Sunsational Saturday!

Hello everybody on this very beautiful sunny Saturday.  Okay, it is cold this morning, only 39F (4C), but the clouds have moved away and the sun is shining so brightly today. Even the birds sound happier this morning, chirping and calling to each other.  The chipmunks are busier than ever trying to haul away as many peanuts as they can while the sun shines.  I’m sure all the animals are happy to be dry once again.  Even though they are well protected from rain by their fur or feathers.

Those little chipmunks seem to be running faster than normal these days.  They know there isn’t much time left for them to gather food for the long winter ahead.  In a normal year they keep collecting and storing food until the first week of October.  Then they stay in their little homes until spring.  Last year they were gone by Sept. 22, earlier than normal.  They knew an early winter was coming.  And they were right.  Animals know.  Although some birds are heading south at their normal time this year, most left earlier than normal.  That doesn’t always mean an early winter.  Just 9 times out of 10.

It is so nice to look out the window and see the sun shining on the trees.  The leaves that are still green look so bright.  The yellow leaves just seem to explode in brightness today. The reds and oranges are shouting their boldness as the sun touches them.  There is barely a breeze out there today.  The dew on the grass sparkles in the sun like thousands of tiny diamonds.  It is truly a sunsational day!

Well, I may not be able to get out and enjoy this sunny day, except perhaps for sitting on the deck for a while.  But I can still enjoy it.  It’s so nice to just look at that beautiful sunshine through the window.  After all the days of clouds and rain, that sun just looks more cheerful than ever.  It’s tempting to go out for a walk.  But I know I shouldn’t.  Warmer weather begins tomorrow for us, and continues for 3 days.  Perhaps by Monday I can try a short walk and enjoy the sunshine and beauty of my forest path.

Until then I can still dream and remember all the sunny days walking that path this past summer.  Such beautiful days they were too.  So the pictures today will reflect some of those days, the beauty, the animals, the flowers.  Muffin is also enjoying the return of her patches of sunshine.  She is lying in one such patch of sun right now while watching the little birds coming to the feeder for their seeds.  Hmm, seems to be a little arguing going on outside, guess I need to put out more peanuts.

There we go, that should help for a while.  There are 4 chipmunks now.  Rusty and Skamper are the 2 main ones.  Then there is Checker, the smallest of the group.  And the newest one is Chester.  There was one last year that I called Chester, but this one is different.  The first Chester was killed by a car.  I have no squirrels now.  Not sure what happened to my last one, Choco, but she doesn’t come anymore.  I had 6 squirrels in the spring, and now none.  Makes it easier for the chipmunks though.  Squirrels are bigger than the chipmunks and always chase them away.

Definitely a beautiful day.  A sunsational day!  I hope you all are able to get out for a while and enjoy the day wherever you may live.  Have a great weekend and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2019 Steve McLeod.