Fall is here! I've been reflecting on the year and thinking about next. I didn't write nearly as much as I wanted to this last year. I've been preoccupied with preparing Aefintyr and concerned that after another year of prep it may not be ready even in 2022 for a formal opening. The project has been challenging especially with the COVID 19 pandemic to round up all the construction professionals in the correct order and managing changing costs with a limited budget. For now I'll keep my camera handy and enjoy this time I have with Aefintyr by myself before I open it up to share with others.
Animals
I was out today working. I moved some equipment that has been sitting out in the woods a couple months and found several mouse beds constructed of moss, paper and soft plant materials. There were also several acorn shells. I had to remove the nests to do my work. The mice have chewed and peed on the nice new seats in "Pug" the UTV we got last spring. I removed all the evidence of mice I could find from the machinery but it was until I went to start it that the mice ran out. There was some material on the UTV engine that I could not get to and smoked for awhile. I was afraid I was going to start a fire so I turned the engine off until is stopped smoldering. If the buildings aren't constructed soon I am going to need to take this equipment home so the animals don't ruin it.
I found 2 holes about 2 inches wide along the hill road. I think they are entrances to a chipmunk home.
Noticed lots of red acorn tops and a few hickory seed shells along the trails.One of the trail camera batteries died so I didn't get video from the last several weeks. I've seen plenty of deer that last several weeks. The little fawn is growing up and has lost most of it's spots. The bucks have lost their velvet and their winter coats are growing.
I went on a hike a few weeks back with my family. We found 2 American toads (Kermit and Mary) and Alaina decided she would like to keep them for pets. Alaina had done a lot of reading about the care of them and so we took them home. My preference would have been to keep them in wild. Fortunately though they have been doing well in their new home in Alaina's bedroom in Rochester. Alaina and Chris catch pill bugs and crickets for them and watching them eat is blast. They catch the bugs with their tongues and swallow them down in one gulp.
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| "Kermit" American Toad September 6th, 2021 |
Fungi
I have not found much for fungus. There was quite a burst after a rain in the beginning of September. I've returned to several of those spots and found little evidence left of what was there a month ago. I have been monitoring some puff balls that I found on an east facing bluff slope. They are firm and dense feeling when they are white and hydrated and then become like a old sun deteriorated foam that when touched give off a cloud of spores.
Giant Puffball
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| September 6th, 2021 |
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| October 2nd, 2021 |
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| October 2nd, 2021 |
Plants and Trees
The leaves have been changing now for a few weeks, mostly yellows and browns. The woods is noticeably thinning. I can see the outline of the bluffs on the other side of the valley as I walk along the ridge. Some of the oaks, woodbine and sumac are a beautiful red. I was cleaning at the camper at my folks place just down the road and watching the leaves fall on the river there. I was enjoying watching the leaves flow down with the current exposing lots of details about the speed of the water and eddies that are often not as obvious when looking at the water by itself.
The acorns, walnuts and hickory nuts are falling.
I found a beautiful New England Aster today by the Quercus camp. Many of the other flowers are done with their blooms and have gone to seed. This one really stuck out when I came upon it. If I can make the time I may go after some seeds later.
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