Henri's Walk

We begin at the road with a stop at the mailbox. We duck under the fence and walk along the fence line. Even in winter there is shade and shadow.

The entire area under the apple tree has been pawed by deer. Their hoof prints and droppings are everywhere and the ground is very bumpy to walk. They must be searching for buried apples.

The nesting box shows signs of habitation.

An old Tulip Poplar bud casing has blown from somewhere.

Old tree stumps are everywhere along the fence line.

The little graveyard behind the horse shed.

The hole under this one is a bit eerie. Perhaps a groundhog has made a nice home here.

This makes me smile. A squirrel used the wood block as his nut table. It is covered in Black Walnut husks.

The squirrels leave traces of their Black Walnut meal everywhere. I can't resist picking these up and saving them. They're probably covered in squirrel saliva. I wonder if I can get sick. 

Our property used to be cow pasture. Overgrown Locust fence posts still remain. I've been meaning to unbolt these old insulators and bring them inside because the ceramic bases are so pretty.

The neighbor's wood pile.

Returning to the house, smoke rises from the wood stove.

It may be the same circuitous walk over and over again, yet it's always different. Seasons and weather greatly change it up. Sun and clouds, hot or cold, windy or calm, all combine to create a very different walk. It can also be noisy or quiet. Today was on the quiet side, although I did hear a woodpecker, two different bird calls and a chattering squirrel. The weather forecasts snow for the weekend. That will be a beautiful walk, indeed!