Catch and Release

"Who hears the rippling of rivers will not utterly despair of anything."

-- Henry David Thoreau 

I often see inspirational posts, touting the healing powers of the ocean. And while I would never dispute the beauty and majesty of the seashore, it's little more than a pipe dream for someone who spends most of their time in land-locked Kansas.

While it may not be as mighty or awe-inspiring as the crash of waves along a rocky shore or the ebb and flow of water racing toward a sandy beach, a trip to a favorite fishing spot along the Ninnescah River also provides that calming sound of moving water. (Be sure to have the sound on as you watch the video.)

For weeks, our home along the Stafford/Reno County Line had been in a slash of red on a map right in the middle of Kansas. That red signified an area of extreme drought. 

But last week, 5 inches of rain improved our drought status here. And Randy was anxious to visit the Ninnescah pasture for a fishing trip.

The Johnson pasture along the Ninnescah has long been a "summer vacation spot" for our mama cows and their calves. On that summer evening, the cattle were grazing in another part of the pasture. They might have been missing out on the beauty, but it was there for the taking for a couple of interlopers in a Gator. 

Randy is the fisherman. I'm more along for the ride and the natural beauty. I may hold a fishing pole for awhile, but I'm usually more interested in holding the pages open on my book, competing with inopportune page turning from the Kansas wind.

And let's be honest: Randy does the hard work on these expeditions. He gathers the supplies and equips the Gator and baits the hook. I guess he finds the companionship worth it? Or maybe I'm there to be the cheerleader? Or official photographer to prove his mighty fisherman status?

That night was a "catch and release" night. He weighed the catfish, reported its 3-pound heft and then tossed it back in the water. 

I'm also content to wander around and find the splashes of color provided by the wildflowers.

There were yellow cone flowers.

The lavender of the wooly verbena is always a favorite for this K-State fan.

And the purple poppy mallow almost mimicked a rose. (I personally think they should be called pink or magenta poppy mallow, but nobody asked me.)

But the "music" of the evening was provided by the river as it tumbled over the dam and crashed into the rocks below.

The frothiness looked like suds on top of an ice-cold soda pop, which might have made the humid June evening a little more tolerable.

When Randy first felt a tug on his line, the froth covered up the "prize" until he reeled it in. It wasn't a catfish. It was a turtle, which he unhooked and sent on its way.

After a precarious slide down to the water's edge when he caught the catfish, I am adding another tool in Randy's fishing arsenal. I ordered a fishing net with an expandable handle. It will go right along with the retractable/expandable golf tool I bought him a few years ago for Christmas that he uses to retrieve balls from underneath trees or in water hazards.

 

While the water is great and all, taking an unexpected swim isn't in the plans - even if it might have felt good on a warm June night.

 

Gone Fishing

This photo of our fishing spot on the Ninnescah River was taken in the summer of 2010. I don't remember the last time the water was up this high.

Drought isn't good for crops. It's not good for fishing holes either. Our favorite local fishing spot is at a pasture on the Ninnescah. 

2010

Back when we were actively farming, we'd load up the 4-wheelers and join our cattle who were "vacationing" for the summer at the Ninnescah pasture. Our cows and calves are still there - managed by the Millers - but drought has impacted the pasture as a fishing venue. (It also meant fewer cow-calf pairs to spend the summer in the pasture, which is a far bigger problem than missing convenient fishing.)

Summer 2015

Our catch in 2010!

Randy had already scouted out the pasture this spring, and he knew that fishing there was not an option. Instead, our Saturday "date" was a trip to the Pratt County Lake. It's not the lake I remember as a child. Just like an HGTV show for nature, they've done a total redesign of the lake. 

OK, it's been awhile since the lake was rebuilt. If my internet sleuthing is accurate, the lake was rebuilt in 1981, the same year we got married. But, in my mind, the Pratt lake is still like it "used to be" - the version that was completed in 1936. For those keeping track: No, I wasn't around then, and I realize I sound ancient when I reminisce about the "good ol' days."

But the new set-up is nice, with shelters on individual peninsulas scattered around the lake. 

It was a beautiful morning for fishing ... or for reading.

I'm a more dedicated reader than I am fisherman. As long as I stayed in the shade of the shelter, it was a beautiful day in nature. And bonus: I got a book done.

It took awhile for Randy to catch anything at all. Then, the majority of the fish were not exactly keepers.

 But, eventually, he caught three fair-sized catfish. 

It was enough for a small fish fry that evening. And, best of all, Randy was the chef. (I should have taken a photo, but I didn't.)

