As I stepped out of the barn last night after doing chores, I paused and I’m glad I did, because I realized how much I would miss by just rushing inside for supper.
Otter Creek clearly has some magic going on after dark.
Stories in the Snow
I noticed the deer trails cutting across the yard, leading from the pasture to the corn field north of the house.
It’s easy to forget that while we are inside watching TV or sleeping, deer are out here working hard to survive the winter. Those tracks are a map of their nightly lives. If I hadn’t stopped to look, I would have stepped right over them without a second thought.
The Sky Above the Trees
The sky was just as busy. The moon was glowing through the thin clouds, making the whole yard look like it was made of silver. Way up high, I saw a straight white line from a plane.
It was a strange contrast. Down here, everything frozen and silent. But high above, people were flying at hundreds of miles per hour to get somewhere else. It made me realize how small our corner of the woods is, but also how peaceful it is compared to the rest of the world.
The Value of a Pause
Winter nights in rural Wisconsin have a way of slowing everything down. Standing still in Otter Creek, watching deer trails in the snow and listening to the quiet, reminds me why this place still feels untouched by the rush of the modern world.
