Cute Baby Bugs

Hello,

Well, as I mentioned last time, Luke and I were going to go up to my parents' cabin, and we were able to go last weekend. We love going up there every chance we get; it's a relaxing, peaceful, and refreshing change of pace. Plus, Luke loves that he can set up a fishing pole with a bell, and listen for the bell to ring while helping with yard work or working on a different project.

While Luke was hanging out on the dock setting up his fishing pole, he called over to me, "Hey Jen, come check out this wiggler!"

I responded, "What's a wiggler?"

Luke (vaguely): "A baby bug."

Take a moment and picture in your head a baby bug. Does it have cute, big eyes looking up at you? Is it round, with a cartoon smile on its face? Good. Then you know what I was expecting to see. I guess I thought I'd be looking at this:

A cute little wiggler.

Or maybe this:

An even cuter bug. Sure, I'd consider calling this a wiggler. I

imagine saying, "Hey there, little bug! Wiggle on over to this flower!"

Now, with those things in mind. Here is what Luke actually wanted to show me:

Hi. I'm a mayfly nymph. I am neither cute, nor cuddly.

However, I will wiggle over to you in a sinister fashion.

If you've ever bought live bait at a store that sells a variety of bugs, you've no doubt seen these. I had heard of wigglers before (I think Luke has mentioned fishing with them a few times, but we've never used them). I've seen the little Styrofoam containers marked "wigglers," but I've never opened them up. Now, I'm glad I hadn't.

The good news is, wigglers are primarily used during ice fishing season. Since spring is officially here (even if we'll have weather in the 40's this week), I can put these little wigglers out of my mind for several months. I've been told that they don't bite. They're just homely to look at.

Also, in case you're curious, here's a photo of what mayfly nymphs become when they grow up:

Photo from ucmp.berkeley.edu

One last fun fact about mayflies- their other nickname? Green Bay Flies. Wow- Green Bay isn't just known for the Packers after all!

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom has thou made them all:

the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea,

wherein are creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts."

 ~Psalm 104:24-25

Praising God for harmless, innumerable, small beasts,

Jen

Early Spring Adventures

Wow! What amazing weather we've had all week! I cannot believe that most of the temperatures have been in the 60's. We're having June weather in mid-March! Luke and I have been trying to take advantage of the nice weather to go on some adventures.

Since the weather has been so warm, Luke had a hunch that fish would start their spawning earlier in the year as well. On Tuesday evening, we went up to Footbridge and got to see the start of the steelhead spawning. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend visiting the  C.D. "Buzz" Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility in Footbridge. If you go within the next week or two, you'll get to see some of the biggest steelhead in Wisconsin. It's breathtaking to see these gigantic fish jumping inches away from your nose. They also have great hiking trails that take you alongside the Kewaunee River. Plus, it's free!

Last weekend, Luke, Kristen, and I went to the wildlife sanctuary, or, as we like to call it, "a city version of nature." We meandered through the buildings and came to the place where you can buy corn for the birds. Normally, Luke and I would just share 1 bag of corn (since they're $1 a bag, it makes for a cheap date). However, this time Luke only had a $5 bill, so we ended up schlepping 5 bags of corn out to where the geese lazily stared at us.


Now, starting off, we were very well behaved corn-throwers. A few sprinkles here, a light toss there, having a nice time. From a distance, I'm sure we looked like 80-year-olds. As such, I got quite a few pictures of geese lazily eating. Some of the geese were just pretending to be "too cool" for corn, but in the end they all wanted some.

Let me show you how little I care about this corn

by waving my bottom in the air.

However, Luke realized that if we kept throwing corn at a snail's pace, we would be there all day. He decided a better method would be to empty the bags in less than 20 seconds. Now, I don't think the ducks and geese were used to this approach. Chaos ensued.

Our version of an early bird special.

 This did have the other undesired side effect of stealing all the ducks from the other people, as the birds came racing to see if they could cash in on the event. However, the weather was so nice that no one was too upset.

The turtles at the Wildlife Sanctuary were also surprisingly friendly. My sister snapped this picture of a painted turtle with her iPhone:

Well, hello there.

I also got a nice one of a turtle grabbing some air. I'm not sure what species this was, but his neck is super long!

I'm just a turtle, pretending to be a snake.

So, overall, it was a very nice trip. We're going to Oconto this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some nice walleye pics to share with you soon.

Enjoy the weather! And don't forget to thank the Creator who gave it to us!

Jen

Why this blog? And why this title?

^“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” ~Romans 1:20

For months, I’ve been tinkering around with the idea of starting a blog. It seemed like a great idea, especially since I get very few chances to write creatively with my current job.

Whenever people talk to Luke and me, the conversation almost always starts the same way: “Have you or Luke done any fishing lately?” It’s no secret that we love to fish; more importantly, we love to spend time outdoors. I mean, let’s face it- our honeymoon was a two week fishing/camping trip in Northern Wisconsin, we received more outdoor gear than kitchen appliances as gifts, and we had goldfish on our tables instead of flower arrangements. If given the choice between a fancy meal or a campfire grill-out, we’ll pick the hot dogs, s’mores, and fire 9 times out of 10 (hey- I’m still a girl, after all! Sometimes I don’t want to get my nails dirty).

However, the world around us serves a much larger purpose than just as fulfillment of a personal hobby. The Bible verse above (Romans 1:20) states that God’s creation clearly shows his power and Godhead. Even more important, though, the lessons we learn through nature hold us accountable to God.

For example: Every morning the sun rises.  Then, the sun moves through the sky, ending the day with a fantastic, red sunset. The sun is then absent, only to reappear the next morning. Each day, God gives us the perfect illustration of His Son, Jesus. His Son came to this world, lived on this world, and then died a brutal and bloody death for the people of this world.

Someday, after you die, you will have to stand before God. Contrary to popular belief, He will NOT ask you if you’ve been a good boy or girl (answer: no), or if you’ve given enough money to the church so that you can get into heaven. God is not concerned about that.

What will concern God, though, is the truth that was all around you. The truth you did or didn’t believe or accept, the places where He was evident, and the things we chose to ignore.

We will be without excuse before Him.