A Quiet Morning

No snow yet, thank heavens.  False alarms from the weather prophets on TV.  Cold though.  The trumpet vine leaves on the trellis outside my window are hanging on, providing some cover against the wind for the sparrows and finches that stay here through the winter.  They burrow among the boughs, puffing themselves up to stay warm, waiting for the sun to come out from behind the eastern mountains.  Being in the foothills at the mouth of the canyon means gorgeous vistas, but also high winds in the morning and evening and a long wait for sunrise, especially during daylight savings time.  So I’m looking forward to the annual switch back to standard time.  Wish we didn’t have to mess with the time and our biologic clocks twice a year.  Seems downright silly to me.

My younger brother and his two grown sons are hunters.  Yearly they participate in both the bow and rifle hunts for deer and elk.  As is often the case, these past two years their hunt was successful, providing some venison for our freezer.  We have some chops and steak this year, which my life partner will marinate and prepare in some delicious form or other.  One of the late fall/early winter rituals we adhere to.  Others include putting up freezer salsa and corn; putting our extensive gardens to bed; making infused olive oil from the last of our herbs; changing to our heavier quilts and bringing our sweaters, sweatshirts and other winter clothes out from the back of the closet.  

Ah, the sun is finally lighting up the eastern horizon.  Not visible yet above the mountain, but suffusing the sky with a purple gold light, announcing its imminent rise.  Sunshine is precious now, lighting our south-facing windows and warming the house; raising our spirits.  It’ll get more dear as winter progresses.  Knowing the sun is on its way, the birds are rousing themselves, flitting in and out of the bower provided by the trellis, diving for seeds in the feeder and showing some life.   

In our dotage, my mate and I find what used to be small pleasures, like observing the birds, have taken on much larger roles in our lives.  We have the time now to spend leisurely hours sitting quietly and watching.  Watching leaves fall, kids push home from school against the wind, cats crouch hopefully below the bird feeders and clouds drift across the sky.  Such luxury we’ve afforded ourselves.