Hunting is important where I live, and today Mike and Chuck, two neighbors came by to ask if they could continue to hunt on my property during deer-hunting season, as Florence permitted them to do for years. I like these two right away. They are very fond of each other, and the three of us were quickly laughing and trading stories on the porch today.

I am happy they will be hunting on my property. I do not hunt myself, but I respect the men and women who take it seriously and hunt ethically and carefully, as these two clearly do. They promised to let me photograph them in their hunting garb when the season opens in November. Mike has a deer stand in the trees on our property and I think they were nervous about whether Maria and I would grant permission. It is not a problem, I am happy to have these two and my neighbor Albert hunt, they all hunt together. They are good friends and quick to smile, two things I notice.

We are settling into rythyms. Work on the house, visits from neighbors, scraping wallpaper, painting, cleaning up. I cleaned off all the wallpaper in my office this evening, and then Maria and I went to our new favorite place, Momma’s on Route 22. Had turkey wrap and a rare drink, vodka and cranberry juice. I needed a drink tonight.

Every place has their own rythyms. We are finding ours, a month before we move in.