Greetings everyone on this beautiful end of summer day even though there is one more day of summer left and I am not talking about what the calendar says about summer because that just doesn’t work around here when fall, or autumn if you prefer, starts September 1 and it really does and even now there is a noticeable difference in the weather as the nights are very cool and starting today even the days are much cooler since yesterday it was 82F and today it was only 65F and that is too sudden of a difference for someone like me but that is what happens this time of year when suddenly it is fall, or autumn if you prefer.  Sigh.  Fall is a beautiful time of year, but it is very short, and then…I don’t even like to think about it.  Sigh.  Summer came and went much too quickly.  Hardly had a chance to enjoy it.  But it was beautiful today even though cool, but on my deck where the sun hits directly in the afternoon it still gets quite warm.  So I was out there enjoying the sunshine and warmth and all my little critter friends.  There are now 5 chipmunks, Cheeky is the biggest, then R.B., Chipper, Check and Scramble.  Then there is my squirrel, Squirk, who has become very tame, and the 4 blue jays, crows and the deer, 6 of them today.  Tried getting some pictures but they were not cooperating.  Sigh.  Like the bear last week, he just would not turn around and look at me until he was far enough away that he didn’t look very big.  Actually he isn’t very big, about 250 lbs.  He started coming up on my deck but by the time I got my camera he was down under the apple tree.  Then he went over the fence into the neighbors yard to eat the apples that dropped over there so I went down to get a closer pic, but he just would not cooperate and stayed lying down behind the fence eating apples, so I was unable to get a decent pic.  Sigh.  Have started working on some projects, like my whimsical country bird houses.  These are not meant for use, just for decoration.  I like country decorating, especially primitive country.  Am going to make some country game boards next.  I enjoy making my own country items, for one thing they don’t need to be perfect, which is perfect, since I can’t do things perfect.  Plus it is cheaper.  Primitive country items can be expensive.  Though not everything.  Which is good.  Plus it is good to keep me busy.  My doctor doesn’t want me sitting too much.  But also doesn’t want me doing too much. Okay, make up my mind.  Sigh.  The birds are flocking together now, getting ready for their journey south.  Birds are smart, go south where it is warmer.  Actually some of our birds have already made the trip, such as night hawks.  Many more species will be gone over the next couple of weeks.  So sad.  There are a lot of little birds around now, different species of sparrows and warblers, but the bright colors of spring and summer are missing and though there are numerous calls and chirps, the actual songs are also mostly gone.  Even the loons and gulls don’t call as much this time of year.  Didn’t hear the loons as much this summer for some reason, don’t know why, guess they just were not spending as much time in the area this summer.  Sigh.  I really enjoy the call of the loon.  But I did get to enjoy Sir George this summer, I hope he will be back next year.  I know.  I’m just sort of rambling this week.  Like to do that sometimes.  And yes, I know I missed last week.  My apologies.  Technical difficulties again.  Me this time, not my computer.  Sigh.  Yes, I should be finishing my story I began 2 weeks ago.  Next week.  Hopefully.  Put up a new bird feeder yesterday, finally.  Birds were scared of it.  Good, said my landlord.  Not sure what was meant by that.  Okay, I’m back.  Blue jay was here for his evening snack so I had to give him a peanut.  They sure love those peanuts.  All my critters love peanuts.  It is very cool outside already and the sun hasn’t gone down yet.  Amazing.  It was very smoky in the air today, likely from forest fires out west.  The smoke gives a weird glow to the sun, a somewhat orange like color.  The smell is not as strong now as it was earlier this afternoon, but still noticeable.  We haven’t had many forest fires around here this year, too wet for most of the summer.  It is quite dry now however.  Guess I should stop rambling otherwise I will continue to ramble.  I hope you will all enjoy the remainder of your week and God bless!

Steve.

