So, to all those that came up with very clever ideas...too late... but I appreciate the effort all the same, LOL!!! So know that if I invite you and I get the car won't start,the huge snow storm,got to write a story..deadline!!! I will now know! Heee,hee cat's out of the bag! I did think however that you guys are cute beyond belief!!! I wrote that whine about fearing going then went and found a new top back in the drawer,pants that somewhat hid somewhat how out of any reasonable shape I am and put a clip in to hold the mess and breathed in. That for me is getting ready(already had a shower so I do tend to go clean!LOL! just wanted to make sure that was known!) Fiance's Mom has been married before,but today she marries a lovely man. The ceremony is about to happen in an hour in Niagara Falls. To visit Niagara is to see an amazingly huge falls that boarders the Canada/Unites States boundry. It is beautiful and once was the Honeymoon capital of the world,still sees newly weds flocking there. So the dinner last night was amazing! I so enjoyed myself and I was so silly about not going. There's a shock! It basically was a joy to met the people, have a great meal and be there for my daughter. She is always the picture of ease and grace, I could learn from her. I started a conversation after the meal with the lovely Lady from Holland. She was a beautiful woman,younger than myself and I found her very easy to talk to. We chatted about our kids! Haaa,universal! She missed hers as the trip was without them. Her son's having a birthday soon,going to be 13!!! Her husband seemed to have a lot of english,putting sentences together and would fly into a flurry of Dutch to his sister if he missed a word! Funny as the Dutch flowed a mile a minute! He wound then return quietly to constructing his english sentence. The Jamacian I found harder to follow as it is constructed in never ending flow. It didn't break and I found that there was no clues as to what was being said. I would get ahead of one sentence to stumble and get so far behind it was useless. But what I did get was the true and warm face of the groom that welcomed us to share his happy time. He was so gracious,so proud to be taking this huge life step,so totally sure! I got the Dutch people were so pleased to be there for their sister. Family is family. The guy was energy it's self,packing his Canada trip with all he could. They were most surprised at the size of the 401,yes agree there, the size of our shopping malls,yes, the size of our normal meals,ohhh! and the crazy cost of our beer!!! LOL!!! Holland sounds nice. Still no need for Sunday shopping as family is more important,no need for several cars per family as bikes are mainly used. Their kids bike 10 km to school,he thought school buses were for lazy people...can't argue that thought!  He says he misses skating in Holland once a major activity,cause they haven't had freezing conditions for the last 9 years! Before we went to dinner I stopped and got a gift of flowers. The bride has had to work and it's the second wedding for her and the fuss has not been there. So thought I...fuss is needed! So I found long stem roses on sale!! Knew I was coming! I choose deep passionate red for her and for the visiting lady ,a soft orange that caught my eye. One dozen for the bride and a half dozen for the visitor as I felt the bride needed more fuss. I brought an extra bundle of babies breath and filler ferns. So home I come and I got out my stuff!!! LOL! Finally using some more down,but that's a different issue. I found toolle,veil material sort of that's extra small and soft. I cut strips and weaved it through here and there,backed the bundle in it and added some puffs of it here and there. Then I cut organza that was green and wrapped the flowers. That material is see through and glimmers beautifully. I made bows out of shiny material that was off white so it looked pearly. I tied all and presented it with spun silver ribbon that was extra wide, gathering up all the material so it ended up looking beautiful. I presented the bride with her's and she was thrilled that something special and very "bride" looking was given to her. I gave the smaller soft orange bunch to the visiting Lady and she was thrilled to be welcomed with her country's colour! Who knew? I can be social even if by accident!

Well here goes,invited to wedding party dinner...don't want to go. My daughters fiance 's Mother is being married tomorrow. Some relatives from both sides are flying in from halfway round the world..different directions and none of them speak english. I of course only speak english and some times I really don't master that. Or if I do I get nervous and grin a lot...looking like crazy old woman. Worse it's a dinner where I'm might launch food...once tips my steak plate and launched it...horrid experience and then I can't stop laughing....darn...don't want to even try to be social....want to run and hide. Minti's were you can get it all out so I want to stay in my room..safe little room and totally hide,,got nothing to wear and I don't want to go, too tired and I will suck at being social. Whhhaaaa!!! Really don't want to...but must support daughter and she and her guy invited us and that was sweet. I suck. Must be gracious and do well at this as I'm suppose to be mature...haaaa,haaa that's a laugh. Suppose to help daughter as she has trouble understanding the groom..and he speaks english..well sort of. Darn. Need translator. Need to be educated in languages. I so admire people that can master different languages. In many places it's common to know two or three...here..it's english. But  I bet they will know several words of english and I'll know none of their language. That is so  arrogant. To think english is the be all and end all when there are so many other languages. Just, I never learned them. Darn..illness were are you when I need you? A typhoon or raging storm would do too. Traffic blokeage????How bout that? Oh how bout acting your age and getting ready??? There that would do it...toooo old to go.

