Summer is just about over and we’re heading into my favorite time of the year. While I’m not one to celebrate heat and humidity, I’m grateful for this summer and for most of the moments I experienced.
Here’s a quick rundown:
For the fifth year in a row, foxes have denned under some boulders below our house. I’ve been fortunate enough to see (and hear) them in various stages of development and watchfulness over the years. This summer was no exception.
I’m a sucker for a good church sign and when I saw this one within a few miles of our house, it warranted a picture. I found it hard to argue against.
We have the best neighbors anyone could ask for. It’s just us and them up here on our ridge and this summer saw us rack up a fair amount of porch time. Their dog, Buster, kept watch while we talked about our ailments and the current state of the world.
Chicken of the woods were plentiful this year. I spotted this batch while walking the dogs one morning in June. After a rain, the colors seem electric against the deep green of the woods.
Honey participated in her first horse show in Ashland, Kentucky. While she didn’t come away with a ribbon, she had the best shirt in the whole joint.
I managed another summer of keeping the deer out of our garden but not out of the bird feeders. We have an arrangement and it seems to be working.
I attended two funerals and wore a tie more times than I care to admit. If you know me, you know my usual attire. So, here’s photographic proof that I clean up sometimes.
I bought a brush hog from my uncle in Kentucky this summer and still haven’t used it. It needed some maintenance and fine-tuning and I swear to god I’m going to use it before everything turns brown.
I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I’d wager we have more box turtles per capita on our property than anywhere else within a hundred miles. (I have no scientific data to support this claim.)
This is the biggest buck I’ve seen on our land since we’ve lived here. Despite his awareness of me and the dogs, he stayed bedded down as we walked within 30 yards of him. He’s pretty majestic. I wish my granddad could’ve seen him.
I planted watermelon this year for the first time. This one split and the bugs got to it, so I left it as an offering for the critters that scurry around in the woods. And the light was nice, so I made a picture.
On the first cool night of late summer, I made a fire in the front yard. I never cease to be amazed by beauty of this place and consider myself lucky for every second I get to be here.
I hope you had a good summer, buddy.
- Roger
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You live a good life my friend, and your post makes me homesick. We were back home in WV recently, 4 nights in Greenbrier County and 4 in Mercer which is my home. It was one of my top back home visits as we saw lots of friends, enjoyed beautiful weather, and took in some of the best scenery, Gods masterpiece for sure. I long for those WV hills, I tell my lady that if we know when I’m near death to please take me home so I can die and go out where I came in.
We enjoy life in Florida but I don’t have a network of buddies here, it’s a hard place to make friends. Nobody sits on the porch and visits with neighbors, everyone is always in a damn hurry. Go to dinner with folks they want to gobble it down and go home. I don’t have a friend to call and say let’s just hangout a bit, I don’t see old guys doing that here, everybody hangs out alone for the most part. If I were in Princeton, there are a number of lifelong buddies I could call and hang with.
We nearly bought a home in my WV hometown, a home I’d admired since I was a kid sneaking through its yard going to town. But, we came to our senses knowing trying to keep a home up, especially a large one, and only using it part of the year made no sense. Plus my lady knew I’d want to stay there all the time and we do have some business issues to deal with occasionally here in FL.
Oh well, keep up your good posts as they help me be at home as I read them.
I'd have to have me a hammock tied up somewhere out there amongst the trees.