Fall

There is something magical about hiking through the woods on a crisp morning.  A breeze moves through and a flurry of leaves comes twirling down, dancing through beams of sunlight.

Shy deer peek out from their hiding place in the woods.  A little red squirrel wrestles a huge mushroom cap up his tree.  A downy woodpecker comes down from the treetops to scour the dry reeds and grasses for a nibble. Flocks of tiny sparrows swoop in and out of the fields with a swoosh of wings and warbles.

Soon, we will get a storm that will strip off the last of the leaves and the woods will be stark and bare. But for now, there is still a lot of motion and subtle color. The path is blanketed in leaves and our footfalls are quiet rustles. Chuck enjoys chasing the leaves. She dances around and looks up at me with an excited gleam in her eye as if she’s asking, “Isn’t this amazing?!”