I’m happy to see that it’s finally getting light again as I
do my daily morning walk – walking around in the dark is just so
uninspiring. But now the birds are
singing, the early morning sky is gorgeous hues of blue and pink and purple and
orange and I feel more energized by the time I get home.
I wish I would remember to take my camera or phone with me on
these morning walks – I have seen some skies I would like to capture so I can
translate them into stained glass – I can already imagine the glass I would use. This is a real step forward for me – I have
done virtually no stained glass since I left the studio four years ago, and I’m
itching to get back into it again.
The camera would come in handy for other things, too. I had a good look at Ralph the coyote (or a
friend or relative of Ralph’s) the other morning – he is looking really good. I hadn’t seen him for a long time. I’ve sighted a different coyote – one which
is less healthy-looking, to the point that I’ve wondered if he or she is ill –
once or twice, but that’s been it. I
could have had a really good picture of Ralph that morning.
[As an aside, I saw a documentary on CBC’s The Nature of
Things awhile ago, and it was about the Coywolf – a cross between a coyote and
a wolf. As strange as that sounds, the
footage they have and the descriptions they gave are very similar to what I’ve
seen of Ralph and his pals. Seems
coywolves are very urban animals and have very wide territories. If you are interested, here’s the link
to the video (sorry – the video is available only in Canada, at least on this
website.)]
There’s been one other occasion when I would have liked to
have had a camera, but I don’t think I’d have been able to use it. As I rounded a corner, I spied a woman with a
small dog on a leash. In the hand not
gripping the leash was a long wooden pole.
It immediately reminded me of the phrase “walk softly and carry a big
stick” (although I just found out from googling the phrase that it’s actually “speak
softly and carry a big stick” – it’s a quote from Teddy Roosevelt.)
Anyway, it struck me as very comical. We stopped to chat and I found out that she
took the large pole with her to help chase away the coyotes – she has run
across two of them together and she fears for her little dog’s well-being when
they are around. At least a pole will
give her some (literal) clout. Not at all a comical situation, but you had to
see it.
Pretty soon it will be light when I leave the house, and a
little warmer, and morning walks will be something I look forward to
again. It is a pretty nice way to start
the day, and you never know what you will see.
