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Jennie Logsdon Martin, L.O.F.
(Licensed Oregon Fisherwoman)

May 8th 2008

Only two fish on the redds this morning. Wonder where they went? Perhaps to tea?
Patiently waiting for tomorrow morning. That's all anyone can think of. Tomorrow at 9... tomorrow at 9.
I've been having these great thoughts, and if there is any chance that Roo's surgery is to be put off a couple weeks, I'm out of here. So is Andrew, and I might just take David out of school.
We will be heading to Mexico! - or someplace that we have always wanted to go! I have enough Alaska points for flights for three, anywhere they fly. And, as far as money? We have credit cards! Whee! I've never ever been careless with my credit cards, but if we go, I wouldn't call it careless, I'd call it "caring."
There is just no way that we can sit around and wait, and what great timing! Andrew can't really get a job right now, and he's not attending school. He was right in the middle of a transition from school to work. David would be a little more tricky. Who knows? I don't hear much from David. Maybe it will just be Roo and I?
Escape! Escape the stress!
Besides that, the Kilchis River is closed. What else is there to do?

May 7th 2008

When the kids were little, every night at bed time I'd ask them the best and worst thing that happened that day.
I still think about that, and apply it to my life, when I snuggle up for bed.
The most exciting thing that happened in my life was last night on the river.
"I spied with my little eyes" a whole "flock" (LOL) of steelhead, working on the redds that are now spreading all across the other side of the river. Their work is significant in only three days!
While I was watching this busy bees nest of fish, something spooked this very large one. First, a ripple on the shallow water, then he/she shot like a torpedo upstream about 20 feet! It was so cool! It took my breath away! This fish was large, and didn't have any white spots on it. Just this large gray torpedo, shooting straight upstream in a foot of water. Awesome!
I decided to walk a bit downstream. You can see them better, the higher in elevation you stand.
I stood on an old log, and held my hand over my brow to block the glare. Another one shot off like a torpedo! Fire one! Fire two! Whoo hooo!
It's kind of like when I have a fish on! I can't help but scream with glee, and then glance around to make sure no one is watching me, laughing!
Can you imagine? The crazy lady standing on the beach, screaming and laughing and pointing at ?? What's she pointing and yelling about? LOL.

Click to zoom to count the fish!

Yesterday I found out at my eye appointment that my surgery was a resounding success.
Funny, but I've been dizzy lately, and it turns out the reason why is that I now have Anisometropia worse than ever. I love that word!
Anisometropia: The condition in which the two eyes have an unequal refractive power. One eye may be myopic (nearsighted) and the other hyperopic (farsighted).
What that means, is that my surgery eye, pre-surgery was legally blind and a little worse than that. Yesterday, the lady checking my vision was so excited! She started off with two fingers. That's how they usually measure blind people's site, instead of with the chart. Tee hee. No problem! I passed that test with ease! "Well, can you see this big E, if you didn't know what it was?"
"Uh huh!"
With each size, she'd be amazed. "Can you see this?" LOL... Uh huh! I read off the smaller and smaller line of letters while she gasped.
"Jennie! That's 20/50!" Whoo hooo!
I'd say my corneal transplant surgery was a resounding success! I don't have glasses to help me to see that well yet, but I will someday! I can't wait! My eyes are still healing and improving! Wow! Thank you, Lord!
News on Andrew: Roo will have a telephone meeting with the cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Song, Friday at 9:00 AM. That seems like forever away, but we can wait.
Poor Roo. He says he keeps telling himself things will get better, but it's just one thing on top of another, for him.
He has absolutely no money, and can't get a job now due to the upcoming surgery... and then he got pulled over for no proof of insurance. The policeman said that everything was refundable, but turns out, the tow fee is not refundable at all. That is over 300.00.
Seems not fair, but I guess the law is the law.
A few weeks ago, I told him to make sure to put his new "proof of insurance" paper in his car. He said it is in there. -that he just couldn't find it in the dark, while he was so upset about his surgery. He was rattled. I guess! I do believe this is so! He found and gave the policeman the old one, which was dated three days before the day he got pulled over. Sheesh.
They towed him and left him standing out in the dark at 1:00 in the morning. That doesn't make me happy at all. It's a dangerous city at night.
Breathe, Jennie... go look at the steelhead... things will all work out. And the same for Andrew. Things will get better. You'll see!
Some on, Andrew. Let's go watch the torpedos.

May 5th 2008

People ask me why they can't joke about shooting the sea lions. Well, this is why!
Some people think that it's funny. It's not! It happened, now. Someone actually shot them. So, will the legal forces go through ifish and demand the names of all those that wrote in on threads and threatened lethal force on sea lions?
Probably not, but you have to admit. It's not funny. Not even a little.
A quote from ifish member GaryK:
"Stunning and depraved!
Our best response right now would be for our various fish organizations (NSIA, NWGAA, etc.) who were involved in pushing through the sealion control to offer up a substantial reward for the apprehension of this criminal.
This is really going to set back efforts to control the sealions and as a group, we need to come down with both feet on this criminal."

I agree! I so agree! Where do we start?
I'm so ashamed of those that joked on ifish about killing sea lions. As a moderator team we don't allow illegal acts to be posted on ifish, and I'm so relieved that we don't! We have tried to remove and note any and every 'joke' like that. It's just not at all funny!

On a much lighter note, yesterday, Spring was in full force (finally!) and the sun was shining down on the river, I saw them! Finally! In May! I had almost given up hope, thinking that they had gone up river to spawn! It's late, but they are here!
Like rib bones laid on the river with the shore as a spine, stacked up by a tiny start of redd, they finned in the current!
The steelhead are finally laying their redds!
I had to squint with my new vision to see them. Really? Are they fish, or was it a visual trick?
They lay so quiet and unmoving that I couldn't tell for sure. Finally, one broke loose and fell out of line, identifying itself. It floated in the current towards me.
At the shallows, it must have seen the head of my shadow! In a magical swish and swirl, she spooked and twisted and magically disappeared like Disney-dust into the current. But I saw her!
My eyes quickly scanned back to the line up, watching for the next fish to break formation. I saw the flashing side of a hen, digging her redd.
It is the most magical, most poetic, most graceful,

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