I’m back at my very rural childhood home for a quick visit. i choose not to live out here for lots of reasons, but there is something special about sitting by the open window in the morning, the dog resting his head on my lap. I can hear clearly the conversation between three or four different types of birds, the methodical hum of crickets and grasshoppers in the background, the sound of the occasional car or truck passing by. Yesterday I walked through some of the fields out back, and with every step I took, insects and frogs jumped away from the tread of my feet. The sky is clear and cloudless today, and the trees on the hills are thinking about changing their colors soon for fall. I’m not ready to come back full time but I’m grateful I get to visit and remember how special it is here.