The end of me! It feels like that! I have been working nonstop to clean (so not true! Hubby had to organize the tools so I left and sat on Minti yesterday!) the dreaded room. We are so close to being done! Yah!!! Bags of junk out at the curb and the carpet is out in rolls beside it,hope they pick it up too as there is some odd rythm and reason...I think they only pick up pretty garbage,or something. If you put the wrong plastic in the blue bin the whole bin is left but I've yet to break the code??? I think we should be terribly selective about what is thrown out and recycle as much as we can. So off to the goodwill will go a truck load! Yah!!! Goodbye junk weighing me down,goodbye stuff that feels more like an anchor,goodbye to bloated unessessary crap. Now my new frig is humming away in a tidy,clean room that has choosen stuff in it. Got to lay the new carpet in today and then keep it clean. It feels good to look at order. I think the way we choose to be in our rooms leds to the way we feel. Well that room was havoc,prue cayos and everytime you went in it ,it felt restrictive. It was in need of so much attention to correct it that to do so took resolve. So how do we allow that type of unessasary stress into our lives? Silly to think along these lines but then it is a big part of our lives...the homes we live in. There it was ..lurking in the cellar but always there. The other floors don't resemble it so why did it get like that? Needing two people working over two days to clear it?? Projects done and things not put away,things bought and not used,things added for later use...things,things,things!!! No excuse is there! I'm looking and not finding any good reason other than bad me!!! LOL!!! So I can feel better now! Until I turn and look at the rec room which is really wrecked! That's were everything out of the bad room is now,geessss the stuff just moved one room over,my havoc and stress is still there,the two days of rain and no painting,praise the lord as resulted in the stuff and crap lying in wait in the next room over.....ahhhhhhh!!!!! Be strong! Attack this room too,don't stop or the crap will win. And then there's the crawl space....oh help.

Ohhh... been working so hard,but feels good to get stuff done! Much nicer though to "visit" on Minti!! LOL! But I find the day can go by without getting much done! But I do like to see how everyone's doing and I rather love the pictures of the little ones!!! Just warms your heart to see them so alert and full of life and so darn cute!!! I have gotten the fence almost done,the back section is unpainted,but can you really see it? LOL! I know that excuse is lame,very lame and I will get to it. I also have painted the shed...heee,heee,except the back...ditto,same logic. LOL!! That too I'll get done but it's raining today! Yah...we really need the rain but the yah was more for having an excuse to not crawl around and paint fence. Thank you rain gods for the much needed excuse and the time to be here seeing how Minti people are doing! Hubby and I actually have been cleaning the mess in the room. Do you have a room? You know the one that you throw everything in for later? Later piles up? And up? That's our furnace/laundry/work room! LOL!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! So we went and bought a frig. My second frig died a while ago and I needed a second for extra food and drinks and because when everyone is here you really need the second. Well!!! We lucked out!!! This clearence center was having a sale and it was end of line clearence from manufactures. I spotted this one for 50 $ that had been dropped and the top corner crunched and damaged so the freezer wouldn't close. I thought if Hubby can pull car dents and such..this was metal! So dragged Hubby over to explain my latest crazed plan,he repair severely damaged frig. so I could have a cheap second frig! Worked for me. LOL! Then clever Hubby pointed out things that eager frig. wanting wife didn't see,broken seal,gaskets ruined,drop was severe so would compressor be damaged??? Darn pratical man. So the sales/help guy came over and should we be thinking of repairing that one??? If so, maybe you'd take a chance on this one??? He showed us this one with no pricing on it. Huge...21 cu.feet,white,beautiful interior!! What's the catch??? No plug cord,they didn't know if it worked. Hubby assessed the situation and we took it! He repaired the few marrs and installed a cord. This was after he and I got the huge thing out of the van. I'm not suppose to be lifting or stressing anything but for this baby,I tried. So we got it out of the van and into the driveway! For two days we had a driveway frig.,doesn't everybody? We plugged it in and it works perfectly! Happy,happy! Heee,heee,then we moved it to the back deck!  We then found the room had to be dealt with as the hole that the old frig had been in was filled as was the rest of the space. Darn!!! So major cleaning started. Hubby and I moved furniture so frig made it through the family room to the stairs down. That was fun,darn thing is huge and just fit through the door frames,down it came,me on bottom pulling it down step by step and Hubby tring to not let the thing down on me. At this point it's a good thing we still like each other after all these years of marriage! LOL!!!  I started thinking,but officer it just slipped and squashed her?? I am innocent! LOL!!! Hubby thought my humour very odd,but what the hay!!! I was under frig. stress. We won! Frig in place and plugged in,working great,Hubby and I still breathing,good all the way round. Now to clean the rest of the room. The frig. is a top of the line and just wonderful so I think it's worth the cleaning,had to be done at some point.  I hate stuff. Darn, the sun's coming out. Ohhhh,I mean oh look the sun...that means I can paint again. Whoopy. Arggggg. Everyone have a wonderful day,enjoyed my short visit.

