As I worked in the yard today I could hear the cranes overhead. There have been many flocks gathering over the last couple of days.

The Canada Geese are gathering as well. I've seen them feeding in harvested grain fields and swimming in the ponds along the roadside.

The bees and the grasshoppers were busy in my flowers. The ladybugs were disturbed when I cut down the ornamental grasses. The backyard squirrel was busy gathering mushrooms and spruce cones. It found the perfect storage spot; the abandoned birdhouse.

Mother Nature's creatures large and small are preparing for winter. I wonder if I should be as well.