Simple

I like things simple.

I like sunlight, snow, fresh cold air, and the blue jays and crows making a racket in the woods.  

The quieter birds like the chickadees can be heard in the valley where the winds aren't rattling the branches of trees and rustling the oak leaves that still cling to branches.

I enjoy the noises of the creek flowing of water across the rocks and ice.

Reading tracks of the hard to spot coyote or the trail of turkeys looking for food.

Or the tracks of mice running on top of the snow and around the base of a tree.

I note these things as I walk through the valley and hike through the woods.

Winter is the time of year that allows you to see what went on the night before, or the day before.

Animals leave their tracks in the snow.  I think I told the grand children last time they were visiting that the tracks are like stories imprinted in the snow and that is why I enjoyed snow shoeing and hiking so much especially in the winter.

Their 'highways' are shared by all when the snow gets deep or heavily crusted.

In the spring I look for wild flowers and interesting mushrooms or fungi.  In the summer I look for berries and wildflowers.

In the winter I love to follow tracks and see where they go or figure out who made them.

On this trip Morris stayed at home.  The snow had quite an ice crust on it and it would have been hard on his feet. 

I thought of taking Dixie, but I didn't want her to cut her big dog pads up either.  

Solo was fine.

I was able to stop and enjoy the noises of the forest and the bright sunshine.

It is mid February and by the end of March the snow will be gone.  I will miss the simplicity of just walking through the forest and finding so many tracks.

But then again, my mind will be on Spring and with that brings such wonders as migrating birds coming back, shedding mules and donkeys.

The Dexters should be calving then.

The world will be busy again until the next time we are in deep winter.

I like winter.

I know, I'm an odd one aren't I?