A morning snapshot:
I was sitting here in my chair – it was around 7 am. Don had just gone for a walk. I heard this sound, more than once, that sounded a bit like wailing. I put on Don’s heavy jacket (it’s in the 30s this morning) and went out on the porch. Nothing. But there were lots of bird sounds and lots of bird activity.
Went back in the house. Kept thinking about the sound. Was an animal hurting? Put on my Muck Boots and Don’s jacket and decided to walk through the woods. It’s sunny and beautiful this morning. Overhead there were hundreds of starlings in our trees chirping and calling. Amazing. I walked up the path and I started to talk out loud because, you know, the bear. As I headed toward the same clearing where we saw the bear, I saw a deer, or rather, I saw its white tail. As I bent down to peer through the trees, I realized it was the same young buck that we saw the other day. I talked to him gently and he kept chomping on vegetation and watching me. He wasn’t scared. I walked on, but then doubled back. He was still there and I could clearly see the nubs of what will eventually be antlers. I spoke to him again and told him he was welcome here.
I kept on, walking up the section of the path that takes us to the meadow. Gorgeous. Lots of bird sound. Across the meadow, above the river, a V-formation of honking Canada geese. I doubled back and kept on walking on the trail until I got to the section that abuts our neighbor’s property. At this particular point on the trail, I can clearly see one of their outbuildings, which is very close to our path, probably 10 ft away. And then I heard the sound again.
They have a rooster and chickens! That was the sound. Not a cock-a-doodle-doo, but definitely the sound of a rooster. Due to the pandemic, we’ve only had a few brief conversations with our neighbors from a distance, so the chickens and rooster never came up. But I do remember them digging holes for something in the back yard and I now assume it was to add a chicken coop and fencing.
Ah! I sort of like that.
I reversed and walked back on the trail to the far entrance by the shed. The buck had disappeared by that point.
What a nice way to start the morning. The cool air was invigorating, the sun was shining, and there’s still quite a bit of fall color.
We are very lucky to live here. We know it and we express gratitude every day. But a gorgeous cold autumn morning in the Northeast with birds and starlings and Canada geese and chickens and roosters is a good reminder of just how lucky we are.
Though we have a frost advisory tonight, so there’s that.
Stay safe.
Happy Saturday.
It is nice that you have your own trail through your own woods to enjoy nature. I have to drive to nature but not too far and then I can get a nice hike that always lifts my spirits. I am thankful for the forest preserves that are near my home. That this land was set aside (rather than built on) is such a treasure for me to enjoy. Have a good weekend!
It definitely lifts my spirits, Ellen.
Stay safe!
Lovely words and picture. We love our woods so much! But are headed to Fl. This week, a very different life. I am not sure I am ready for it.
I read Olive, Again for zoom book club, This Tender Land, another book club and A Woman Like Her by Marc Levy for fun, this week. All were very good.
Are you headed there for good or just for the winter?
I must say, though I’d love to live closer to my sister, I’m not at all fond of Florida. (Just my opinion.) Either way, have a safe trip and enjoy, Gayle.
Stay safe.
Part 2 on books. I am, also, listening to The Splendid and The Vile, Churchill bio by Eric Larsen for a late Oct. zoom book club! I have listened to dozens of books while I garden, do puzzles, cook and clean during this solitary isolation time. Hubby has found his own joys to keep these days productive and pleasurable!
We have that book here for Don to read, but he hasn’t started it yet.
Oh my! My heart is soaring! Who expected chickens? Nobody expects the Spanish Armada…Everytime I go to try and help and animal in distress, I discover that they are actually just making whoopee. I really have bad timing. LOL. Glad your adventures were less disruptive.
I encountered the making whoopee once with raccoons!
Stay safe, Nora.
I am at my daughter’s in California. No woods but when I get home one of the first things I hope to do is walk in our woods. What a blessing and a place of peace.
It really does bring peace.
Thanks, Kim.
Stay safe.
