Restful

[rejectomorph]

Listening to intermittent rustling in the wild plum bush near my window, I keep thinking it might be the black cat who lives in the house at the corner. He/she was in my yard this afternoon, lying at the base of the mulberry tree for an hour or so. My cat was on the front porch, thirty feet away. They looked at each other once in a while, but there was no aggression. My cat used to chase the black kitty away whenever it came around, but it looks as though they've come to an understanding. That cat probably prefers this yard to its own, as it is quiet here, and there aren't any kids around. As to why Sugar has suddenly decided to be so tolerant, I have no clue. Maybe she's just getting mellow in her old age. She spends more and more of her time indoors, napping, especially now that the nights have grown cold.

It probably isn't the cat rustling the bush, though. I see the drapes billow slightly now and then, indicating a breeze. For the moment, it has only living leaves to rustle, the yard being freshly raked. The mulberry has a few remaining to be knocked down, and there are still a few withered brown leaves on the oaks, but I expect all those to be gone by the new year. The wan winter sun and the bright winter moon can now wash the lawn with light unimpeded by foliage. By day, the acorn woodpeckers now chuckle and drill, and by night the owls hoot. As yet, I haven't heard many flocks of waterfowl flying over. Altogether, December has had a drowsy quality this year. I'm waiting for one of those tremendous winter storms to show up. Eventually, one will. For now, I'm enjoying the serenity.