May 2020 Newsletter Greetings, from the grounded, to the land-locked! When they say its all in your attitude, thats mostly right. We feel for those who have to work. We feel for those who cant work. We feel for the businesses that are taking a hit, and for the people who invested in them. But you, personally, how do you feel? If youre worried, try to be hopeful that some things are getting better. Try to stay out of arguments, and definitely dont start any  we have plenty of angry people already! If youre bored because you cant do your usual things, take this time to learn or do new things. If you cant go where you usually would, expand your horizons in other ways, and plan a great trip for when the world restarts. Who will you go with  its more fun with friends! Call a few people every day, to check in, entertain each other, and plan good things for when youre no longer grounded. Tell a lame joke! Google how to make a group phone call, and gang up to tease a friend about getting older on their birthday, and sing the song! If you dont like wearing a mask when you go out, tell yourself that next time itll be a gaiter, and youll be getting on a boat! Im grateful for that freezer full of Tonys catch, the freezer I usually grouse about because theres never room in it. Im glad weve been lucky scoring fresh produce. Im really pleased that although I put off knee replacements that I should have had YEARS ago, a recent series of shots has made it so I can stand for an hour at a time, and cook again. Im glad I have a fairly patient husband, whos willing to dry pots and pans for me, and tackle the occasional honey-do. (He says Im crazy, but hey, Im not the one who married me!) I bless the delivery people who bring the stuff we can get online, theyre working their behinds off. Although my mailbox is messed up -- I tried to quarantine it with a NO BILLS sign, but its a pandemic of those things! We were carrying around a bunch of goodies in the car for the raffle table. How about a set of small plates with a truly beautiful crab design? It will be paired with a Brigantine gift card, for taking home some of their cheesy crab & shrimp fondue when they reopen. Trust me, every spouse out there will forgive time spent fishing if you bring this home from a club meeting. Maybe youll use it for a Shelter Island picnic, before very long? Theres another set of plates with a retro red-checkered border, and cherries in the middle. Now that my knees are better, that will show up in the raffle with a home-baked cherry pie. And theres more! Its only smart to keep the spouses happy, right? Our living room had a stash of prizes for the Wheel of Fortune we use at Fred Hall and Day at the Docks. Both caches are finally in storage, waiting with baited breath (wait, that ones bated breath) to make a re-appearance. We've missed March & April tournaments and meetings. Day at the Docks got cancelled, and will not be held any time soon. As soon as that would be allowed, fishing should also be in full swing. Their plan is to hold it either much later, or next year, because its meant to promote sportfishing, not interfere with it. Fred Hall got postponed from March, to April, to May, and is now up in the air as the Del Mar Fairgrounds have shut down. Our club is pretty much just in a holding pattern. Our finances are fine, even with the expenditures for Fred Hall, Day at the Docks, and the 2019 awards. We all look forward to getting out, seeing our friends, and fishing. Right now, I guess we settle for cooking our fish, and reminiscing when we pull each package from the freezer. Is this what winters like in other regions? Lets share plans for when were no longer grounded, so we can hit the waves at full speed ahead!