It's FALL,keep your powder dry !!

[Alabama]

Well ,
here it is September 21st , early morning , fog , still dark out , temperature about 55* and yes Sir that tells me its really Fall . I don't need a stinkin weather not-so-accurate forecaster telling me the seasons that's for sure . It is time to keep the powder dry !!!!
As much as I like spiders crawling into my house now and accross my face when I sleep because they are obviously not liking the season change either and want to snuggle up to me in bed too now , I am having a hard time putting my head around that it is going to be getting cold , wet , and ugly soon . Oooops , too late , it already is 
I guess its time to throw a Saltine Cracker or some stay dry packages from my gun boxes we get in the mail into my Flasks when out and about now . 
Can you tell how happy I am about the season change  Just two weeks ago or less we were having 80* weather , now rain
and fog and cold . I lke the Sun , and miss home badly . Unfortunately I reluctantly agreed to work here for much longer now .
I called me Pappy last night to say hi and he tells me its in the 80*'s and a nice 65* at night in Dothan . Boooo hooo hooo for me whine whine whine    He is always good for rubbing it in too .
Sitting under the eaves of the house , loading my London Navy cylinder full yesterday , in the rain no less , thinking I got about an hour and my powder will start to act funny on me . I always keep my powder in the keg indoors dry , load the flask , go outside and load the measure from the flask . It doesn't take long to dampen up a flask full of powder in the rain , trust me .
The only saving grace of Holy Black besides beautiful smoke and fire through the trees and fog in this crap weather is you can dry it out and its good as new . Pyrodex and the others won't do that 
So after a dozen cylinders full of shooting , getting wet now , wind blowing rain onto my bench darnit and gun , I decided it was Fall . Time to adjust to the change , and I will fight it all the way hopelessly kicking and screaming the entire time till I relent and give in . 
So , Saltines for the flask while out shooting , and Chili on the stove with Elk meat in it , and of course , more Saltines .
Reminds me much of how miserable our brotherin in the Civil War had it trying to fight for thier freedom and still keep thier powder dry while bullets were wizzin by thier heads in the rain and humidity . Good grief I am a whiner today 
At least my coffee is hot this morning ! Think I will spend the day oiling up my revolvers , and do an anti rain dance and prey for sun , by golly it is Sunday and I know the big guy is probably listening to me whine . He or she will surely see fit to make it rain now for six months on my parade for being a whiney little child . Cabin Fever and it just turned Fall, this cannot be good .

Sincerely, Alabama , Missin home

[Ellsworth MacDoogle]

Here in NC we look forward to the fall  Summer gets a bit too hot and humid - the crisco gets runny!  I know what you mean though, since I moved to NC from Buffalo, NY - used to dread the coming of winter - it took a few years of falls to remember that "oh that's right - i'm in the south now - winter is very mild here - woohoo!! 

[Riot Earp]

The last few years, winters have been mild here in Rochester/Buffalo also. There's been a shift in the weather. Here it is the end of September and I still don't need a jacket.