But, Soft!
Dec. 19th, 2003 05:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rejectomorphGossamer haze dims the stars tonight, and renders the moon indistinct. The haze is late, it seems. My dictionary says that the word gossamer is derived from a Middle English word meaning goose summer, referring to a period of mild weather in November when geese were eaten. Whatever the origin of the word, it well describes the air on this late December night here in the California mountains. For the second night, treetop winds are playing their song in the pines, whose tips sway slightly in silhouette against the barely brighter sky.
It is less cold than it was a few nights ago, and I can enjoy standing outdoors a bit longer. The air is not only gossamer, but even feels a bit downy -- another word with avian connections, but without the sanguinary connotations. I saw a pair of large birds a few evenings ago, flying south just above the treetops as the sun was setting beyond them. They were dark, and their calls rang through the forest with a sense of delight. I don't know if they were geese or not, but I don't think I'd want to eat them either way. I'm sure my cats would, of course. In the unlikely event that they were to catch one, though, I wouldn't mind a pillow stuffed with its soft feathers. Mmmm, downy.
It is less cold than it was a few nights ago, and I can enjoy standing outdoors a bit longer. The air is not only gossamer, but even feels a bit downy -- another word with avian connections, but without the sanguinary connotations. I saw a pair of large birds a few evenings ago, flying south just above the treetops as the sun was setting beyond them. They were dark, and their calls rang through the forest with a sense of delight. I don't know if they were geese or not, but I don't think I'd want to eat them either way. I'm sure my cats would, of course. In the unlikely event that they were to catch one, though, I wouldn't mind a pillow stuffed with its soft feathers. Mmmm, downy.
