Sparrow Hawk

She was back today, I took a couple of mice out of the freezer, thawed them in the microwave, and tossed them up on top of the outhouse. Took her maybe ten minutes careful watching before she swooped, picked one up, and went to a nearby tree. She doesn't like the footing on the metal roof. A stunningly beautiful creature. Later, on a hike down to get a gallon of spring water, I find a few morels. Just heard a siren go by, down on Upper Twin, first one I've heard in 14 years. Sounds like an ambulance, and I can hear them stop at the house where that kid, Travis, lives. I'll stay out of that. Dim-witted dad and harridan mom. What a great way to grow up. On the other hand, there might be something to be said for being on your own, in a 64,000 acre nature preserve, with a single shot .22 rifle and one of those little collapsible spinning rods. You could become a Naturalist or a tracker for the Border Patrol but probably you'll end up a petty thief, with a record as long as your arm. Later, thunderstorms, and I have to save everything and close down. The power goes out, of course, and it's darker than a cave. I keep an LED headlamp on the dictionary table, but I was fascinated with the darkness, it was so complete that I actually couldn't see my hand in front of my face. When I finally do get the headlamp on, the light was so bright it blinded me. My poor pupils. If you just have a fire at the mouth of a cave, life is probably simpler. Got a wee dram and rolled a smoke, the storm had moved through, and it was very quiet and quite dark. I opened the window at my desk and breathed in the ozone and that fecund smell of rotting leaves. This time of year, I need to muck out the outhouse and dump the composting toilet. I compost all of this with dead leaves and green matter. I clipped back everything growing in one of the raised beds because shallots have gotten so expensive. I prefer shallots to any other onion, and I can't afford them, therefore I need to raise them. There was a note to call my parents, but the phone wasn't working. Mine or their's. Neither of my siblings are available Sometimes you stay in the dark.