Joined
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119,550 Posts
Fishing The Coast, Oregon and Washington |
| March 2017 |
|
| So fair, yet so cold like a morning of pale Spring still clinging to Winter's chill. from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) |
March 2nd 2017
And I feebly say to you, "Happy March!" an entire day, late. I'm useless!
The thing is, I'm actually frozen. You know how you move when it's cold out? When your fingers won't move, and your are shivering? That's me... all the time.
Yesterday I said to my roommate, Tammy, "I don't ever want to be cold, again!" She said, "Yes. Until summer, when you won't ever want to be hot again!" That's the way it goes.
There is a tournament this weekend, that I may miss. I'm upset about that. It's the Hook, line and sinker tournament. You can read more about it, here. It's put on by the North Coast Chapter of the Northwest Steelheaders.
I can't believe it is March already, and it's still so cold out. I can't remember it being this cold, so long! We normally have a stretch of warm weather somewhere in here, before spring, but it doesn't seem that will happen, this year! My heat bill is atrocious!
There is yet a second place "First Springer Contest" award, if you happen to be that lucky! The first prize was claimed by Alby! You can click the right hand corner link up there, to read about it.
I'm still waiting on the kwikfish. I was so hoping that they'd come before I take off for the river. Cross your fingers!
March 8th 2017
If you need help logging in, contact
me
Many people contact me by facebook or twitter to both ask for kwikfish or for help getting on ifish. I do understand why you do this, and I don't get upset. But, please don't get upset if I ask you to repeat yourself, by writing to me at ifish on the contact us form!
Writing to me elsewhere is really confusing to me. Not only are these my "fun" after-work things to do, (browse on facebook or twitter or tumblr), but it makes me crazy because I can't keep everything in order. I forget about the other ap requests, or forget who asked what. I have trouble enough keeping track of the ifish requests via the contact us form, or my private messages! I'm getting older, you know!
Also know that I try to keep somewhat regular ifish hours by working mostly in the morning on user name issues. I do browse my e mails for trouble and things that need to be taken care of immediately, but I keep my data issues to the morning. So, if you write in the afternoon, I will get to you first thing the next morning unless it's an emergent issue.
So, if you can't login or need help otherwise, or want a kwikfish- first off, I can't really take requests for kwikfish until I actually have them in hand, and second, it would be great if you used the contact us form, so all my requests are in one place. I know. That's a dream of mine, but hey- I can dream! Can't I?
When you ask for help, please include your current e mail address (watch your spelling!- That's why most companies ask twice!) and make sure you include any new monikers, or extra monikers that you ever created in frustration of not being able to get on, with your old one. That way, I can combine them, and you'll have all your posts, and most importantly, all your private messages in one place. I'd like you to stick with your oldest moniker (user name) so that it builds community by people recognizing the most used user name.
Include your full name with the note. Please know that the newer monikers will be deleted after I merge them into your oldest name.
The contact us form is located at the bottom of every page on ifish. All of the request options come to me, except for the advertising one. I don't have anything to do with sponsor issues, except to make sure no one advertises who isn't a sponsor.
You can always tell a sponsor by if they have a signature picture by their user name on the left. It will say "ifish sponsor" or something like that.
Our goal is to get all the older members back on ifish, so that people know who everyone is! This has been one of the biggest mishaps on ifish, and I believe that we can recover and we are almost there! We want you back, so please don't hesitate to ask for help!
I'm happy to assist!
Also, some people are having troubles with some kind of pop up on their android and IOS phones. It is reported that it blocks almost the entire page, so that you can't do anything. Make sure to check the ifish help desk from a desktop device, or other device that you aren't having trouble on, and read the latest on how to avoid this evil popup!
OK, that's all for today. I have to stay in town until this weekend, when my family is going as a large group to Tebos for the last time, before it closes. Tebo's is our family diner, since I was a baby. I'm so sad to see it go!
Have a great rest of the week! And if you need help, contact me!
Oh! One thing that makes me very happy. I get plenty of complaints. Always have. I try my best to fix anything that bothers folks. I listen. I try to keep my chin up. But, along with those, I get what I call "happy grams". I love those! Here is one that made me smile!
Jennie, I am sure you and the moderators are aware of the sour, almost mutinous mood of some of the posters here. It really came out in the [a recent] thread.