Well,let's see I've been around Minti,here and there seeing how the lovely Ladies are doing. I've been keeping myself busy,painting the fence,got two gates done and starting on the fence itself. I helped dear Hubby put the fasica on the Grand Prix. I must say I understand how to do things and in what order. Must come from seamstressing,in order to finish you must do this,that and then that! LOL! Came in handy trying to fit all the pieces back in the front end of the car. I love tools. They are so neat to use. I've always used tools and feel very comfortable with them. The snag came here in Canada when we switched to metric. So you might have older standard measure on furniture or older cars and then there's the metric measure for newer stuff. Trouble comes when you run into older stuff needing new parts! Geesss,it gets confusing! I have built cabinets,and actually redid a century old house,loved that place. I built a custom kitchen :) and it was the only kitchen I've ever had that worked well. In one house I cut out a wall and built a custom table to fit the opening,worked very well. I think to do that stuff is to create and then use! Very satisfying. I have prepared and set up a 27 foot pool and dug it down in the middle to make it deep. I layed a small sidewalk here but have done much larger ones. I like to work with my hands and create. I'm bored with no projects now. I have things I'm suppose to be doing,hee,hee funny how what you're suppose to do holds no interest!!! That's what I need a project! Hummm,yes,sounds good! Wonder what I can find???

I think not. But you get to a state,which I hit often, when you just laugh. Problem..dog,leaving the high strung beast actually. I have blogged before about this animal that loves my Hubby and sometimes me...I'm sooo second.  He has a typical Shepherd stomach,easily upset and we have come home to messes before because he stresses himself out totally. Really a lovely way to have to end your cherished day out,cleaning up that and spending hours cleaning carpets. Well...get this! He always goes in the same area but we have not had to deal with this for a while so we thought it was done with..noooooo.

He did a small spot on the carpet so out come all the pails,disinfectant,cleaning stuff and rug machine. Reasonably cleaned. So where's the smell coming from???  I figure it's just because it is so gross and we go about being mad at the dog. Of course it's not his fault so Hubby and I say bad stuff about him between us,seems to help,venting to each other. He hears and he knows,you can tell by the way he looks back at us with that hurt face. Please...do we do stuff like that and expect you to clean it? I don't care if your doggy feelings are hurt. But where's that smell,is it just hanging in the house,we clean until you can't smell anything from the carpet so open everything for hours.

The smell is coming from the floor vent. The one down to the furnace. Good god! So I start cleaning it,and cleaning,trying not to breath and not to throw up. The bloody dog filled the air vent,he went over it and geeesss how could there be so much,not like he wasn't out and walked and all that!  So I go down stairs and ....wonderful!!!! It is dripping down the pipe,may the Saints help me!  So I get out my tools and start taking apart the heating pipes because the damn dog filled them. Is this normal! So that thought did it. I started laughing and couldn't stop. Tears were running down my face as I tried to take apart the vent piping to soak it in the laundry tub filled with hot water and bleach. I mopped it up from my ironing board,now needing a new pad and threw out the computer paper on the shelf and cleaned everything. All while laughing so hard my face was hurting and my sides starting to. Is this normal...far from it. But then,it's our house and could be normal for that standard. So sorry for any swear words but the situation deserves it and sorry for asking for the Saints to aid me,I know they have better stuff to help with other than pipes full of dog ...stuff!  My pipes smell bleachy clean! Are yours????? LOL!!!!!!!

