Early Winter Morning

I rise early.  The southeastern sky is aglow in a dark orange hue.  The air is crisp against my exposed skin on this early February morning.  All is quiet.  Slowly, the first rays of sunshine are edging over the horizon.  A great ball of fiery yellow and orange, illuminating the still water and waking the few birds who brave this frozen winter land. In mere seconds, it releases the horizon from its grip, and in full regalia, it spreads its warmth of color and heat over this frosty land.  I hear a gander of geese cackling off in the distance, resting before continuing their flight north?  In the trees on my right are the staccato calls of the northern Cardinal, “cheer, cheer, cheer” and to my left the gentle cooing of Mourning Doves.   I hear a resounding boom and it echoes across the shallow valley.  I’ve been hearing these all winter, sometimes all night long.  It is the freezing and thawing of the ice, probably more prevalent this winter because it has been a mild winter thus far.  The pond froze solid in December, but since then the temperatures have fluctuated above and below freezing.  But spring is coming.  The sun’s morning glow is edging itself north with each morning’s dazzling pageantry.