I finally remembered to take a picture of the fish before they were cleaned.  The last post, I stated that I wasn't sure when I would go fishing Tuesday this week.  Well I got to the "fishing hole" around 9 that morning and left at dark.  The son and I ended up with 60 crappie.  Tonite we had 30.  I have put so much fish in the freezer, I can't believe it.  I told someone today that I'm going fishing now for the pure love of fishing and not because I need the fish.  It will all be cooked-----you can bet on that, hehe!!!
We have caught between 250-300 crappie so far this year.
I have a sore spot on my thumb from dropping so many of them into the basket ;-)
I had to stop fishing this evening to go to a wedding rehearsal.  Got back and cleaned the fish.  It is now 11pm and I just finished eating my supper (pizza)......sure hope I get to sleep tonight.
It is supposed to rain late tonight and early in the morning.  I hope it does so I will stay home and not go to the fishing hole, haha......I need the rest.......I woke up yesterday morning at 7 and went back to bed, thinking I would get up in a few minutes....the next thing I knew, my phone was ringing and it was the son asking me if I was fishing and I said no because it was kind of rainy outside.  He asked if I had just woke up and I said "yes".  He then  asked if I knew what time it was and I told him I didn't.  he proceeded to tell me that it was 10:45am.  I could not believe I had slept that long.  I guess I needed the rest........
Speaking of rest, that's where I am headed........Ritzywife out.........

It seems as I get older, the time just goes by faster......I saw the last time I posted on here and could not believe it had been a week already.  I have been pretty busy.......fishing, of course.   The fish slowed down on the biting due to the weather.  It's about to get straightened out now, but the spawn is about over. 
I put some more crappie in the freezer tonight and there is a"mess" in the refrigerator to cook later this week.  I cooked some spoonbill (paddlefish) and hush puppies tonight.  My brother gave it to me last week.  It was pretty good but doesn't compare to crappie.  It has a stronger flavor and  a tougher texture.  It almost tastes like chicken.
I have a wedding to play the piano for this weekend.  My niece is getting married on Saturday afternoon.   It's great to see all these kid's grow up and start their own lives.  I think I am helping serve refreshments also.
Still pondering whether I am going to go fishing early in the morning or wait til the sun is up for a little while ;-)
Ritzy and I are planning a trip to Wisconsin later next month.  I am looking forward to getting away and visiting our family up there.  I really hope is is warm up there.  It has been crazy here in Oklahoma weatherwise.  It gets warm, cools off, gets warm cools off etc.....I am ready for it to get warm and stay that way....and with that Ritzywife is out~~~!!!

Yes, the fish are still biting.  This past weekend was great.  The son and I caught 35 crappie on saturday.  On Sunday (Mother's Day) we did not have night church so we went fishing and caught 29.  I don't know what happened ....but today I caught only 10 fish.  Really surprised me.  I was looking to catch more.  But, I can't complain......we are getting all we can eat, give to friends, and put in freezer to enjoy at a later date.
I was down there at 5:45 this morning and fished til 8 this evening....got a LOT of sun.   I think I will "sleep in" tomorrow.  I have some bookwork for the church to get done and I just want to spend some time outside in the yard.  When the son gets home from work, if he wants to go...then, I will probably go fishing.

I had an interesting experience while fishing today........I was looking around and when I looked back I noticed a snake just a few feet in front of me.  That snake picked the wrong rock to "sun" on.  I started beating that thing senseless with my fishing  pole, a couple of rocks, and a big stick.  "You don't mess with Ritzywife"  haha 
My brother-in-law finished him off.   I hate snakes!!!!!
There are 3 different reactions when a person is faced with danger.... Fight, Flight or Freeze.  Well, my reaction is FIGHT!!!!!  and that snake soon found that out, hehe!!
With that, Ritzywife is out......

I haven't been on here very much in the past couple weeks.  I have been way too busy preparing for a wedding. Our daughter was married on April 22 at the Will Rogers Dog Iron Ranch near Oologah, OK.
We were praying for good weather.  It had been stormy and cold and the day of the wedding it was supposed to be stormy.  But.... the bad weather stayed south of us and everything worked out fine.  The only problem was that annoying wind.  We had to improvise on the table coverings.
Here is a picture of the newlyweds during their "first dance" as a married couple.

Everyone had a wonderful time.....but Ritzywife was "wore out"!!!  I am just now recovering.  But, you know...  I would do it all over again.  I guess that's just how mom's are ;-)
The next day was spent returning rented items.  Ritzy got that job along with taking the couple to the airport (early)...  I spent the whole day putting my house back in order.  I thought I would never find the top of my table, haha!!  Caught up on some sewing for the son, and all the other things that had been neglected due to wedding preparations.  Now if this rain would just let up a bit so I can get back to fishing..We needed the rain, but geez.....
We did not have evening services at church yesterday.  After eating Easter lunch at Granny's, I came home , crawled on top of my bed, covered up and slept the afternoon away.  After finally getting up at 7 to take my bath, my son said that I would not be able to sleep in the night.  Well, I had no trouble getting that sleep. 
Now, we just have to wait on the garden to dry out so we can finish planting our tomatoes, cukes, and pepper plants.   Oh yeah, and this crazy weather......i am ready for it to warm up and stay that way!!!!!!
Ritzywife is tired of these "cold spells".....  Ritzy just got home and the son will be home soon, so I had better get to the kitchen.....that being said, Ritzywife is out............

