Today my neighbors across the street, Alice and Marsha called to tell me they had baked trout. "Would you like us to bring a trout to you, Glenda? Oh, and it has bones it in, but you have eaten fish with bones before, haven't you?"
Of course I have. We used to have fish fries on the farm in south Georgia. We caught the brim and bass in Major's Pond, a beautiful deep lime sink that stayed full. I don't remember the year my father began stocking the ponds. He stocked this pool of cool quiet water surrounded by trees with limbs hanging over the bank. Few people fished there. The fish grew and grew.
Major's Pond was my little heaven on earth. No human beings around, and only horses and cattle grazing on the tall grass a short distance from the pond. At first, Barry and I fished there on weekends and late in the afternoon after he came home from work. We trailerd our john boat over and settled in for several hours of fishing. Barry fished the shallow water for bass and I fished the deep water for brim. I loved my little rod and reel and, even after all the fishing gear was sold or given away years later, I could not bear to see that little fishing pole go.
The two of us often pulled the boat in after dark and drove home in the pickup with the bright moon shining our way across the fields. We usually had a nice catch that we froze until the day we and our friends could gather for a party. We cleaned and prepared the fish for frying. Our good friends, Mike and Sue, put on a fish fry that should have been written about in Southern Living magazine.
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| Mike and his dear wife, Sue, who has passed away and is sadly missed. |
I don't think I have ever had any as good as the ones we ate sitting around the family pool on the farm. Having our good friends, several couples including Gay and Stu, my sister and her husband, made memorable moments that will stay with me always.
Those were some of the best times in my life.
Back to the present:
The large trout Marsha brought over was very good. I could easily fillet it and avoid bones. Eaten with a sweet potato, it made a great meal.
Almost every day my neighbors bring over part of a meal they have just cooked. I have enjoyed celery soup, spaghetti bake, and other vegan treats.
During all the heartache and sickness I see and hear about every day, I try not to feel guilty for enjoying my own life so much. And I wonder why I don't live this way all the time. No pressure, no responsibility for others, no appointments -- just free time to do as I want. Heck, I am retired, live alone with my little dog, so why don't I live this way all the time?
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