Making Tracks
By Kat Bryant
Fall is in the air.
Yeah, I know: Technically, fall has been in the air for two months already. The leaves started dropping around Labor Day, and now my driveway and yard are blanketed in color. But I’m talking about the other little things that indicate Winter Is Coming.
Darkness descending
This is old hat for most of you, but it’s all new to me. In Arizona, we didn’t bother with Daylight Saving Time because we didn’t need it; the days just don’t contract like this when you get that far south. It was always daylight when I woke up and when I drove home from work.
During my year in North Dakota, the shorter days never affected me because I worked from 3 p.m. to midnight. No matter what time of year, it was always daylight when I woke up and it was always dark when I drove home from work.
Given all that, it’s been a challenge (to put it mildly) to drag myself out of bed when there’s no light coming through my windows. Luckily, I have Rose to remind me in her not-so-subtle way that it’s time to get up and let her out — otherwise, I might stay put until daybreak!
Persnickety precipitation
After months of gorgeous weather, Nature is starting to conduct sneak attacks.
No, really. One day last week, I walked across the street on a beautiful day with blue sky to grab some munchies from the AM/PM market. By the time I emerged with my Pepsi and sunflower seeds, the wind had kicked up and heavy rain was falling. I had to dash back to the office with no hat or jacket, getting thoroughly soaked and chilled. The rain stopped a few minutes later, and the sun smirked at me as though nothing had happened.
I’m still not sure what I did to deserve that midmorning cold shower, but I intend to file a grievance with the proper authorities. I also intend to wear my rain jacket every time I go outside for the next several months, no matter what the skies look like. Fool me once….
Building my bird list
After months of mostly chickadees, goldfinches, doves and jays at my backyard feeder, I started seeing juncos last week. I’m also keeping my eye out for migratory species passing through.
On Halloween morning, I discovered a furry, long-tailed “bird” sitting on the feeder. His charade didn’t fool Rose for a moment. She chased it off quite effectively, and now I bring the feeder indoors every night.
I’ve also had a visit from a sharp-shinned hawk, which is both exciting and unnerving. He’s beautiful, but he’s made a meal of at least one of my feathered friends in the yard. If I see evidence of a second one, I may have to bring the seed inside full time for a few weeks until he clears off. I don’t like it when my bird feeder becomes a big bird feeder. (My brother jokes that’s avian discrimination, but I can live with that.)
Another bird-related sign, of course, is migrating flocks of geese. I’ve seen plenty of those in the past couple of weeks. But I have a question: Why are so many of them flying north? Is Nature trying to pull another fast one on me?
I’ll be watching.
Kat Bryant is lifestyle editor of The Daily World, and she’s not afraid to drink as much cocoa as necessary to stay warm this winter. Reach her at kbryant@thedailyworld.com or on Facebook at Kat Bryant-DailyWorld.
