This last week has been wonderful. Autumn has officially arrived. The trees are shedding their yellow and rusty leaves, it's crisp but the sun has been out shining all day. Bright blue skies and fresh cool air. It's quite a relief after the summer's humidity. The mosquitoes are fading, but some still buzz around, looking for a meal. The pecan trees are heavily laden and dropping their packages all over the place. I have been competing with squirrels and crows for the bounty.

Lovely spot for a cup of tea

There is a squirrel in this picture somewhere.

Swarms of crows hang around until I turn my back, and then they swoop down for the nuts. Until now, I had no idea why a group of crows was dubbed a "murder." Now I do, having seen and heard the hordes. Honestly it's like Game of Thrones. There are tons of them, although none with a third eye (that I have seen).

Nuts, glorious nuts.

It occurred to me that maybe a diet of pecans is making these crows tastier than your average crow, so have been trying to shoot some for the dinner table. They are pretty wily, but so far I have got two. I can report that they are quite tasty; the meat is dark like pigeon, and tastes similar, but more gamey, a little tougher. Lauren isn't so keen. One of them had a nice layer of fat around its breast -- evidence that they are getting fat on my pecans. I hope to perfect and post a recipe for some sort of crow delight soon. I know you can't wait for that.