***

During the first week of May, one of my Facebook friends posted that it had been 269 days since we'd received at least 1 inch of rain. His records showed that August 4, 2023, was the last day that had appreciable rainfall in our area. He also included a report from the National Weather Service-Dodge City, which said that the month of April 2024 tied with 1909 as the driest April since 1875, with only 0.02 inches of rain. The next driest was 1935 with 0.03, 1893 with 0.04, and 1963 with 0.07 inches of rain.

So, I'm thrilled to say that we finally did get more than an inch of rain. It's certainly not enough to impact the drought in our area, but we are thankful for each drop! At the end of last week, we got 1.10" at home and 1.50" on farm ground north of Stafford. Yesterday's (Monday, June 3) gentle rainfall added another inch here at home, but only 0.15" north of Stafford, so rainfall was highly variable. Still, we are thanking God for this wonderful blessing of rain!

It Was a GRAND Time!

 

It was a GRAND time with our GRANDS! Just how many activities can you pack into a few days? We did our best to find out. Kinley and Brooke came to visit last week. We met Jill, Eric and the girls in Salina to start the whirlwind week of activities. 

None of us had been to The Garage, a fairly new automotive museum in Salina, so that was our first stop. Jill was able to use The Sunflower App to get their whole family in for free! If you're a Kansas resident and you haven't checked out The Sunflower App, you should. It offers free or reduced admission to more than 115 sites in Kansas as a learning opportunity for Kansas kids. What a deal! 

Of course, there were fantastic cars and trucks at The Garage.

When I saw the 1942 one-ton Dodge wheat truck, I told Randy he needed a photo. The truck was on loan from the Kansas Flywheels Museum, also in Salina. It had been purchased by Arnold and Theresa Swanson in Holyrood in 1950 for hauling wheat to the local grain elevator at Kipp. Neither of us drove anything quite that old in the harvest field.

Besides the automotive history represented, there were several interactive areas for the girls.

They used virtual reality to "paint" a truck door. (Their dad and grandpa had a turn, too.) I missed getting photos, but there was also a welding simulator.

Kinley tried "driving." She admitted it was a little tough to see over the steering wheel.

Grandpa, Brooke and Jill raced pinewood derby cars down a race track.

After saying goodbye to the parents, we took the girls to Salina's Center for Theater Arts to see their production of "Finding Nemo Junior."

Grandma couldn't resist a downtown mural in Salina with a couple of her favorite things - music and sunflowers ... and, of course, two cute girls.

While we had a great time in Salina, our time on the farm was packed to the brim, too. We took the girls fishing at the pasture on the Ninnescah. 

 

 Brooke was brave and touched the worms.

Grandpa said it was OK to use his jeans to wipe off dirty hands. We didn't catch any fish, but we enjoyed the evening anyway.

Jill had signed them up for swimming lessons at the Stafford Pool. (Thanks Candi and Michelle!) Grandpa was their chauffeur most days. That explains why there are fewer photos from those outings.

One day after swimming, he took them to the Stafford golf course for a little putting. Again, it was the only photo.

We had an outing to visit Great Grandpa and Grandma Moore.

The girls helped with the 4-H foods judging at the Stafford County Fair. Even though our days as 4-H parents are long gone, I still serve as the superintendent for foods at the fair. The girls were troopers. They helped me set up the day before.

And they also were great assistants during the foods judging and clean up. Kinley got to reunite with a friend from 4-H camp last year. Ironically, Kinley and Reagan were in the same cabin. Jill and Reagan's mom, Holly, were team demonstration queens back in their day. We certainly made a lot of pretzels and yeast rolls. So it was fun to continue to build that connection.

Kinley entered nine photos in open class. I'll talk about those more in an upcoming blog post. 

 

But the county fair provided some other activities and fun ... and a LOT of heat! The girls dressed up for Spirit Day. 

The Extension interns gave kids an opportunity to decorate their own tie-died t-shirts.

Grandpa put Brooke's name on the "tallest sunflower" entry. It got a blue. (Of course, it was the only entry, but a blue is a blue!)

Salina isn't the only town with a mural. Before church, I had the girls pose in front of this Stafford Main Street mural.

They also got to visit a new local establishment, The Frosty Bean, for a Frozen Trojan, soft serve ice cream topped with slushy

Thankfully, Grandpa didn't disappoint, and we had one kitten for the girls to admire.

They ended up naming it Muffin.

For our movie night, Grandma had to work in a little bit of nostalgia. I served the popcorn in tin bowls that I brought home from my Grandma and Grandpa Neelly's house. So they ate out of bowls that had belonged to their Great Great Grandparents!

Just how long did it take for a Grandma and Grandpa to recover? Well, we're about to head to join the girls and family for the Shawnee County Fair. So, ready or not, let's pack a few more days full!