Tuesday August 6. 2024 – I’m not entirely sure what cosmic crime I committed to earn last week’s mess, but I’m feeling the desperate need for some kind of divine intervention. The world is spiraling into chaos, with a war escalating in the Middle East, and the stock market took a nosedive that felt like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Our weekend camping trip? Canceled, thanks to a wildfire that nearly torched my cousin Wayne’s house.   Tropical Storm Debbie landed on  Mia’s house on Daniel Island today.   And as the final kick in the teeth, Gina and I caught COVID—for the second time. Other than that, life’s just peachy. At least there’s some good news: my grandson River is finally switching to formula, so I can see a full night’s sleep on the horizon. Debbie wasn’t as bad as predicted.  Mark and Phoebe are doing well too, with Phoebe cruising past her first trimester.

I was supposed to head back to work today, but the damn COVID test still came back positive, even though I’ve been symptom-free for three days. Gina’s on day three of this hell and starting to improve. I’ve spent the last few days marooned in the backyard, binging Netflix and Fox News, guzzling herbal teas, and popping Motrin like they’re M&Ms. The walls were closing in, and I needed to get out before I lost my mind. My buddy Frank from Modesto texted me about some topwater fishing in the Forebay, and I decided to join him—figuring the best way to quarantine was baking my virus-riddled body in 106-degree heat on the boat, alone and isolated.

Launched at 9:00, and after about thirty minutes of flailing around, Frank rolled up to boast he’d already hooked a dozen, a couple even on topwater. That got my blood pumping and I felt those little Covid Virus bastards bailing out.  So I headed for the flats around the water tower on the north side. The wind was perfect, and I scanned the surface for any sign of action. The Livescope showed schools of small shad everywhere, but no predators were in sight. Usually, I can spot stripers chasing the shad down, but today, the big boys were playing hard to get. I fished all my usual spots and ended up with a measly four fish for the day. I’d heard the lake was still giving up decent numbers, and with the summer drawdown over, it’s filling back up. But the Forebay’s been a tough nut to crack for me this year.

At least I saw a lot of baitfish today. After roasting under the sun all day, I dragged myself back home around 5:00 and finally got a negative COVID test. I’ll be back to work on Thursday. Oh, and the stock market clawed back half of Monday’s losses, so there’s that. All in all, not a bad day. Just the kind of catharsis I needed to shake off the last of this COVID curse.

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