It's sunrise in the countryside of central Ohio. The light peeks over the trees and into the window of our upstairs rental unit, softly illuminating the room with a glow that gently wakes us to the new day.
Morning frost covers the lawn, highlighting the cross-hatched mowing pattern that looks infinitely more interesting than anything I've attempted in my own yard.
A fenced field abuts the driveway, and four long-maned ponies are already frolicking, playing like children expending pent-up energy after a long day in a school room.
Fog sits atop the trees in the distance, but where the sun has reached the trees nearer to us, the gold, red and green colors of their leaves are astonishingly bright. A fox, sleek and nimble, darts into the yard and quickly passes through on its way to the woods on the other side of our unit.
Over in the field, the playful ponies are now being pursued by a herd of goats, running to join the party. Behind them, a contrast in speed and movement, two cows lumber down the fenceline, in no hurry to see what all of the fuss is about.
My insatiable need for morning coffee consumes me, so I make a small pot, pour myself a cup and then return to the view from my window. The animal party has quieted down and the frost is disappearing except in the shadow of a lone tree in the yard. All of the leaves, already an amazing show of color, somehow seem impossibly brighter as the sun continues its upward journey.
A hint of fog still is visible further off on the horizon, on the high hills that call out and issue an invitation. “Come. See what's here. It's a Saturday in central Ohio on the edge of the Great Appalachian Valley, and you need to explore.”
Indeed, I will heed its call.
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