Weather Report with Owl and then No Owl

The owl chose a nearby tree for its perch tonight. Hours passed, while the steady rain fell, damp drumming accented by periodic hoots which came clear and strong. Wet pine boughs glimmered, their twists and angles dark glyphs marking the dim sky. Invisible, the waning moon rose, and the clouds blanched. Rain diminished, the drops shrinking to become mist, soft, yet sharp with cold. No flutter of wings came, yet the owl departed. The mist was silent, yet the drumming continued as the trees shed their burden of water. Clouds, though lightened by the rainfall, then settled and became fog, concealing rank after rank of trees, until the world was reduced to a shadowy room, pale-domed, its walls mottled with dark shapes which might once have been depictions of scenes now lost forever, remnants of works crafted by long-dead hands. The world had dissolved, the night had folded upon itself. The absence of the owl became as sharp as the icy drops of mist.

Dogged

Saturdays have extra dog walkers, and they appear throughout the day. Weekdays, most of the dog walkers appear early or late. Tonight, the clocks will be set back, and the dogs accustomed to going out in the evening will be disappointed to find that there is no longer sufficient daylight for them to be walked. Maybe that's why there were even more dog walkers today than on a usual Saturday. They were compensating in advance for the neglect their dogs will suffer in coming months. I'll bet dogs hate standard time. I'm not all that fond of it myself. Not being a morning person, I'd much rather have that hour of daylight in the evening than in the morning, when I find darkness preferable. Dogs would agree. Dogs should be given the vote.

It was a nice day for walking dogs (though I have no dog, and walking a cat is pointless.) The big clouds ranged from white to steely gray, but there was always plenty of blue sky on which they could display themselves. Birds were even more numerous than dog walkers, out enjoying the cool autumn air and singing loudly about it. My favorite local birds, the acorn woodpeckers, were especially abundant. They mix much play with their seasonal gathering and storing behavior-- or maybe they were just bickering over choice acorns. I have no idea what actually goes on in their tiny brains. All I know is that I find their behavior diverting.

It's getting cold fast, and tonight is the night I promised my feet I would let them stay warm by keeping them in the living room. I'm going to let this room get very cold and see if I can fire up Sluggo later, and let him download some mail that's piled up. I hope he isn't too cranky after his long hiatus.