Greetings faithful readers. In case you haven't heard the news, it appears as though I won the Town of Bethel Tax Collector position. The absentee ballots have not yet been counted (they will be counted on Tuesday, November 10th) but the early voting at the Government Center and the Election Day votes have been counted and as of today, I am ahead in the vote.

Although I have been involved with politics in recent years, I had never run for office before. You see life through a different prism. I decided to make my car and my clothes, to be a walking billboard for the campaign.

Those of you who saw my car couldn't miss that I was running for the Tax Collector position. I met several Town of Bethel residents that I didn't know. I really enjoyed the campaign. I look forward to the challenges ahead of doing something new and exciting to me. Thank you for your support.

The Kenoza Lake United Methodist Women sold out of all their Election Day Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Thank you everyone who supported our doughnut sale. A special shout out to Rita Burdick, who always makes me laugh.

Get well wishes to my mother Marguerite Brown who is recovering from knee replacement surgery. She is currently rehabilitating in the wonderful Callicoon hospital, which receives rave reviews.

Juncos are a bird that migrate south to our backyards at this time of the year. Chickadees are here now as well. I love watching juncos and chickadees at the bird feeder. I pulled into my Pucky Huddle driveway Election night and saw an owl perched on one of the Otto garden fence posts. Wow! It is rare to see an owl. I believe it was a barred owl, judging by the size.

Last week Rebecca Rhodes of Mueller Road, near Kenoza Lake, called to tell me that she had Evening Grosbeaks at her birdfeeder. Wow! Then, Dr. Joseph Pawlick of Burr Road emailed me to say he had Evening Grosbeaks!

Then Carl Lindsley told me that his brother has had about a dozen Evening Grosbeaks in White Sulphur Springs. Although I have kept the Otto birdfeeder well stocked with black oil bird seed, I have yet to see an Evening Grosbeak. When I was a little girl, it was common to see Evening Grosbeaks, but their migratory pattern has changed, and it is a rare occasion to see one here.

The Cornell Lab, All About Birds website states the following about Evening Grosbeaks:

“They make very erratic movements south into the continental United States in some winters, when they can become common at backyard feeders. Away from backyards, they winter in forests and feed in both deciduous and coniferous trees, often at higher elevations. They breed in spruce-fir, pine-oak, pinyon-juniper, and aspen forests of northern North America and the mountains of the West.”

One reason for this migration of Evening Grosbeaks may have to do with the snowfall and frigid temperature that struck Montana and the mid-West two weeks ago. I understand that there were some local elk hunters out in Montana who experienced this snowstorm and frigid temperatures.

Now is the time of the year when there are hunting widows, yours truly included. I am aware of local men out in Nebraska and Ohio deer hunting. The rut is shifting into high gear. While driving, watch out for deer in both the daylight and evening hours.

Yesterday, I watched a buck closely dogging a doe. There is only one thing on the mind of a buck now, a hot doe.

No column next week.