Subtle, but sure, signs of Fall hunting -- What are yours?

[Craig Larter]

On the eastern end of Lake Ontario the tops of the maples are showing a little yellow. The nights are in the 50's and days in the 70's. The woodies are all in full flight and the blue winged teal will be arriving any day. The new england asters are in full bloom and the may apple have gone dormant. The thistle has gone to seed and the goldfinches are feeding on them. Hummingbirds are building as the migration must be in full force. It won't be long. Starting a new puppy Nellie, 13 months and ready for her full life as a hunting dog. Life is grand!!!

[edgarspencer]

Craig, that’s one of the best, and most descriptive posts I’ve seen in a while. Some people can go through life and not take note of as much as you’ve just written.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

On the eastern end of Lake Ontario the tops of the maples are showing a little yellow. The nights are in the 50's and days in the 70's. The woodies are all in full flight and the blue winged teal will be arriving any day. The new england asters are in full bloom and the may apple have gone dormant. The thistle has gone to seed and the goldfinches are feeding on them. Hummingbirds are building as the migration must be in full force. It won't be long. Starting a new puppy Nellie, 13 months and ready for her full life as a hunting dog. Life is grand!!!

Craig, your wonderfully composed post reminded me of some of the words of an author, whose book I read continually, almost every day of the year. David Grayson is a pseudonym for the pulitzer prize winning author, Ray Stannard Baker (although born in Michigan, he's a New Englander at heart). His book, "A Countryman's Year" is a day-by-day account of life on a small farmstead in Mass. around the second decade of the 20th Century. I keep the book handy and read a passage for each of his date entries of the year. I've been reading this book for many years, completing it every year and then starting anew.

Here's the passage from a day at the end of August that reminds me of your post:

"In low spots along old country roads today I found the joe-pye weed in bloom; a rank grower, which in mass is often beautiful. There is a real touch of fall in the air: at twilight the crickets call. The goldfinch has a swooping flight; the aristocratic cedar birds are through with their late nesting; already the robins are beginning to gather, restless for their southern journey. And I found a fringed gentian by a woody roadside."

It's so nice to live where you can see the seasons unfold, and have the familiarity with your surroundings to know their subtleties and nuances.

Again, thanks to all of you who have contributed to this post. We are going through some tough times here with one of our dogs having cancer, and my own diagnosis with the same. It's nice to read these positive posts in a time when there is so much acrimony elsewhere.

Thank you!