Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The winters in very-northern New Hampshire are very cold and snowy . Great for snowmobilers . Late spring and summer bring the bugs . A lot of bugs. Well, I dislike frigid weather and hate bugs. So, why do I live here ?  Riverside foliage close to our home My wife, Linda, and I just returned from a 40-mile round trip to the nearest grocery store. The route we took is an interstate highway, and there were very few cars on the road . T ailgaters are almost nonexistent in the north country, but there is a strong tendency to pull to the side of the road to allow drivers that appear to want to speed up to pass.  I must admit that when I travel "down below" (as locals call travelling south), the traffic volume and tailgaters stress me out . I am not accustomed to it. We do find that the exployees at the local pharmacies, grocery stores, health care centers and restaurants are generally courteous and efficient . People that reside in northern New Hampshire either have a be...

 My wife, Linda, and I have walked the logging roads of Northern New Hampshire and Western Maine for many decades, but things have changed . Almost totally gone are the loud eruptions of partridge (ruffed grouse) as they took flight - and the startling crashing of moose bounding away - or in one case - coming right at us. Moose in our driveway Estimates by wildlife authorities show the populations of both moose and partridge have roughly been cut in half from their peak years.    The major reason for decline in the moose population has been cited as the proliferation of winter ticks which feed on the blood of the hooved creatures. Hundreds, or even thousands, of ticks often feed off one animal. Young moose are most vulnerable. Partridge that flew onto our porch - released unharmed The decline in ruffed grouse is generally attributed to a loss of habitat . Weather, particularly wet springs , also plays a role - while predation by coyotes is certainly suspect. Our fre...

  Living in the North Woods offers many opportunities for pleasant outdoor recreation, but sometimes things can get a bit testy. This was one such occurrence. Moose in our driveway, Northern NH My wife, Linda, and I were out for a walk along interstate highway route 26, and I should mention here that route 26 can not be compared with route 495 in Massachusetts, but it is a 2-lane highway. We were not far from our house when we heard the most God-awful bellowing and crashing in the trees beside the highway. We both knew what it was, and I immediately looked for a way out of the impending disaster. I was carrying my Colt .45 ACP pistol but that would be a last resort - and might not stop the animal right away anyway. Then she appeared, and she was pissed. It was a cow moose and the ears were back, and the hackles along the neck and back were up - and she was coming for us. I can only think after the fact that she had a calf nearby and felt we were a threat. I kept facing her as we ba...

 Most of us don't get to see the preparation and work that goes into a moose hunt in Northern New Hampshire, but yesterday my wife, Linda, and I ended our morning walk by spending four-and-one-half hours watching and talking to hunting guides and hunters after an 800-poiund moose had been shot and killed at a distance of 117 yards with a .338-caliber rifle.   This hunt was "done by the book", with the out-of-state hunters possessing the moose permit and hunting license . They were guided by a local New Hampshire guiding service that had scouted a vast wilderness close to our home in Errol, New Hampshire . The work getting the huge animal out of the woods was rigorous and required the labor of seven (7) men, tow straps and an all-terrain vehicle. The task required more than four hours clearing a trail, constantly shifting the moose carcass and gaining as little as six inches of progress at each attempt. After the moose was on the trailer, the recovery crew's first...