Today was an exceptionally warm day for November and, since Tyler loves to be outside, he decided it would be a wonderful day for a walk in the woods. He went to a different park than the one he usually visits. This one has lovely forest trails. It's quite a long way from our house and Tyler doesn't usually go walking in unfamiliar areas by himself, but today he was feeling adventurous.
He liked the sound of the leaves swishing and crackling as he walked over them.
After he'd walked for a while, he stopped to rest by a tree.
Leaning against the tree trunk, he listened to all the different sounds around him. He heard several different birds and something else that the thought might be a chipmunk or a squirrel. There was a slight breeze and it made a rustling sound among the leaves that still clung to the trees. He smiled when he realized that he had walked far enough into the woods that he could just barely hear the sounds of the city any more. This was almost as good as being back home in the country.
Tyler resumed his walk, but soon found that he had to stop again because something was blocking his path. He put out his hand to find the thing he'd encountered with his white cane, and discovered that a tree had fallen across the trail.
"It must've came down in the storm on Thursday night," he said to himself.
Tyler examined the fallen tree to see if he could go around it or if he'd have to climb over it.
The bark of the tree was damp and rough to the touch. Tyler thought the texture was very interesting and he got so caught up in the fascinating bumps and cracks on the surface of the fallen tree that he nearly forgot to find out if was blocking the entire width of the path or not. Eventually, he decided to move on. He ended up having to climb over the tree, but he didn't mind. That was just part of the adventure.
As he walked along, Tyler could occasionally hear the soft rustling of leaves against other leaves as they fell from the trees to the ground. He tried to picture the falling leaves, and imagined them drifting down to earth in a way similar to large snowflakes. A favourite winter activity of his when he'd been a child was to pull off his mittens, stretch out his arms and try to catch snowflakes on the palms of his hands. Now that he's grown up, he still likes to do that sometimes.
He wondered, if he stood under a tree long enough and was very patient, would he be able to catch a falling leaf?
Tyler's patience was rewarded at last when a small leaf settled onto his palm.
He felt very pleased at actually having caught a falling leaf.
The leaf was soft and smooth to the touch. It was almost oval-shaped, but it came to a sharp point on one end. Tyler wished he knew what colour it was. He imagined it was gold. Even though he's never seen any colours, he likes to know the colour of things and to match ideas and feelings with his concept of each colour. Gold is a word that makes him think of sunshine and afternoons back home on the farm. Gold is rich and vibrant; it's harvest time, and hot apple cider at his grandfather's house. He decided to take the leaf home to show his family. He'd ask someone to tell him if it was gold or not.
Tucking the leaf into his pocket, Tyler set off down the trail once again.
It wasn't long before the gentle breeze began to turn into energetic gusts of wind, and the sun disappeared behind a cloud. Tyler could tell it had become cloudy because the air quickly got cooler and he couldn't feel the warmth of the sun shining on him.
Was it going to rain?
He didn't have to wait long for the answer to that question. He laughed when he felt the first few drops splash onto his head. Some people might consider their afternoon ruined, but not Tyler. He likes rain. He resolved that a little shower wasn't going to prevent him from having fun, and decided to stay out and play despite the sudden change in weather.
He ventured off the path and discovered another fallen tree. This one was a lot bigger than the first one he'd found. It was so large that he could walk on it.
~*~ CONTINUED IN NEXT POST ~*~