 

We have booked amazing miles this past week and all on the dreaded 401. For those who haven't read my other rantings or don't know Canada,the 401 is this bruiser of a huge highway that runs from along the Staint Lawerence River to Montreal in Quebec to Niagra here in Ontario. So basically it is at the south of Quebec and Ontario. It has the most traffic on it in the world! Crazy place to be. The posted speed is 100 k/h but that is to start of course! Generally it travels at 120. So we went to Kitchener/Waterloo,a beautiful area to aid my daughters girlfriend. She needs to sell her van to move out to Alberta to follow her boyfriend. We are all worried for her as she is a sweet girl and this seems a bad choice. I feel she knows this too but is still off and running. So Hubby did a complete brake job and got the van so it could be certified for her. Sweet child paid us for gas and bought dinner!!! Now that's sweet! next Hubby went to Guelph to help son with furniture! Then to top off the travels we went to London to deliver a very special printer to my artist daughter. We took dog,he was a happy traveller to go with Hubby instead of being stuck home...and surprise!!! He was good! So... to K/W and back is two hours there,two back,Guelph is almost two and almost 2 back,just a little shorter than K/W trip. London is almost 4 there and almost 4 back. The bonus was as we left London the storm of the century hit!!! Light flashes and heavy rainfall so it was so hard to see.  Construction and pitch black,and torrents of rain. I think the 401 is crazy and yet at it's biggest it is mediums and over 20 lanes wide..and that is bogged down most of the time. When I was a child,yes many, many, moons ago it was the biggest highway around but no where near the monsterous size it is now and still expanding. It use to be there was quiet periods when you could ease across but no more. It is busy all the time. Hubby drives it and is careful, gets us across by avoiding all the crazy drivers. So now just sitting there and being a tense passanger I'm sooooo tired,geessss being a worry wart takes a lot of energy!

This is a solemn day for me,to remember the lives lost,the impact on our way of being,to reflect on the changes. That day is etched in my brain,the horror not readily real,the tears all too real. The impac on me was that I could not imagine the degree of hate that planning and executing that amount of horror would take. To plan and gather and live in that moment for so long. It takes a life of hate to produce that. A lifetime of hate beyond all reason. I don't understand fuctioning each day to achieve that end ,to murder. To murder to the degree that it surpasses all. To take your life which has little meaning other than to murder but to take plane loads of people just on their way to different moments in their lives and to direct it to end so many other lives. It boggles the mind that life is not valued. That to make this statement of horror was that important to these people to leave their families and this earth but to cause so much harm to those in the planes and towers and in New York. It stands in my mind and I want those left behind to know they are not forgotten. All the young people without their Fathers or Mothers. I am so sorry you had to pay this price. Fathers and Mothers are so important to growing children. To all that lost sisters and brothers and members of families that should have been there for birthdays and milestone days like graduations and weddings. I am so sorry. Your loss is the worlds loss. We that do remember, all lost something. Trust in good I think because there was no good in that act. We all lost believe,believe in common reason. We all lost the beauty in the world some how on September the 11 th. The beauty will shine through though, for the children left will make it so. Their beauty to survive and go on and make this world a better place will dull what the terrorists did. They can't put out the flame of true good people of which they are not.

Oh geeesss,so,so tired! Big weekend and I'm old,recovery takes longer! LOL!!! Really! Lots and lots of food,yet an other birthday party here and we had our last people leave late last night :( . I don't like that part at all. As I've no doubt complained over and over before....I know...boring!!! The darn house is like a tomb after everyone is gone. It echos in silence. My son in France as written me a couple of times,my youngest daughter made it to Chicago on her own and got in touch,and the rest of the crew showed up here over the past few days so it was good! I made a huge chocolate cake and used raspberries in it. Turned out rather yummy if I do say so myself. I found the cutest ever!!! candles!!! Little happy dinasours in party hats. This person was turning 30 and who doesn't need to be a kid again!??!! So the dinos and these cute little bright yellow balls with happy faces on them also with party hats were the other candles,you just can't put on 30 candles and have the person feel happy...so dinos and happy faces did the trick!  I put two free range organic chickens on the spit and bar-be-qued them. They were wonderful. We went to the local farmers and fresh dug potatoes were steamed and fresh picked green beans were a hit! Salads and goodies all over...wonder why I never loss weight????  We made a gift  basket for one guest and my eldest daughter who always finds just the right thing helped,so it turned out great! She found a lot of free trade goods and fair trade items. This makes perfect gifts as you are helping all the way around! She also found items that donate to cancer funding! She has that nack...you know to find the different and perfect thing. So fun was had by all,except I had to beg out of some things as my back went out and I miss everybody today! Well...at least in this family you don't have to wait too long to do it all over again ...YAH!!!!!

