Stasia's safely back home in New Hampshire, and I'm back at work. I did, however, have a little bit of time to get out exploring, so I headed off to the trail around the Assekonk Swamp—the hike I take every month with my sixth grade "fan club," a.k.a., the outdoor biology classes I volunteer-teach. I was hoping to spot rarer birds than the usual Mallards and Canada Geese, but the chilly early morning was still and quiet. Even the commoners were elsewhere. That was fine—a meditative moment, filled with introspection and a touch of ground fog.