by Curt Kovener 
The month of November is a fickle month. Early there is sunshine and some remaining brightly colored leaves which still adorn a soon-to-be barren landscape.
But the Indian Summer couldn’t last all month long and when the winds and rains of November finally come, they bring drastic weather changes.
What remaining colorful foliage is left is dampened and browned and blown to collect in ditches and fence rows. The wind skeletonizes the trees and leaves them unclothed to face the coming winter’s wrath.
The depressing grey skies and chilling wind and rain are inevitable in November; just as inevitable is the promise of early yellow and purple crocus blooms in late March signaling an end to the land’s winter sleep.
It is that knowledge of renewal in a few months that helps now to soothe us for the coming cold.
So what is there to do on a windy, rainy, chilly afternoon in November?
I first tried a trip to the nearby Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge to see what migrating and native critters were within spying distance. While the heater works well in my mini SUV, when I would roll down the window to get a clearer view of some wildlife, cold wind and misty rain would pelt my face and send a quick shiver across my shoulders. I reached the conclusion that in the dreary November wind and rain, the only dumb animal moving around in the refuge was me. Even the Canada Geese were hunkered down with their heads tucked under their wing to avoid the cold and drizzle. So taking a clue from nature, I headed back to the warmth of my hearth.
There’s an old black and white movie on the TV that I begin to watch with interest. But before long, as the warmth and soft comfort of the couch embraced me, I nodded off for an afternoon nap.
And perhaps that is the best activity for such a dreary November afternoon.
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“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds—November!”
—Thomas Hood