Getting Old and Thinking Back....... Way Back

Pictures Above are of my Grandma, Sally Washington and my Aunt Joyce

I guess most people in Eastern NC are cooped up tonight. Outside, the temps are in the 20's and everything is covered by a layer of ice. Pretty miserable and dangerous.... Today I continued from my transition from a carefree kid to a crippled old man. How did I accomplish this? Well, I stepped out of truck and onto a solid sheet of ice. At exactly the wrong time, my phone started ringing. So, while multi-tasking consisting of stepping out and slinging a backpack over my shoulder..... I was distracted by and attempted to look at my phone. Seconds later I was horizontal and airborne. Solid ice backed by pavement loomed below. Well, this aint good! I took the FULL IMPACT on my left shoulder. Now, 9 hours later and in great pain, after much searching and reading on the Internet, my self diagnosis is that I have a Bruised Lung. Capt Tuggy who is a highly decorated "flying" EMT is betting on a Pneumothorax. Nice word. Either way, I just want to survive the night so I can make a decision about going to the Doctor..... Anyway, immediately after falling, the pain wasn't so bad. However, there was a 4-6 hour period late this afternoon/early evening where my pain was increasing rapidly and breathing was getting difficult. All my pain was radiating from my left armpit and across my chest.... Any Tackle Box MD's out there want to add an opinion? We can do an Office Pool. I got bruised Lung. Tuggwell got Collapsed Lung.......

Pictures above are my Granny's quarry: The White Sucker and the Golden Redhorse

Also, a while back, my cousin Gail sent me a couple pictures of my Mother's Mother. I haven't seen my Granny since November of 1983. Unfortunately, our family really didn't have many good pictures of her. She worked too hard to ever stop long enough for a picture. Also, she was (of course) the World's Greatest Cook! She really has to get lots of the credit for raising my brother and I because my momma worked and Granny was ALWAYS there. She was (is) one of the most influential people in my life and nothing will ever change that. She taught me how to read and by age 5 I was reading "Fish of the World", "Sharks of North Carolina", and other books she had NO interest in to her! As a very young boy I was fascinated by her tales of the "men folk" seining a River (Dan River, Tar River, not sure) to catch the White Suckers when they ran in the Spring and they would have a huge Community Fish Fry on the River Bank. We all have regrets but I surely wish I could go back to 1983 and say goodbye and I Love You and Thank You properly. And since this is a Fishing Blog, I'd love to see my Granny waiting by the River to see what was in those nets when they were hauled up on that Shoreline.....