Four Seasons
            
            
             Spring is an enlightening season in which there is great anticipation of the events it brings. During this season, people are busy putting away their snow blowers and bringing out their lawn mowers. Kids are packing away their snowsuits and sleds and bringing out their new bikes and shorts. The birds return flapping their wings in the sky as if to get everyone's attention. Along with the birds return all the other animals. I am aware of their presence through traces of deer tracks in the mud and the loud chattering of squirrels among themselves. The snow from the previous season melts its way back to the Elk River. The sound of waves flowing down stream and crashing against boulders, interrupting central flow, is easing. The wind is calm and, at a slow pace, carries away the redundant remnants of the dreary winter. The distinct smell of melted snow fills the air as it seeps into the dirt, creating mud. The sun bounces off my forehead, making me feel warm on the inside. It is a comforting feeling like the one you get after a long, hot shower. In the Fall, everything that we were so busy finding now goes back into its boxes and rest until Spring finds its way back to The Snow Valley. Still, there is very much going on. Neighbors talk of the events of the past month and the plans for the ones coming. They gather the last of their raspberries from their trees in the backyard which surround the now barren garden. The taste of the fully ripe fruits from the berry bushes is a sweet sensation which gives the tongue reason to dance. The sun cools down again and quietly retreats. The Earth is blanketed by a cold chill meant to prepare us for what is to come. I get goose bumps all over my body. The sky is still, as if preparing to shed its white tears. The birds leave shouting in the sky as though they are saying farewell, for now. The Spring and Autumn are active seasons which often go unnoticed because they blend so well...