Go out there and catch lots of fish today, looks like the weather is prime.

But do not forget why the day is held, God Bless.

Looking for something for the children to do?  Want them to experience the outdoors and think they would like fishing, but  you don’t know much yourself?  Problem solved, this year the Metropark system will be hosting several clinics for the kids and parents at several sites along the Huron and Clinton Rivers.

Contact Person:

Denise Semion

Huron-Clinton Metroparks

800-477-2757

REEL IN SOME FISHING FUN AT THE METROPARKS

Fishing is a great catch, and several Huron-Clinton Metroparks are offering fishing events this summer for kids.  Pre-registration is required for all programs.

MetroBeach Metropark, near Mt. Clemens

586-463-4581 or 800-477-3172

·                                          “Family Fishing Fun,” Sunday, June 7 at noon. Children and their chaperones can learn the basics during a short “how to” clinic, then try fishing on the shoreline of Metro Beach .  Life jackets mandatory for children.  Bring your own fishing rodif you can.  Fee:  $2 per child.  Pre-registration required.

Wolcott Mill Metropark in Ray Township

586-749-5997 or 800-477-3175

·                     Take Me Fishing – Saturday, June 6, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Historic Center.  Learn fishing basics: water quality, fish identification, knot tying, lure making, casting, boat safety, and more.  Goodie bags will be handed out to the first 100 children.  After completing the course, kids can try their luck fishing.  Donations welcome.  

Kensington Metropark near Milford/Brighton

800-477-3178 or 248-685-1561

·                     Fish Camp, Tuesday through Friday, July 21 through 24, 9:30 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Nature Center . For children ages 8 – 12.  Fee:  $60 one child, $50 second child.  Learn about fish and how to catch fish, and then fish the lake.  Bring your own equipment, if possible.  Pre-registration required.

Hudson Mills Metropark near Dexter

734-426-8211 or 800-477-3191

Fish along the banks of the Huron River near the Rapids View Picnic Area.  Rods, reels and bait provided, or bring your own.

·                     Fishing Day- Sunday, June 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  No license is needed on the DNR’s Free Fishing Day.  Fee:  $2 per person.  Pre-registration required.

·                     Father’s Day Fishing - Sunday, June 21, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Fee:  $2 per person, dads free. Pre-registration required.

·                     Children’s Fishing Day- Sunday, July 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Pre-registration required.

Oakwoods Metropark near Flat Rock

800-477-3182 or 734-782-3956

·                     Fishing Fun Camp – Tuesday through Friday, August 4 through August 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for children ages 8 – 15, Fee: $75 per child.

Located along the Huron and Clinton rivers, the Metroparks provide a natural oasis from urban and suburban life as well as year-round recreational activities and events.  A regional park system, the Metroparks consist of 13 beautiful parks covering nearly 24,000 acres, ten spectacular public golf courses and two marinas on Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair , respectively. The parks also offer scenic nature trails, breathtaking beaches, educational activities and exciting winter sports.  A vehicle entry permit is required to enter any Metropark and is only $20 annually for regular admission, $12 annually for seniors, or $4 daily.  General information can be found at www.metroparks.com or by calling 1-800-47-PARKS. 

http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/

You can use the above link to check out anywhere in the Great Lakes by simply clicking on the lake you want the temperature information for.

For just the Western Basin of Lake Erie, click on the link below.