I don't quite understand where this dissatisfaction, even anger, against Ifish is coming from. Part of it may be the continuing growth of the site. I am hoping a lot of it is a form of cabin fever caused by this interminably long and wet winter we are having. (It is snowing in Salem as I write this.)
Anyway, I just want you to know that there are still plenty of Ifishers like me who love and appreciate this unique community. Don't be discouraged, as I know you take things to personally to heart.
I have faith the sour grapes will pass just as soon as the weather breaks, flowers bloom, bees buzz and the song of distant lawn mowers is in the air.
Very best, and always wishing you the best,
xxx
I know that I, too, have been affected by the incessant rain.
I hope that the sun shines, soon!
10th 2017
In the Spring and summer, light flows in my window that blocks
my eyesight. It makes it very difficult to see to work, so I have to hang
curtains to block the rays.
GUESS WHAT?
There is sunshine coming in my window! It is SO bizarre, but it makes me so,
so, sooooo happy and I doubt I will ever block it, again!! I love you, SUNSHINE!
Do you know that we have only had three (Count 'em!) -3 days
of sunshine this winter? KATU did a mobile flash last night that said that,
and it totally explained my rotten mood! We can't live with only 3 days of
sunshine! At least not happily!
Yesterday, after hearing the rain-filled weather forecast the day before,
I decided I would just lay low and do nothing.
That didn't happen. I did everything! I think when you plan on doing nothing,
it frees up that frustrated "I have so much to do" feeling, so that
you are free to actually get things done! That's what happened! I did my taxes!
I cleaned house! I took Willie for a long puppy park romp. (And I wasn't going
to take him out at all! I went to two stores to get things I needed. (And
a couple things I didn't need!)
I bought the neatest clearance candle at Fred Meyer that smells so good!
Oh! There it is, again! SUN! It's so bright! Makes me giggle like when we
went to Florida in the middle of winter, and we kept laughing about that weird
golden globe in the sky. What was it?! I'm not covering it up with curtains,
today! Maybe never again! I need it! It's quite beautiful and it is actually
fairly warm outside!
I opened my sliding glass door, out of my bedroom last night, and this odd,
warm wind poured in and enveloped me with smells and feelings that seemed
like Spring. I could almost smell my Daphne from the front of the house.
The funny thing is that my Daphne began to bloom a month ago, and it has been
the most prolonged blooming season! I thought surely the cold and snow would
have damaged the blossoms, but they are still growing strong! I picked one
to put in water by my sink. Every time I get desperate from all the rain and
gloom, I take a deep lung full of it, and it revives me.
I think.... I think.... (and although I thought so, before--- ) This time,
for sure-- Spring is on the way!!
You guys!!! WE NEED THIS SUN! Do yourself a favor. You MUST get out there
and let it hit your face! All this gloom can cause serious depression, I bet.
So, the sun may do you worlds of good!
I've Had these crazy-almost desperate feelings. I've been so nearly tempted
to drive to the airport and use my free ticket to fly to California for the
day just to feel what sunshine is! This saves me a trip! I know! I'm a goofball!
I wouldn't really do it, (I don't think...) but yesterday I was at wits end
with this weather!
Today, everything! Everything is better and sunny and wonderful!
17th 2017
Man oh man! That was the longest I have been without writing.
Sometimes I get busy and can't write, and that's frustrating, but this time
I couldn't write! My connection was broken and had to wait to get it fixed.
That was pure living heck! To want to write, but not be able to?
Plus-- The weather station couldn't upload right in the middle of a flood
where fishermen and women are watching it. I got so many e mails... "Your
weather station isn't working!" So frustrating! But, now... the good
people fixed it and we are good to go!
I'm still waiting on pins and needles to hear about the kwikfish. Where are
they? Why is it taking so long just to put them together and box them up?
I will call again, today and let you know what I hear. Last I heard, they
were out of town and would be back, this week.
I'm at the coast, and was yesterday the most beautiful sunshine you ever witnessed?
I sprained my ankle, and I'm having troubles getting around, but I sat outside
in the sunshine and just soaked it up, fully knowing that it is supposed to
rain cats and dogs, today! We only get one day of sunshine? Come on! 2 would
be nice! 3 would be lovely, and I could easily take a whole week of it, or
more!
I'm so happy to have my ifish connection back! I didn't realize how much it
was a part of my daily happiness! LOL.
OK, off to catch up!
