Winter is still a few days away and the back yard is poised to accept its seasonal role. Nearly all of the leaves of the deciduous trees have abandoned their prior homes, settling down and providing a blanket for the soil. The first significant snow of the season covers the ground creating a clean, clear space.
The skeletal shapes of the trees can now be appreciated, jutting out, reaching high in the sky. A few abandoned bird nests are clasped in the higher branches, waiting for next year’s residents to return. And larger collections of leaves and sticks also sit high, occupied by squirrels that come in and out of slumber.
Seed heads of remaining flowers are being picked by the local birds that feed nearby. A lone hawk sits on a high branch waiting and watching for a careless, inattentive bird to linger and become a potential meal.
Rhododendrons and bayberry bushes hold onto their foliage giving the false impression that warmer weather is around the corner. But we New Englanders know that it is just a tease and presage of the many cold days and nights laying ahead.
