This is a big week for everyone! Halloween is coming right up and then on Saturday night (actually Sunday at 2 a.m. ) - and then it will seem like the days are really short! It usually takes some getting used to, but after a few days, we'll all be dealing with it ok. Our present dreary weather is going to persist right through the weekend, apparently. Not great for Trick or Treating, but that's the nature of late October.

I was interested to read that Danville is thinking about putting an addition on the school. That is probably a good sign - more young people are staying in the area and raising their families here. Funny how these things go in cycles. It doesn't happen for all towns, though. Some just never seem to recoup once the tide turns - a company leaves town or some disaster leaves it deeply in debt. Then people leave and simply don't return.

We are also looking at deer hunting season. Archery season actually began on October 5 through November 1, and then archery and muzzleloader both from December 7 to 15,  Rifle season picks up then until December 1. Regular bear season is from November 16 through November 24.

Bears are actually trying to fatten up ready to hibernate soon, but according to something I read recently, bears will not hibernate at all if they are finding enough food. That normally isn't the case here in Vermont - our winters make it pretty hard for animals to find food, so bears wisely decide to lay low until spring when things are beginning to grow and critters are moving around again.

We've been watching the birds flocking, getting ready to head south. The ones that don't go south are packing away seeds and nuts for later on. I've read someplace that bluejays do that and then forget where they hid their store of food. No doubt squirrels and chipmonks benefit from those caches sometimes! The jays are so bold and big, I'm sure they can find enough or steal enough from other birds to survive just fine. Survival of the fittest, not necessarily the smartest.