Dockside friendship between woman & sunfish reaches nine years
by Boyd Huppert of KARE 11
Note: This story originally aired Sept. 6, 2020.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Most Minnesota encounters with sunfish come at the end of line.
Holly Jorgensen has encounters of another kind.
Clasping in her hand a wiggly bowl, Holly walks onto a wobbly wooden dock while scanning the lake around her.
Holly Jorgensen spends time at the end of her dock with Greenie, her sunfish friend. She wasn’t looking for a pal when she first locked eyes with the green sunfish just off her dock.
Greenie the sunfish gets a treat from his human friend Holly Jorgensen and from fish eyes, grew a fast friendship.
Even before Holly began serving snacks, Greenie would be waiting at the dock when she arrived for her daily swims.
Each spring, Holly waits for ice out. For five straight years, Greenie has been back at the dock when open water returns.
Greenie isn’t alone in the lake. A smaller sunfish Holly named Spot used to tag along with Greenie. Then, a bass named Slim became a frequent Greenie cohort. But only Greenie seems to enjoy the chin rubs Holly regularly administers.
Greenie is large by sunfish standards, large enough to fill a medium-sized frying pan. For obvious reasons, Holly asked that we not divulge the location of her lake.
Holly Jogensen swims with her Greenie, her sunfish friend. When Holly swims to the other side of the lake, Greenie has been known to tag along. Often, she lingers in the water, shoulders-deep, near the dock, as Greenie swims around her.
So enamored is Holly, she wrote Greenie a poem.
She titled the poem, “Diversity.”
Holly has also written a book recounting her adventures with Greenie and other musings about life on her lake.
For many Minnesotans, sunfish remain a nice catch, but in the most stressful of years, Greenie gives Holly Jorgenson her release.
2024 UPDATE:
This spring, just after ice out, Greenie the sunfish once again returned to Holly’s dock. This marks the ninth summer Holly and Greenie will spend together.
Holly is currently writing a book about their adventures. She’s titled it, “Greenie & the Girl: an Enchanted Fish Memoir for all Generations.” For more information, check out Hollie’s blog by going to www.hollyonthelake.com.