Mather

Have you noticed how dark it is in the mornings these last few weeks? And cold? Can summer really be over? Why am I never ready for this extreme change? Most of the time, I am a morning person.

This is not a great year for mushrooms. The hot, dry summer may have damaged the delicate underground parts of the organisms. The fall rains may be too late for them to make a recovery.

Sitting here in my little log cabin in the woods, I look out at the "modern" world with perhaps a different view from what you see on television. First of all, I don't have a television.

I'm just back from my annual "fall harvest tour," with five bushels of apples in the back of the truck. That's not including the two buckets full of crab apples. It was a very good year for apples, despite the dry summer.

Each summer I try to get out for a few days on a solo canoe trip. I pack up my little canoe with everything I need to travel, eat, and sleep. I am self-contained, self-sufficient, and alone in the wilderness.

BY VIKI MATHER One day last winter, I stopped at the corner to get the mail. I bought gas, and a small order of fries to go from the little restaurant. I borrowed their phone to call Allan to give him an idea of when I'd be home.

Have you pulled your garlic out of the garden yet? If not, put down the paper right now, and go harvest the garlic you planted last fall! Garlic needs to be harvested just before all the leaves turn brown.

It is just another beautiful sunny, summer afternoon. One of many we have had this year. How many more will there be before summer is over? name="valign" top > Mather A gentle breeze comes off the lake.

We chose a beautiful spot on the eastern shore to set up the tent on the first night of the canoe trip. A high ridge ran all along the western shore of the lake. Misty white fog rose between the old growth red and white pines.

When we travel by canoe, we are always looking along the shore for potential campsites. You never know when you might come by this way again. It is always good to know what the possibilities are for spending the night.