Observations at the Bolt Hole

It's cold! At 8:30 AM the folks at weather.com say it's 26 degrees, the nearest weatherunderground station says 22 degrees, and the Bolt Hole thermometer says it's 17 degrees. By anyone's reckoning it's cold.

Everything is covered with a thick layer of frost and I'm sure that as the sun begins to warm the tree tops that a lot more leaves will be falling off the beeches and red maples in the forest. I noticed this morning the big sugar maple outside my door has dropped the last of its leaves. I had raked what was on the ground last week but it looks like I hadn't touched it so that will be one of my jobs later this day.

I'll have to make a run down to Wal-Mart later this morning for some supplies. Three kitties can really make a dent in the kitty litter even when one of them (Shadow) has turned her nose up at every moist food choice I put down for them. Chester and Julie have had no such compunction and are taking up the slack in the food department. Shadow does get her share of the dry food in the ever-filling bowl. And I need to get some groceries for myself, too.

The damn mouse in the wall is far more predictable than the deer. Three AM is the start of its work day. That's when it starts gnawing on whatever it is gnawing on and wakes me up. If only I could predict when and where the deer would be during the day. (I have a good idea of where they are at 2 AM but that's not exactly legal shooting time!)

I slept in this morning as much as Chester would allow me. He started howling at the bedroom door around 6 AM and kept at it for nearly an hour. He woke me but I refused to give in and dozed off and on until he gave up only to have my bladder take up the argument. It won.

Another task for the day will be to get the rest of the split wood into the barn and/or wood shed attached to the house. The forecast is for some showers on Tuesday and that wood will have to be under cover by then. Some of the split birch will be heading to PA when I leave next weekend. It's dry, seasoned and split perfectly for the fireplaces down there.

Walking in the woods today would be futile. The leaves are so crisp that every step sounds like a cannon filled with grape shot has been fired into the forest. Talk of snap, crackle and pop!

With no predictable trails (they are everywhere!) for the deer to follow and with the deer just starting to show some signs of going into the rut when the males get a little stupid in their pursuit of a doe in heat, it's tough to figure where to sit in ambush. In a day or two (when the bucks get really excited) setting out a few scent bombs may make them come to you, but I've tried a couple of times with Tinks Trophy Buck scent and they weren't buying it. Mark and I have the week to try and figure them out before he returns to work and I head back to the Aerie. With any luck....

Oh, well, Time to do some house cleaning and then off to Wally World. Later.