Seth’s Sightings

Hot times. There were lines at Wood’s Ice Cream of people trying to keep cool this past week. High temperatures and humidity kept many of us inside, near air conditioning. I’ve been watching temperatures in Texas and Arizona, and back in California north of Sacramento where my dad used to live. Temps climbed to 100° plus.

We kept our outdoor activities short, leaving the air-conditioned car only for live music. We stopped at the L&L Homecoming on Friday to hear some North of 40, then Martin on Main in Nazareth on Saturday to hear various artists, and then also caught the last set of the Ded

Serious band performance at the bandshell in Beaver Meadows on Sunday.

Sightings include a gorgeous full moon rising through the clouds on Monday night, seen from the fields of the tree farm that is just south of the L&L Fire Co.

There are fawns and more fawns all around. There are also some nice bucks around Weatherly we sighted one doing a “dance” … bouncing, kicking and twisting in front of several females.

We visited Detweiler’s Farm to get some freshgrown food and add to our flowering plants. While there, I sighted a hummingbird who came to some flowers, and dined at their feeder. The bird was

by Seth Isenberg

large and plain, so likely a female. It hovered a bit, then after feeding sped away.

We hope the flowers we got will encourage the hummingbirds we’ve seen to be more active at our house.

One of the plants we picked up was a flowering maple, with a beautiful red flower. Sadly, that flower won’t be useful in attracting hummingbirds, because Bull, our GSP, tore it to shreds the day after we took it home.

Bull has declared war on the bees that have been busily pollinating the plants on our patio. Apparently, he jumped up to catch a bee that was visiting the flowering maple plant on a table on the patio, either caught it or didn’t, but in the process decided the plant was there for his enjoyment in tearing apart. We were not happy.

We are happy to report that we have seen a large number of bats this year at our home. They keep the mosquitoes down, and are very welcome.

I encountered a doe quietly walking down the alley behind our house last night and getting a little too close. I turned to go into our garage, and the doe turned into a yard two houses up from me.

This week is the Mahoney Brothers’ Beatles and More free shows at Knoebels through Sunday the 6th three shows a day with two of those in the evening. Musikfest starts this Thursday with loads of shows, free and ticketed to August 12, and this week is the end of this season’s PA Shakespeare Festival, with shows daily to the 6th. Next week is the Carbon County Fair, Monday to Saturday.

As the weather has cooled the nights are tolerable again. Here’s to cool nights for comfortable sleeping. Good health to you all.

Freeland concerts continue

Summer Friday Evening Concerts will be held inside the historic 126 yr. old Freeland Pavilion Dance Hall on Front Street. Seating is provided. Admission is free. Refreshments and snacks will be available.

The dance hall is completely indoors, under cover. Shows are unaffected by the weather

August 4, 5 p.m., Hazleton

Philharmonic Big Band ‘40s Swing Dance

August 11, 6 p.m., Just Us Polka Band

August 18, 6 p.m., ‘Round Midnight Jazz Quartet

August 25, 6 p.m., Totally New Show Jack James 1950s 60s hits

September 1, 6 p.m., Freeland Brass Quartet Plan to attend enjoyable evenings of great music for the whole family.