On the Bay

For a couple of months each Fall, you can hear the Locals having conversations that might go a bit like this.. "Catch any last night?" .."Gotta few." .. "Sardines (actually, menhaden) were a bit rough." .. "Gnats were sure bad." .. " Yeah, they were. Gotta get some more bait, they were just getting good and I ran out." ..:"Whites or browns?" .. "Gotta mix, a few big 'uns." To an outsider this banter might sound strange but it is standard talk on the Bay. If you have lived on the water for any length of time, this time of year means one thing..shrimping. In the evening, it is easy to pick out the piers that are being used for this purpose. The "old timers" (meaning those who grew up around here) will light up their piers and throw the nets for several hours each evening. Those who do not have a pier, shrimp from skiffs anchored in the shallows.

The net tossing will render anywhere from a few pounds of shrimp to buckets full on a "good" night. The shrimper will "bait up" using a variety of sworn by methods. Some vow that cheap catfood is the best while others use rabbit feed, chicken feed or dog food. Hehe..the local feed stores know that this time of year, they need to stock up or there will be a shortage of these sacks of feed. Anyone else might wonder about the sudden upswing in the sales and then the sudden decline again. They probably won't notice that it has to do with shrimp being in the Bay.

I have been catching more of my shrimp during the day for the past few years. As I said before, I listen for the gulls to start their screaming to each other that a school of shrimp is running. When I hear this, I watch the Bay. If the gulls move close to the pier, I will mosey down to throw a bit. Once the school moves away, I will "head" my catch.."behead" to most people..just another of the strange word usages here. The shrimp will then go into the refrigerator until the next day. It is most difficult to peel a fresh shrimp but once they sit for a few hours, the peels slide off quite easily. Again, I will listen for the gulls all the while I am working in the garden or on some project. I will follow this routine for about two or three months and fill my freezer with bags of shrimp. As I said..food free for the taking..not bad ..not bad at all.

Bird(watching) Dog

Just a thought..things don't always turn out the way we desire. Sometimes we just have to accept this fact and smile. I found this out quickly this morning. I have several fig trees growing in the back yard that are just bearing their first fruit..or were just bearing said fruit. For the past few mornings, I noticed that the Thrashers were getting their share far earlier than I was out of bed. Thrashers have to be the proverbial "early birds" even of the avian world. I think they and the Mockingbirds never sleep. I love to hear them sing all throughout the night but now they were raiding the gardens! My figs! Something had to be done! This would not work! Being one that loves animals (even those that raid the gardens), I mulled over possible nonviolent plans of action. Nets would probably solve the problem and I had several old cast nets that were beyond repair for fishing. The perfect solution! Getting these nets up over the fig trees required a tad more work than I first expected, but I finally succeeded. With a pole up the center, the net had now taken on the appearance of a light and airy tepee! Sort of a "screen porch" for my trees! The little figs could grow and ripen without the threat of being eaten (by anything but me!). I was quite proud of myself for being so ingenious, or so I thought. For the next three hours, I cut grass and trimmed in the rose garden. I never thought to look at the fig trees, they were safe and sound.

Eventually, I noticed Ezzy, the dog, sitting by the tree staring, head cocked to one side. Surely she was admiring my handiwork..sweet, smart Ezzy. Then there was a fluttering under the net...what?? The Thrasher had slipped under the net to get a fig and Ezzy, the bird-loving dog, was not admiring my tepee at all..she was admiring the BIRD! This Thrasher had (in three hours) eaten every fig on this tree under the watchful eye of the very one that is supposed to guard this place! Granted there was only about two dozen of the fruit, but..My Goodness! Nary a fig left on my tree!! Outwitted by a bird! A very fat and happy bird with an audience of a very delighted and adoring dog. Yes, I did have to smile about all of this, life is just too short to fret over a few figs.