Welcome back to Magnetic North, where the first fingers of fall tickled us awake on the very last days of August. Even the State Fair down in St. Paul couldn’t seem to bring back the sauna weather of the past months. And, along with Fred Smith of Wildersmith on the Gunflint, I am nearly delirious with joy. Ahhhhhhh, cold weather is so close I can taste it!

Of course, there are a few drawbacks to our six months of hard winter weather. For me, the first is the departure of my little band of mallards. Having finally found our pond two weeks ago, the seven drakes and 10 ducks spend more and more time away from mama duck. They show up for breakfast and dinner, as usual. But fewer hours are spent snoozing under the deck or asparagus fronds. Now, more often than not, when I hear their raucous quacks, the sound comes from afar. Either high in the sky as they strengthen their young wings. Or f...
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