Uncle Henry´s Universe.

It was midsummer.
We ate our herring with new potatoes, chives, sour cream and everything else
related to the weekend. We enjoyed cold beer and schnapps. Then swoosh, the
autumn was here! What the heck happened?

I remember that
long beard lichen was inventoried, and we actually found a new location, which
is quite unusual. That was nice.

And I know
that the haymaking was good, we had perfect weather throughout the mowing
season. (I forgot to photograph this year, the picture is from 2015.) Do not
worry if you forgot the knife to the snack bread, it goes equally well with a
scythe.

It was a
great summer for strawberries, flower meadows, butterflies – and gnats. I
remember them very well! Gnats and other biting insects are really a plague
during work in the forest during the summer, as terrible as butterflies are
gorgeous. The biting should I forget but the memory of the butterflies is to be
cherished and enjoyed on cold winter days. I had the most, nearly a hundred
butterflies swarming along the spice garden, where I sat and tried to think
wise thoughts.

We have had
the first frost, the leaves have begun to change color but the heat persists.
It’s still summer warm during some days. Perhaps it will be a long and warm
autumn, which in recent years. Beautiful, but it can easily become too much of
a good thing, both nature and wildlife trackers have to get a real winter to
feel good. But why be in a hurry! We enjoy autumn’s high and clear air, the
rich scents of everything that has matured, melancholy strophes from migratory
birds and heat as long as it is offered. Have a nice autumn everybody, enjoy
life.

Restaurant
happy bird is a success, several kilos of shelled sunflower seeds has
maintained a swarm of now quite rich and prosperous great tits. It also
attracts other dinner guests, such as Mr. Sparrow hawk.

We make no difference to the guests; those who are hungry can provide
themselves. Okay, the neighbor’s cats excepted, they are often quite chilly
treated, but sparrow hawk and pygmy owl are welcome at the bird table, which
also has delicate voles to offer on the menu.

If you are
young and vulnerable, and surrounded by long scary strangers, then jump up on a
rock and defend yourselves, stand close together, back to back. Mom and Dad are
on its way, they are going to save you!

Hmm, stop
dreaming, down with the nose and continue to track, it’s a long way to go
before it´s evening.

Winter
Solstice, now it turns slowly towards brighter times. Beautiful, although I do
not mind the dark time that prevails around the Christmas holidays. It is cozy.
It provides a moment of rest before the long bright days that come forward in
spring, when there is so infinitely much to experience and get done.

Usually
this day spent on snow-covered ground, often with wolf tracking, but not this
year. Here is rain, harsh winds and several degrees above zero! Santa Claus
should put boots on the reindeer and count with the spring thaw this time.

As late as
the middle of last week, it was 16 degrees below zero and frost throughout the
province. No basis for comprehensive wolf tracking but beautiful to enjoy.
When it
switches so rapidly between hot and cold weather, lingonberry leaves and
blueberry bushes becomes small sculptures of frost and ice crystals in moist
places.

The wife
and I had a perfectly timed lunch break at work on Wednesday last week. We had
just filled our cups with hot chocolate when an otter came scampering on the
ice along a small forest river. It stopped suddenly to mark territory against a
tuft of grass and then continued downstream to the open water. What a perfect
restaurant for lunch! It is rare to get such an experience on the Mac Donald
…

It seems
like the moose, which usually raise it´s calves at our garden expense, have
taken a bullet during the moose hunt this year. The local hunting team said it was a mistake and that even the
calf was shot. I do not think it was a mistake. A fucking miracle it was, hallelujah!

Just when I
thought to celebrate the victory, and the glorious dream of an orchard has
taken root, I see that the forest begins to thin out around our farm.
Especially outside the kitchen window, down to the river … We’ve obviously got
new neighbors. Geeky types with big teeth! Wondering how their relationship is
to the fruit trees?

