Blazing Trails

We have had frost this past week and the trees are changing color. So fall is here and bird hunting season is open. I don't think we will have the colors like we did last year as the leaves are already falling.

Tom has gone out scouting for birds a few times but the foliage is still too thick. Last evening he went for one of his (I'm feeling restless) 4-wheeler rides. Wouldn't you know he seen two coveys of partridge and no gun. He was able to laugh about it. There are plenty of birds around, so maybe this coming week we will be enjoying them on the table. I bone them, cut them into chunks, season and bread them and deep fry. Mmmmmmmm.

All summer Tom was expanding his lawn mowing to where brush hogs should go "cautiously ". He has an 1810 (older) model riding lawn mower/ brush hog. When he hits a stump, or big rock or (?), one or both blades just fall off. Last year we went through two sets of blades but this year he has mastered the art of adjusting the deck with the terrain as he is mowing. So we only used one set this year. But "Old Betsy" was retired for the year. Deer hunting season coming on now and things to do to prepare for that.

With the tree fort, oops, I mean "deer stand" now completed, we cleared a runway and started making trails through the woods. It's a fun project. Tom leads with the chain saw and I trail a safe distance behind cleaning up the "path". (I didn't want to say trail again : ) The girls love it when we are all out and about together. They scurry around, sniffing here and sniffing there, than back to check on us and off they go again.

Okay so sometimes we have to holler for them but they always come. Lilly has surprised us as we thought she'd take off on a scent and not see her till she decided to come back, but she came every time we called AND I'm not the most graceful person in the world, so I kind of fell into the brush pile and Lilly came and jumped on top of me licking me to death. I don't think Tom seen that graceful move because he didn't tease me about it and he never passes up an opportunity to tease.

I love walking through the woods and had always hoped he'd decide that it would be a cool thing to do. I'm all for making trails everywhere. He never had the desire before because there are endless trails available to us but with Lilly, all of us going is not an option and slowly Tom's world is shrinking to the confinement of "our woods." Years ago I told him we were like a "Pair of Shoes" where one goes the other one follows. That hasn't changed.............