Three Homebodies Prepare for Adventure

Our home feels coziest this time of year. The cold mornings that call for the heat being turned on, sliding into fleece, a hot mug of tea in my hand before we head to the forest. In November, we rarely see others in the woodlands. Crows, blue jays, and chickadees talk, squawk, and sing to us. Migrating bufflehead ducks and common mergansers were joined in the pond by an otter, the first we’ve seen this year. Oak leaves and acorns carpet the forest floor. Signs of deer, coyote, and bear are found in the soft sand by the river’s edge.

I find myself in a queer state of mind these days. I am driven to nest, to wrap myself in the luxuriant simplicity of coziness. As the day shrinks and the night stretches, I feel more like a New Englander than at any time. Hearth and home become the heart of our existence. And yet, we are preparing to embark on a lengthy adventure.

Confession: part of me wishes to stay home this year. But then I remind myself that I adore the stretch between Halloween and C…