“It must be a great disappointment to God if we are not dazzled at least 10 times a day.”
— Mary Oliver, poet
The moon was at the half and glowed so bright its reflection on the truck’s window shone like a flashlight. I was outside under the pear tree waiting for Harry, the cat, to zoom by so I could grab him. It’s a game we play most nights. While waiting, I picked up pears dropped by the squirrels and tucked them in the hem of my shirt. The pears are high in the tree now and if it weren’t for the squirrels so generously helping, I’d have to use a ladder. The squirrel system works adequately.
There’s more squirrels than ever this year, mostly gray squirrels and a few fox squirrels. Year before last we had an abundance of pears, but the squirrels took every one. This year I check the tree daily. There will be half-a-dozen pears on the ground; a few will be half-eaten. I collect the pears, even the half-eaten ones, and feed them to the rabbits. Pears are like candy to the rabbits.
I rounded the house again looking for the mischievous Harry. Though the light of the moon was bright, I carried my pocket flashlight hoping to catch sight of his eyes shining in the darkness. I glanced at the rabbit hutches and found the rabbits resting quietly observing all the sights and sounds of the night in complete security.
Turning the flashlight toward the bird feeders, I saw the watering tray was upside down again. There staring at me with eyes shining a bright blue was not Harry, but a raccoon. He didn’t run or even move. We stood entranced by one another. Then slowly I turned and moved toward the house. From high on the porch I looked back, and the raccoon had vanished.
No doubt I would be putting out the “Have-a-Heart” trap again. If I successfully trapped him, he would be my fourth in a week and a half. I’m still mesmerized by those blue eyes.
Harry was waiting for me on the porch. I think he does that on purpose. He gets pleasure from watching me look for him. They’re like kids, you know. He bounds inside and heads for his Meow Mix. Harry is a happy cat.
The ducks have stopped coming to the house, and for that I am glad. They wait at the water’s edge for their feeding. I don’t know why they go through cycles of crossing the field and coming to the house.
We saw a deer and a spotted fawn this week. I also saw the tops had been eaten out of the cosmos. I guess you can’t have one without the other.
A spider appeared on the outside window Sam had just washed. He was the size of a quarter, with zebra striped legs. I watched him travel up and down his web across the pane as though he were packing up his tent. He left one thin vertical strand then folded himself unseen into the crevice of the window frame.
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