Damn, halfway through the month and I cannot even believe it is started. I checked the weather, of course: more rain falling on my drenched pals in Colorado and more flooding, and a typhoon headed for the JG in Japan. So many things to keep straight these days.

I wanted to pull together some seasonal recipes for you this morning- I will be cooking inside shortly, and want to get some savory seasonings ready.

Coming in, I had to feel sorry for the Mouse in the Mailbox. He was not in when I crunched up to the gravel driveway with the driver’s side window down to pull out the advertising and two weeks of circulars.

The sedimentary layers had three attempts at nests pretty well along before the next load dropped in on him, and the box was nearly full. I imagine there was still enough room for him to insert himself in the mass of paper. Still, it must be discouraging for the little fellow to have to commence gnawing through the pages of the Clarion-Bugle to make his bed all snug.

He had nearly got through the article on what to do to get ready for hunting season. I suspect he did not want me to see it, but I noted that disabled veterans are permitted to hunt vermin on their own property regardless of seasonal pouch limits, so I consider him warned. And no offense to our elected vermin, mind you.

Later, I was sitting on the front porch with the Russians, returning a tote bag that had last been filled with the bounty of the truck patch in the back pasture. We talked about East Africa, where one of us is going next week, and about relationships that may be developing or not.

The fact that three of the four of us have full time jobs, and how much longer that is likely to continue. You know, contemplative.

It was a lovely day, one suitable for having the windows open and the air fresh and country soft.

This was a short visit for me. I was in the pool yesterday and froze my ass off. The water was just about the temperature of the air: 74 degrees, according to Mylos the Polish Lifeguard. I managed almost forty minutes before I started to shiver in the water and gave it up. I was cold all the way down to the farm and almost had the heater on in the Panzer, long jeans and a sweater helping to mitigate the chill.

As we sipped our drinks a great V of geese flew over, honking melodically, low over the old farmhouse. They know it is time to be heading south, but they do it slower than we do, so I think there is time yet to savor the fall in this red county.

I did a few chores at my house when I eventually got there. I noticed a stand of grass had risen at the end of the rain gutter above the front porch. I found one of the long old-lady calipers that were so useful to retrieve things from the floor when I was crippled last year.

I used it to grip the hardy stalks from below and tugged the grass and root ball out in a lazy dripping mass to plop on the grass, and was rewarded with the sound of pent-up rainwater coursing to the downspout.

Then I loaded the big porch umbrella and its heavy metal base in the Panzer so I can erect it in the middle of the new patio table for the Last Plunge Party this evening. Too late for the season, but the summer got away and there is no getting it back.

Mylos will lock the gate tonight for the last time of the season. He will head for Las Vegas with his buddies, first stop on a swing that will go on to San Diego, and then up the Pacific Coast Highway to LA and then on to San Francisco before returning to Middle Europe for the long cold dark winter.

I know it is coming, but there are going to be some excellent weeks coming up as the year dwindles away. Not yet.

I was gong to talk to you this morning about the latest idiocy from Senator Charles “Chuckie” Schumer, who believes he can refine the First Amendment in a manner more to his choosing, but frankly, I am tired of getting up every morning to be appalled at the antics of our elected officials. None of us and none of our freedoms are safe when the Congress is in session.

We can get alarmed about that tomorrow, I think, when Chuckie and his ilk get to the office.

In the meantime, there is a drive north, and football and swimming and drinks on the patio back up north, if I ever get there.

Copyright 2013 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303