Exercising the Senses - November

I am not certain what it is about November days, but it seems like they tug at our senses in ways that are different than many of the other months.  January freezes your eyes shut and makes an Iowan shiver just a little when they merely think about it - that month is a bit like a like a sledge hammer that smacks you once and that's all you remember.  May is an explosion of color and smells and the sounds of birds singing - it is almost as if you put yourself right in front of the speakers for the concert and you forgot your earplugs.  But November...

The sound of dry leaves in a light breeze has a subtlety to it that still demands your attention.  And, interestingly enough, there is a smell...and a texture....  You only need one of the three and you are transported to a moment where the leaves swirl around your feet and you stand there - transfixed.

Maybe it's the air in November?  One day, the air can have a bitter hardness to it and the next can be soft, with just enough comforting warmth to invite you to stay outside just a bit longer.  But, that's not just it.  It's the fact that a person can actually feel the subtle difference in the air each day in November.

Perhaps the absence of some of the other noises that have been clamoring for our attention in the prior months has something to do with it?  There aren't many birds singing their songs and most of the waterfowl that flew overhead in September and October are no longer interested in passing over our farm.  The leaves are down from all but the most stubborn oaks now, so the wind makes a different sound when it passes through the trees.  There is less traffic in the row crop fields and even our vegetable/poultry farm is a bit less busy.  We find ourselves noticing the songs of things we don't hear during other months.

Or, maybe it's the simple fact that sunshine provides a bit more emotional value in November than it did in the months just prior to it?  The cats in the house seek out the sun-puddles that move slowly across the room.  A day that reaches the 40s with a bit of sun and little wind provides us with a treat that is hard to dislike.

Then, a day comes along that announces itself with heavy clouds and a biting wind.  The chill can reach your bones if you aren't prepared for it.  The time for subtlety is over and we get a preview of what Old Man Wynter likes to bask in.  Maybe a few snowflakes fly by on the edge of our vision as we pull up the hood and wish we had our warmer gloves on.

In the end, November is like all of the other months.  There is so much to experience, as long as we let ourselves do so.