Indian Summer

I think I stepped into a time-machine with the dial set for early September. Seriously, the last few days have been that nice. Temps have reached the mid teens (C) every day, and although the nights were cooler there was no frost on the ground. The sun has been shining and the winds have been down. A little interlude before you know what.

The last few days I've been writing and writing, editing and writing some more. My topic for this week's writing group is the cattle drive I went on - the most amazing vacation I have had. I wanted to do it justice and not just toss off something quick. It ended up being over 2000 words so I've divided it up into 2 'chapters'. Part of writing (for me) is trying to recapture the feelings that I experienced - the incredible excitement and profound sadness had me laughing and crying as the words flowed onto the page. I'll post it in a couple of days - first I have to scan some photos as it was long before digital cameras were invented.

This afternoon, while I napped, Carm put away the pool and got the hitch out of the truck. He was assaulted by Asian beetles and when he came in one side of his neck was covered with swollen bites. Those damn things got me a few weeks too. I can see them laboriously flying around outside the window, their rotund bodies unable to pick up any speed.

I took advantage of a warm day to do the final 'putting to bed' of the villetta. Everything that could freeze, and all the food came off right after we got back from our last trip, leaving just odds&ends to come in the house. The last of that 'stuff' is inside, and I've moved things that I might want (but don’t need inside) during the winter to easily accessible areas. I also vacuumed up dozens of Asian beetles… The slides are still out but can go in before the snow flies. (for those that aren’t familiar, the slides open up to make it bigger on the inside than the outside)

The farmers are taking advantage of the good weather too - huge wagons filled with corn rumble down the road, causing me to check for earthquakes. The sound of harvesting equipment in the field is a faint echo that can be heard all times of the day or night. Farming is not a 9 to 5 job.

"The Indian Summer, the dead Summer's soul."  ~Mary Clemmer