It is hard to believe it has been a week already.  The time just goes by so fast these days.  Soon it will be that other season I don’t like to talk about.  It’s coming fast.  Too fast.  I’m a summer person.  Not that I spend much time outside anymore.  I don’t.  But summer is still much nicer than that other season which is so long.  And cold.  Summer is nice and warm.  It’s nice to go outside without having to put on a jacket.  And it is so nice to go out on the deck early in the morning with a hot cup of COFFEE and enjoy the sights and sounds of summer.  Like the sun glimmering on the brilliant emerald leaves as they gently rustle in the morning breeze.  The cry of the loon on a distant lake or river.  A little phoebe calling endlessly in the bushes just a little way from my deck.  A robin singing joyfully from the top of a nearby spruce.  The call of gulls as they laugh back and forth to each other.  Sigh.  I miss my gulls.  Sir George has not been here since last Thursday.  Amazing.  Don’t know what happened.  We were getting along so well.  It would not have been long and he would have been eating from my hand.  Sigh.  It’s August.  Warm days and cool nights.  A nice time of year except it means that summer is nearly over, then it’s fall, and then…it’s over.  Fall, or autumn, if you prefer, is just so short.  Normally anyway.  Even now the leaves are starting to change, the yellow is beginning to show among the green.  Usually birch is first, but this year it is the maple.  We did have a short time without much rain, but today that changed.  It rained.  Started about 2am.  Stopped by early afternoon.  Or thereabout.  Really reminded me of fall today.  And that got me thinking of times that dad and I went out for insulatoring or bottle digging, or rock collecting.  Well, minerals mainly.  This is ideal country for rock and mineral collecting.  That’s what we have, plus lakes and trees.  Absolutely beautiful country.  Fall was a good time for our adventures, and that’s when most of them took place.  The amazing things that happened sometimes.  Many times we didn’t find much interesting, but the things that happened are what made the outings so memorable.  Like this one time we were trying to find a way in to the railway which was quite a distance from where we had to park the car and that meant hiking a bit through the forest, or bush, as we like to call it and this one time after checking the map thoroughly we figured we had the shortest route planned so it should only take maybe 15 minutes or so and then we would be at a new location which would be nice since the isolated area should produce some nice finds for the growing collection but of course things don’t always work out the way we planned sometimes or maybe I should say they seldom worked out the way we planned since there was always something that happened to turn an easy hike into a rather arduous trek that would nearly wear us out before we reached our destination and on this particular day that is exactly what happened but it started out a fabulous sunny and warm day in late August so we drove to the spot where we would begin this short and easy hike and that part of the day was easy but that is where easy stopped and problems began but we grabbed our back packs and started through the bush which was no easy matter since it was very thick brush all through that area and there was no way around it so we just started pushing our way through it and usual I was in the lead since I had planned this route on the map which unfortunately I had forgotten to bring with me and so this is where we are now.   You forgot the map?, asked dad.  Well, I did bring a map, but it’s the wrong one, I said.  BONEHEAD, said dad.  We just got started and already he is enjoying himself, I thought to myself.  I remember the way, however, I said, I studied that map a lot.  Right, said dad.  So off we went.  Watch the branches, I said.   Thwack!  AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!  Guess he didn’t.  Dad’s hat went flying and got stuck in a tree.  I can get it, I said.  I grabbed a branch and reached up.  Sure enough I got it quite easily and I swung the branch down with dad’s hat attached to it.  Thwack!  AAAAA!!!!  Oops.  Guess I swung too hard.  Got dad right across the side of his head.  But amazingly his glasses didn’t fall off.  Thanks, said dad.  Not sure he really meant that.  Oh well.  Dad still wanted me to go first, he just stayed well back.  Speaking of back.  I will be back next week as we continue this adventure.  This got too long again.  Sorry about that.  Don’t forget to tell people about these ‘musings’!  And notice they are now available in 50 or so different languages.  This is still a work in progress, I hope to keep making improvements along the way.  And I will be adding more pics soon!  Muffin is sleeping.  Again.  These rainy days are good for that.  Think I will join her.  Enjoy the remainder of your week and God bless!

Steve. And Muffin.