Quiet

Deer came to visit tonight, but not until after moonset, so I wasn't able to see them at all. I didn't want to be rude and shine the flashlight on them as they browsed. I could hear them, though, clopping with slow steps on the pavement, and tearing at the tastier bushes. But I heard no owls, nor any other birds, and the raccoons were absent.

The Little Dipper now appears above the trees to the northeast just as Orion is descending into the western woods. The Bear fills the space once obscured by the maples that are gone. The clouds followed the moon into the west, and all the stars have been vividly displayed by the black velvet sky. A little wind has risen ahead of dawn. The town will probably be sleeping late this morning, and I will have the final hours of darkness to myself, undisturbed by early commuters. Maybe the deer will pass back by on their rounds. Maybe the owls will come to wish me pleasant dreams.

Cleanings

For some reason, everybody in the neighborhood decided to use their leaf blowers today, starting at about eight o'clock in the morning. There are hardly any leaves left this late in the season, but the pine trees continue to drop their dead needles, paving the street a soft golden brown, and it is this splendid carpet that the obsessively tidy folk feel a need to eliminate. I'd rather they let it stay, to slowly be pulverized by passing cars, and not only because this would allow my morning sleep to continue without interruption from the obnoxious blowers. The swaths of needles look pleasant to me.

Although the ponderosas are evergreens, their needles thin out considerably this time of year, and this allows the stars to shine through them in many spots. The star-spangled pines are another of the enjoyable sights of winter. On clear December nights such as this, the place seems more expansive than in the greener seasons. Orion is visible most of the night now, just hanging out. I wouldn't mind having nothing better to do, myself, but the house is needing attention. There is dusting to be done, and various others of the quiet kinds of cleaning. The night will pass quickly, I'm sure.