Charley from a Yooper perspective

Yooper Game Warden John Walker sends me a regular story, which he calls a "Fish Report."  Sometimes it's about fishing; most of the time it's a philosophical look at life from the uniquely Yooper point of view.  Here's the latest:

Fish Report: 8/17/04

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have been getting  up at the same time each morning for the summer you have noticed a real change this week. For someone who is used to getting up and getting out before 6:00 in the morning this week has sure hit home to the fact the days are fast going into their fall mode. Where I used to be able to get up and move around at 5:30 without needing a light on now you would break your neck if you tried it.

This and the one other fact that is a sure sign that fall is just around the corner. This is when Peppy Peu is out moving around looking for a place to spend the cold weather. Needless to say my smeller has told me this is going on too. If you want to make sure under your back porch is not the place he is looking for make sure you do not tempt him with food. There is nothing better they like than having a good feast and then finding a place to sleep it off. So make sure there are no food scraps or dog food left out where Peppy can find a meal.

Well, needless to say I have once again, after very little thought, came to the conclusion that up here in Yooperland is the best place for one to live. I will gladly put up with the crazy summer weather like we have had and even suffer through a winter that seems to drag on in the spring. But there is no way I would want to have to put up with the type weather we have been hearing about in Florida.

Now Wifee and I got a first hand, "blow by blow," report on the hurricane in Florida this past week. Before I tell you what kind of a week this has been let me first inform you that Florida to start with is one big swamp. In fact, if Florida had the same wetland laws we have up here in Yooperland they would order all those intruders called humans out and return it to the native species.

It is funny when you stop and think that no matter how well we humans plan for things nature can soon make us realize we are not in control. First of all where our daughter lives they had almost a foot of rain leading up to "Charley" coming through. In fact she said it was so wet if you walked across the yard your feet would almost sink out of sight.

We were on the phone with her as "Charley" was hitting them and our son-in-law was out helping the neighbor put his horses in their stable because he does not have one for his horses. That is with my daughter's three horse and the three dogs already in the stable.

As we were talking our grandson, Zack, got on the phone and told grandpa to listen to his rattle. With all the rain and flooding it seems the best high ground to head for is where the houses are built, so this rattlesnake had decided to move in. Of course our daughter did not agree with his move and canceled his plans.

I asked Zack how many buttons were on his rattle and he said 18-19. I told Wifee, "No Way!" (I had lived in Arizona and knew how big a rattle snake would be with that many rattles.) So when Rhonda got back on the phone I asked her how many and she counted them and said 13 buttons.

So I asked her how big this snake was. She said, "Dad, you would not believe it! It was almost four feet long, as big as your arm, and its head was the size of your hand!" I said, "That would be it!  I would have my bag packed and be heading north on the first vehicle out of there!" Mrs. Walker did not raise any dummy! There is a reason I was a Game Warden in the land free of snakes and alligators.

But they made it through "Charley" but it continued to rain hard each day after. They called Thursday night and said the power was back on. But all the horse pastures are flooded. The horse pond has become a lake and at least three alligators have moved in to make a home. There is more water going down the well than you are pumping out of it. So you are boiling all your water for who knows how long. Plus her husband killed a cottonmouth on the road to their house.

They live on a sand road where with all this rain they should have a 4x4 to get in and out. And they are told the road is not really bad yet.

When they called the main request was for all of us to pray for a few days of drying type weather so they can get rid of some of the water.

So give me the black flies and mosquitoes. Throw in a few ticks and some deer flies. Let it snow, let it snow and I promise not to complain about the type weather we may have to suffer through up here in God's Country.

"Tales From A Game Warden"
John A. Walker
530 Alger Ave.
Manistique, MI 49854
906-341-2082