The Season of Alaskaby Jamie Weed, North Pole, AKThe geese are flying in V-shaped formation and the mice and squirrels are scampering through the land to gather food for the coming winter. The leaves are turning shades of yellow and the tundra begins to change to light red with the days getting colder.The sun is setting sooner and rising later.Now all the birds are gone, except for the few that can stand the cold weather. The first freeze leaves the cranberries smelling spicy and magnificent. The amount of daylight is becoming less and the leaves have fallen and litter the forest's floor. The tundra is shades of burgundy and the spruce are still dark green, unchanged since summer.The snow has fallen. A layer of white covers everything and most land animals are hibernating. Snowmachines and dog sleds rush in every direction, making a trail behind the track and the runners. Ptarmigan and rabbits are white now so they blend with the snow.The Aurora Borealis float through the air in a magical dance with their colors of green and red. Now almost everyone is inside because it is so cold.As the light begins to increase again, the sun starts to melt the snow and ice from the land. The days are still cold but warming fast. Everyone is getting spring fever and is excited to see summer come again. The animals are beginning to come out and birds can be heard chirping in the trees.The snow has almost all melted and the rivers are thawing. The lowlands are boggy and a mess. Everything that was hiding underneath the snowy cover is now exposed and the nights are becoming shorter.Color is coming out, the buds on the trees are sticky, the grass is turning green and the flowers are just starting to bud. All the snow is gone and the geese are back to enjoy the warm weather. Daylight is still growing and the animals have their young.Daylight now never stops, day and night are light and the afternoons are hot. The fields are green and the birch, aspen and willows are all light green. The spruce is emerald green.This cycle continues year after year, differing little every time. ^