The wonder of Fall

It's been a couple of days since I posted here, hope you haven't missed me too much.  It is a busy time for everyone it seems.  Those with children in school are just starting to get back into a routine, week night activities of churches and organizations are starting back into full swing, cottages are being readied for closing for the season... so much to do...

But it is fall... I know the calendar doesn't say so officially, but here the leaves are really turning, the geese are heading south - I see them every morning and evening and hear them at night.  It makes me think of days gone by.

When I was a kid we would head out to my uncle's farm every Thanksgiving weekend... it was a great time, lots of interesting things to do out there in fall.  The most exciting thing for us kids was bringing the cows home to the home pasture where they would stay through the winter and calving season until late spring.  They were herded down a small country road about 2 miles, with my uncle in his little red International truck in the lead.  He'd be calling Kabash, Kabash... cow talk, for move your butts.... and they would follow that red truck and his voice all the way home...well sort of...

That's where we came in.  There was 5 of us kids, with sturdy sticks in our hands, waiting along the roadside to shoo strays and misbehaved bovine on the right path.  Every year there would be some young steer who would decide to do his own thing and take off in the opposite direction, and as cows do - the others would follow.  We would run for miles and miles waving our sticks and yelling... now, I'm thinking this was probably not the best course of action!!!

On one of these long weekends I remember waking up early in the morning to a terrible racket.  My Dad hoisted us out of bed and urged us to hurry, and out the door we went.  As we crossed the yard to the north of the property the sound got louder and louder, until we had to shout to be heard over it. 

It turned out it was a complete section of my uncle's grain field, covered with Snow Geese.  These are the big white ones that usually leave the north later than rest, and just before the snow comes.  What a sight - I have never seen anything such as this since, and I'll never forget the noise...  There were thousands of birds on that field, all calling at once, and on that one piece of land, it looked like winter had arrived...for it was solid white for as far as you could see....

Now there is an awesome fall memory....

I have the urge to walk down a country lane and hear the rustle of leaves under my feet, to smell woodsmoke in the air, and to feel the nip of cool air bite my cheeks.... there is no better time to enjoy mother nature than right now.... whatever we are so busy doing, I hope we all take a few moments to stop and look around at the artistry around us.  It will be here for such a short time, and then it will be gone....