The medallion was gone.
Fourteen year-old Carlie’s heart pounded.
“So where is it? You took it, didn’t you. It was MINE!” Her older brother Anthony bellowed.
She tried unsuccessfully to keep the muscles in her face from lifting the ends of her mouth into a smile.

Mid- to late Winter is a hard time for birds. As winter drags on and plants remain dormant, their available supply of seeds becomes depleted. Birds require a lot of food to maintain their high metabolism. Flying takes a lot of energy! Birds are always looking for something to eat.

Ah, morning. There’s nothing like the freshness in the air and the amazing light as it spills over the eastern horizon and reaches across the sky. Birds flutter and twitter, and deer graze in the peaceful dawn.
During his time at Walden Pond, Thoreau found out how precious those early morning hours are as the world wakens.