Darkness returns for another few weeks

Thanks to Daylight Saving Time, my morning walk is once again done in darkness.  Until this past Sunday, it was almost light when I left the house for my 6 a.m. walk and pretty much completely light when I returned at 6:30.  It was lovely.  I heard the first birdsongs of the day;** I felt the first stirring of the breeze.  It was the best part of the day.

Then the clocks were changed, and now it’s dark and quiet and makes me feel as though spring is months away rather than just a few weeks.

I was reminded this morning, as I saw a streak of white disappear under a bush, that in my concern over seeing Ralph the coyote in the dark, I had completely forgotten to watch for skunks.  There seem to be fewer skunks than there used to be (do coyotes eat them, I wonder?) so they’ve been totally off my radar.  Until this morning.

Luckily the skunk saw me and decided retreat was the best option, and I was thankful he did.  My mind wasn’t at all on where I was walking and what was around me, so it could have been an unhappy meeting if we had surprised each other.

So – now I must watch out for skunks again.  Somehow, after the worry about Ralph and my old dog, the occasional skunk doesn’t seem like such a big deal.  I’ll just have to be more watchful and give the skunk wide berth so we can both happily go our separate ways.

Speaking of Ralph, I haven’t seen him for a long time, and now that our pooch has gone to doggy heaven, I don’t even worry about him – I have no fear for myself.  I haven’t heard of anyone meeting up with him lately, either.  I wonder if Ralph is still lurking, or if he’s gone to happier hunting grounds…or the final happy hunting ground.

** Note for anyone who knows me and knows I don’t much care for birds:   while I’m not a fan of their beady eyes, long skinny claws and impossibly light little bodies, I do appreciate their songs.  I will ignore the fact that it’s mostly the boy birds doing their territorial thing and just appreciate the variety and loveliness of the sounds they produce.   Oh yes, I like their feathers, too.