July

     Hot weather, isn’t that July? We had some up here at Camp Grouse, but most of the weather has been cool. Many mornings there has been a fire lit in the woodstove to take the chill out of the house. Today it is near seventy and much needed rain is falling.
    Early in the month ruffed grouse were often seen along the sides of the road, usually hens with their broods. Sometimes the young were as small as sparrows and the next day a brood might be seen as big as quail.
    We keep the dogs out of the woods to prevent chance encounters with young grouse or woodcock. Soon the birds will all be big enough to start running the dogs on them.
    October still seems a long ways off.