Oct 18 - how dry I am

At 24% humidity my sinuses react. I should probably get the humidifier going but we're here such a short time that it doesn't seem worthwhile. The only solution is either being in the shower or outside, or in the basement where, because it's cooler, the relative humidity is higher. That's where I'm watching TV in the evenings these days.

It was a glorious sunny day. I went to Britt for 10:30 Mass and was back a little before noon. I puttered around outside a bit, took a trailer full of junk to the dump, finally collected the minnow traps that I'd put out two days earlier, had a snooze ... not necessarily in that order but you get the idea. In the sun, standing still, it felt warm. Riding on the ATC to the dump I was wearing my ski jacket.

There are lots of orange men around. Today, Monday, is the first day of the one week (or is it 5 day ?) moose season in this area -- WMU 47 (Wildlife Management Unit). Then there is a one week quiet time and then the two week deer season. Before deer season ends, however, we're outa here.

We had frost Saturday night, with temperatures around 24F on Sunday morning. The temperature did not drop as much Sunday night though -- it was 40F when I got up. It's supposed to be sunny & partly cloudy today and tomorrow then the rain starts. At this point they are calling for snow flurries for next Sunday, but who knows, that's a long ways off.

I did go fishing last night, hoping that the 52F temperature reading from the depth finder on the boat meant that there might still be some crappie around. As I headed towards the end of Smith's Bay, however, the water temperature dropped to 46F and I realized that I was probably wasting my time. Yup, nada. I think that once the 4C thermocline gets closer to the surface of the water those fish that would normally stay above the thermocline -- bass, crappie, perch -- all head into deeper water. I ran into this last year too. It's self preservation because if they get trapped in shallow water they'll freeze to the bottom. Fish that don't go with the flow, as it were, are eliminated through natural selection -- death due to stupidity.

I may go out after pike this morning, which I'm fishing for in about 12 feet of water, prior to going to Parry Sound. I have banking to do; stuff to pickup at Crappy Tire and Home Depot and 5 cases of wine awaiting my pleasure. Sandy was originally planning on going to Sudbury today but she was unsure last night, might put that off until Tuesday.

Sandy did some cleanup in the garden and organizing on the deck yesterday -- the latter with my help, getting chairs and plant pots stowed away underneath. She's left the table and chairs by the kitchen for now, hoping that she'll get some warm weather ... ha. I still have to move the four Muskoka chairs up to the barn.

Other than the orange men and hunters prowling our road for partridge (illegal to hunt from the road but they do) it's quiet. There are not as many moose hunters as deer hunters so there is not a lot of traffic on the lake. Besides, what do you do with a 2000 pound bull moose if you shoot it way down the lake ? Moose hunting seems to be from road accessible areas. Jim and Bonnie are in, Brooks were in on the weekend, then us, then Ysseldyks and nothing in between. Next weekend Jason is expecting to be in for closeup ... and then the following weekend is the beginning of deer season.

During that week after Jason is here we have tickets to see a couple of plays in Stratford and Sandy is also planning on getting tickets for Jersey Boys in Toronto. Somewhere in there I need to get my eyes checked and order new glasses; Sandy will have a dental hygiene appointment; I'll do some tiling at Stef's. At least that's the plan. Abby has no other plans -- she'll tag along for the ride.

I see a faint light in the sky, or rather some definition between the sky and the trees on the far shore of the lake. Another day is dawning.

Onward.