levels up quite a bit from last year but still not up to normal levels. I have been busy with making more lures and experimenting with different ways to make "jointed" lures and make them look like they are swimming wounded fish style. I think I have some winners carved up and ready to go and a whole bunch more ready for paint and finishing. There is something about making your own custom lures and catching fish on them or even better selling or giving them to someone and they catch fish! I have been also experimenting with added weight and adding rattle with some good results. I am looking forward to getting them out on the water and seeing how the work and how they catch fish. Well, I've got to go for now. Keep your rod tip up and your line in the water.
Here are a couple of other blogs you might find interesting;

http://poppatom-james5-13-16.blogspot.com/ 
and
http://ajourneythroughgrief-widowwife.blogspot.com/