18th 2017
If you need help logging in, contact
me
Can Not believe this!
I had everything fixed! Everything! I could connect to the
ifish server, I had the weather station up and the mod board was pretty much
caught up. The only remaining problem on my mind was the kwikfish. Where are
the danged kwikfish?
In the afternoon, I lounged on the couch, watching the ODFW commission meeting.
Nothing to do! Lalalalala...
I made a nice St. Patty's day dinner. Corned beef and cabbage, of course...
and a banana cream pie. (Don't know how that fits in, holiday wise, but it
was good!)
I slept (count 'em!) 12 hours! From 8 to 8! Life is good! I woke briefly in
the night to note that it was stormy and blustery. It lulled me back to sleep.
I woke up, sat down at my all-fixed computer, and what is this? My weather
station... after days of being down, and me worrying and counting the hours
till tech support helped me, and finally having it working, yesterday for
no more than 10 hours... is not uploading! WHAT?
The error, though, is mine all mine. Nothing tech support can help! It says,
"Unable to upload data upload profile because of errors." and then,
the errors: "Error in reading image data from the station. Check sensors".
Get me some tissue. I'm going to rain from my eyes, like the winter of 2016/17
in Oregon!
Noooooo! This just can't be!
Now, I'm going to have to call Davis, the weather station people. Good thing
they are always nice, but it's so hard to understand how this thing works,
and in order for them to talk me through it, I have to be smart! I'm just
NOT smart, anymore! Take it from this column. You can tell, right? I'm dumb!
I've got to drink four cups of coffee for this.
I was going to go plunk, today. Now, I will plunk myself down in this computer
chair, and perhaps get up on a ladder while Bill holds me there, or I'll hold
Bill up there, and we'll do what we have to do with that darn weather station!
More and more, we hire people to help us do difficult things, but dang it!
This time, I'm getting it done, myself!
Oh! Get this! Night before last, in the midst of "nothing to do",
(Perhaps I remember things wrong..) our ADT alarm went off in the most awful
way. It was so loud, I couldn't get near it! It screamed a siren with such
intensity that I had never endured. So loud! Then it would yell, "Police!
Police! Alarm! Alarm!" Lol... The dogs were going wild, and Bill... was
still asleep of all things!
We finally got it to turn off with the help of a phone call, but the next
day, we had a problem. They told us to find the transceiver. It was supposed
to be no more than 10 feet away in an electrical outlet. OK. We searched.
And searched. Every single dang outlet!
No luck. So, we went back to bed, hoping that it wouldn't happen again. It
didn't.
But, the next day, the search resumed. I finally found it! It was (of all
places) plugged in, screwed into the outlet in the ceiling of the garage,
where the garage door opener is plugged in. Why, of course! Perfect place
to put that! AGH.
Anyhow, I'm not convinced all this technology brings less work to us.
I'm not convinced one bit.
I live in a home where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play.
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Let me tell you. It's not all it's cracked up to be.
19th 2017
If you need help logging in, contact
me
Bill Hedlund
Portland Tribune
Click
here for the article!
So proud of Bill. At least one of us is fishing!
We both spent a good deal of yesterday working on the weather station.
We finally had success and it was the best feeling, ever!
You know, I tell people that the way I learned about computers is by pushing
buttons and being curious. This can wreak havoc, and cause you hours of
work, but that work is what teaches you! It may be a backwards way of learning,
but I have learned.
Oh, let me tell you the hours of learning I have done! TEE HEE.
It's the most beautiful morning, out there. Let's go play!
28th 2017
If you need help logging in, contact
me
I've been sad and shaken since I learned that David King,
a long time ifish member has passed away. He was PhoebusGroup
on the ifish discussion board.
David was the kindest man.
Every time I'd e mail him, the phone would ring, seconds later. It was he.
He'd rather talk by phone, than e mail. When he did e mail me, he'd cc his
wife, Susan. I thought that was so nice that he cared enough to assure his
wife that he wasn't up to no good, by writing to a woman via e mail. At
least, that's why I think he cc'd her. I don't think she was interested
in fishing.
David was incredibly intelligent. One of those guys that could speak well
on any issue. I seem to recall David was a mensa member. If he wasn't, he
sure could have been. I can't verify that information, but I'm pretty darned
certain.
