By Mac Arnold
MAHFS Editor

With the hypnotic buzzing of the insects keeping time all around me, the dusk air felt heavenly on my face and neck while I kept watch for whatever was slowly creeping under the fixed stand at George's Melvin farm.

Right at that moment I realized I was in the "zone" and every worry I had was pushed out of mind.

The perfect antidote.

Coyotes were the main objective but I did conduct a quick patrol of the ground hog's known hangouts before walking into the western section of woods on the property.

It was certainly Chuckie's lucky day because he decided not to stick his up neck from above the debris piles.

While walking along the edge of leafy soy beans, I startled a dinky fawn in a row 10 yards away, a million eyes' stare and then three seconds later, it bounded into a stand of maples and disappeared.

By the time I climbed up the ladder and got situated on the chair, I was definitely thankful the temperatures had backed down Sunday from the previous days.

And three minutes before my set departure time, there was a lone howl.

Too late for me to call in even if I could get the howler I brought to work right.

The howl came from the usual spot George and I have pinpointed just about every time we've been out.

I never did figure out what was under the stand.

This will require further investigation well into August and the upcoming months.

Yes, indeed.