September is a month for long walks and daydreaming. A leisurely month meant for romantics like you and me. Dreaming of yesterday and yearning for tomorrow, I followed my dog along a trail to the creek this week.

September is a month of change. Headlong into the wind, the dog and I could smell the transition. Warm southerly breezes are giving way to northerly drafts. We sensed the tall grasses on the trail are losing the battle with time. Lush, green summer vegetation is surrendering to autumn’s browns, yellows and reds. The neighbor’s yellowing corn is broadcasting the news from across the road.

Along the trail, the dog and I listened with cocked heads for the sounds of seasonal change. In this case, it was the sounds of silence. Quiet prevails in early September. We strain for, but do not hear local flocks of Canada geese announcing their whereabouts. Song birds have little to contribute. Our covey of quail, now subdued, will rejoice in chorus later this month. Robins, normally leading the musical flock each morning, are conspicuously silent.

Family groups of crows fly overhead in hushed formation. Blue jays seem to be resting sore throats. The stillness is at times deafening. The occasional wailing of mourning doves or raucous call from our pileated woodpecker family are welcome diversions.

September is a month of transition. With summer shining on my backside and fall winds blowing gently in my face, it’s a good month to reflect on several special occasions this year.

The boss and I find ourselves at the tail end of a summer blessed with the birth of a grandson, the announcement of another grandchild to be and an upcoming family wedding. Add a new puppy to our family and another litter planned to grace our kennel this fall, and we find our good fortune cups running over.

September is a month of easy-going hunting. A dove hunt here. A duck hunt there. A goose hunt over harvested crops. Awaiting turkeys from a blind on the food plot. Woodcock and grouse hunting with best friends Mike and Dale in the popples on the Buena Vista marsh. A ruffed grouse hunt on Fort McCoy with friend Tim, his son Trent and my No. 2 son. And the hope for several mouth-watering game bird meals baked in the oven – served with wild rice, mushrooms and asparagus.

Come October, it’ll be time to get down to business. Two duck hunting opening days – one north, one south. Grouse camp up north for a few days with Pastor Craig. No. 1 son’s wedding in Maine, with a grouse and woodcock hunt thrown in as a present for the father of the groom.

Then there’s a week-long pheasant, sharp tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge hunt with good friends in northwest North Dakota. And finally, back to Wisconsin to hunt woodcock, grouse and ducks. That ought to wrap up a very busy, whirlwind month.

This will hopefully all come to pass without a hitch, but for now, it’s time for a leisurely stroll in time, this first week in September. I hope yours will be as fine as mine.