Not exactly a Pet post (tho I could do a bunch of those!)

[slightlv]

but I experienced the most amazing thing last night. Ended up being a late evening doing grocery shopping. It was probably 8:30 when I got home. Dark, just a light breeze blowing through the trees. My house isn't fancy... it's one of the post WWII housing neighborhoods (at least, that's what it looks like to me.) The house desperately needs painting and repair work, and hubby is doing his best with the yardwork, as I'm unable to help him. But you have to understand... we didn't buy the house *because* of the house. We bought the house because of the trees. We have a plethora of trees in our yard. All kinds of trees... oaks, maples, evergreens, bradford pears, white birch. We've got a crabapple tree and a walnut tree. We really don't have much of a yard... it's all trees!!! (LOL) The cops came by once and bitched that we needed to cut down all the trees on the street side of our house. I looked at them like they were crazy. Told them did they ever think we bought the house BECAUSE of the trees?! And no one needed to be peeping into my laundry room at any point in time. The trees were staying. That's the last I heard of that, thank goodness!

Anyway, I was sitting out on the porch, feeling the earth beneath my feet and for a few moments enjoying the feeling of centeredness, when all of a sudden a cacophony erupted around me. First one owl hooted, and then another, and another one answering one of those. In all, grandson and I counted 5 separate "voices" of owls. They were all Barred Owls, and I never saw one as it was way too dark, but I sat out there and listened to them having the most amazing conversation among themselves. And you know what? For over an hour, I never once thought about trump, miller, or any of the evil that's happening globally. I just kept my feet firmly planted on the good earth and gave myself over to the hooting of the owls. I even tried hooting, myself! I did much better at the ending trill than I thought I would... it seemed like at least one owl might actually have hooted back at me!

As enchanted as I was by them, I made sure all my cat babies were safe in the house, and I gave a walkaround the house just to make sure there were no other small creatures who could become prey. Voles and moles were on their own, tho, I'm afraid...