We're stocked!

It has been a long time coming considering the challenges of building it, working with the leaky dam and waiting for the bloom to occur. However, the pond is finally stocked!

John found an elderly catfish farmer in a nearby town that has somewhat put himself out of business in his later years. After many attempts to work with Mr. Bob, John was finally able to win him over and let us purchase about 100 pounds of fish from him. So, one would think that catching all of these fish would take lots of patience, right? Let me tell you that catching the fish was the easy part! Working with Mr. Bob was the part that needed patience. And John is just the man for that.

It all started when many unsuccessful attempts to reach Mr. Bob on the phone resulted in a pop in visit to check the place out. After only a few minutes of talking with him, John realized why he couldn't reach him on the phone. He was extremely hard of hearing. So once the reason for his visit was clear, John agreed to purchase some floating catfish feed to feed the fish with for a couple of days. This would train the fish to come up to the surface so that they could be caught with the large lift net.

A couple of days after the first visit, John and the rest of us returned to Mr. Bob's with two bags of fish food. Bless him.... Mr. Bob didn't remember John! So he proceeded to explain who he was and why he was there again. Then we fed the fish and sat on the grass to talk with Mr. Bob. It was amazing to watch this man, likely in his 90's, hold my kids on his lap and laugh and tickle them. At one point, he laid on the grass just like the kids, and played with the them and Buster Brown, the dog. We listened to him talk of his wife and the best friends they used to be. He smiled. They smiled. I smiled. I am still convinced he did not hear a word any of us said, but we heard him loud and clear!

When it was time to leave, John and Mr. Bob agreed that he would feed the fish everyday around 3:00. John agreed to return in a few days to try to scoop some fish. So a few days passed and John went back. Yep, you guessed it! Mr. Bob didn't remember him! Once again, John explained who he was and why he was there. When he arrived at the preset 3:00 hour, Mr. Bob set him straight when he pointed to the horizon in the the 3:00 position. (The sun is actually in this position at 5:00 p.m.) So as it neared the 5:00 feeding time, John was told he had to use cold well water to fill the 55 gallon drum he was to transport the fish home in. John had to travel 20 minutes back home and fill the drum and then return to Mr. Bob's to attempt to scoop the fish with the large lift net. It worked! They were able to get about 30 pounds of fish this time. A quick trip home and in the pond they went! The next visit to Mr. Bob's was also successful... 70 pounds this time. Most of the fish were fingerling catfish and bream, but there were a handful of big ones!

Because I only made one trip to Mr. Bob's, I cannot take credit for the patience part of this story. However, I am so glad that John had the heart to work with Mr. Bob. I think we may have been the only visitors he had seen for quite some time. And even though John had to introduce himself and explain why he was there each time he went, I think it was worth it.... for both parties. We talk about Mr. Bob a lot, and I am sure we will remember him each time we pull up a big one.

And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing. Psalm 71:9