Indian Summer Continued

The two paper birches that had stood in front of the kitchen window for thirty years or so had been cut down and cleared from the front yard. This morning  the open space was one great big beautiful green  lake that just invited you to jump in. It was  Indian Summer and very late September in Vermont.  You just don't get days like this any more.  I watched the dog sniffing along the edge of our driveway. I caught many of the fine scents of the little blue fall flowers myself. Honey bees buzzed about. It was a fresh morning. I was thinking "this must be like a cup of coffee for the dog" and just then he licked the ground and sampled a bit of a thick mulch of dead ground leaves and twigs and live grasses. I could smell how sweet it was myself. The morning was so fine, you could just drink it down. The dog did just that!

I sharpened the cutters on the chain saw. It would have been a perfect day if I could've started it easily. But it just wouldn't happen. Once it was flooded, it was all over. I just packed it away for tomorrow. Perhaps it was too nice a day to work.

Indian Summer

Somehow it became warm again early today! The thermometer attached just outside my kitchen window was reading 80 degrees in the sunshine! Here it is summer again! Summer is a valuable thing  up here in northern Vermont! Time to get some wood cut and time to rake the leaves off the lawn. Time to work outside where ordinarily it wouldn't be advisable for the wind and wet and cold of just last week. Winter does come in hard, fast and sudden around here. You turn around and you're looking for snowflakes. "Thunk", just like that! "Boom" - it's winter!
So, how's it gonna be three hundred years from now? Will there still be Indian Summer here in the east of the United States when Jim Wallace gets back the the earth - if he gets back?
It would be nice to put in a section of Jim just wishing to be home in late september - early october, all comfortable and warm , watching the birds and squirrels out of his front window, the smell of fresh coffee and roasting turkey, the smiles and laughter of his family.

"Did you ever think you'd get back here for "Halloween Night" and  the children with their pranks again?" Sally asked him as she brought over a hot cup of coffee and sat down next to him. "I nearly cried once thinking exactly that." Jim smiled. It was true. I prayed. I actually prayed that I would, but I didn't know. "I knew you were in trouble. I always know when you're in trouble. I prayed too."
Sally said as she stood up to bring over some packages. "What have you got there", Jim watched curiously as the pirate costumes unfolded in front of him. "Oh no!" He pleaded as they both started to laugh. "You didn't!"

Thunderstorms

Well, last night was scary, close, noisy for the lightning and thunder. The power went off for a few hours. I'm not really sure how long since I had gone to sleep early and woke to a very dark room and house. Flashlight and cell phone soon solved most of my problems, except for a cup of coffee. The water pressure was down too low to force up any water from the well. I had some left over coffee - a few sips. I put this in a small pot and heated it on the barbeque. Soon I was settled and had made my plans and went back to sleep. Shortly the lights went back on and there was water running in the bathroom. I made a fresh pot of coffee, grabbed a handful of sour cream and onion potato chips and thanked goodness for the speed and efficiency of our happy little community, Frito Lay,  and the Vermont Electric Cooperative. What a great world we live in!

Counting the Take

 

Captain Penance stood with what appeared to be a clipboard at the head of the line he'd ordered formed. One of the Explorer VI's crew after another was sized up as he wrote notes and spoke to them quietly. "Hmmm, I'm wonderin' what makes the likes of you come so far out now'!  I'll bet they miss you down in Minnesota eh?" He smiled at the geologist as he estimatedthe price he'd be able to pull for him. He looked them over like they were part of some auction. When he got to a girl, he was no less rude, adding very pirate like comments. It all made Captain Wallace very nervous and angry inside. He had to conceal this as carefully as any card player playing for very high stakes. He had to think, think, think. "There must be some way through this."

The Vulture had pulled a scarf off the neck of one of the girls and was making crude remarks just as the cook came in to announce dinner. It was fortunate timing, because it gave Captain Wallace time to recompose himself.

"Dinner's ready Captain". He spoke to Captain Wallace.