Coming off of two days of high 80s weather — which seems a little too soon for the season. Yesterday, dark clouds moved in, accompanied by lots of wind and the occasional sprinkle. In spite of all that, it was almost too warm sleeping with the windows open last night.

At about two in the morning, we were awakened by what sounded like a young kitten being devoured by wolves. The sound evolved into screeches and ultimately screams. By then, everyone in the house was awake and it became clear that a bird was being attacked somewhere in the close environs.

What predator was causing this furor and panic, I don’t know, but it reminded me of the mallard hen dragged off her nest in our front yard last year — by a raccoon.

I can still see in my mind’s eye the bloody paw prints, large gobbets of blood and ultimately the final struggle documented by wings swept through her own blood on the concrete — with just a few feathers to mark the end.

Nature can be cruel.

Misleading header. It snowed all day yesterday and in reading the papers from Wyoming today, I see that they experienced “blizzard conditions” causing the closure of most of the schools and many of the roads. I guess ours wasn’t so bad; at least the roads stayed clear.

I scooped the heavy, wet snow off the deck this morning and surprisingly, it hadn’t frozen solid. I suspect it will mostly melt today with the temps climbing into the 40s.

More snow predicted on Thursday.

My honey called from Houston and is now winging his way home. It’ll be nice to have him back! I don’t like when he’s gone for this long (almost two weeks).

I mowed the lawn last night so he wouldn’t have to. I hope he appreciates it I’m not a big “work in the yard” type of guy…

Mike called last night and he’s back in Utah and finally done with Chile. He was down there this time almost as long as he was there on his mission back in the day. I laughed at his “price of a gallon of gas” sticker shock. Welcome back, gringo.

The weather turned unseasonably cool last night and I opened the windows to sleep for the first time in months. The wind blew and the kitties snuggled and we all slept like logs.

This morning the lawn and all flat surfaces are dotted with green leaves torn off by the wind. It must have been stronger than I thought.

Ok, ok, I know this is something that I probably would make fun of on someone else’s site, but it made me tear up this morning and we can all use a little sentiment now and again.

I DO wonder how emotional this would be with the sound turned down. The media has certainly trained us to rely on aural cues to help guide our emotions.

As I entered the garage this morning, I was greeted by light coming from a strange location. Upon investigation, I found this box and heat lamp. I guess my honey has decided to see if any of the duck eggs will hatch. I suspect they’re about one week into their 21-day incubation period…should be interesting.