We have a
rich nature around the cottage. Wolf has peed on our mail box, red fox stole
our shoes, badger sought to undermine the house. Forest Pine Marten has
plundered the bird table. A variety of rodents and cervids have convincingly shown
that they love our garden. And now, soon perhaps even beaver…

Today came
the first gray-headed woodpecker to the bird feeder. A male, who preferred the
shelled sunflower seeds before the tallow that we bought especially for him. We
probably have a costly winter to look forward to.

Please
excuse if I sound grumpy, that’s just a disguise. In reality, I love them all,
but do not tell it to them. I fear that they will then take greater liberties than they already do.

Restaurant
Happy bird has opened again! After several chilly nights of down to minus ten
degrees, it is time to re-open the bird feeder. With the finest back sebum to
woodpeckers (hoping for Grey-headed woodpecker as usual) A large feeder with
ordinary sunflower seeds, one with shelled sunflower seeds (will be interesting to compare
consumption) and a smaller feeder with vitamin-enriched special diet for those
extra demanding. YOU ARE WELCOME!

I met this fuzzy
guy today. Many believe that the moose is king of the forest; I think this is overrated…

The month of May
has been cold. Often, clear nights with temperatures below zero at daybreak,
rain or rain showers and very windy during the day. No good circumstances for
either paragliding or spring planting in the garden. Only the work remains, and
there is more of it than I have time for. (Therefore, no blog post last month)
Good weather is important for the well-being and mood; it is noticeable as soon
as the sun comes out.

To cheer me up
and you too, if you feel the same way, a good movie can do wonders. Here is a
trailer for an upcoming action movie that seems promising 😉

And we must not
forget the charity…

https://player.vimeo.com/video/110436438

I have just read
Winterdance by Gary Paulsen and am still a bit overwhelmed. He is a very entertaining
writer and it feels immediately as if we were soul mates. He does not like
moose, and I understand him. American moose seem to be seven times worse than
our Swedish.

The story about his
apprenticeship period with the new dogs, the dogs from hell, was incredibly
funny and reminded me of my time as a horse coachman in forest work. The timber was heavy and the horse did not
have the same understanding of how the work would be carried out, as I had. It
hurt both body and soul. Learning time is often quite painful.

Iditarod race is
probably not for me, seems to be terribly demanding, but it was an amazing trip
to read about. Read it!

During the time
that I read often returned the memory of an old workmate, Grizzly, a stunning
mix between Greenland dog and an unusually large German shepherd. He became an outstanding friend and companion
during ten working seasons in the wilderness. 55 kg muscles in a sweet little
doggy.

He tracked better
than me, especially on bare ground. He worked very methodically, from footprint
to footprint. He was a nature lover with a very big heart and even tried to
spend time with an adult male lynx. (Holy shit what angry it became!) It went
better with wolves, them he was dancing with a few times. He was pretty hungry
and got a very special look when he saw squirrels or reindeer, the same big wet
eyes that I get when mashed turnips with pork served on a plate …

The only animal
he did not like was the bear, it scared the crap out of him. Therefore I always
knew if there were bears around when I prepared our night camp. It’s safe and
cozy with a four-legged companion at the campfire, except when they are staring
stiffly out into the darkness and growls …

It happened that
he almost scared the life out of a hunter or fisherman who we met during our wanderings;
he was sometimes quite similar to a wolf. About the same size and color
coverage, at least for those who were not used to seeing wolves.

We had a deal; he
did not need to have a leash if my commands were obeyed. From the first week we
had developed a common language that was based on thin whistles, small gestures
and appealing looks. At least it was my communication with him, he answered
mostly with a low voice Woof.

On one occasion
when twilight prevailed, I suddenly saw him at his own journey of discovery at
the edge of a bog next to our camp. I got pissed; he broke our agreement so I
took the leash in my hand and walked with firm steps to connect him. When I
reached halfway, I suddenly hear rustling sound behind my back. It’s the dog
who had just woken up and rushes up from his bed hidden under a spruce. What I
was about to hook up was a wolf …

I was down to the
office yesterday, to the employer, 150 km south – to civilization! Tried to
behave naturally to blend into the urban environment, but already when I parked
the car, I met suspicious glances.

I wonder how they
knew that I was not one of them, that I came from the north …