30 Years is Not Enough

Today, Michelle and I celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

Like most of our celebrations, this one will be simple, low key, and will center around food. Just what’s on the menu, we’re not sure at this point. Better to wait and see what comes our way. It’ll be something home grown or gathered, for sure.

That’s an appropriate way to celebrate a marriage that, for 30 years, has been so often about seeing what comes our way. Not to say we’re passive, just very flexible.

Thirty years can be both forever and the blink of an eye, depending on the situation. While we sometimes feel it’s impossible to look back that far, we often think that we have hardly had enough time together.

While we’re celebrating the happy event, we’re also very aware that time is running out in a way—Aly heads back to school the day after tomorrow. That adds a bit of urgency and poignancy to what is usually a very low-key celebration.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the wedding itself, and posted some photos of the event.

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Angler’s Heartbreak

Yesterday morning I commented that I had not seen any salmon jumping for a couple of weeks. Shortly after that, we began to see them jumping inside our bight. When the fish run, we see a few jump within casting distance now and then, but on this day, they seemed to jumping every few seconds, very close to shore.

We had other projects planned for the day, and a dinner menu that didn’t include fresh fish. But, as Michelle pointed out, homestead life demands flexibility, so I rushed down to the edge of the rocks with a fishing pole and landing net like a child unexpectedly released from school on a sunny day.

I cast, and had a strike before I could set the reel. With polarized sunglasses, I could see my prey, a good-sized salmon through the clear water. Unfortunately, I also saw the height of the tide; it wasn’t good. Continue reading →

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