Once, he sent me a book that he had been responsible for. It's explained
on his business website, "The
Phoebus Group". When I heaved this heavy book about "Intel
Technology" over to scan the information, my eyes popped out of my
head at the price. $895.00!!! I don't think I'd ever seen a book whose sale
price started at that kind of money! Oh, my!
I just spent a bit looking over his online resume, and frankly, I still
don't understand exactly what he did, but it's something about white papers.
LOL. He'd laugh at me, for saying that, as he spent quite some time, talking
about his job. In fact, the reason he sent this book, was to help me understand.
David! I still don't get it!
I sure admired him, though.
He took a special interest in my son, Andrew and he was crushed when he
passed. He'd send Andrew books about cooking, and books about his special
interests. David loved his books!
He also loved the Jean Marie, a 26 foot Maple Bay Fisher/crozier. He
sold it, shortly before his passing.
I called David once, after he was gone for a bit. He had been terribly ill
in the hospital, and I hadn't even known! I just called, out of the blue,
and he answered to tell me about it. He was so ill that weeks had passed
in the hospital, without him knowing. He was getting better... I thought.
I didn't e mail him for a bit. Months, maybe. But, when I did, the next
time, he didn't answer. I called again, a bit later. Then I e mailed him.
The phone didn't auto ring, as usual and the silence was shockingly loud.
David always called when I e mailed. Always!
I e mailed again, a bit later, and talked to Bill about it. "Have you
heard from David?" I had no other ways of contacting him.
I did web searches, hoping I didn't find an obituary. I didn't find one...
but I did, last week, find that he had a facebook page. On that page, his
friends talked about how they missed him, and how tragic his passing was,
and.... tears fell down my cheek.
So, I've been a bit bummed, lately, and on top of that, came down with some
type of awful stomach flu bug. I am on the mend, now, but my heart still
aches.
Yet another reminder to keep up with your good friends. A lesson that is
hard to swallow, when something like this happens. David has been gone since
March of last year. Where did the time fly? How did this get past me? I
have talked to a few of his friends, from the facebook link, and no one
seems to know a whole lot more than I do. I guess, though, that he never
did get well from his mystery illness.
So, onward and upward, we go. There isn't any other choice, from here! That's
the good news! Oh! And the kwikfish are supposed to be sent out this Friday.
That means, if all goes as planned, that they will be sent to you, sometime
next week! And then I'll be at Fishermen's the following weekends, to see
that you get your shot at yours!
Also, Friday is supposed to be sunny! Now, that's a reason to smile, for
sure!
March
30th 2017
Once, upon a very long time ago, I spent hours on ifish, creating
a huge April Fools page.
Here it is.
What a mess of color, huh? And fun! That was fun!
I have so many good memories from the old ifish fun that we had!
So, the kwikfish have been mailed from the factory to me, and now it's just
the next in a series of waiting games. I had them sent to Oregon City. I'm
at the coast, while I wait. (What better place to be?)
Bill and I finally gave up on the weather station, and sent it into Davis.
So, obviously, the weather
station is out of order. I hope they hurry to get it back to us!
I was panicked for a bit, when they said the ifish kwiks were finished.
But, they said they'd have to figure out what to do with any lures I might
not sell. First, I think I'll sell them all! That's not a problem- but I
thought perhaps that meant that they didn't have ifish printed on them.
Oh, no! Did no one realize that our kwiks have "ifish" printed
on them?
I spent a night, up all night, worrying about that, until they got back
to me via e mail. Yes. They have ifish on them! Whew! We
all didn't need yet another problem! But, it would have made sense if they
didn't know about our little ifish stickers on the lures!
Frankly, I can't think of anything else to worry about, now. Whatever will
I do, without a worry!? I know! FISH!
I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, to try to figure out what
the heck is wrong with my foot. Right where the front of my foot comes out
of my leg, there is a big bump. It's swollen, and it hurts so bad. It has
been giving me fits for about 3 months. I kept thinking it would get better,
but not so.
It's getting worse!
It's like a ganglion cyst or something? I had an x ray and they said I have
heel spurs. My heels don't hurt, though!
It's like going in to check my ears and to have them say I have appendicitis!
Weird.
Yesterday I walked (limped!) on the river and found the neatest agates.
With the new tree that the current brought down, it's really mixed up the
rocks and I have a new flush of beautiful agates to find! Thanks, God! I
thought I was done agate hunting!
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