http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/erie/e1.html

April 2009
Detroit, Michigan

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1 Sunrise: 7:15am Sunset: 7:57pm	2 Sunrise: 7:13am Sunset: 7:58pm First Qtr: 9:34am	3 Sunrise: 7:11am Sunset: 7:59pm	4 Sunrise: 7:10am Sunset: 8:00pm
5 Sunrise: 7:08am Sunset: 8:01pm	6 Sunrise: 7:06am Sunset: 8:03pm	7 Sunrise: 7:05am Sunset: 8:04pm	8 Sunrise: 7:03am Sunset: 8:05pm	9 Sunrise: 7:01am Sunset: 8:06pm Full Moon: 9:56am	10 Sunrise: 7:00am Sunset: 8:07pm	11 Sunrise: 6:58am Sunset: 8:08pm
12 Sunrise: 6:56am Sunset: 8:09pm	13 Sunrise: 6:55am Sunset: 8:10pm	14 Sunrise: 6:53am Sunset: 8:11pm	15 Sunrise: 6:51am Sunset: 8:13pm	16 Sunrise: 6:50am Sunset: 8:14pm	17 Sunrise: 6:48am Sunset: 8:15pm Last Qtr: 8:37am	18 Sunrise: 6:47am Sunset: 8:16pm
19 Sunrise: 6:45am Sunset: 8:17pm	20 Sunrise: 6:44am Sunset: 8:18pm	21 Sunrise: 6:42am Sunset: 8:19pm	22 Sunrise: 6:41am Sunset: 8:20pm	23 Sunrise: 6:39am Sunset: 8:22pm	24 Sunrise: 6:38am Sunset: 8:23pm New Moon: 10:23pm	25 Sunrise: 6:36am Sunset: 8:24pm
26 Sunrise: 6:35am Sunset: 8:25pm	27 Sunrise: 6:33am Sunset: 8:26pm	28 Sunrise: 6:32am Sunset: 8:27pm	29 Sunrise: 6:30am Sunset: 8:28pm	30 Sunrise: 6:29am Sunset: 8:29pm

Found this while digging around the Ohio DNR website

Well the rain stopped, winds kicked up and temps dropped down, all three factors making last nights crawler operation a tedious one at best. I was able to score some, but had to work way to hard for it.  Late night and 15 bucks at the bait shop short.  That’s what I had to pay Saturday at the bait shop for nightcrawlers.  I ended up just mixing those with the dozen or so I got last night.

If you have never kept your own crawlers for a season here are couple of quick tips that may help you save some bucks and keep you in worms all through the summer months.

I start out with Frabill worm bedding.  Its basically some type of newspaper bedding where you add water.  The key is not to have it sopping wet, if that happens mold and rotted worms are the results.  Its fairly inexpensive and easy to mix up quickly.  There are other alternatives, but this works for me.

I keep them in an old fridge down in the basement in one of the original Bait Canteens.  I still have three of them, but may have to work on replacing a side or two in the next few years.  Even so, not bad for the 30 or so years they have been in the family.  Today there are foam alternatives, and Frabill makes a wide range of sizes to fit  your needs, and there are still variations of the ol’ Canteens around too.

Finally just place your crawlers up on top of the bedding.  They will work themselves down into the mix.  Frabill and a few other companies make worm bedding food, and I use Magic’s worm food.  Comes in a shaker can like parmesan cheese.  Once a month I will feed them, and shake up the box by turning it upside down and giving it a few quick jolts.  It keeps the bedding from compacting and seems to keep the worms alive.  If the bedding begins to dry out, and in the frost free fridge’s they will, just ad a couple of ice cubes on top and let them slowly melt into the mix.

Perhaps its fitting that the Tigers game with the White Sox was rained out today for all baseball fans probably are feeling this great loss of such a true character.  I have been looking for the song that they made up about the “Bird” all morning.  Have found interveriews,

You Tube     Not a bad comment to be made.

and even a box score against the Yanks.  The names bring back many memories.  Jason Thompson wacking balls over the roof, Ron LeFlore stealing bases,  Tommy Veryzer at short,  Rodriequez at 3rd with shiny black mitt, Rusty Staub with his red hair, Mickey Stanley a hero from 1968, and Bruce Kimm the only catcher who caught for the Bird.

…an obit from the NY Times

….had a great write up from ESPN

…more from blogs, and more blogs, filled with lots of comments, all good about the Bird.

