I haven't written about it because it pains me, but the entire month of October has been spent with Max the Dog at my in-laws house in Cincinnati. With my house on the market, clouds of black fuzz that never really go away no matter how much I vacuum are just not helpful . My wife said it first, and I honestly couldn't argue with her.

My father in law is a runner, so Max is getting exercise. And my mother in law is fawning over him with a new bed, toys, and treats. My sister in law has been trained in the art of tossing a dummy off the back deck, down into the creek below. He's doing fine. But he's my best friend and I don't like being away from him leading into waterfowl season. There's work to be done, drills to run, skills that need to be sharpened up, naps to be had using his chest as a pillow!

Next weekend, I'll pick him up on my way to Michigan and our new life. And there, waterfowl season is already in full swing. And a new hunting buddy just sent me a photo of a field filled with 1,000 geese. Happy times are coming, my thick-coated friend!

PM.

Do those guys know about the hat... Seriously, good luck on your new course in life. Send us plenty of pics of real water fowling.

2GBL