occasional woof of a. 410 shotgun. Here again, is a season that appears to be on the wane. I can’ t understand why an activity that gives one a chance to wade through cat briar, commune with dear flies, and get lost in the deep woods is losing popularity. We need hunters, those tree rats aren’ t gonna massacre themselves.
Next thing you know Labor Day is a memory, there’ s crispness in the air and the first tang of wood smoke is teasing your nose.
Brown County in autumn is so inspiring that Hoagy Carmichael wrote an orchestral piece with that title. Autumn here is not an overwhelming phenomenon like the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls. Fall, down here, comes and envelopes you. The transformation of the trees draws the hills in a little closer, like a familiar quilt passed down from your grandma. The spicy smell of the leaves mixed with the smoke of a campfire is like the incense of nature’ s church in the wildwood.
Fall is also a time of joy and renewal for the artists and crafts folk of the county as well as the shopkeepers in Nashville. It’ s a time for folks to come down and revisit familiar places and people, stroll the streets of the village and give an ear( and a buck or two) to the buskers on the corner. And then they maybe have a sit on one of the benches up at the courthouse and take some time to remember. Nashville is a good place to remember things— like the first time you visited Brown County and who you shared that visit with. Or, if it’ s late fall and you’ re a county native, sittin’ at the courthouse rememberin’ stuff. It’ s likely, at some point, that you’ ll remember that you didn’ t get in near enough firewood to last the winter.
Winter equals chainsaw season and Christmas and if you’ re like me, there’ s also a late chainsaw season. But enough about winter; fall is the real deal in these parts. To really get Brown County you have to experience the whole autumn enchilada. So, come and see us and if you get here a little late in the season, bring a chainsaw and look me up. •
Your Headquarters for the Great Outdoors
CAMPING SUPPLIES: Tents, Camping Lights, Sleeping Bags, Grills, Fire Starters, Coleman Heaters & Lanterns, Cooking Utensils
• Fishing Tackle • Horse Tack
• RV Replacement Parts
• Bee Keeping Supplies
• Maple Syrup Supplies
• Pet & Livestock Food
• Antiques
We Fill Propane Tanks
WE SELL & DELIVER BULK MULCH & TOPSOIL Salt Creek Plaza • Nashville( 812) 988-8888 • www. BearHardware. com
Mon.– Sat. 7:30am – 7:00pm • Sun. 10:00am – 4:00pm
Sept./ Oct. 2020 • Our Brown County 53