Articles from around the country:

http://sports.mashget.com/2009/04/14/drew-sharp-mark-fidrych-1954-2009-when-bird-was-the-word/

http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/04/column_local_reactions_to_the.html

http://www.spartantailgate.com/forums/msu-red-cedar-message-board/379265-mark-fidrych-dies-54-a-4.html

Remembered by teammates.

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2009/04/mark_the_bird_fidrych_dies_at.html

This is the song that they played every day he pitched, but not the one I was looking for with the words about him included….will keep looking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnQBu3XbaVI

First George Kell, and today Mark “The Bird” Fidrych has passed away.  This was really my first favorite Tiger, one that I could claim as my own, not of my father’s time.  I remember going to see him during that 1976 season, the stadium and city of Detroit both humming with excitement. 

They had guys dressed up like Seseame Street’s Big Birds walking up and down the steps of the ol’ stadium.  Us kids could get iron on newsprint out of the Sunday papers to put on t-shirts.  I have no idea what the record of the team was that year, I know it wasn’t good, but I remember loving to watch baseball that summer.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090413&content_id=4252328&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=fidryma01

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=5

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20090413/UPDATE/904130436/1129/+The+Bird++sure+could+fill+the+seats+–+and+ushers++wallets

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20090413/SPORTS0104/904130435/1129/Fun+followed+Fidrych

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPORTS0104

A little over six years ago I learned that I had qualified for my first ice fishing championship held up in Minnesota.  I was geeked, my father was supportive, my brother really didn’t know what to make of it, it was more like “Ice fishing has a championship, really?”  My mother was, well she was mom being mom, supportive and proud, she told all her friends from the women’s college group to her sewing guild.

When I got home from Minnesota that following December, a week later we were in the hospital.  For about a month we thought mom was dealing with a sore throat, but the weekend before Christmas we learned it was something different, and much worse.  The cancer was back.

A little less than five years before that she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  My “ma” was as pigheaded as they come, something most folks say they see in me,  she got into the books and had second opinions back then.  You see, it wasn’t that she doubted the fact, just the treatment.  Originally she was told radiation would be enough, that wasn’t good enough, she wanted no doubt that when she beat this thing it would be gone for good.  While most folks dread the thought of chemo treatments, she demanded it, and got it.

With the bad news that December came some confusion at first,  the experts said she could possibly live a few more years.  Yet one young doctor was able to tell the truth, and not sugar coat what would really happen.  Six months or less,  no more.

The cancer was in new places, first in her vocal chords and right leg.  It moved fast from place to place in the weeks that followed.  It seemed every two weeks the doctors found it had spread to a new location.  Finally the family doctors called mom and dad in to the office to say it spread to her brain.  It wouldn’t be long now.  They cried, not just my folks, but the two doctors from a practice in Toledo.  The same two my family has been seeing since we moved to Ida back in 1970.  Those doctors are what the kids call today, “old school”. 

St. Valentine’s Day was the last day my mother could speak, and three days later, five years ago today my mother passed away.  It was also a Tuesday.  A few more months and mom would have been a breast cancer survivor and would have been able to celebrate my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary.  That September she would have seen my brother get married to the mother  of her first grandchild.

Funny how some things work out in this lifetime,  yesterday I received an email from one of the young ladies I used to work with in Dundee.  She was just a kid then,  a friend’s  daughter who worked in the department next to mine.  “Mansy” I called her most of the time,  Amanda when she came over to get tutored in English for the community college.  The beagles, Shelby and Piper  loved her so you know what a good person she has to be, even if she did want to put ketchup on everything.

Today,  Mandy Ausmus is married to Aaron, another one of the “good” kids I used to work with.  She has graduated and working for the U of M Hospital as a respiratory therapist.  She is also the cheerleader coach for her alma mater,  Summerfield.  The email was about the big game tonight between the Bulldogs and Whiteford in a TCC basketball showdown at the high school in Petersburg.

How does this all tie in you might be asking at this point?  Tonight, at the basketball game they will be celebrating breast cancer surviors and help to fight this disease.  Five years to the day, on a Tuesday.