Since I'm trying to make a new schedule for getting things done during the day, week, month, I thought getting up earlier would be a good place to start. Adding a couple more waking hours to my day would surely allow me to get more accomplished.
Going outside, with a steaming cup of hot tea, before the sun rises, is one of my most favorite things to do, regardless of the weather. I may be wasting part of the extra waking hours I gained, but for me, there is no better time to reflect and listen.
I enjoy standing outside in the dark, but I have learned that it is a good idea to flip on the back door lights first, just in case there might be an early morning visitor on the deck. This has proved to be a most useful tactic. I turned the lights on the other morning and a very large raccoon was on the deck. I stood at the door and watched him, watching me, for a few seconds. He soon decided it was time to look for an exit. Since the gate to the deck was shut and knowing that a raccoon is an expert at climbing, I figured he would go over the top of the deck railing. I watched in amazement as he morphed into a large flat furry fritter and slithered under the three inch space between the bottom of the railing and the deck floor. Seeing that answered a question that has probably been asked a thousand times, "How the heck did they get in there?". If the nose goes, the rest can follow.
Tigger, the cat, is always glad to greet me in the early morning hours and I fill his bowl with his favorite dry cat food. This way I can have a couple of minutes entirely to myself. Tigger's bowl usually sits on top of the railing so Runtly, the dog, can't get to it. This particular morning, I set it on the floor.
The early morning sky has been a sight to behold for the last couple of weeks. Venus, Jupiter and Mars have been rising in the east putting on a spectacular light show. When I look at this formation of bright glowing planets, I wonder what meaning this held for the ancient people who truly understood the importance of the celestial bodies.
To the north of the planetary line up is the bright twinkling star Arcturus. It is part of the Bootes, or the Herdsman constellation. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere and if I stare at it long enough, I swear that it is bouncing around in the dark sky. Learning about the constellations has been something I have wanted to do. Having the Google Sky Map app on my phone has made the learning process much easier. When in doubt, whip out the phone, even though the glare from the screen gives away my position in the darkness.
As I was looking at Arcturus and trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is 36 light years from Earth, which figures roughly to about 180 trillion miles, I heard a crunching noise. I thought that Tigger must have had an exciting evening and worked up quite an appetite because he had already eaten when I first came outside. I was standing at the far end of the deck, the farthest distance from the door, when I looked down. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized Tigger was sitting at my feet.....something else was doing the crunching.
Since the food dish was right next to the door, bolting for the door was not an option. I shuffled my feet, the crunching continued. I began to talk to Tigger, still more crunching. I finally kicked one of the deck chairs, The crunching stopped and a few seconds later, the motion light over the steps came on. It was the neighbors' cat, who obviously likes Tigger's food better than his own. He stopped briefly to lick whatever remaining crumbs were in his whiskers and then sauntered off down the steps.
Being under the cover of darkness works great for those creatures who have eyes that can pierce the dark, but, from now on, the broom will accompany me in the wee hours of the morning.
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