Close Call, A Mystery, And Pumpkin Patch Harvesting

More rain this week - 2.4" in the gauge when we arrived and another 0.3" fell overnight. But I managed to get some chores done.

One of my chores was to start work on clearing hunting stands of vines, mice and wasps.  It's a battle and the foliage has been especially aggressive this year.  I started on the driveway stand which was disappearing under honeysuckle. That's it back there behind the brassica that I over-seeded in the soybeans.

It was a battle but then I moved on to the locust trees that were obscuring the pond stand.  Those trees have inch long thorns and are tough to deal with.  I took the pole chain saw up to the stand to try to clear from above.  First thing that I encountered was piles of raccoon poop all over the platform.

Not the easiest to maneuver up there with a 10' long pole saw but I got it done.  Started down the stairs with 10' pole saw in one hand and other hand on the railing.  I hit the third step and went straight thru.

That certainly was thrilling.  My foot landed on the next step down and it held.  Whew!

That was easily 12' in the air and it would have been quite a ride.  Van and I had been discussing whether to replace those stairs - made my mind up.

Meanwhile, the no-till plantings are showing mixed results.  The clover (above) looks pretty good.  The brassica (below is spotty at best.  

One of my mock scrapes attracted some attention.  Somebody beat up the lower branch here and actually broke it.

The barn field clover is primo.

Partridge pea blooming in the prairie plot.

I need to get serious on elk hunt prep.  I decided that I better make a decision as to which load I was going to shoot.

I like the all copper bullets for penetration.  At the ranges I hunt, I still have lots of velocity for expansion.  Historically, I've used Barnes but I decided to compare the new Hornady CX loads.

With both of them, I usually yank one shot in a group.  But I seem to be shooting tighter groups with the Hornady load.  And I'm about 2" high at 100 yards - right where I want to be.

I trimmed an oak and then noticed the acorns - could be a big year for them.

On my travels, I came across two turtles in the act of making more turtles.  I told them to get a room.

Joan seems to be enjoying the new gazebo.

There is a fair crop of winter squash - butternut, acorn and delicata.

I scavenged the rest of the field and came up with some stuff.  Carving pumpkins are pretty scarce but small pie pumpkins and white pumpkins are ok.

A few photos of the Tommy and Elliot visit.

Here's the mystery - look at this trend on the water bill.  It looks like we must have sprung a leak somewhere.  I checked the leak detector on the meter and it isn't moving.  I went into the kitchen and cracked the water valve, the leak detector started to spin.  It sure looks like something happened in mid-July but I can't find it.  I guess that I'll see what the next bill says.

I checked this camera for the first time in a month.  Here's a pileated woodpecker.

This squirrel just wanted to pose.

The fawns are growing up and the dots are starting to fade.

Turkeys doing their thing.

The bucks are definitely coming out of velvet.

This one in process.