Monday, May 21, 2012

Summer

Following an intense few weeks of construction, things have calmed a good deal and I have been able to return to a more leisurely pattern. Sales at the shop have been very good. People seem to be responding to my blog and visiting the shop, with a steady run of sales of my bentwood rustic willow furniture. The Fort Wayne Museum of art Paradigm Gallery has been selling quite a few of my birdhouses and slab benches and tables. On the wildlife front, I have been seeing several dead mink on the roads and last week saw a dead beaver floating in stony creek near the Pilgrim road bridge. This is one of my most frequently visited places. The warmer weather has brought out the soft-shell turtles, who I have seen sunning on the bank. They nest in the clay cliffs and use the waters edge to bask. They should be happy to find the dead beaver. I have also seen snappers there, and their most favorite food, baby wood ducks. Nature can be cruel. Summer has brought out many of the wonderful summer birds. Orioles,warbling vireos, great crested flycatchers,all have been heard, but infrequently seen. The massive cover of summer foliage and their tendency to remain motionless prevents many sightings of these birds, but their calls are distinctive. I have seen a lot of indigo buntings and yellow warblers. The snipe are gone, I wonder where they are now, replaced by solitary sandpipers. I saw a pair of least sandpipers flying down the river at Lafayette trace park, another of my favorite wildlife viewing areas. The water has been pretty muddy, but it is getting clearer and I may try some wading this week. I plan on going to The Dog house in Mt. Summit for a couple of their wonderful ham sandwiches, and I may slide by Knightstown to check a couple of sawmills there for slabs. I don't really need any, and my firewood is pretty well stocked up, but I love going there.

No comments: