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The rustle of leaves

The wind picked up and the leaves are blown away. It feels cold and chilly. Winter seems to be just around the corner even though it's only October. Nappy, my little white shih tzu, saw the leaves falling and perked up his nose to sniff the crisp, cool air. Last night the rustle of leaves scared him and he ran inside the house as fast as he could after he did his business.

Winter is approaching and is not a welcoming sight. The streets will become empty from the children's laughter. You will not hear them running around, playing, or riding their bikes and big wheelers. Everyone will be inside, cooped up in the warmth of their home. They'll go outside only if they need to; to either go to work or do their grocery shopping. We'll have a few months with gloomy weather, barely any sun, just dark clouds looming over us. The trees will become barren of their leaves and when the wind will pick up, the branches will shiver, bare, without any leaves to keep them warm.

The birds will disappear trying to find a place where they can stay warm for the winter months. Some of them will migrate south to warmer climates, while the sparrows will try to stay in their nests and fly out only to get food. We'll rarely see them flying amidst the evergreens. The grass will turn brown in the cold winter months, and eventually will be covered with snow for months, till the first thaw. The willow tree in my back yard has changed colors and the ground is full of elongated leaves. In a few days and a few more strong winds, that will also become barren with its long branches hanging down as if tears running, begging for some warmth.

I will be able to see the house behind mine, but no one will be outside, and I won't see the children jumping up and down at the trampoline. The swings next door are swaying at the wind, alone, by themselves. The children have left them and you don't hear their laughter or their chirping voices of who can swing higher than the other.

Winter is a long season in some areas, and we all try to make the best of it, without getting depressed during these long, winter months. With Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays coming up, we won't think much about it. But after the holidays and the three long months of winter that we'll have, we'll anxiously wait for spring. After March, the winter will be almost gone and eventually we'll be looking forward to spring and the first thaw. We will see the first budding of leaves and we will hear the first chirping of birds. The children will begin to play outside and we will hear their laughter for the first time in months.

Learn more about this author, Mary Rose-Sellers.
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