I've faced this issue before. The first time was when I was probably about 11-12 years old. My dad walked to work and our car usually only got used on weekends to go to church, to visit friends and family, to go fishing, etc.

One July week I left a bucket of night crawlers (which my cousin and I picked in great numbers and sold for money as pre-teens and early teens) in the trunk of my dad's nearly new car after he took me fishing one Sunday evening.

It was not a pleasant scene when we were headed to church in that car the following Sunday.

Fast forward to this afternoon. This never ends well.

My bride of more than 40 years and I are at our ocean beach "snowbird/sunbird" home. Today was in the mid-70s with no clouds in the sky. The tides were perfect for fishing near sundown. I finished my tasks and declared that I was going fishing.

I took about a 1/3 lb., bag of frozen-in-water bait shrimp out of the freezer.

I got to one of my favorite fishing spots and discovered I didn't have the thawing shrimp. I searched everywhere in my truck.

I caught a nice legal size red drum on a fake Gulp shrimp and returned home about sundown.

I searched everywhere when I got back home. The shrimp have completely disappeared. I have looked everywhere. I confessed to Lynda that I lost my bait shrimp. We've been through this a few other times during our 40+ year marriage. I never feel comfortable when she gives me "that look".

We are getting ready to make the 9-hour one-way trip to our place in WV, and then returning in two days.

By the time we return in about three days, I'm sure we will find my missing bait shrimp.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Ken/Catmandoo

Ken, I once pulled a bag of frozen fish out of the freezer because I was trying to get to something behind it then forgot to put it away then went off for a three day weekend. Needless to say, the smell when i returned was overwhelming. I do "hope and pray" your experience isn't anything like that!

I had the most patient parents in the world. For years I stored squirrel tails to sell to Mepps in our freezer. Later, it was hides from all the critters I trapped. I made fish oil in the back yard from gallons of rotting fish for that trap line. The only thing Dad ever growled about was the skunks I skinned. They sure were pretty though.

Years later, my wife got an education on my ways and realized I'd never be house broken--although she did give up frog gigging and coon hunting with me. The funniest event was my son's favorite boots being filled with escaped night crawlers. I've never seen boots fly off any faster or farther than when his feet touched those cold, slimy worms. The ensuing gross-out dance was pretty amusing too. I salvaged the worms though.

Okay...enquiring minds want to know. How did it end?

Bob,
You will have to wait until the next issue of Pondboss magazine to find out!

Now that's funny!

Thankfully, I found the shrimp on the front seat of my boat before we left yesterday morning. Why I put them in the boat is a mystery. I was going wade fishing!

Getting old is ...