March 22 That's the 22nd day of the third month of the year of Emergence.

It's a Rapala!  Why?

For the uninitiated, a Rapala is a type of fishing lure.  That's pronounced "Ra-pal-la".  It has for years been an all everything type of fish attractor.  It is also much frowned upon by my own particular fishing buddies.  But a very effective lure.

  The fishing buddies being the "Willy, Boatride, Outside Straight and Salmon Angling Club".  This group, as my loyal readers know, have met each spring about this time or the end of April, to fish the big lake in New Hampshire known as Winnepasaukee.  As the professional anglers that we pretend to be, we much prefer to use such attractors as the "Yellow Grey Ghost".

My readers know that it is of only the purest intentions that this group ventures forth to capture the lowly Landlocked Salmon---in early spring---right after ice out---on the big lake.  The former lure, Rapala, is used by a novice fisherman (in our jaded opinion) and the fly by the more advanced purist (the all knowing).

You might ask why all this is so important in the first place.  And rightly so.  Well, in the grand scheme of things, it is not.  Not with Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Japan, oil, gas, debt, overspending, people who refuse to abide by even the simplest budget.  A complacent leader.  It seems the pervading attitude of the ruling elitists is that the common man (using the Rapala) doesn't have the sense of one of those lures pictured above.  I beg to differ my friends.  Often the Rapala catches fish, whereas the grey ghost will not.  Only time spent in the game utilizing our treasured principles will prove which prevails.

The club will not be returning to the lake this year.  In which case, my readers will have to put up with more of my afterthoughts of 42 years of history made and revisited.