Today began as a crisp, clear Saturday morning, the first of the fall to start below freezing. Last night I’d shut the door to the chicken coop to trap what heat the hens on their roost might make. Now I stepped into the day and let the hens out into their yard. The early sun was sideways through the trees, and I stood looking across the property, seeing more clearly than ever the way our land slopes to the northeast. I went walking that way, down among the white oaks and yellow poplars and red maples and pignut hickories that have dropped most of their leaves. Liro, our cat, followed, and one squirrel saw him coming and scampered away. A silent morning, and cold, so I returned to the house and the warm bed inside.
© Anton Zuiker