OK, so I know that there are people who actually get up at 4 in the morning to go to work during the week. And there are even people who get up at 4 in the morning on weekends. But I'm usually sleeping soundly, deep in dreams, at 4 a.m. on any given day.
Not last night. Imagine waking to the ungodly sound of a fox, screaming its little mating call right under your window. It is a VERY loud sound, and you might even mistake it for a cat using up its ninth life. But, it's a fox. Making the sound only another fox in search of a mate could enjoy. It echoed through the quiet morning air. Heart pounding, I looked out of our second floor bedroom window to see if I could spot it. Couldn't. But it sounded SO CLOSE. So I stood at the top of the stairs, and it was even louder. I crept down the stairs (each step squeaking loudly) and peered out the window on the front door. The sound was coming from less than five feet away. That fox was on my front porch, which is a big wraparound porch six steps up. Making its God-awful sound. When I tried to peek through the front window at him, he saw the movement and ran down to the walkway below the porch, where he stayed a few moments, then, cheeky thing, he ran back up onto the front porch and started again. Eventually, I had to speak to my favorite husband, who wanted to go outside and suggest to the fox (with a shoe perhaps?) that he might want to take his love sickness elsewhere. When he heard my voice, the fox trotted away, and we didn't hear him again. He was a handsome fellow, very golden, and the size of a very large cat. By now, I was wide awake. I finally got to sleep around 5:00.
I wonder if Daily's heart was pounding? He'd been attacked by a couple of foxes in his early life before we got him. Survived both attacks. I'll bet he knew exactly what that sound was, and was glad to be safe inside. Imagine being a homeless person asleep in the park down below, waking to that sound. I think that's where the term "primal fear" comes from. Fortunately, it was not a wolf.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Beautiful Weekend
What a beautiful weekend we are having here in gorgeous Northern Virginia. It's about 65 degrees outside, but the wind is blowing like crazy. The sky is as clear as can be. People are out running, riding bikes, walking dogs, doing stuff.
This morning I went to Woodlawn to pick up the piece I had entered in the needlepoint exhibit, and on the drive down GW Parkway, I saw one of the bald eagles (was it Alex or Belle?) dive down into the Potomac and come up with a fish in its talons that my husband would have been proud to catch. It was very large. And then it took off down the river toward Alexandria (which made me think it had to be either Alex or Belle). It was a fantastic sight. I know of the nest near my house (which I really don't think is being used except as a stopping point), and the now-famous one just south of Alexandria. But then, further south on GW Parkway, I saw a bunch of photographers with giant telephoto lenses checking out yet a third nest. I didn't see any eagles, but I don't think there would have been three photographers if there had not been eagles.
It is so damned exciting, having all these eagles! Bald eagles, flying over the nation's capitol...imagine that! And as I turned onto Spout Run on my return drive home, I saw a huge golden raptor flying across the road. I don't know what it was. It was SO big. At first I thought it was one of the bald eagles, but it was the wrong color: all golden. I don't think it was a red tail either, because it was a lot lighter than any red tailed hawk I've seen. Are they a different color here than they are in Texas?
This is so thrilling! So many raptors, so little time to see them!
Tomorrow a friend is coming over to paint. It's supposed to be beautiful again. I hope that we will be able to sit outside on the front porch and enjoy the weather while we paint our watercolors. And wouldn't it be wonderful if one of the eagles or a hawk flew by just for us?
This morning I went to Woodlawn to pick up the piece I had entered in the needlepoint exhibit, and on the drive down GW Parkway, I saw one of the bald eagles (was it Alex or Belle?) dive down into the Potomac and come up with a fish in its talons that my husband would have been proud to catch. It was very large. And then it took off down the river toward Alexandria (which made me think it had to be either Alex or Belle). It was a fantastic sight. I know of the nest near my house (which I really don't think is being used except as a stopping point), and the now-famous one just south of Alexandria. But then, further south on GW Parkway, I saw a bunch of photographers with giant telephoto lenses checking out yet a third nest. I didn't see any eagles, but I don't think there would have been three photographers if there had not been eagles.
It is so damned exciting, having all these eagles! Bald eagles, flying over the nation's capitol...imagine that! And as I turned onto Spout Run on my return drive home, I saw a huge golden raptor flying across the road. I don't know what it was. It was SO big. At first I thought it was one of the bald eagles, but it was the wrong color: all golden. I don't think it was a red tail either, because it was a lot lighter than any red tailed hawk I've seen. Are they a different color here than they are in Texas?
This is so thrilling! So many raptors, so little time to see them!
Tomorrow a friend is coming over to paint. It's supposed to be beautiful again. I hope that we will be able to sit outside on the front porch and enjoy the weather while we paint our watercolors. And wouldn't it be wonderful if one of the eagles or a hawk flew by just for us?
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