Volunteering And Other Fishy Stuff

I start my volunteer work at a local no-kill animal rescue organization next week. I already went to the new volunteer orientation and an interview. This rescue organization goes to animal shelters and picks out dogs and cats that they think will be adoptable. They do temperament testing on them while they are at the shelter, and if they pass, they bring them back to be spayed/neutered and hopefully placed in a new, loving home. It might take a while for an animal to find that perfect home, but it eventually does happen. The longest stay by an animal was a year.

I will start by being a Dog Kennel Technician/Dog Walker. Once I have volunteered for 3 months, I can advance to other areas of duties, like Temperament Testing, Matchmaking, Cat and Dog Socialization and the Vet Clinic. They have numerous training courses that I can attend. I want to attend each and everyone of them. I already have vast experience in dogs and cats, but the more "training" I can get the better, especially for my resume. I have to volunteer 4 hours a day, one day a week. If they need additional days, than I will do it. I am so excited for this opportunity to help dogs and cats find new, loving, forever homes. Everyone at the rescue organization is wonderful, friendly and they seem like they are a lot of fun. This is exactly what I want to do for a living. I am also hoping that it could potentially turn into a paid "staff" position. That would be the ultimate! I figured out a long time ago, what I was meant to do on this planet. Now I just have to start somewhere and hope for the best.

We went fishing yesterday. I really wanted to go. I needed to do something to get my mind off of Domino. We get down to the river and no one was there. Good! We like it when we get the beach to ourselves. My OH got the first fish. He had a little mishap after that. He lost half of his fishing pole into the river. Now as I say this, I am laughing so hard, this is the first laugh I've had in a week. So even though my OH wasn't thinking what happened was funny, well, let's just say, IT WAS FUNNY! He couldn't find the other half of his pole, so he went to head home to get another fishing pole.

While he was walking down the beach, he stops, he thinks he sees his pole. He yells at me to bring my pole over. I go over to him. He tries to catch what he thinks is his pole. I think it is just a stick, but what do woman know? Apparently we know a lot! I started to get frustrated, I didn't come down to the river to have my OH use MY pole to try to catch HIS fishing pole, I came down to the river to use MY pole to catch me some FISH! So he gets his underwear in a bunch and storms off. Don't blame me OH! I still have MY pole! I go back to where I was fishing. After a couple of casts, I had one on. Oh, before I forget to tell you, there were a bunch of guys on the other side of the river fishing, and they stopped to watch me bring my fish in all by myself. After I got my fish on the stringer, I went back, got another one but lost it right at the shore. So I cast out, get another one. Get this one all the way in again. Guess who was watching again? The guys. Those poor guys still hadn't caught a fish! My OH calls. I tell him I already have 2 and lost one. He says he is on his way back. I cast out again. Bam! Another fish. Get it in. Guys still watching me. They still don't have any fish. I stop fishing because I would like my OH to see me catch at least one. There is a limit on how many you can catch and that limit is 4. I only needed one more.

All of a sudden my OH appears. In swim trunks and an innertube? What the heck? I walk over to him and ask him "What are you doing?" he says "I am getting my pole back!" I say "With an innertube?" Why, oh why did I leave my camera at home! So he sees something that he thinks is his pole. He grabs my pole and starts trying to catch it. He gets it after the 8th try or so. He reels it in. It's a stick. I'm getting frustrated again. I want my pole back, I only need one more fish to reach my limit and he is holding me up. I get my pole back and head back to my spot. I get one more fish, lose it at the shore again. Darn it! The fish are starting to not bite as much. My OH finally gives up on finding his pole and comes over to where I am fishing. I get my 4th and final fish of the evening. I have to quit fishing. So I wait while my OH tries to get one. I'm waiting........and waiting...........and waiting..........

Finally! He gets one. Thank goodness, because if he got skunked after losing his pole, and than didn't catch a fish, I would never hear the end of it. And those guys? NEVER caught a fish, NONE of them!!

We make the long walk back to the truck, with 5 fish, 2 and 1/2 fishing poles, and an innertube.

The small one in the middle was the one my OH caught. The rest were all mine!! I see a lot of smoked salmon in my future!



Sadie has never seen a fish before. She was very interested. If you look closely, you will see her tongue, she is licking it!



She tried to pick one up by the tail. I think she thought it was a new toy! No Sadie, we don't bring home fish for you to play with!



I want to thank each and everyone of you for your very sweet, kind comments about Domino. It really, really means a lot to me. I've been having a really hard time about it. I am getting better, but it is still so hard. He still has not come home and this farm will NOT be the same without my precious angel!!