A Quite Life

I used to fish from the banks of a lake next to our farm many many years ago. My fishing gear consisted of a thin branch cut from a willow tree. For a hook I used a needle my mom gave me. I would use pliers and hold it over a fire. Then I would bend it to form a hook. For a line, I would use white sewing thread. For bait, I would use mom’s cookie doe and shaped small balls and place them on my home-made hook. I remember the blue green water of the lake where one could drink without fear of contaminants. I would use a match stick for a bobber and caught numerous perch and crappy. Mom would clean them and cook them in lard she made herself. Life was simple then. Dad and Mom were always together and would often held hands as they walked to the grocery store. The air was so clean and pure that breathing was like inhaling nature. I would listen to the silence and my thoughts were so clear and simple. I knew who I was and where I came from. Oh, how I miss those carefree days.