the sun sets early, the tractors pull in and pumpkins scatter doorsteps, cornstalks make a hiding place for squirrels and their predators while scarecrows with birds roosting atop their shoulders litter empty fields tiny paw prints dance through the snow chased by slightly larger ones, cardinals perch in evergreen trees and the rest of the animals lay buried cozy inside a cave waiting for longer days and warmer air. baby birds balance on blooming buds their mothers not far away, hunting for the worms who have come up to enjoy the rain and the frogs sitting on lily pads drift gently through thawing ponds crickets sing their cheerful tune at all hours of the day, while butterflies decorate the mild breeze, waltzing around the blush colored peonies, short lived and cherished, living barefoot in the grass.