The
sun is bright and a layer of white blankets the fields and laces the trees. Here and there are flashes of vibrant blues, reds, and mottled golden browns of the birds in trees and shrubs. A huge flock of geese are flying high in the
sunlight as they move to southern wetlands. A large redheaded woodpecker is swinging on the bird feeder. In the pasture shaggy coated horses huddle together, their breath a puff of fog floating about their heads. Steam rises off their coats as the sunlight melts the snow and ice. Chardeen is curled up in a thick network of branches in a nearby tree catnapping in the sun.
In
the distance a flash of hunter orange as a hunter weaves in and out around the
trees on the adjoining property. This morning there have only been a few shots
echoing in the hills. I know at least one bright hunter orange spot is my son
moving along our fence lines before dropping out of sight over the hill. So far
nothing for him. He’s not a patient hunter and I have to remind him hunting is
not like an Xbox game. Real time is a lot of quiet watching and careful moving
with the occasional opportunity. Jake is 19 and has only been hunting about 3
years and some years there are deer everywhere and other years they’re few and
far between and it all depends upon the pattern of other hunters moving in the
surrounding hills as to where the deer will end up. Ah, he’ll learn.
Not a lot of snow, thankfully, maybe a couple of inches or so, but it’s cold. Very cold—single digits, which is unusual for us this time of the
year. Normally we’re in the upper 40’s in November. Gee, thanks Canada. Sure
wish y’all would learn to keep your door shut and the cold up there.
I've been doing a lot of reading of late. I've read some really good books but I’ll
tell you about them in a later post.
So,
what’s happening in your neck of the woods this morning?
