Shall I smack you now or later???

There are times being a woman in an industry dominated by men that you just want to smack someone for being condescending.  Yesterday was that day for me.

If you have followed this blog at all, you know how much I love to fish.  I mean, really, I love to fish!!!  My regular customers know this.  They ask me questions like: "What's biting?" or "Have you been out fishing lately?"  Apparently, some brilliant people seem to think I am the little lady who runs the store for her husband.

With this in mind, you can imagine as I with power that can only come from above, refrained from hauling off and smacking someone yesterday when the conversation came to this:
Customer: "Do you like to fish?
Me: "I love to fish.  Just went Saturday."
Customer: "What, did your husband take you?"
(At this point, I am thinking, "Did he just say what I thought he said?  What kind of moron is this?")
Me: "We went together.  There are many times I fish without him."
Customer: "You could come fishing with me sometime."
(Again, silently thinking: EWWWWWWWW)
Me: "No thanks"

Really?  This is 2013!  Do we really think women need a man to go fishing?  There are women on the professional circuit.  Yeah, they fish against the men!  I love fishing with my husband and son, but seriously, I would do it without either of them.  Ask them.  I have.

By the way, the Saturday fishing trip was great.  Fished a lake I have never fished and caught my first yellow perch and crappie among other fish!

Father's Day 2013 and my Pop-Pop

I run into a lot of dads at my store.  Some very young, some old.  Many of them have had the privilege of taking their son or daughter fishing or hunting for the first time.  Some come in for sports equipment.  Some go shooting with their kids.  While their job is often ridiculed in this day and age (I mean have you watched a Disney sitcom lately?  The dad is basically a buffoon!) it is important.  This is true of grandfathers as well.

I want to tell you a story about my grandfather, who is now in his 100's.  He doesn't always remember our family, or even who he is any more.  I went to visit him a couple months ago and he asked what I did for a living.  I told him I owned a sporting goods store.  He saw my shirt with the logo and shook his head.   He is hard of hearing but has great vision, so I wrote on his dry erase board, "You gave me my first fishing rod"  He looked at me.  I wrote "it was a green Zebco rod and reel."  He said, "I remember that" in a tone of someone remembering something they had long forgotten, but not purposely.  I wrote to him that he had taken me fishing the first time I ever went.  He said, "I remember."  I wrote, "We didn't catch a thing!"  He chuckled.  I have to admit my eyes were watery at this point.  My grandfather was the first father figure I had.  He taught me to garden, to fish, to fix things, to be good to people and to be wise about my friends.  He is part of the reason I am the person I am today.  I followed him around like the paparazzi follows celebrities.  I am thankful for him and, as his time on earth nears an end, it is hard to see that hero so weak and frail.  It reminds me of the brevity of life, though.  If you are a dad, please, don't let work or any other thing be more important than your kids.  Life is so short.  No one ever said, "I wish I would have spent more time working" at the end of their life.  This Father's Day, let your kids know how much you love them and if you haven't up to this point, resolve to spend more time with them.