getting humbled

Today I guided my first day of the season on the Missouri. I got my butt kicked to say the least. The water is really high and the fishing wasn't that good, on top of that it was windy. Thankfully, I had a client who was kind, patient, and fun to spend the day with. The river is almost 15,000 cubic feet per second, almost twice its normal flows.
I felt like finding a tall drink to crawl into and lick my wounds, but instead I took the high road and am trying to think positive about the next couple of days. We boated a few fish, but all in all it was a subpar performance on my part. I won't make (too many) excuses, but I wasn't able to do my job like I expect myself to do.
Sometimes we need to be humbled to keep us working hard, or at least that is what I tell myself. It was good to get back on the water, and it was nice to see some friends I haven't seen in a while.
Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully I won't be eating another turd sandwich.

Update

After more than a year of B.S. our little minor subdivision was approved by the county. I am not too excited yet, because we still haven't bought the land. Hopefully that will be soon because that money is burning a hole in our pockets...
It seems as though spring might actually be here, but today it felt more like summer. I will not complain as long as it doesn't snow anymore. The light is staying longer each day, climbing higher in the sky until the solstice in a little over a month. I have never understood the irony of the summer sky. Even though the days last longer they seem to pass by faster and faster until it becomes winter once again. Never mind, I don't want to think about it.
Branding season is upon us here. We branded our big bunch last weekend and it was a great party. Lena even wrestled a calf, well kind of... she pretty much just held it down. Now we will continue to help the neighbors brand and be social butterflies. The best thing about branding is turning out the cows, no more feeding! Now its just a lot of fencing and harrowing hay fields.
I also came up with a new official job title for myself: Livestock Containment Specialist. Its better than "Fencer".
Fishing season is also here and things are gonna get busy fast. I start guiding a little next week. Hello summer, goodbye spare time. I am excited to get back on the water. It has been too long.
Lena and I are planning on selling our bridal palace and moving out to the bunk house at the Neal ranch. We want to save some money and pay down some of our debt before we build a house. All in all it is gonna be a busy summer.

mothers day

Happy Mothers Day! to my beautiful and wonderful mom. I love you so much and I wish I was home for dinner. I can't wait to give you a big hug.

The Cunningham's

I got a glimpse into the past this week while watching a movie with my buddies. I told them I grew up across the street from the Northern Idaho version of the people in the movie. It blew my mind how much I had forgotten about the Cunningham's.
If you want to learn a little about the people I grew up next to, I suggest you watch The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Prepare yourself mentally. It is crazy to say the least.