Following Tessie's Nose

Disclaimer: I am not a tracker, a hunter, nor a student of the forest. I do love walking through it. In the summer Tessie (brown lab mix) takes off through the woods, nose to the ground, following who knows what. In the winter with the snow on the ground, we know! It is fun to see with our eyes what Tessie "sees" with her nose the year 'round.

Here are the indications that we are walking through someone else's habitat.

I believe this was some sort of bird - small enough - and if that is a tail track then I am not sure. Pretty and went for a long way.

I believe this is a rabbit

And this is probably a raccoon - notice the opposable thumbs.

And this one, dear friends, This one I know. I even think I know 

whose as well as what it is. The other night mama bear

and her teenaged cubs were in the parking lot. Dog next door 

treed the cubs - well mama probably told them to get up the tree. 

She stayed on the ground and stood guard. 

This footprint belongs to one of the cubs. Mom's prints are larger.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

No, not the cereal. The first home fire of the season. :)

The tingle of yesterday morning became the chill of this morning and so D went to the shop for some kindling. I brought in some wood from the deck. Now we sit in the enveloping warmth and vision of our first morning fire. 

This is an indication of a definite change. Mornings will support a fire until about late June now. The morning fire brings peace, contemplation and a time to sit for just a few minutes before the busy-ness of the day begins. We sit with our journals - and in my case this morning, my blog - and plan, reflect and enjoy. I send these thoughts your way with ~ blessings

The Weather is Changing

This time of year our mountains experience 40 degree temperature shifts - cool at night, warm to hot in the middle of the day. Last night the temperature dropped lower than it has been. Even with the windows closed, I wore fuzzy socks because my feet were just too cold. This morning I walked onto the deck and the breeze had a touch in it - a feeling - a shiver that announces a change. In 'Mary Poppins' the wind changes: a shift in the Universe, the arrival of the nanny whose presence upsets the normal order of things. Mountain summer is drawing to a close. The sun will still shine and warm the mid-day air. The nights will move from cooler to cold so that the days will require a jacket or more fleece. The grocery store talk will soon turn from bees to the first snow. Hikers and boaters will give way to impatient skiers waiting for that first flake to fall. The changing wind foresees the coming winter. ~ blessings