I am carrying a heavy weight on my shoulders this week. The loving husband is gone and has left me with the burdensome and arduous task of taking care of the minnows. We went ice fishing last weekend and had some leftover bait. When the "leftover bait" gets turned over to my care, it turns into "pets." Sometimes I refer to them as "the boys." For example, I may say to Barb and April at the end of the workday, "Well, I guess I better get home and change the water on the boys." or "Three of the boys died last night and I had to bury them in the minnow cemetery." Kidding. I don’t really have a minnow cemetery. I’m just grateful that the loving husband didn’t leave any leeches or waxworms to take care of. They aren’t much fun to play with and they’re rather uncommunicative. Minnow care is an art form and volumes have been written about it. Here is a brief description I found on the Internet (slightly revised). Handle your little baitfish like you would the big fish you’re going to catch. Both have delicate skin covered with a protective slime coat. Rough treatment will rub off the slime that buffers them from abrasions that may knock off scales and damage the skin. The end result will be a highly stressed fish, not a good thing for you or the fish. Minnows need oxygen or they will go to minnow heaven. You can use a battery-powered aerator to help sustain the oxygen supply. Or you can give them fresh water every few days. We used an aerator one year, but people made fun of us. Now we just replace the water. Alert: Minnows do not survive in chlorinated water. Keeping the water temperature cool will help your new pets survive. We just keep the boys in the entryway, which is chilly, but not freezing. If you need to change the water or add water, be careful because extreme changes in water temperature will cause your loved ones to go into shock and die. No one wants to be responsible for that. Once the minnows become your pets, you will have a hard time using them for bait. I try to "accidentally" release as many as I can without being noticed. This, in itself, is an art form. If you find that using your pets as bait is more than you can stand, bring a book along and read instead. Don’t drop it in the ice hole. A good choice might be the new title by Joy Fielding, "Puppet." Amanda Travis is a successful 28-year-old attorney who wins just about every case for her less than admirable clientele. A Florida transplant, Amanda races through her glamorous life, concerned only with herself, a good bottle of red wine, and her pristine Palm Beach condominium. Her estranged mother, dead father and two ex-husbands have lagged far behind. When ex #1 won't stop calling, Amanda finally gives in. He tells her that her mother shot a man at point-blank range in the lobby of Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel. Despite her best arguments, Amanda knows she must return to her hometown to face her demons and uncover the hidden facts behind her mother's violent outburst. Soon she is drawn into the dark, strange power her mother seems to hold over everyone. Her childhood nickname, Puppet, echoing in her ears, Amanda must finally confront the past in order to be free of the ties that bind and learn to stand on her own. Don’t forget to sign up for the adult winter reading program. The more participants we have, the better chance we have of winning a $500 cash prize to buy new books.