Ha,my final walkabout! For now anyway! It actually started as a boat ride! My son hauled out the very antique motor and put it on the little row boat. This little cruiser has seen better days and we will refurbish it too,promised her a new piece of marine board for her back end. But she's strong and proud and hits the waves the sleek new power boats send with gusto and with flare! So around the islands and up the little channels we went! It was fun and my son pointed out the dramatic water lines, a good two feet above the present levels. Quite the drop! Boat houses sit high with their doors unable to allow their boats entry as they now are two feet above water. We spent time touring and waving to all,what fun to do the circles around the lakes edges and then we headed back. While son took Dad out I thought of where I wanted to head next. I had made a vow to do three and the third had just found me.

When I could, I headed out to the marsh. A special area that holds so much life. The old timers in the area talk of huge muskies lying there. It would be a very reasonable breeding ground for the ancient beasts and I have witnessed something huge just under the water many a time. Seen large brown backs just breaking the water. One day I saw three huge forms and the neighbour had seen them the same day too. Geese, ducks and blue herons nest in the marsh. You find red winged Blackbirds,Kingfishers and canaries too!  Across the highway is acre apond acre of marsh and bog. That has been the direction of winter walks,very special to go find spring sources and enjoy the rock formations. The lake actually empties this way so the marsh at the end filters all to go on to the next area. I walked past the large den areas I found last year. They are in the banks were they are at a level well above the surrounding areas. I have tried to investigate these but are held back by promises I have made to loved ones not to be stupid. But the desire is still there every time I'm in the area,the tracks tell you they are inhabited. As usual I squat and blend in and wait. The area is old. Undisturbed by people for a long while. I wonder what this area was like a hundred years ago or more. The native peoples would have travelled here,maybe stopped to fish and collect the many berries. The marsh holds cranberries and the land blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. There are old neglected apples trees and lots of grapes.  They would have been in awe of Bear too as he is powerful in native customs. They would have scanned the air for eagle and vaulture too!  They would have moved through the bush as I try to do,breaking nothing and without noise. The reserve is south west of here and we stop to eat there. That is the only connection we have to todays native people,sad really. So I hear a huge noise and anyone that has spent time in the bush knows what's coming!!! The crashing and noise gets louder and out pops a chipmunk. Yes,they make a ton of noise to make up for their small size,I always find it amusing!!! I make it to the edge of the marsh after giving up my post seeing chipmunk has broken the silence and the train of thought. Last year the marsh was high with the grasses here and there,a pretty place and lovely to be in. This year it looks like a strange landscape from a distant planet. The exposed earth is rank with decaying plant matter that would have been being cleaned underwater. The water is here and there between the odd mounds tuffed with marsh grasses but not flowing. This years fry have not got the area to hide in and grow in. Quite the change and I wonder can Mother Earth make up for this or is this the start of changes we will have to deal with? My walkabouts have connected me again with my beloved Mother Earth. She is in distress,so sad as we need her more than ever. I will always love and respect her,we must before she can stand us no more.

I started my day early. I was up and about to poke into my favourite places to see if the snakes or huge dock spiders were about. The morning air was very crisp and clear but held promise for the day to gain warmth once the sun was up. I went down to the lake and was greeted by watching the rising mist dance with the softly blowing breeze,it looked so fairy like! No one up yet so I headed indoors to grab a warm coffee and wait to start the day.

