The Coming of Winter...

This time of year is a time when you know that theres a major change in seasons coming. Soon there will be silence, cold, very little evidence of life other than birds at the feeder or the rare pawprint in the snow . Winter is a totally different world - one that cannot be imagined unless you experience it. On TV you see pictures of the Arctic and Antarctic Regions with a huge lonely vastness of white and absolutely bitter temperatures. And no life except for the rare Arctic fox or Polar Bear. It's not too different here during our winters! While we don't have the fox or the bear, we do have the wolves. And there's lots of them so far this fall. They have almost destroyed the deer population and you can readily see the wolf tracks mixed in with the deer tracks. And it's not uncommon to see tufts of deer hair lying on the ground where the wolves have tried to grab the deer. The wolf population is so high right now that people will not let their dogs out at night for fear of an attack by wolves. Just two nights ago, I took our dog outside on a rope and there was a horrible lunge as the dog tried to catch a wolf in our backyard. Luckily, I was able to hold back the dog and prevent disaster!

This sunrise, while frequently seen this time of year, gives an impression of great heat and warmth. It however is an indicator that the exact opposite of great heat and warmth will soon be upon us as after making the short transition into winter. It is truly an omen of what lies ahead.....