The Sleeping Forest ~~ The First Entry

I'm making a sequel of sorts to the Enchanted Forest~~

A follow up to what it feels like to be in the Forest during the winter months.
I spent last winter going out into the woods as often as possible to 'get a feel' for what it is like.

I know, this sounds stupid as we all know that winter is cold and the forest is quite still during those cold months.

But.
That is not what happened.
I got a whole different feel for life in the Forest for the Winter Months.
The harshness.
The beauty.
The wildness of it all...

This is the first entry:

End of October:
The leaves have fallen, the trees are mostly stark and bare limbed. The summer birds are gone and an unusual hush fills the forest.

It is a time of change. Autumn makes me slightly uneasy. The long summer daylight hours are gone and it feels as though suddenly time has run away on me.

The Forest feels as if it is waiting for something. Squirrels chatter away as they gather and bury their food. Soon, they too will fall silent.

I find myself wandering down our ‘hill’ road towards the creek. I have nothing in mind but a simple walk. I walk with my feet, but with my eyes and ears also. I try to breath in the smell of leaf decay under my feet, the smell of dirt. For after winter’s arrival, the smell will be gone until spring.

I stop and peer at thorny multiform rose bushes that are heavy with rose hips. These bright red berries will be gone soon after the first snowfall.

I memorize this moment. For one thing is true, this too, shall change.

The Forest knows that Autumn too is but a fleeting moment in it’s memory.