A disastrous day ... Part 1

I may well be a wanted man.

There is a possibility that the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Trent-Severn gnomes may well have a bounty on my head.

I innocently and inadvertently disturbed the hatching habitats of many fish, likely ending the existence of thousands if not millions of lives.

I fell into the lake face down and fully clothed, landing on recently laid and fertilized clumps of roe as they lay unsuspecting and totally unaware of their pending fate…

Early this morning as I let Ben out to take care of business, I glanced toward the lake, specifically at part of our shoreline. A large floating 'island' of bull rushes had detached it from some part of the shoreline and made its journey to the southern end of our lake. It decided to call it a day as it managed to lodge itself on one of the guy ropes of my still elevated dock.

Scratching myself and draining a double espresso, I declared I would move this object after I had showered and shaved.

As I walked in the drizzle to the water’s edge, I had a boat pole clutched firmly in one hand. Approaching the ‘weedberg’, which by now had attracted a couple of red wing blackbirds, I began to lengthen the telescopic pole. I found a firm spot on the ‘berg and pushed – hard. The island began to move. I found a better vantage point and stuck the pole into the roots of the ‘berg and gave a mighty heave.

It was at that precise moment that the pole decided to de-telescope.

I fell in. Fully clothed. An almost perfect belly flop (the Eastern Bloc judge might not have given a perfect 10).

The weedberg, propelled by an offshore breeze, decided to head back to shore as I scrambled over the lake bottom like some frantic creature from a B-movie of yesteryear.

In disgust, I walked up to the house. I was greeted by TLATO. “Wow, it’s really raining heavy now!”

She had not seen me wipe out future generations of assorted species of fish.

She did, however, wish she had and practically pulled a muscle from laughing so hard.

In truth, for the first swim of the year, the water was not as cold as I might have expected. I did, however, twist my lower back slightly and the shin on my left leg is looking quite raw and bruised.

Meantime, the fish continue to count their losses.