After I gifted two fish to strangers, I was in for a big surprise!

How’s this for Karma…Monday I caught my first trout through the ice, and it was the biggest trout I ever caught. I am 46 years old. I gave it to an old lady. I figured there are more opportunities in my life to have trout.

Tuesday, I caught 2 more large brook trout. A guy came down to the lake, who doesn’t have time to fish. He had just seen the blog about my fishing trip the day before, and wanted to see how I was doing. I gave him one of the trout.

Wednesday, after having the lake to myself for two days, some new guys came to fish. They didn’t want to get in my way. I told them to fish right next to me, I didn’t mind. Soon another fisherman had come. I told him the same thing.

I had only set 4 traps. He put his first trap about 2 feet from one of my old holes, and caught a fish within 10 minutes. By the end of the day he landed 2 trout to keep, and released 1.
The other 2 guys landed a trout near one of my holes as well. I didn’t even get a flag.

Thursday my wife took the van to work, and I am stuck home alone without a ride until Saturday evening.

With rain forecast for Sunday, no more fishing this week. Turns out my son really enjoyed the trout I had brought home on Tuesday. Those other trout would have been a nice addition to the freezer stores…

This evening, I get a call from Newport Police Department…do I want a road kill deer? HECK YEAH!

002

This little buck lost his life, but for my family he is a blessing. He will fill our freezer for a few weeks, with tender healthy venison, at a time when money is tight.

 

A couple of months ago I asked Newport PD to put me on the list for road killed deer. I had forgotten all about it.  Thankfully officer Nick Covell didn’t when a small buck ran out in front of him and he hit it with his cruiser on Friday January 8th.

Being that a police officer had been the one to hit the deer, the deer was not allowed to suffer because of his injuries.  Also because it was a police officer, there was no damage to somebody’s primary mode of transportation, that was likely to cost them money for repairs, and possible lost wages.

As deer/car collisions go, they only way it could have been better was for a warden to be the one to hit the poor little buck

With things the way they are in the world today, many people lose faith in God. But this is the time when we need to hold strong to our beliefs.

I was taught that no matter how little you have, you should always share. And not just with your friends and neighbors.  Giving a little bit of what you have to strangers is more important than sharing with the people you know, because those are gifts from the heart.  When you give you are not supposed to run around saying “See???  Look what I just did!  I gave that homeless guy $20!” I know, some of you are thinking that I am doing the exact same thing by posting this blog.  I am not.  I gave from the heart, I expected nothing in return.

I always try to do just that. If you trust that God will always take care of your needs, it allows you to give freely. I feel, that when you trust in God, and you give freely, you are repaid even more than you gave.  By sharing this story, I am bearing witness to how God has worked in my life.  I am showing you how God can work in your life too.

And as far as I am concerned? A yearling buck with a broken back leg, and no other noticeable damage is worth WAY more than 2 little old trout! The Alleys have been blessed this week!

Giving doesn’t have to be a sum of money donated to a charity, or even money at all.  If you can afford to give money, by all means do so!  But for those of you who never have money left at the end of the pay period, you can give time, or a shoulder to lean on, or even a couple of nice trout!

 

I am proud to feature Fettinger Fuels in today’s blog!   FETTINGER FUELS HAS NOT OFFERED ME ANY MONETARY  COMPENSATION, AND THEY HAVE NOT PROVIDED ME WITH ANY FREE PRODUCTS, OR MERCHANDISE, AND I HAVE NOT BEEN OFFERED ANY DISCOUNTS!  I AM JUST REALLY PLEASED WITH THE SERVICE I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THEM IN THE PAST. The folks at Fettinger Fuels are in business to get you the best fuel prices, and the quickest and most efficient delivery times.  I am proud to say I have been a customer of Fettinger Fuels for two heating seasons, and I intend to be one long into the future.  Click the photo below to find out how to schedule your next delivery!  Tell them I sent you, and know your order was taken with a smile! --Fett

Doug Alley

About Doug Alley

I grew up in Bath, Maine in an upper lower class family with 3 step sisters, a step brother, and a little sister. After high school I spent 3 years serving in the USAF at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage AK. I've competed in, and won, demolition derbies. I've competed in, and never won, stock car races. I am the 47-year-old father of an 11-year-old boy who is pretty sure he is smarter than I ever was. We live on a little less than an acre of land in a 1973 mobile home in Stetson with my wife Jen, some cats, a few chickens, and rabbits, and a couple of goats. I hunt, fish, camp out, dabble in photography, gardening, and I cook in variable degrees of near success.