Autumn Thoughts From The Shore

The geese are increasingly overhead these days, loudly demonstrating the Doppler Principle as they head south.  I'm in the mancave early this morning to get a few things done, and their honking puts me in an excellent state of mind.  Here in my little corner of the world, there are a few reliable signs of Autumn.  Councill Farms out on 50 turns their big roadside produce market into a pumpkin and mum emporium with games and activities for the kiddies.  There are of course, also the geese, some of whom choose our cove to rest in, though their noise indicates very little rest that I can observe.  Finally, the local gentry is beginning to break out their hunting cammies for everyday wear, a fashion choice with which I maintain a respectful distance, but popular here nevertheless.

My goose hunting buddy has moved to the Old Dominion, so I'm not sure if I'll do much of that here this season--though I am reliably informed that Mudge has his duck boat up and operating, so I may slip down there for some birds.  I'm still eating the deer I got last season, but soon it will be gone and there will be room in my freezer for another.  Mudge has apparently added a few stands to the hunting ground, and I look forward to spending some time there.  Always love when Mudge talks to me about hunting--he refers to "your (my) stand" when he talks about the place I sit.

We went to the trouble of installing a gas fireplace in our bedroom over the summer, replacing what appeared to be a fully functional traditional fireplace with this version.  The Kitten didn't like the idea of actual flames in the bedroom from the traditional version, so now we have this wonderful gas version with a timer.  I'm excited for it to come on at 4AM and get the room toasty warm for me when I rise an hour later into what previously was the cold, winter darkness.

Our persimmon tree fruits this time of year, dropping its lovelies on the ground for my hungry dogs to lap up.  The Kitten is driven to distraction by this, as it also means that they gain a few pounds.  So we put up a little green mesh fence around the base of the tree to separate them from the source of their girth.  They circle forlornly, looking back at the house occasionally to seek some indication of what great wrong they had committed to be punished thusly.