Monday December 03, 2007

Sometime in the night the rain stopped, the temperature edged above freezing, and all the new armor fell from the trees. Snow in the air.

On this date

Sunrise hidden by fog, which only turns a lighter shade of gray. Rain falling from the leaves. Leaves falling from the rain. …

Low cloud ceiling. Three flocks of resident Canada geese go over the house, one after another, in formations as disorderly as their cries. …

Overcast and cool. I trace the passage of what must be a hawk through the woods by the fast-moving ripple of squirrel alarms. …

A squadron of tulip poplar keys spinning down into the stiltgrass. From over the ridge, a locomotive's hoarse chord. …

Another overcast morning. I can see yellow leaves falling way off in the woods like unschooled fish spiralling into the depths. …

Sunshine for the first time in days. Filmy-winged insects drift in and out of the shadows where a blue-headed vireo sings its dreamy song. …

Overcast at dawn. The light seems to come not from the sky but from the slowly brightening orange and yellow leaves. Chirps of waking birds. …

Walnut leaves are scattered all over the porch. What was the wind up to while I slept? In the woods, a migrant thrush expresses mild alarm. …

Sunrise, and the sky is clear. From behind the red ridge, two train whistles blow at the same time in different keys. A car door slams. …

A crow mob: enmity in unison sounding so different from a flock of grackles, where each bird is simply saying "here." It begins to rain. …

Through the darkness and fog, loud thuds from the black walnut trees that encircle the houses, a slow carpet bombing that goes on for weeks. …

The Morning Porch