Columns

A radio commercial I like is the one where the guy practices being excited about receiving Christmas gifts that he really doesn't want. I listened to it and laughed, but then I realized I find myself in the same situation every holiday.

What I really don't understand is how some of these gifts have remained on the market for years.

My favorite useless gift that has been given for decades is the fruitcake. No one really eats fruitcake. I think they just pass them on. The fruitcake you got five years ago may be the same one you got this year.

Growing up in the northern part of our country usually meant snow and ice on New Year's Eve. This also meant that we rang in the New Year from our own living room on many of those years. Of course, there was no shortage of celebration complete with streamers, noisemakers and party hats! For the most part the evening was spent with our immediate family and a few friends who lived close enough to walk (or snow-shoe, if necessary) over to our house for the traditional counting down of the minutes until the New Year arrived.

If anything like mine, kitchens everywhere have had a steady stream of baking and cooking going on during this entire month. This year I am finished early with all the baking of treats that Jim likes to have around and that we give as gifts. My big table is cleared and everything put away for another year and now I am going to enjoy the remaining days leading up to fixing Christmas dinner.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

The recent cold front brought in some much-needed rain, but blew into town like a named storm.

This front will likely be the final straw for flats fishing out front, which is good news for those with go-devils, jet foot propulsion and, of course, airboats.

The deeper creeks in the backcountry can really hold a good mix of fish in the winter. Often times, from one anchor you can catch reds, trout, sheepshead, flounder and black drum, often in impressive numbers.