My legs don’t seem to be working right. The feeling when you sit down for too long and they end up stiff and they don’t really want to cooperate at all. I stretch, first my back, then my legs and arms. I shake myself out and take a deep breath of the cool autumn air. It feels good to get out of the car and finally move, but the cold air quickly starts to numb me. Tightening up my muscles. I hop in place for a moment and my body is resenting me and I struggle to move once again. My hand are shoved to the deepest darkest coziest part of my pockets and I hunch up my shoulders to try and cover my ears which have already lost their feeling. My breath comes out in small wisps of hot air and seem to curl and dissolve into the pine and fresh smelling air. As my family piles out of the car, I busy myself with kicking rocks and stirring up dust and small pebbles from the ground. The wind moves the leaves into a tornado and my hair whips around my face in cold sweet smelling strands.
we go inside without a word. I think the reason is our mouths seem to be frozen shut. we open the door and the warm air comes barreling toward us and the scent of spices comes with it. We step over the threshold and close our eye every now and again and take in that delicious smell again.
“Hey you made it!” Sharry and Kevin give us hugs and kisses. Then they go over to mom and dad and start to chatter. My sisters and I don’t know what to do so we go into the kitchen and sit on the window seat. It really can’t be called that because the window takes up most of the wall and the seat is just as wide. We sit for a while and stare out at the golden red trees. The way the sun hits them makes them look on fire and the wind makes them dance around. we sit for a few minutes and then we get a tour of the house and go outside. We have no idea what’s in store. We see straw and cloth on the ground, and our parents won’t let us guess or tell us what we are doing, so my sisters and I look at each other and mouth words at each other trying to guess.
Do they have horses? Simone tilts her head and raises her eyebrows
I give her a look I doubt it
What? Simone mouths
I doubt it. I make my words more exaggerated
what? She looks at me again
I can’t believe she still can’t understand me I shake my head ‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough’ I think.
so we wait for the answer talking to each other until the grownups finally say “ WE ARE MAKING SCARECROW.”
My sisters and I look at each other and raise our eyebrows questioningly, but with a hint of delight. We look at the ground covered in straw and slowly put two and two together. Without a word my sisters and I grab handfuls of straw and get the cloth and our mom and friends help us with the sewing and stuffing we laugh and talk and when we finish, our cheeks are a bright red color and the smiles on our faces seem to be stuck there. We make up names for our scarecrows and give them each their own individual background about where they came from and where they were going. Their favorite food and what things they do for fun. It eventually gets too cold to stay out and the wind nips at the skin on my face and hands making them chapped and stinging. Finally we sit down for dinner and shead layer after layer of our jackets and coats and sweatshirts. The pizza burns the top of my mouth but I like the warmth. My family has a lively conversation and I observe and watch my family laugh and smile. I love you guys I think. It is a perfect ending to the day.

Family is the best thing to have around in bad and in good. They cheer you up and they are there for love and comfort. Nothing is better than a family by your side to get you through the storm. The best kind of feeling is knowing that your family is surrounding you with love.You can get caught up in it and it feels like a war mental hug and it will make you smile from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. I am so thankful for my family and for their love.