A symphony of sights and sounds …

I start my day on the screened porch, looking out on the water, with a black coffee. And, I end it, on the floating dock, enveloped by a cool breeze, with a cool beer. In between, I am treated to a symphony of sights and sounds.

It starts with blue jays jostling for position on the black berry bush beside the screened porch. They are relentless. And noisy. Then owls begin to serenade one another atop the large cedar, pine and spruce trees that populate the property. I thought owls were active at night, not at sunrise.

And the symphony continues.  One day, after cleaning and filleting a bass for lunch, my son was cleaning the fillets at the shoreline and was met with a very large, scavenging, snapping turtle. I have never seen a turtle in these waters before, let alone one so large. We threw in some bass bits to re-atract the turtle, only to be met by 2 large crayfish that quickly devoured the tasty treats. Later in the day, my son was in the canoe fishing and was joined by a large, 4′ long beaver. A beaver. Where did he come from? This is a big body of water with few opportunities to build a dam. And then there was the black bear seen in the bush immediately behind the property. A black bear. This is farm country.

Did I mention the pair of loons that feed in front of the cottage every evening? The heron that likes the new floating dock, the Canada geese that paddle by every evening, and the large osprey that find dinner regularly right in front of the cottage?

Oh! Did I mention the sunrises and sunsets over the water? Stunning. The reflections in the water? Breathtaking. Or, the snake den adjacent to the out building? We were in there refinishing the canoe paddles only to find we were sharing the space with at least 2 large, garden snakes.

Somewhere in between the morning coffee and the evening beer, I cycle. And when I ride these rural roads, I am treated to the sweet smell of corn fields, cows looking inquisitively at me, horses frolicking in the fields, a cooling breeze, and the warm sun on my back.

These sights and sounds are music to my ears.