A fisherman caught a triple hook on his thumb, one prong went completely through the thumbnail and another was deep into the flesh. He asked for help, but turned pale when I brought over a needle-nose pliers. His friends asked where the nearest medic was. Almost like they didn’t trust me! I told them there is a fire station two miles away, where a medic and a fire chief who is certified in first aid are usually around. They had just left when the sheriff drove up. I told him what the situation was, and he said both the fire chief and medic were gone for this weekend. He thought it best to send the poor guy to Porterville ER, an hour and half away. So, he raced off to catch them at the fire station. Probably the best solution, because that man will need painkillers and antibiotics, along with a minor surgery for removing the hooks.
For some reason, there were a lot of preteen girls at the campground this weekend. Some were related, some knew each other, and others were strangers. All were with their parents. Last weekend was mostly adult males and their sons. Surprisingly, most of the girls were enthused about fishing. Despite the fish hatchery delivering more fish to the river a few days ago, few trout were getting caught by anyone, though.
A group of campers came this weekend to capture some glow worms. You can see them easily on a dark night, when they come to the surface. They come every year. They put the worms into jars and take them home for the gardens. The worms are no good for bait because the fish don’t like the chemical that makes them glow. But work well at fertilizing garden soil.
One camper had very long earlobes that had been stretched out by ear gauges. They dangled about 3-4 inches beyond normal. I chatted with the guy a couple times, but it was very difficult to maintain eye contact and not look at those earlobes. I’m sure it affects his chances for work and romance.
I’ve barely used up any of my groceries in the last two weeks. Campers are quite generous with bringing over meals for me. I mostly just eat suppers, skipping breakfast and lunch. And suppertime is when the campers share. One night, 3 different people brought meals for me.Tonight I received a plate of salmon, tri-tip steak, rice, and asparagus. Later a boy brought over 3 freshly made donuts. Last year, I got a meal given to me once every week or two. No idea why everyone is being so generous this year. One guy handed me a twenty yesterday and told me to get a meal at the restaurant on him. Same thing happened last weekend. I’m not complaining about this trend! Even if it makes losing weight a little more difficult.
The tree-cutters finished up today. As a present for me, one of them cut a big chair out of a log. Almost wide enough for two people to sit on it. It was so heavy that 3 men could barely lift and carry it to my campsite. That was an awesome surprise. After the woodsmen left, a few of the campers took some of the various sized slabs from the pine trees cut down. I heard them saying they would turn the wood chunks into shelves, seats, end tables, stepping stones, cutting boards, etc. I don’t care, just as long as they don’t use them for firewood at the campground.
iggyvandweller 