Friday September 21, 2007

i got up at the usual 5:30am to get El up & ready for zero period. ( light stretching; breakfast at 6; then shower & drill team practice at 7:00am) it's not quite light out yet; it's overcast and drizzly (my favorite). i walk thru the living room to go to the slider & open it for the cats when I realize someone's dog is in my back yard. i only see the back half of the dog because it jumps up on my back fence (which is only 3 ft. up- my next door neighbors yorkies can jump up there). But then it does something a dog wouldn't do... it jumps to the 6 ft fence dividing our properties in half and cat walks across it. I realize it's not someones dog; it's a gorgeous coyote! i call for ellen as loud as i dare (the door still not open) and my voice is muffled for him because even though he stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the fence; head up; ears forward, eyes intent: he's looking in the wrong direction.




el never get's her lazy self out of bed; (i partially understand this; it's warm there; under the fleece blanket and who in their right mind would trade that for a cold, drizzly morning staring out a plate glass window at that God forsaken hour?)


I stand transfixed and watch him as he jumps down (there are no words really to describe the movement of coyote here... to me they appear to be connected more to the sky with invivisble threads like a marionette than mere earth creatures bound to its gravity...) he lopes to the other end of my yard where he simply elevates himself to the top of that other 6 ft fence; searches the area with his eyes one last time & he is gone.

of course my older wise cat Stella, refuses to set foot outside the back door when i open it finally about an hour later. the other nimrods bound out the back door practially tripping over each other; completely oblivious to the danger they didn't see and apparently can't smell either. if Stel could speak i imagine her saying something like... "Oh ya sure; you guys go on ahead, I'll be there in a minute..." while she lurks out the back door waiting for someone else to be picked off and confirm her valid suspicions.

for me; it was a great way to start the day, i felt honored to see him and was glad all my cats were locked up.