A HeartlandOutdoorsman.Com Production..... (Leave this intact as it is considered permission to reproduce) The routine hadn't changed much in last 30 years or so. A typical Saturday morning would find Frank Malone rising well before sunrise. Today would be no different. As he sat on edge of his bed wiping sleep from his eyes, Frank pondered his fishing opportunities, wondering where this day might lead him. The smell of freshly brewed coffee now filled lonely house, and Frank wondered how he would go about packing everything up and preserving memories of a lifetime that echoed inside walls of this old place. The wind rattling branches of old oak tree outside his office window had Frank thinking that fly rod would probably stay home today in favor of his trusty old spinning gear and recent rains would probably make wading more difficult than it was worth. For first time in his adult life, Frank was having second thoughts about going fishing at all, but workload facing him here seemed daunting, to say least. Mary always seemed to have a place for everything, and looking around at this point, Frank suddenly realized that he really had no clue where anything was. He couldn't help but chuckle at thought, and went about his usual routine of gathering up some essentials for day.
With his thermos of coffee in hand, he headed out to barn to check on goats to make sure they hadn't busted out of their pens, as they had recently found a liking to doing. Actually, neighbors would have called if there had been another episode during night such as occurred twice this week already. Animals just seem to have that sixth sense in knowing that something has changed drastically in their surroundings, and these creatures definitely sense that something is not same.
As darkness still held its grip on morning, lights from Frank's truck glanced briefly off barn and startled chickens out of their stupor, bringing a smile to his face as he realized that some things never change. Fumbling to find his cigars and dial up a weather forecast on radio, Frank came to realization that he didn't even know where he was going to end up fishing today. He'd done this so many times, for so many years, yet on this day he seemed to have a hard time getting his thoughts together.
With a slight chance of rain in forecast and a low pressure system, it would more than likely be a good bite anywhere he ended up, Frank figured.
The light of a fresh morning was just beginning to peek over horizon as Frank navigated thick fog and back roads to take his customary place among tall pines and crisp mountain air. Taking advantage of seemingly perfect conditions on this day, he wasted no time in getting set up and was at stream's edge just in time to witness a bald eagle take flight from it's roost, a marvel he had probably taken for granted too many times. Everything seemed just a little more magical today, and Frank disrupted his usual routine at this point to slowly set his gear down and take it all in with a deep breath.