Waking up at 4:30a.m. I often marvel at all the different birds that create a cacophony as it just starts to get light. I make a mad dash to get the coffee brewing and to ensure my sister is awake. It is still amusing to me after all these years that alarm clocks fail to wake her. She has three of them and they make enough noise to wake the dead or so you would think. WAKE UP! She says good morning and by this time the coffee is done enough for me to sneak a cup.
I head out to the back deck for a smoke with my cup of life giving coffee. There is no smoking in the house, for the children's sake. While sitting on the deck, I see a deer making her way through the trees not even 50ft. away. Just on the other side of my camper, the dogs are quiet. The deer lifts her head and looks in my direction, not sensing any threat she continues to graze her way through the trees.
To me, this is the second best part of life in the woods. The best part is the peace and solitude to be found there. Being in the trees was something I greatly missed while in North Dakota. The forests of Upstate New York are as welcoming as they always have been. I have said it before and I will say it again, it is great to be home!