Seasons Change

 Somehow, almost imperceptibly, October slipped away from us.  Isn't that how it always seems with our favorite months?  Luckily, most of autumn remains in these early days of November.  However, the nights are getting colder and we find a slick layer of ice on the water buckets almost every morning, now.

Luckily, our days are still temperate and we've been able to get out and enjoy the natural world.  Earlier this week, we took a long bike ride.  (Hubbs is more comfortable biking than walking these days - his back surgery is scheduled for this coming Wednesday.)  However, our last bike ride ended with me discovering a flat tire on my bike about a mile from home.  We pumped the tire up enough to return home, but the bikes are now at the shop - new tires all around.

I had also been walking the dogs through the woods each day, but have had to curtail that activity because of the ticks.  This has been the worst season for ticks ever - I personally have had 4 bites this autumn and pulled innumerable ones off of the dogs and cats.  We were all vaccinated many years ago against Lyme disease, but still... there's nothing I dislike more than finding a tick on my skin knowing full well that they cary a myriad of diseases.    In light of that situation, I have begun road-walking each day to get a little extra exercise, and Forrest has agreed to be my walking partner.

I absolutely love this time of year... and I don't mind one bit that the sun now goes down before 6 PM.  We rise early each morning, and dress warmly, so that we can greet the rising sun.  I've always been a morning person, so a long morning, and a short evening is perfect to me.  Evenings are a cozy time - the fireplace or a couple of beeswax candles adding a warm glow to the house.  The kitchen smells of soups and breads and yummy autumn baked goods.  The long, dark evenings provide plenty of time for knitting.  Life is good!  Here is the current project...

The animals are much more active at this time of year.  The heat of summer is hard on everyone, but when autumn's coolness arrives, everyone feels frisky and playtime abounds!

On this particular afternoon, Daphne was taking a nap - something Forrest just couldn't fathom.  He spent quite a while walking around her, sniffing.  She ignored him to the best of her ability.

Chloe, on the other hand, was ready to give chase...

which, both of them seemed to enjoy.

Even though her ears were pinned back, I can't help but think that most of her posturing was in the spirit of fun.  After all, she is used to the presence of the dogs.  And Forrest kept egging her on... barking at her and just begging to be chased.

Each morning, the runner ducks leave their house and waddle down through the front pasture to the pond.

Here, they spend the day with the scores of mallards who make the pond their winter refuge.  We've arrived at the time of year when our feed bill is heavy with duck feed.  We like knowing that the wild ducks have plenty of food during the harsher months.  By the way... the other day, I saw a bear cross our driveway in front of me.  It was on its way down to the pond.  There's no doubt that our pond attracts much wildlife through the year!

Autumn's colors were brief this year.  It wasn't until last week that a multitude of reds, yellows and oranges washed over the land.  This week, however, most of those leaves have loosened their grip and floated to the ground.  We now enter a season where the landscape rests in hues of browns and grey - a season where color lives as hope within our hearts.  It's a season of rest, and one that is necessary for bringing vibrance back to the earth.  "Faith" is knowing that spring lies at the end of the long winter and always trusting that "to everything there is a season."