Late Summer's Treats

These first days of September continue unabatedly summer-like, reminding us that there is a summer, after all. Forgotten are the weeks and months of early and mid-summer when people groaned over the lack of summer-time weather. Now that children are back at school and dreams of vacation-time evaporated, ideal summer weather has arrived, however tardily.

This day like all the others so far this September has been acutely dream-like in its summertime qualities. Clear sky, hot sun, reasonable 23-degree temperature; what more could any summer-loving northern people ask for? And in the ravine it's even cooler, and quiet, very still. No other perambulators in there aside from us. We're accustomed, however, to having the ravine to ourselves. Save the presence of the wild creatures whose home it is.

We're reduced this day to dispensing shelled unsalted peanuts, unable to find unshelled ones where we generally shop. But my husband has gone out to the bulk food store for his bread-making supplies and has bought several kilos of unsalted unshelled peanuts. They work better for distribution in the ravine in the various places we selectively over time have left them for the resident squirrels.

We find the creek exceedingly dry now, a real departure from most of the summer, and the same with the trails, finally given an opportunity to dry completely. Button and Riley linger from time to time, to indulge in one of their favourite past times; acquainting themselves at extremely close range with the odoriferous clues left behind by those passing through before us. Urine-sniffing; much beloved by canines, who then leave behind their own little calling cards. And then there is always the temptation to ruminate momentarily on tender spears of grass.

Decades ago when we lived in Toronto it was common to hear and see blue jays so we were rather bemused the first time we visited the Greater Metro Toronto Zoo to find, in the North American pavilion, that blue jays were amongst the native birds featured, simply because we couldn't fathom that most people hadn't already seen them, as common birds of the area. We seldom see them now; occasionally in early spring and then again briefly in approaching fall. And we did see a pair of those bright blue, high-shrieking birds this day.

We also noted that some of the trees have already begun turning colour, likely because of some stress. Hawthorns, so early to lose their foliage, are already looking fairly bare. The appearance of some truly intriguing fungi has me congratulating myself on hauling along my camera. We enjoy a brief forest drama, watching as first a large grey squirrel with a magnificent plume of a tail, ascends the large old willow sitting in one of the creek tributaries to retrieve some peanuts.

When he leaves a black squirrel speedily takes his place, perching himself in the crotch and partaking of the offerings. He's still there, when the grey squirrel approaches again, to meet a tiny red squirrel on its way to take its share of the prize treats. The red squirrel, indignant at the proprietary air of the grey squirrel, chastens it for its arrogance, by leaping after it and chasing it into the underbrush.