As I write this, it is December 1. Yesterday it was literally November! What happened to November?! I cannot give it up that easily – especially because I have been saving a couple of very nice poems for you.

For Crows and Jays

I sing a song

Of thanks and praise

For cranky crows

And feisty jays

Who could have lived

A life of ease

Sailing on a southern breeze

But gave up warm and

Sunny skies

To stay behind and

Criticize

November's damp

And bitter cold –

With squawk, and

Bellyache, and

Scold.

Beverly McLoughland

Closing Sale

Autumn's going out of business

Due to threat of snow –

Goldenrod and aster

Chrysanthemum must go.

Bumblebee's out browsing

Nectar's almost gone,

It's Autumn's final bargain days

With Winter coming on.

Beverly McLoughland

Horse in Pasture

All fall the farm horse at the bars

Just stands, not watching the passing cars,

Not moving his eyes across the view,

Not even – unlike the cattle – feeding.

Poor horse, I say; nothing to do,

Like knitting or whittling, rocking, reading.

James Hayford

All of these come from a book that I've mentioned before. It's Sharing the Seasons: A Book of Poems. David Diaz did the illustrations and Lee Bennett Hopkins selected the poems. As you can see, I really am ambivalent about leaving Fall behind – even though Winter is nice, too!

While we're on the subject of seasons, I would very much like to recommend a beautiful series of books to you. They're by Edna Miller and my children and I enjoyed them twenty-five or so years ago. Judging by the prices, I'd say they're collectibles! Maybe you can still find them in your library: Mousekin's Golden House, Mousekin's Thanksgiving, and Mousekin's Frosty Friend. There may be others; all are beautifully told stories of the natural world, starring a most excellent (realistic) mouse. The artwork is exquisite, too!