SURE SIGN: Don’t look now but winter’s on wing. Skip Riekofsky
of Kushequa wrote late last week: “I just saw a flock of geese
(6:35 p.m. Thursday) way up high and headed in a southern
direction, first ones I’ve seen.”

SUMMERTIME?: “I can’t believe we are still mowing grass. My
petunias and moss rose plus wildflowers in my yard are better than
they were during the summer,”

So said Pat Franco of Rew.

He also wrote, “About there not being many apples, the old
timers always said a year like this is called an off-year. Get them
every once in a while.”

“It was a good year for grapes. My small vine had 2 1/2 bushels
on it. The bigger one usually gets 6 bushels – this year, it had 12
bushels. Made a lot of wine.

“In the paper, the wine makers were trying to get away from cork
bottles. They could use screwcap bottles, which work better. I’ve
been making wine for 40 years and always used screw caps, as corks
come loose.”

Pat added this P.S. “I’ll have to bring you some wine when it’s
done.”

That sounds like a promise to us! We’ll be waiting, Pat.

SAME NOTE: Muriel Okerlund of Gifford hits the same note about
our unseasonal weather: “Wonderful, warm October…. I planted an
Easter lily late in July, that had very little life. It is now four
feet tall with two blossoms and ready to bloom any day. Thought
this was pretty cool (rather warm) for Oct. 25.”

All these reports bring to mind two words: “global warming.”

LADY BUGS: Barney Snyder of Tucson writes, “Are lady bugs good
for anything besides eating aphids off of roses? Perhaps they are a
food source for other insects and birds.”

We have yet to hear that they are good for anything else of
substance. However, they have legendary value as good luck charms.
So don’t get rid of them all!

GAS PAIN: Fred Johnson of Hackettstown, N.J., dropped us an
e-line: “We were up to Kane, Pa., this week (Oct. 15-16) and were
surprised at the gas prices! Our local station here in northwest
New Jersey has the following prices: low test, ,2.49 and high test,
,2.71.”