Woodchuck Nation

Autumn is Here, Another Visit by the Firewood Fairy, Prime Ribberly

2007-11-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Lord, I had forgotten about my poor blog!

After a few false starts, autumn is upon us up at the cabin. The temps are finally dropping down into the 20's, and the sky is, well, autumnal.

The geese are back up in the beaver pond, and making quite a racket, but they will be gone in a couple of weeks. Not that they bother us that much.

I think that this is most assuredly the best time of year. Anywhere. I sometimes wish it could be like this 365 dyas. But, then it would lose all of it's poignancy, I s'pose. It's the whole circle of the year and life and death thing.

The firewood fairy visited the cabin a couple of weeks ago. I knew I had been good! She didn't actually stack the wood in the woodshed, though, so I guess I wasn't THAT good. I think she is still miffed at me for staying up on Firewood Eve and snapping a photo of her...

I thought I had been unseen, but she knows! She knows. She even keeps tabs on the Septic Tank Gnomes, and they are MOST elusive.

I played my first "gig" with my Strumstick at the annual dinner for the Fort La Presentation Assoc. It sucked. It was really loud and hot in there, and no one could hear me. I did get a free prime rib dinner out of it, so it didn't suck, all around. So, artistically, it sucked, but prime ribberly, it was tres bien!

I shan't push it too much. I have been away from blogging for a while, but I am BACK!

I am Home, My Little Bear, Coyote Pack is Back, I was Born in the Wrong time and Place

2007-07-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

So, here I am, back in the North Country. I have become such a damn homebody these last few years. I hate traveling, and I am only really happy at home with my wife, dogs, and guitars.

I was greeted by my dogs when I got in the other night except, one of them was not the same puppy that I had left home a week before. She is growing A LOT! She is only 5 months old, and already weighs over forty pounds. I think she will top out at about 80-90 lbs when she is done. We kind of figured that, seeing as how she appears to be half shepherd and half rottwieller. I think she is mostly bear. She is a hungry beast, too. Luckily, she is so far very gentle and good natured, and loves kids. She also loves Mr. Little Guy, the cat. He loves dogs, so that’s not too bad.

I heard a pack of yoties to the south of our place this morning at about 0200. They sounded like they were about a half a mile away. Still too close as far as I am concerned, but they have really been noticeably absent from the area the last couple of years. When we first moved in, they were up on the ridge every night, yammering and howling away to beat the band. That was the year they killed my favorite cat (Little Head), and that I swore revenge. My neighbors got about 12 malamutes for a sled team, and the yoties have pretty much stayed away since then. The sled dogs LOVE to howl. They howl all the time. I love it, personally, but then, I don’t live right next to them. It sounds like wolves. I think the yotes hear that, and have decided to err on the side of caution. Wolves and coyotes don’t get along, from what I have read, and anytime their territories overlap, the yotes usually come out on the losing side of any territorial disputes.

Not to mention the rumored cougar that has moved into the neighborhood. I have not seen it, but I have heard strange screaming sounds here now and then, which I have generally written off as fisher cats.

My niece and nephew are visiting this week, and we took them to a place called Boldt Castle, over in the Thousand Islands. It was quite nice. The place was built by a fabulously wealthy fellow back in 1904 for his beloved wife. It was never completed or occupied. His wife died suddenly before it was done, and he ordered the workers to just stop what they were doing and leave. The first floor has been mostly renovated and furnished with period furniture. It was enchanting. I always knew that I was born in the wrong time. I was MEANT to have been born into a fabulously wealthy Victorian family who owns a castle on an island in the St. Lawrence River. I will have to talk to someone about that.

Back on Blogger

2007-07-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again. Blocked outta MySpace by the Entity. It's too bad. I liked the way my blog was set up over there, but, oh well.

I am still in RI, at MTS's cabin in the sticks. It's a luvverly summer day out there, but buggy.

I pulled into his driveway today, and a swarm of about 40 or so deer fly actually attacked my car! At first, I thought they were bees, or something, but no, deer fly. I waited in the car for a few minutes, until they gave up on biting my Escort. It wasn't hurting anything but the paintjob. One or two of the more patient ones had waited, and they chased me around back.

I finally got to have clamcakes and chowda today, down Galilee way. Real, clear broth chowda, to boot! Man, it was good. I have been eating crap since I got down here, and not the good kind, either. So, this kind of made up for it.

I am heading back to the woods (well, my woods, at least) in the morning, and I miss my hearth and home.

"Far off hills, seem fair and friendly, still there's fairer hills at home."