We have finally gotten some much-needed rain; better late than never, because we can surely use it. I began to wonder if we were turning into the dust bowl of the '30’s.
After closing our cabin for the season, I always have mixed emotions. The only regret that I have about this year is that I didn’t get to spend as much time there as I would have liked. Each winter I spend a lot of time anticipating the spring thaw and anticipate going back to the cabin as early as possible.
Our cabin may not be everyone’s dream, but it works for us (me). We have no running water, so I bring water jugs and bottled water. I set out two rain barrels that we can use for washing dishes, cleaning and showering. We got along without electricity for the first ten years and then we got an offer from the power company that I couldn’t pass up. It sure makes things a lot easier.
When I was leaving the cabin for the last time this year, the fall colors were getting beautiful. I have always said that the fall season is my favorite, and I will stick with that statement. I don’t believe that there is a better sight than the colors of fall that you see when driving down a country road. I took a little time to visit one of the many lakes in the area by the cabin. This lake is on a low maintenance road which is narrow and is lined with trees on both sides. You are truly in the middle of nowhere. It was quite a few miles to the lake that I planned to visit, so I was able to take in all the beautiful colors along the way. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife along the way, but there was one deer that stood on the side of the road watching as I passed by.
Whenever I take this drive, I do see quite a few Northern Flickers which are beautiful birds that have no desire to interact with humans. As a kid, I would spend hours trekking through the slough on the west side of Bridge Avenue. I always carried my trusty Red Ryder BB gun, pretending to be an explorer in the wild frontier of the north. On almost every one of these excursions, I would usually see a flicker. They fascinated me because of their beauty and of how fast they could fly. Occasionally I would startle one and it would jump up in front of me and scare the heck out of me.
Waterfowl hunting season is upon us.
Minnesota’s regular waterfowl season opened a half-hour before sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 23, with the same regulations as last year. Minnesota has three waterfowl hunting zones — north, central and south — that share the Sept. 23 season opener, but have varying end dates. The central and south zones also have a mid-season closure Oct. 2-6.
Hunters are advised that water levels might be low due to dry conditions across the state. Scouting ahead of tour hunt can help identify any changes hunters need to make in accessing their preferred hunting locations. Hunters should check the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s waterfowl hunting page for complete information including season dates, regulations, a waterfowl identification guide and weekly waterfowl migration reports.
Until next time: It won’t be long before the landscape of our area will be alive with the colors of fall. It is a great time to take a drive, but always be conscious of farmers driving their machinery from field to field during harvest.
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