Member-only story
A Dam Fish Story
Or ‘How I Cured an Acute Case of the Shack Nasties’
This is a chancy time of year for me, seeing how I’m susceptible to bouts of cabin fever. I guess all those years of spending time outdoors fishing and hiking has weakened my immune system.
As I’ve tried to explain to my wife, cabin fever is like a cold — you have to treat the symptoms early to keep it from turning into a more serious condition. Left untreated, a mild case of cabin fever can turn into a virulent, jangling attack of the shack nasties.
Alas, this time around I failed to take action soon enough.
I tried mightily to focus on my work-at-home job and doing repairs around the house. It was futile. I was breaking out in cold sweats at night. During the day my brain fog was so thick I had to stop texting — I couldn’t remember any of the acronyms.
Symptoms grew steadily worse. My left hand — my casting hand — developed a tremor. My skin felt like insects were crawling all over it.
Turns out they were. We had an infestation of stink bugs. My wife called the exterminator, and he took care of the bugs, but there was nothing he could do for me.
A person in the throes of the shack nasties is a pitiful sight. I paced the floor until my wife complained I was wearing out the…
