Wednesday, August 31, 2005
THE SERENDIPITY OF SEPTEMBER
In our latitudes, September marks a major change in the natural world.
Summer still hangs on like an unwanted drunk at a wedding party. But never fear. The drunk is ever-so-subtly being eased out a side door.
Look closely. The foliage that was so brilliantly green just a month ago has lost some of its sharpness.
Walnut leaves are already turning yellow and falling into bass rivers and trout streams. The first hints of crimson and red are showing up on sumac and Virginia creeper.
In the woods, I find green hickory nuts with brown teeth marks. The squirrels are testing them daily. Squirrels will be the first to know when the meaty flesh of the nut is mature and ready to eat or store in knotholes for winter.
August loses its sweaty grip on the land this month. On certain early mornings and late evenings, a long-sleeved shirt feels good again.
The great trek south begins this month.
The annual hawk migration peaks in September. Any day now, you can find long lines of barn swallows collecting on utility wires, exchanging travel talk. I saw a gaggle of blue-winged teal on the river recently. You can tell they aren’t from the neighborhood.
A major shift is taking place – a 90-degree turn toward autumn and eventual winter. The outdoor loafer sees it coming, and picks an extra handful of blackberries or gathers a pocketful of walnuts still in their green hulls.
Summer won’t last forever, and next August is no more than a distant promise.
* * *
Got more money than you know what to do with?
Even if things are a tad tight, one of the best places you can contribute to helping others is an organization called Hunters for the Hungry.
Hunters for the Hungry of Big Island, Va., near Natural Bridge accepts venison donated by hunters, then has the meat processed by state-certified stores, and distributes it to food banks and other organizations that feed the needy.
The address is Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 304, Big Island, Va. 24526. The phone is 800-352-4868. The Web address is www.h4hungry.org
Though the meat is donated, it costs $30 to $40 to process a deer and get it distributed to the people who need it. The goal of Hunters for the Hungry is to provide 350,000 pounds of venison during the upcoming hunting season.
Now, I realize that most readers will immediately write a $100 check and send it to Hunters for the Hungry without prodding or provocation. But just in case you need a little encouragement, several businesses and organizations have formed a hunting-and-fishing raffle system whereby you can make a donation and possibly win an outdoor goodie at the same time.
Raffle tickets are $10 each, or three for $20.
First prize is a three-day, four-night deer hunt in Eldorado, Texas, as well as a Remington Model 700 30-06 rifle. Total value: $5,500.
Second prize is a full-day fishing trip on beautiful Smith Mountain Lake with David Dudley, Bassmaster Top 100 winner from Lynchburg, Va. Value: $650.
Third place is a Beretta Pintail 12-gauge shotgun. Value: $600.
And fourth place is a Chesapeake Bay fishing trip for six people (you can take your friends!) with Capt. Chuck O’Bier out of Lottsburg, Va. Value: $500.
If such sumptuous prizes – plus a desire to help those less fortunate – do not inspire you to open up that moth-eaten wallet, then you ain’t no friend of mine.
END
Summer still hangs on like an unwanted drunk at a wedding party. But never fear. The drunk is ever-so-subtly being eased out a side door.
Look closely. The foliage that was so brilliantly green just a month ago has lost some of its sharpness.
Walnut leaves are already turning yellow and falling into bass rivers and trout streams. The first hints of crimson and red are showing up on sumac and Virginia creeper.
In the woods, I find green hickory nuts with brown teeth marks. The squirrels are testing them daily. Squirrels will be the first to know when the meaty flesh of the nut is mature and ready to eat or store in knotholes for winter.
August loses its sweaty grip on the land this month. On certain early mornings and late evenings, a long-sleeved shirt feels good again.
The great trek south begins this month.
The annual hawk migration peaks in September. Any day now, you can find long lines of barn swallows collecting on utility wires, exchanging travel talk. I saw a gaggle of blue-winged teal on the river recently. You can tell they aren’t from the neighborhood.
A major shift is taking place – a 90-degree turn toward autumn and eventual winter. The outdoor loafer sees it coming, and picks an extra handful of blackberries or gathers a pocketful of walnuts still in their green hulls.
Summer won’t last forever, and next August is no more than a distant promise.
* * *
Got more money than you know what to do with?
Even if things are a tad tight, one of the best places you can contribute to helping others is an organization called Hunters for the Hungry.
Hunters for the Hungry of Big Island, Va., near Natural Bridge accepts venison donated by hunters, then has the meat processed by state-certified stores, and distributes it to food banks and other organizations that feed the needy.
The address is Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 304, Big Island, Va. 24526. The phone is 800-352-4868. The Web address is www.h4hungry.org
Though the meat is donated, it costs $30 to $40 to process a deer and get it distributed to the people who need it. The goal of Hunters for the Hungry is to provide 350,000 pounds of venison during the upcoming hunting season.
Now, I realize that most readers will immediately write a $100 check and send it to Hunters for the Hungry without prodding or provocation. But just in case you need a little encouragement, several businesses and organizations have formed a hunting-and-fishing raffle system whereby you can make a donation and possibly win an outdoor goodie at the same time.
Raffle tickets are $10 each, or three for $20.
First prize is a three-day, four-night deer hunt in Eldorado, Texas, as well as a Remington Model 700 30-06 rifle. Total value: $5,500.
Second prize is a full-day fishing trip on beautiful Smith Mountain Lake with David Dudley, Bassmaster Top 100 winner from Lynchburg, Va. Value: $650.
Third place is a Beretta Pintail 12-gauge shotgun. Value: $600.
And fourth place is a Chesapeake Bay fishing trip for six people (you can take your friends!) with Capt. Chuck O’Bier out of Lottsburg, Va. Value: $500.
If such sumptuous prizes – plus a desire to help those less fortunate – do not inspire you to open up that moth-eaten wallet, then you ain’t no friend of mine.
END
