Following...

The meadow behind our house is crisscrossed with trails of animal tracks. The most visible from my window are the deer tracks. This afternoon as the sun was sinking low I went for a walk and on a whim decided to follow some deer tracks from where they entered the field at the edge of the road. The snow was deep in some place, up to my knees.

Across the field the tracks went to the little brook that is tucked into the edge of the woods. I stood here for a while in the dim light and just listened. The sound of the water over rocks and ice is a high, clear sound that is very pretty. It beckoned me closer, closer, but I didn't want to break through the ice, so I followed the tracks out of the woods, back to the open.

First I passed this old tree root... it looked like drift wood but has been weathered by wind and weather, rather than the sea.

This tattered leaf was blowing to and fro in the wind. Where it has been worn through the sun shone beautifully, and it reminded me a bit of stained glass.

I tend to think of winter as being all shades of black and white... but warm colors abound.

During my walk I saw the tracks of squirrel's, some from a much smaller rodent, (probably a mouse,) several bird tracks and even what I am quite sure were coyote tracks, faint in the snow. Following the deer tracks reminded me that I am surrounded in color, sound, beauty and unseen life.