I loved the way you described your wandering along your paths…I felt my blood pressure go down. That’s the way I feel about our marsh, and the interactions we have with the birds and animals that live here. I, too, am very grateful…and feel very lucky that we found this place.
Enjoy your day! ;)
To have a little place to escape to is a wonderful gift, Donna.
Stay safe.
We can’t tell if our skunk (it calls curfew for us every night if we are sitting outside enjoying the cool by making an appearance) if making whoopee or is in a tussle with another critter. The first time we heard the noise My hubby opened the front door and we got a nose full of eau de skunk. Even though it was late at night, we had to air out the house with fans!
We used to have a skunk that lived under our house in San Diego. He or she would let go of the odor UNDER the house. Imagine how much our house stunk for days! He also skunked our dogs a couple of times.
Stay safe, Leanne.
Ah, autumn, such a joy! I love the change of seasons, however winter is not my favorite. I love the beauty of snow and the structure of the trees, but that’s about the most pleasure I find in winter! Wind is my least favorite thing anytime.
Glad you are enjoying gorgeous weather. We had a frost here this morning when we looked out. Had to go make sure, yep, frost for sure.
Take care…
We had a frost this morning. Too soon!
Stay safe, Kelly.
so happy that no one was in distress and you and don both had nice walks! :)
hope the rest of your day’s been easy.
that photo and the leaves and sunlight are beautiful!
my walk today was not pleasant. i took my car in for an oil change and the place was packed and only a couple peoplewere wearing masks (ugh) so i stayed outside and walked from the service area to the street … less than a block, up to a very busy street (even at 7:30 on a saturday morning), back and forth for nearly 45 minutes. no nature, no peacefulness … but there was relief in getting my car taken care of and gratitude to have a car and be able to walk so i’ll take that.
while i live on a very busy street, there are lots of nice areas around for walking … and thankfully people in many of the houses have nice gardens i can enjoy. i live one block from the entrance to a very nice little park. that entrance takes you down a sloping road that is fun to ride a bike or walk on. that road has homes on one side, part of the park, a rose garden and a small amphitheater on the other. the road ends at a swimming pool and there’s a path for walking and bike riding in the rest of the park. back by the entrance again … there’s a steep driveway for our wonderful little art center. beautiful area and i’ve seen deer there, heard frogs (saw the one in my garage).
long day with grocery shopping, then visited with three of my most favorite people forever. just got home and am sitting in my car in the garage, wanting to say hej. hej! :)
hope you all have a good night and stay safe!
kathy in iowa
I hope you have a restful day today, Kathy. You deserve it!
Stay safe.
No words right now. Won’t say what next? Lost a loved one…can’t express my feelings…thank you for this wonderful blog.
oh, brendab …
so sorry for your loss. sending a hug (if that’s okay) and much sympathy to you. sending up prayers for comfort in God’s love and His promises of eternal life and other blessings.
i hope you otherwise have what you need and want, can do something nice for yourself today and every day and know that you have friends here who care about you (i am one of them).
with sympathy,
kathy in iowa
I’m so very sorry, Brenda. Sending prayers and love your way.
Thank you for being here.
Stay safe, my friend.
It sounds like the most perfect morning, the most perfect way to start the day. I hope the rest was as lovely. And Sunday too.
Thanks, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
I am sorry that you are down. Your beautiful pictures and the joy of your words lift my mood. You are much appreciated.
We work hard to do things to get through this sheltering. Voting helped me to think optimistically about the election. My knee is healing after replacement surgery, although I cannot still bike ride, but walking, each day that I can, gets me outside to see our changing season. I can bundle up as it gets colder. We are not going to Florida this February because we do not trust Floridians during Covid, but we will find something to lift our spirits. I quilt and read. Feeding the birds gives us pleasure. Finally, reading blogs and listening to YouTube blogs are a distraction.
My sister and her family live in Florida. DO NOT trust Floridians. (My sister’s family is the exception). The stories she tells me are mind boggling.
Stay safe, Sue.