SUMMER HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

On this day in 1966, Robert Johnson was born to Janet and Tom Johnson. Happy Birthday, Bob.

Shirley stated her husband was out on the combine by seven and the day would be long. She also said he loved to combine.

It this part of the United States, summer ends abrupt. No matter when summer starts. Everything from farm crops to wild rice and flowers in the ditches just seem to say, "Hurry to maturity, winter is coming!"

In many of the lakes in this area, wild rice sprouts each spring and matures to be harvested by the local tribes in the fall. The men canoe through the rice beds and beat the rice into their canoe while the other person paddles.

The rice beds are full of sounds and on a still morning, one can hear the ducks and grebes as well as the Canada geese who are fattening up for their flight south. Somewhere near, loons communicate.

One almost always sees a heron, who grunks at the idea of humans being so close to them. The take flight and tell you off as they move from one part of the rice bed to another. The pelicans seem to have left; the geese are training in small groups to fly south. The loons are loosing their blue black suits, trading them in for chestnut traveling feathers.

A good estimate of the size of the rice bed is about a mile and a half long and a half mile wide. To fish one long side takes about an hour. In the spring, the process will start again. The lake forage which is dying out will come back; the pickerel weed and the pond lilies will once again welcome the spring.

Die hard retirees will stay well into October, weekenders will close on Labor Day, winterize their cabins and trailers and store their boats or drag them home. Soon the Johnson's will do just that.

Our saving grace is the small lakes in Minnesota closer to Fargo, where on a crisp morning we will be on some lake looking for some fish to stretching the season a little bit longer just one fish at a time.

But for now, all the rods and reels are cleaned and restrung. The tackle box has been inventoried and lures are given to people who need to start a collection.

Hurray spring!

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