The ocean is flat as a pancake today but I’m already committed to deadline tasks at the office in Gold Beach. Isn’t that a shame? After a week of a rocky Pacific, its blacks, lingcod, and halibut beckon me to come and catch them in my underused boat and I have to work. My two youngest boys aren’t too happy either as I’ve committed them to come in with me and cut the grass and pick up the papers around the office building. I’m paying them, but that doesn’t matter. They want to fish.

The bright side is I’m into the Letters section of the issue, and I always get a thrill out of reading letters. BHM is important to many readers and sometimes I don’t realize just how important until I begin reading the stacks of letters we get. I have to pick and choose which ones will get printed, and I cut out parts of some (I leave three dots in the place of words cut) because they are simply too long. If you want your letter printed in its entirety, make it short. Many letters are redundant with others, such as the ones praising us for wrapping the mailed issues in plastic, so I choose only one to use. Some people have sent two letters so I use only one to give other readers a chance.

I’m also reading Jackie Clay’s Question and Answer section. Because we didn’t use the column last issue, I now have 13 pages for that section. That’s too many so I’ll have to cut at least five pages. So far I haven’t found many letters to cut because the information is so good. Hard decisions, but most readers want variety. As popular as Jackie is, the issue can’t be all Jackie. Mas Ayoob is also back after being cut last issue. The omission of these two writers’ articles from last issue generated a lot of letters and emails asking why. What can I say; I try to introduce new stuff, or longer articles that cover other topics in more detail. Someone has to be cut. They’re back this issue though. Richard Blunt only goes in every third issue or so, so his absence will provide some room. His presence in last issue generated letters praising his return to the magazine.

My nearest neighbor, Jamie Carpenter, dropped by some more wood yesterday. He lives on 500 acres behind me that is owned by his father, Arnold, a man of about 80 years. Jamie is my age and has never been on a computer. I told him I’d use his photo in my blog. I don’t think he has any idea what a blog is. He and I are good friends; I sometimes bring him the extra eggs our chickens lay. His son, Shannon, often works for me doing odd jobs.

Time to go and put this magazine together.