Back to the Fill

Late October -

The birds have been subdued as of late.  In the morning, the robins scatter when I open the door, but they don't chatter or sing.  They are feasting on the fermenting grapes, I think.  And in the Fill earlier today, all the voices in the distance: a kingfisher, a couple of mallards, and a spotted towhee; all of them out of sight.

No otters or any other mammals.  Coots, Cormorants, a couple of N. Shovelers, and buffleheads,  float, and congregate on the lake, but all is quiet.

A breeze kicks up, first through the cottonwoods and they rustle, sounding like a rain shower.  Someone has cut the grass, and the smell of a damp forest floor fill my nose.  The lone tree that stood tall in the middle of the field has fallen, fallen or been cut, but the trunk seems broken.  It's not as muddy as I would have expected, the trails manageable, and the water levels low.  It's been raining for days, today being a welcome break, though the clouds have returned, and so shall the rain.