Rustling Corn Stalks

         Every night for the last 20 years, I have a ritual of going out to the barn one last time for the day and checking on all the animals before we go to bed. I like to take my time during this "walk", if I can. I peek in on the goats, who now usually have a few call ducks tucked up next to them. I just quietly take a peek because if you talk to them they get up and start carrying on. (Which really disturbs a nice warm duck that was bedded down for the night) I can't sneak in on the geese however, now matter how quiet I am. I can hear them from a dark corner of the barn, where they are nestled down in some warm hay, start a low little goose noise down in their throats. It is a sound they only use for me. They know I am there, they trust me and they want me to know that they know I am there. You can sneak up on a sleeping goat but never a sleeping goose. By that time I usually have some sheep around my legs. Each one gets a scratch around the ears and a kiss on the nose. The big barn door has what you call a "dutch door" so I usually keep the top open in the evening and then close it when I make this last round. Then I quietly close the chicken door for the night. Most evenings I have the two barn cats, "Trouble" and "Oreo" rubbing and winding in and out of my legs while I am trying to do all of this. I usually end up tripping over one of them. After all the barn doors are shut, then I make my way back to the house. Now that I have a little Border Collie on my heels, we have started taking the "long way". Which means we meander out through the yard. Last night we stood and listened to the breeze rustling the dried corn stalks. Nothing says "autumn" like a dried corn stalk. There was a quarter cresent moon shining over the garden and I could see the skeleton stalks in the moon light. Megg sat down at my feet and it was like she was listening too. We could hear it, she and I. We could hear the sounds of fall but somewhere in that cool breeze last night, I could feel what is coming behind fall. I am so thankful to live in a place with 4 beautiful seasons. I love each one and look forward to each one. Even the one hiding behind cool, fall evening breezes...