That is where Ritzywife has been the past couple of weeks.  I caught a fish on that new rod and reel I received for my birthday.  So, I have it "broke in".  Have been eating crappie and boy do they ever taste good!!!!
Yesterday I left the house at 7:30 am and returned home at 8:30 pm.   Made for a long day, but I caught 21 crappie.  YEA!!!
I only went for 4 hours today  because the fish just weren't biting......only caught one and that was by accident.  My sister-in-law came over and asked how i "hooked" my minnow, so I grabbed a pole with the intent of showing her, I started reeling  in and realized there was a fish on it.  The only fish I caught for the next 4 hours. 
I did take a few days off  fishing so Ritzy and I could take a much needed mini-vacation to Oklahoma City.  We visited the 45 Infantry Division Museum and just "chilled" out in our hotel.  We got to meet up with an old friend and have a meal and wonderful visit.  I have known her since childhood.  She and Ritzy worked together for a while in Perry, OK after he moved to Oklahoma from Wisconsin.  (She is the one who introduced Ritzy to Ritzywife ).
I can hardly believe it is just a little over a week til our daughter's wedding.  Everything is coming together nicely.  I have been watching the weather and now it looks as if it is going to be a sunny day, a little on the cool side for this time of year but we can handle that........this is important because it is an outside wedding with no back-up plan ;-)
I plan to get up very early in the morning to go fishing.  This is before a cold front/low pressure system moves in.  The fish should be biting.   After the system passes it will be a couple of days before the fish will bite again.  Next week is going to be crazy.......I have wedding preparations to make......and some fishing to do!!!
That being said.....Ritzywife is out...............

Today is my birthday....(#52)......WOW, I can hardly believe it.  Time is so precious, it seems to creep by until you get out on your own and start a career or family.  Then, it just seems to fly by.  I still find myself wondering where all the time has gone over the past few years.
My family had a "Taco Dinner" and cake and ice cream for me tonight at my sister's house.  We had good food and a fun time together.  My brother gave me a red rod and reel "Crappie Rig" for my birthday.  Red is my favorite color and fishing is my favorite pastime.  I plan on using it very soon.
My sister-in-law and nephew brought me lunch and we sat and played a board/card game all afternoon.  The nephew wasn't showing much mercy on his Aunt on her birthday....he won nearly all the games.......
It has been a wonderful day.  Ritzy is taking me out of town for a couple of days next week to celebrate.  This week was just too busy.  I am really looking forward to that.  He had told me a few months ago to pick out a place to spend a couple of days and nights.  I picked Oklahoma City.  I have always wanted to see the 45th Infantry Division Museum.  Ritzy served in the 45th Infantry (National Guard) for over 21 years  so I feel  we need to go visit the museum to learn about the history of our great Oklahoma National Guard.
It will be so nice to just "get away" from the stresses of our normal routine for a couple of days. 
I spent yesterday altering the daughter's wedding dress.  Talk about stress....WHEW!!!!!  I think we about got it where she wants it.  The wedding is only 3 weeks away.......
I am probably gonna need a vacation after that too, hehe!!!
It is getting late and this birthday girl is getting tired so I better get my rest because as you know ~~I am not getting any younger~~Ritzywife out...............

I can hardly believe it.  I didn't have a speck of green on today and nobody noticed.  I did it on purpose, just to see if anyone would be brave enough to pinch Ritzywife, haha....
This month is flying by.  Spring is just a few days away and the weather is finally feeling like it should.  Today was beautiful, but I couldn't be outdoors due to a nasty cold that I acquired from someone.  I was also busy, busy, busy in the house today.  The daughter and future son-in-law moved into their house the night before last.  That meant that I could FINALLY get my house back in order.  I did not waste any time doing so.  It took the whole day, but "mission accomplished"....
The only thing I have left is to arrange my sewing table and craft items in the storage/sewing room.  That will be a fun job, tho.
The wedding is slipping up on us, just a few weeks away.  We are all trying to see if we have forgotten anything....I am almost sure there will be something we didn't think of but, you know....it will be just fine in the end.
The fish are starting to bite and I have not had a chance to go yet.  They are just beginning to come in to start their spawn for this season.  My brother and sister-in-law went fishing tonite and only caught some small ones.  My brother met the sister-in-law and the nephew at our house after work and they all went fishing.  I was frying chicken strips for supper  and realized it would not take much more effort to cook for 3 more........I realized brother was probably hungry after working all day.   I called my sister-in-law and told her I had a "doggie bag" to hold them over til they got home.  When they came in the house, I told them they may as well sit down and eat....we were just finishing and there were still plenty of side items left.  So, they ate and we got to visit for a little while.  I love doing things like that for my family.
Earlier  in the day,  I was talking to her on the phone and was telling her that I had a table that had some storage space in it that I wanted to give to the daughter because it was just too big for where I had it, but i needed a place to put my cookbooks and some other items.  She said she had just what I needed and she and the nephew brought it out.  It was perfect.  Now my dining table is where it is supposed to be ( not pushed against the wall) and 4 people can sit around the table.  I told you  I had been cleaning, ;-)   Before, there was that baker's table, my dining table, chairs, a file cabinet for the church and another small table in the dining room, plus some tote boxes due to the daughter's move back in November.  Not Anymore....  The only thing in the dining room now is the dining table and chairs. YIPPEE!!!! 
I should not be having any trouble falling asleep tonight, but we'll see.  Ritzy is sleeping right now and I am about ready to call it a day.   That being said....Ritzywife is out!