Fall

This time of year is special to me. Autumn is my favorite season, the changing colors, the angle of the sun makes the shadows longer and darkens the blue of the sky. The contrast of that magical blue with the gray and stark white hues of the clouds makes me stop and take the time to look. The wonder of our world is always there, we just seem to be too busy to stop and look. I may only spend two or three days a year just looking at the world around me. I would guess that one of those days in the spring, but two are in the fall.

The fall brings thunder storms marching down the valley floor. The flash that illuminates the clouds and the distant rumble of thunder are better than any firework shows I have seen. The storms gather strength as they stack up against the foothills and Sierras, and the occasional flicker turns into an almost constant glow. The smell of the first rain before the chill of autumn sets in catches me on my front porch bench, in a short sleeves, enjoying the evening in a way that I wouldn't in February. The first frost of the year, which is still a month away, is when I start bringing wood to my deck. The first fire of the year is wonderful also. There is no better feeling than sitting around the living room with my family while the fire crackles and fills the room with it's soft orange light.

Fall is the time of year when I bring out my shotguns and get them ready for a day walking the creekbeds for quail or stalking the fields for pheasants. I may have mentioned before that one of favorite smells is Hoppes gun oil, the smell is pleasant enough, but it brings out memories of past hunting trips with friends long ago, and those with my father. This year my son is old enough to hunt with me. This will be a special fall for both of us. He is eager to get his first bird with his own shotgun and I just want to spend the time with him away from the distractions of everyday life. This will probably be my labrador's last year hunting with us . Jake the wonderdog is getting too old to keep up and he would rather stay home and dig for gophers in my wife's flower beds anyway.

I look forward to my wife putting the flannel sheets on our bed, actually she makes me help. I enjoy making turkey soup from what is left of Thanksgiving's dinner. Pulling the shoes off the horses for the winter and giving your saddle a good cleaning and a wipe down with oil is not a chore, it is just one more thing to do before winter sets in. Putting the hay in the barn and sorting off the calves to take to market are all part of the season.

If I had to pick a day to re-live like "Groundhog Day" it would be a November Sunday. Going to the early service at church then loading up the truck with lunch and spending the afternoon walking the rolling hills hunting for ringnecks. My son and I would come home around 4:00 to start a fire and spend the evening with the entire family, invite the in-laws over and have dinner and coffee. Do the dishes, kiss the kids goodnight and read for a while in bed before getting under those flannel sheets and the comforter and turning out the lights.

I have had some wonderful days, and some very exciting times in my life, but if I had to pick one day to keep in a place where I could hold on to it forever, I don't know if I could come up with one better.

What about you?