I haven't been posting as much as I usually do, and I thought it was because I have nothing more to say.  But that isn't so, I'm just nervous lately.  So nervous that I could not sleep a wink last night.  Kept listening to the wind and rain, which makes it seem very autumnal lately.  The garage has been painted, and I'm waiting for help with getting the rest of the panels up, so I can paint them, too.  I love the color "Russett" that I picked out.  It really looks good next to the forest.  Now for gathering the firewood.  I'm ready to go.  There's a lot of sticks lying around out there. 

When the rains began this summer, I noticed a bright orange color in the woods, and went in to find out what it was.  It was a mushroom called "chicken of the woods," very delicious, growing on dead oak.  But when I went back to harvest more of it, it was gone.  I'm pretty sure a bear took it; the log was scratched and bark was lying around.  The mushroom (or fungus) was gone, just a few crumbs scattered around.  And the blackberry patch that promises to produce many juicy berries this year is constantly being harvested by a family of bears - mom and cubs.  I know what it's like to be mutually surprised by a bear.  Me on one side, picking merrily away, and black bear on the other side, apparently unaware of me.  Then we meet, suddenly face to face.  While I stand there frozen in fear, the bear makes a rapid recovery and runs from the terrible human contact.  I am never afraid in the woods and wonder about that.  But black bears are almost/mostly good neighbors.    

My aunt sent me a link to my cousin's church - even the sermons are online.  He is the Pastor of King of Kings Lutheran Church in Minnesota, and I enjoyed listening to a recent sermon he gave about Samson and Delilah - not so much about her.  I am going back to his website and get very well acquainted with it.  I enoyed the sermon a lot.