Well, that was a pleasant trip to the woods

The stars were out this morning, but all my clothes and gear were still wet. I put on my driest dirty shirt and pants, and found a pair of fresh, dry socks. My boots were still soaked, so dry socks were only a temporary luxury. Nephew was supposed to come, but didn’t show. After I gave up on him, I made a quick walk to the woods and found more hog- rooting. There was no sign of the pigs or where they might go during the day. I loaded up and headed back to town with a lot of wet gear that needed care. I managed to hunt a little, got some chores done, went to the old family church, and visited some kinfolks. The weather was a bit warm for hiking and hunting, but I had lots of critter- encounters and hardly noticed the heat. I did, however, notice the no- see- ‘ems that were chewing on my bare hands…those little gnats don’t make a welt, but leave an itching and burning sensation that vexes me for a long time afterward. I had to dab on the bug dope. I couldn’t find what the deer were feeding on, but I suppose they are browsing the greenery. A few acorns were being shaken loose by breezes, but there was no evidence of specific feed trees. They didn’t seem to be nipping the French mulberry yet; it’s often an early- season browse in that area.