I'm really really ticked off. I wish I could blame someone, direct my anger somewhere, dope-slap the SOB that caused my frustration.

Unfortunately, the person responsible is me--and my eleven-year-old "me" at that.

First, the problem is that September and October are my favorite months to fish. There is no better season than Septober. Opportunities are so abundant, fish so willing, the scenery and climate so pleasant. That's not exactly a problem--unless you're not getting out to enjoy it. And I'm not. That's why I'm so ticked off.

Oh, I had a nice trip to Puget Sound for sea-run cutts, and I've chased carp around the Willamette and Columbia rivers a couple of times. But that's about all I've done since the end of August. I had plans for steelhead on the Deschutes, and trout in the Yakima, and some stillwater fishing. All those plans went into the dumpster.

To be sure, there's been lots going on in my life: several business things came to a head this fall and needed strong attention, my daughter is getting married this weekend, and some other stuff. But that's only 50 percent of my time. I could have done all those things and still gone fishing and gotten some Westfly things taken care of. Instead, Westfly is getting the short end of the stick and my fishing rod is gathering dust--all because one activity has sucked up all my remaining cycles. And the actions of a pre-adolescent Scott Richmond are to blame.

When I Was a Lad . . .

When I was a towheaded kid with no whiskers and plenty of free time, my friend Bobby Ellis and I fished a lot in Lake Washington. He lived on the water in Bellevue, and we spent hours and hours dangling worms off his dock and a few other nearby spots.

Bobby's father was a lawyer and civic leader. He had the bright idea to start a regional government that would, among other things, clean up Lake Washington and reduce pollution. Which would improve fishing. Which got my attention because fishing was my great love.

So when his initiative campaign got rolling, I volunteered; it was my first political act. I helped get out postcards urging people to vote for this new idea. And they did! The regional government was formed, and Lake Washington got cleaner.

Bobby's father, James Ellis, became much admired and lauded for creating the nation's first regional government: Metro.

Guess Who

The Metro concept moved south, and the Portland area got its own Metro. Our Metro runs things like the zoo, regional transit, parks, and a few other things. And, above all, Metro can move the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and turn rural and semi-rural land into densely urbanized areas. Or not.

Guess who lives in a semi-rural area--Stafford Hamlet--just outside the present UGB? Guess who is co-chair of the committee to come up with a "vision" for the Stafford Hamlet that preserves the best virtues of our beloved area if the UGB is expanded to include us? Guess when a lot of work has to be done to make sure this vision is properly created and has some influence with the political powers? Guess who, as a youth, played some minor role in establishing regional governments named Metro that now have the potential to affect my life like a runaway bulldozer? Guess who has no one to blame but himself for his lack of fishing time this Septober?

The answers are: me, me, now, me, and me.

Excuse me, I think I'm going go outside and give myself a dope-slap.

Tight lines,
Uncle Fuzzy

go look into a mirror and practice saying "no". "No" - thus you are saying "yes" to yourself. Then go out and say the same to the next person who sez, "Hey, Scott!".


What would happen if you were to resign as chairperson? Would the world end? No. WOuld people think badly of you? So what?

cya on the water.

Good on ya, Scott. You're getting involved in important work - probably more important that who wins the presidency in a couple of weeks - and I'm not downplaying the importance of that!

I live in an area that was just recently swollowed by the UGB and is semi-rural transitioning to "city." Damascus is a better place already because people like you got involved, and it is heading in the right direction. If you help to do the same thing for Stafford, then *gasp* it's more important than fishing.