Day 162: The Icing on yet Another Wonderful Day

We went out to the country today. And when I say the country, I mean the country. The air was crisp with the fresh scent of pine trees and musty, forest floor and the only sounds to be heard were birds happily singing and crunching twigs under our feet as we trampled and squished our way down the soggy trail. It rained, it shined, it was humid and it rained some more. There wasn't a soul around aside from us.

It was the kind of peaceful that causes me to spontaneously relax. My thought processes slow to the rhythm of nature. I could walk in silence for hours in that environment and not feel the need to speak a word. The sounds around me say all that is needed. I always find myself rejuvenated from an outing in nature. The hectic, chaotic city sounds replaced by the soft, murmuring sounds of leaves rustling in the trees and the quiet, almost eerie, beauty of the moss-covered ground.

Södermansland.

Moose are quite prevalent in this region and we had hoped to see one. Our eyes were peeled and we were on alert but there were no moose sightings. That is, until we were in the car on our way home. We were looking out the windows on both sides of the car when one of our friends spotted one. "I saw a moose and I am not even kidding," she said. My husband put the car in reverse and sure enough, out in the field stood a magnificent moose. The sighting completely made my day. It was my very first moose sighting in Sweden. Actually, now that I think about it, it was my first moose sighting ever. The icing on yet another wonderful day.

Mrs. Moose.