We decided to take the dog for a walk. These are usually about 2 to3 hours long and cover a lot of ground. To see anything with the dog is to see it from afar. Well dog got crazy excited as he usually does,raceing back and forth like a jet proppeled fool. He usually judges distance well but ended up smashing into my knee and blowing it backwards,boy did it hurt. I walked about a kilometer and decided to let them go on and I would head back. I had noticed an animal path and it intreged me to see where it led so I thought...hummm...they won't be back for hours so off I went. I got through the path and followed it for quite a while until it came out on a clearing. Such a beautiful place. The staghorn sumacks were just starting to turn. They edged the clearing with their huge cones of seeds at upturn brach end. The leaves,usually green turn brilliant reds when the nights turn cold. The firely reds blazed against the mosses and ferns. The lichen beds were wonderful,in flower with tiny little offerings here and there that drapped down,so delicate and perfect. The different mosses make a beautiful patchwork of greys,blues of all hues and greens. So you walk with care over these wonders. I could see bedding spots were probably deer had slept in the dusk. I headed over to the ravine areas that were near and noticed the bushes were somewhat stripped. I had been told that the berries were very light this year due to lack of rain. I could see that large rocks had been over turned. Hummm....so I squatted down and was very quiet to listen for what was near. I saw ants running back and forth with their eggs,saving what they could from the rocks being turned. I heard nothing,no birds even so I moved without noise several meters on. Wow,there was a huge boulder turned and resently too as the area was wet,no mistaking the four clean marks on the rock and really no mistaking the huge wide paw print. So clever me thought it wise to head out of this area. I walked back with my mind thinking on how one could safely track bear,it would have been easy as I could see where he had broken bushes and the tracks were sure fresh. I wish I had the courage to do so as I'm sure he was close and to watch him flip huge stones to eat grubs and bugs would have been so neat but I have a respect for claws that big! He probably feels the need to pack on weight for the winters snooze. With the bushes being stripped,he's finished the berries and is on to high protien. I saw an animal path that seemed to head in the direction I wanted to go.

As I neared the cottage I saw the pines were seeding too,just beautiful! As the sun hits the wet cones they dry and open to release these tiny speacks of seeds. They have a wing around them that allows them to float down. Looks like snow. So my mind on the wonder of the seed snow I stepped into the clearing and it seemed to me to take a few minutes until I realized a large form beside me. I think I felt the eyes watching me. About two meters to my right was a large male deer! I held my breath and glanced over his large chest muscles twitching to his powerful legs. You could see past scars were the fur was missing here and there,run ins with branches? His nose flared and his eyes were huge and wet brown,very dark. Just as I started to relax and think..hey this is so cool,he twitched his tail and up it came. The large rump increased in size as he fluffed up his long white hairs as in one,two leaps he was off and gone down the ravine. he probably caught wind of human. Human roads and garbage and danger. I wish I could have reached out and communicated that he was safe to eat here,safe to rest and be. But then would I trust humans? I walked through the sunlight seed fall and thought,this has been a good walkabout.

I went up north for the holiday weekend with the thoughts of doing what I like. Yes,for once! You get all caught up in the stuff you have to do and what you want comes after. So after dutifully doing a lot I found night had come. So my first walkabout was in the dark. The moon was full,throwing a beautiful blue hue on everything. It intrigued me as I came out of the camp,we were camping out,and thought...this is too beautiful to go back to bed. Sleep is so over rated! The light was so neat,softly brushing down and it was so quiet. The night sky was covered with stars and after my eyes adjusted it seemed so bright. I headed up the road as crashing around in the bush seemed crazy even to me. The whip-por-will was about and I saw it cross the road,a tallish bird,couldn't make out the colours. So I sat myself down about a half mile from camp and watched. I saw a small mink,long and sleek digging under a fallen log,he gave chase to several bugs and then was gone into the bush. He looked dark and by the odour ,maybe a male. It was neat when he was digging away to watch the back arch to met the back legs with the front.  My spot was no longer active so I wandered down to the water,a long walk and in the dark, tricky to get down. The moss is what can get you,wetting things enough to be slippery. I sat close to peer into the water and even though the water is warm there was not much going on. Does everything sleep?  Then I saw a long heavy water snake drift by,just correcting his course now and then. So do they swim and hunt at night? Or is that the "sleep" state? Or was it the brightness of the evening? or is cause they can sense it's time to "bulk up" for the long harsh winter? His movements were casual,maybe a night swim in warm water...then I thought..maybe a fight with the missus??? just had to get out??? O.K.,getting silly,time for bed. I sat a while longer and watched the beautiful dance of the bats. They twirl and dash at the waters top to catch the bugs. They swoop with little or no noise to catch the bugs in the air over the water.  They are fasinating. I noticed the one return to the birch at the waters edge. High up in the top I could see the shadow of an other,seemed to be feeding it.  Passing over the new catch. This years young?  Have you watched a bat take flight??? Quite the wonder. They let go of the perch and are hanging downwards so they freefall,just drop. Then they slowly will open the wings together and catch the air to soar upwards. They always go to the left???? WHY???? Why always to the left? I've watched them for years and always they drop and turn to the left,hummmm...I do wonder why? They leave buildings in mass formation and the whole group turns to the left. Well enough about my love of bats and snakes and my night walkabout. I took two other walk abouts and will tell you about them..if you're interested!!! LOL!!! It certainly revives the soul.