Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Sitting on the porch watching the day wake up

Being a teacher I aint actually worked for a living in 30 years, but in case we ever get tired of not working they give us ten weeks off each summer with pay. I call it early retirement. During the school year if I want to maintain my magnificent body I gotta leave the house 2hrs early, so don’t get to see my house in daylight much. During early retirement on of the nicest things is waking up early, sitting out on the porch in the dark, and watching the day wake up while drinking too much caffeine. Absolutely still this morning, no breeze at all. But just 74 degrees out at 60% humidity, downright pleasant.

Been so very dry this summer the ‘skeeters never really caught up. OTOH it’s been so dry near as I can tell none of the local mockingbirds brought off young at all this year.

Been in the high 60's every morning for the past few days. Unusual for Arkansas in July and early August. Very hot and Humid during the day though. miles

Should have made that East Central Arkansas. In the Mountains might be different. miles

Been about 70 the last couple of mornings. But it warms up to around 100 by mid afternoon. And it is dry, really dry.

Was out on the lake for another spectacular Minnesota sunrise last Tuesday. There is truly something special about being out there when the Northern Lights fade away and the sun breaks over the horizon. The city slickers have no idea what they're missing.

PLEASANT? Well compared to 86 the other morning yes... but PLEASANT? Pleasant is around 50 and 20% or so. This just seems nice due to being in the middle of our 9-10 months of summer

Ya some weather to watch would be nice, we’ve been stuck under the Texas High since June at least, clear and hot today again.

Anyway the mockingbird are no longer singing in the morning, they’re scolding, getting into winter mode. As part of this pairs break up and defend individual territories. Sad part is in this readjustment of territories I just lost the welfare mockingbird this week. The welfare mockingbird has been around since winter, a remarkably tame and ragged- looking individual heavily dependent on the suet blocks I put out. He did succeed in holding on to my yard in the spring, never saw a mate, but earlier this week a spiffy-looking neighbor was chasing him around even in the bushes where he used to hang out. Ain’t seen him since.

Mockingbirds never have to worry about retirement.

Low 60’s here in the AM. Pretty damn nice. We’ve had a lot of rain, so the humidity is high, but with high temps in the low to mid 80’s it’s not too bad. Just left Texas a couple of months ago and am not missing the 100*+ temps. Having a little fun sending friends texts with current temps and complaining about the heat.

Cloud cover here all night, so it didn't cool down all that much. Porch thermometer says 79 degrees. Still 10-15 minutes until official sunrise, but the hummingbirds are hard at it already.

I did notice that on the mockingbirds here, songs changed, did not realize what that meant. Learn something every day.

Learned Tuesday that 9 hours in fire gear in the heat on the side of the road sucks. Learned yesterday that 5 hours in bunker gear on a house fire with fatality in the heat sucks as much or more. Especially trying to reduce the body to the possession of the funeral home in the middle of all that.

Birdwatcher - thanks for sharing and recognizing something that happens everyday as special.

I can relate so well. My 80 + y.o, folks live just outside of Kerrville in the Texas hill country. Dad built out the house himself so besides now having a huge laundry room mom loves it has a covered porch with a skylight. Every morning you will find them out there before dawn. Coffee, slice of cake mom made the night before, newspaper and cigarettes - those smells are so ingrained in me. A couple of bird feeders just a few feet from them. Feed will be in them if the deer haven't been too active in the night. They no longer own a dog but a kennel next to the barbecue grill protects a bag of corn from raiding raccoons. A coffee can laying on the bag is used to cast some for the deer that stroll through. Last year one of the best bucks I have seen in that part of the country came around daily. Axis deer roam like gypsies and come and go in cycles. Every once and a while one might run in to Dads crossbow ( it is a fairly residential neighborhood). Like clockwork, before we go anywhere and I am starting to rush Dad, he will nod and say he has to his constitutional first. Funny but if when we would hunt at my sisters place 20 minutes away I was always pressing him. He will chat, ask if I want cake, finally hit the jon and we leave . Ten minutes later its always the same thing- damn maybe we should have left a little earlier. The love I have for all this is immeasurable.

For the past 12 years my summer routine is to stay inside during the day. Around 3AM the temp is usually low enough to venture outside. If the temp is below 85 and there is some breeze, I'll drive over to the pond and drop a minnow in and watch as the night creatures end their activity and the day creatures begin theirs. Sometimes I'll even catch a fish or two. By 6AM the daytime lows are around the low 80s or high 70s. Getting light by then and I'll head back to the house, stopping at the coffee shop along the way, and check in with the 'fire before laying down for a nap. The days drag by but the months fly.

Long range forecast calling for below average temps next two weeks for ohio and mid mississippi valley region.

I need to roust Landromat Larry out of his dog cave for some bench time. He's probably watching Land of the Lost on Hulu. Sleestacks gonna ignite his PTSD

hahahahaha

I know you guys cannot wait to get out of here. Me, I’m prob’ly stuck here for another nine or ten years, in the meantime I ain’t gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. After I AM free to leave, a whole year in Costa Rica would be nice, just to watch the ebb and flow of migration. Then a year or two as a bicycle nomad, following the seasons north and south would rock After that I could live comfortably indefinitely with a vehicle and box trailer, living out of a cabin tent and screened- in shelter. Got my seventies all planned out if’n I’m still alive and ambulatory

The purple martins are gone, Western kingbirds are forming mass roosts and will be gone in a month, only birds still breeding in my neighborhood are white-winged doves which are in every tree. It’s a huge advantage feeding the young milk, means they don’t have to bring actual food items to the nest. They can fly in flocks way the heck out of town to feed, digest it, and then feed their young high fat, hi protein crop milk later.

Went to feed critters this morn. The old pileated woodpecker ( the little warrior) has been singing his warning song all morning long.

76 here in western ny. at 8 this morning.

62 here this morning in mid Willamette valley Oregon.

Sure feels good after day time temps. in the low 90's.

It's supposed to stay in the 90's for the next several days.

Gotta drink cool "adult" beverages to stay hydrated.

Sure glad I'm not working in sawmills any longer.

Virgil B.

First ones here showed up 15 minutes before sunrise. Numbers where I’m at are never very many, and mostly drab female and young black-chins. A 10oz feeder lasts all week, numbers have been dropping off since last week as they head back south. There was a little male juvie ruby-throat on the feeder this morning, kinda early, the bell curve of migrating ruby-throats through here won’t peak for at least another month.

Orchard orioles should be pouring through any day, on their way from the NE United States to NW Mexico to breed for a second time during the Mexican monsoon.

I’ll fess up; I lay back down and took a 2hr nap after I came inside

Hey, leaving the house around 10am feels about right.

72 here the last two mornings, for a week before that it was low 80’s at 4:45 am