As I write this column, it is a cool 48 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. A hint of autumn is in the air. It is tomato season. If you have a garden, you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with. If you don't, you have friends and neighbors, trying to push tomatoes on you. I recently read that “A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins”, quote from Laurie Colwin.

No column next week.

This is the time of the year when we may see a Great Egret. Please let me know if you see one. I have been driving by the Albert Thony pond on Swiss Hill Road as well as Kenoza Lake, to see if I can catch a glimpse of one of these amazing birds. As you may know, the Great Egret is the signature bird of the National Audubon Society, as the bird almost became extinct, due to the demand of their feathers in women's hats.

Wedding News: Dan and Nancy Brey advise me that their daughter Jess Brey exchanged wedding vows with Thomas Ouellette on August 8th, at the Dan and Nancy Brey residence. Best wishes to the bride and groom!

Baby News: Troy & Nicole (nee Terwilliger) Rutledge are the proud parents of a baby boy, Andrew Amos Rutledge, born August 19th. Another generation of Rutledges! Congratulations to the parents and grandparents.

Get Well wishes to Helen Wachter, who is recovering from hand surgery.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that August 10th is the day that the bucks stop growing their antlers on August 10th. They are currently still in velvet, but around Labor Day, will no longer be in velvet. This year, the opening day of Rifle season is as late as it can be, November 21st. This works in favor of the does and breeding.

Best wishes to two of our local Renaissance volunteers who helped with the Kenoza Lake United Methodist Church and Post Office projects, Henry Peters and Maggie Russell. I had the good fortune to meet and work with both. Good luck as you both begin college.

I recently wrote that the Otto household has been blessed to have a pair of wrens make their nest and young ones on our front porch. The second batch fledged last Sunday. No more wrens. A bit sad. Our Katydids are out katydiding. My oh me are they noisy. “Katydid, Katydid”. Carl Lindsley advises me that his hummingbirds are in the process of molting.

There had been a pair of fawns growing up near Perry Road and West Shore Road. They were not as road savvy as they should be. Duke Devlin tells me that they were both killed by a car, one day apart. Please try to slow down and be mindful of our four-legged friends. A few Sundays ago, there were red foxes near Route 17B and CR 115/Browntown Road & Gabriel. Pups. One was in the middle of 17B last Sunday. So sad, please slow down.

Full moon, September 1st, Corn moon, NOT the Harvest Moon. This year, the Harvest moon will be on October 1st. The Old Farmers' Almanac says “The full Moon that happens nearest to the autumnal equinox (September 22 or 23) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon” instead of a traditional name—a rule that often places the Harvest Moon in the month of September. However, when September's full Moon occurs early in the month, the full Moon of early October lands nearest to the autumnal equinox and therefore takes on the Harvest Moon title instead. That's the case in 2020, when October will experience two full Moons: one on October 1 (the Harvest Moon) and the other on the 31st (the Hunter's Moon and a Blue Moon too!)