Fall

Dead dark by 8:30

Getting hard to see the yellow kilometer markers against leaves turning yellow on the forestry roads.

Said roads crawling with hunters anyways.

Bears around every corner, coming in.

House groaning with food.

Cats swarming me as soon as I sit down.

Turning on the big outside light every night to help the dogs with the bears.

Everything burning more calories than normal.

Geese and ducks in ultra-gorging mode.

Piglets everywhere.

RVs everywhere.

Frost in the mornings, outlining leaves on the open slopes.

The slightest resurgence of blackflies.

Where do I put all this stuff?

So much to do before snowfall, how do I prioritize?

Plants everywhere indoors.

Time to excavate the woodstove, it's not a sidetable anymore.

Watching the fieldwork days dwindle as I check off the samples completed.

Thinking of roofs, all the time.