Weekly Recap; 7/21/25-7/27/25

Vegetables, Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Bass, and more!!!

-

I have been fortunate to be able to house sit for my Uncle Fred for the week. 

-

This has allowed me to gain a greater appreciation and connection to the birds, bugs and plants. 

-

The photos I think do a cool job of capturing some of this. 

-

Food tastes so much better when you have more to do with the process than just cooking it. I did not plant these vegetables, but still picking them, preparing, cooking and eating them is a wondrous experience. 

-

My Uncle has been my biggest influence and mentor. Prior to he and his wife taking off for vacation, he got together what I needed for my next art project, linoleum block cuts. 

-

This is a whole new artistic endeavor for me. I have done some carving on wood, but this is its own animal. 

-

It became clear to me that the first I would do was going to be a mushroom! The second? Of course a fish! Then the third? A Bald Eagle! 

-

Still got some time on the water, this time though in the kayak! It is humbling to fish from the kayak every time. Especially with any slight breeze or current. Kayak fishing forces you to keep things simple. I had on a bladed jig and a wacky rig. The wacky ended up catching the only fish of the day; a young largemouth bass. Casting angles are crucial, if not you have too much slack in your line and no sensitivity. I tend to take the view of, “I am here to kayak and if I catch a fish, that is lovely.” 

-

It is so important to tune out of society and check into Nature. It was only a few hour stretch on the water, but with good weather, scenery, company and food, healing comes easy. The birds are there doing what they are meant to do, and I suppose in the moments on the water, I was doing what I was born to do. It is an essential part of my existence. It is a dramatic comparison, but like putting a bird in a cage, that is not what they are meant for. 

-

Besides just an elaborate vegetable garden, my Uncle has a beautiful flower garden. Which helps to support the bees and butterflies. It has produced many great photos over the years. It really gives a grander scope of the balance of the ecosystem. The flowers and vegetables need those bees in order to grow, just as the butterflies need those plants to help them make their grand voyage. 

-

The way my Uncle and his wife live is honorable, and also the way most of us need to be living. They produce such very little waste and provide most of their own vegetables for the year! Canning goes a long way too for the winter. There is almost nothing my Uncle Fred cannot make or fix. Talk about sustainability. 

All food scrapes go right into the compost pile that gets turned over on occasion and then used in the garden. 

-

Being an Artist means many things, to me at least, and that view has been formed by watching him my whole life. Some artists specialize in one thing or the other, but there is also the Renaissance approach. Which is to try you’re hand at a little bit of everything. This also builds a deeper connection with your surroundings when you can build or fix the space you live in. When you can work with so many different materials, your imagination is the limit. Anything you put your mind to you can create. 

-

Let me name the projects that we have done in our time together, not to mention all that my Uncle has done. Here are the projects; trumpet, technical drawing, self portrait, fly tying, pie baking, ring making, knife making, various wood work and carpentry, kayak paddle production, picture frames, stretched canvas, planting, gardening, hunting, fishing, foraging, and there are more I am forgetting at the moment. I hope this shares my point, the more skills you have the more obstacles you can overcome. 

-

The sun is breaking over the Great Red Oak tree on the East side of their property and beaming on my face as I write this. This is a pattern of life I can see for myself. Waking up to the birds chirping, sipping my coffee in the sun while drawing, harvesting fresh vegetables and herbs for dinner each night, canning the rest for winter, making, building, creating whatever I need to fulfill a need. 

-

It has been a great week. It has helped secure in my mind the sustainable way I want to live. Thank you to my Uncle Fred and Pam for trusting me with their house and sweet dog Greta. So amazing and such a blessing to have a person in my life who has been so influential in building me into the man I am. My Uncle being a sculpture as well provides some irony. He didn’t chip anything away from me, but rather built me up, gave me the time and trusted I will find my way. 

-

Song of the week;

The Dire Wolf by The Tragically Hip

The drums alone will get your heart thumping. Enjoy!

-

Episode 116 of the Two Angles on Angling Podcast is up on YouTube! Prior to the podcast Ryan and I were talking about life. He said to me, “You are strong and able to go through uncomfortable situations and learn.” or at least something close to that. It meant a lot to me to hear that, especially from someone I respect. I said to him “Thank you for that because I never view myself that way.” 

-

Ties in nicely to one of my favorite Gord Downie lyrics “…sometimes I just can’t do it, the only way around it is through it…” and I sure have been through a lot the last few years and it has built me, not broken me. There were definitely breakdowns, but they all lead to breakthroughs. Confidence is built through constant action. 

-

Thank you for reading. Until next time, rights lines and catch ya soon! Get outside! 

-

Jordan H. DiVirgilio