Entry #6 - Night Walk

Night Walk

This picture is from March 5.

March 25, 2015

9:30pm

55°

It's a warm, clear night. I spent the evening catching up with a friend who lives on a street in the same development as Bayberry and I decide to walk the short distance home to enjoy this change in the weather. There's a light breeze that brings the smell of spring to my nose. I inhale deeply in an effort to embrace the earth. I’m looking up at the stars the first time I hear the distinct howl of a wolf. I chide myself and hear my Grampa’s voice in my head. There aren’t any wolves in Ohio, Chickadee.

I shake my head and pretend I feel silly for thinking it and continue on my way. I reason with myself. Wolves are endangered and almost extinct. The closest wolf is in Michigan, which is where I heard a live wolf’s cry for the first time. There are lots of dogs around the development, it’s probably a dog.

The howl sounds again and is joined by a second voice. They sound too much like wolves for me to ignore. The problem I have is: I’ve heard a wolf before tonight and absolutely nothing sounds like the large predator.

I pick up my pace and drag the phone from my coat pocket and make two phone calls. The first is to my mom and is simple: unlock the door. The second is to my friend who works for the Ohio Wildlife Management Department. He picks up on the second ring and I skip the pleasantries.

“What sounds like a wolf and is in Ohio?”

“Coy-dog or Coy-wolf. Why?”

“I’m walking home and I swear I heard two wolves howling. I was hoping you’d tell me I’m crazy.”

“You’re on Bayberry, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Coyotes killed a bunch of dogs over there just last summer, remember?”

“They don’t sound like coyotes.”

He began to explain and was cut off by the howling.

We were both silent.

“Holy… Is that the howl?”

“Yes.”

“Walk with your back straight and head up. Do not run, but pick up your pace. Are you armed?”

“No.”

“How far are you to home?”

“Another three minutes.”

Those three minutes were the longest of my life. I kept worrying that a large doglike creature was going to block my path or attack me from behind and tear me to bits. 

I arrived home safely and waited for my friend. We stood outside for a while and then he searched the wooded area around my home. It was like when you call a plumber and the toilet decides to work perfectly, no howls happened while he was out there. He set some traps and told me not to take my dog near the edge of the woods. He assured me they are probably hybrid coyotes of some kind, not wolves. That thought did not make me feel better.

I’ve heard the howls a few nights in a row now. I listened closely and they are definitely not coyotes. They almost sound human. My neighbor’s sons are visiting. They have always been crazy. Perhaps they were howling at the moon. Now that is a story I can get behind.

Entry #5 - Unseen

Sunday March 8, 2015

28°F

7:00am

I finally get to watch the sunrise. As I drive to my chosen vantage point the sky is indigo and the world is dark and quiet. I pass one other car during my journey and imagine he is coming home from work, because who else is awake at this hour, when it’s daylight savings day and we “lost” an hour of sleep last night.

7:19am

I notice the sky grow lighter. The blue has dropped a few shades to cobalt. It’s my favorite blue and I’m disappointed it only lasts a few moments. Now the sky that touches the earth is turning a white yellow color. It blends into a light blue and I realize, behind me the sky is still colbalt. I adjust my position to get a better view of both.

7:25am

A few clouds pepper the horizon but up further the sky is clear. The bottom of the horizon is the color of a dandelion, above that it’s blond, then white.

7:30am

The colors at the horizon are becoming more vibrant and distinguished. The white has absorbed the other colors and now only blues and yellows remain. The sky that was behind me is a now sky blue and I wonder if it will change much more?

7:35am

The bottom of the horizon is orange and it makes the trees appear as inkblots. The sky continues to lighten around me.

7:40am

The birds are chirping now. The chorus grows with the light. Pink has joined the hues at the horizon and the nearby clouds reflect the rosy color and make streaks through the other colors.

7:45am

I've chosen my vantage point poorly. The great orb is nowhere in sight but the sky is filled with light. I think about all the things influencing my life which cannot be seen, like the sun affects the sky.  

Entry #4
Waiting for the Sun to Rise

This entry is to be read in the Chatham Cadence. It occurred to me, some of you might not have heard the Chatham Cadence yet, so I broke the entry down to the way it's read and am working on attaching a recording.

Monday 2/23/15

The sun

rose

as I drove to work,

Apocalyptic

played

through the car's speakers

and I thought,

yes,

this

is what I'll write about

in this week's blog.

Tomorrow,

I will watch the sun rise

and write about

all I experience.

Tuesday 2/24/15

 It's snowing

and the sky

is gray.

The snowflakes

are the large ones

that make the best

packing snow.

Today,

would be a great day

to build snowman.

But I don't want

to build a snowman,

and even if I did

I must go

to work.

Tomorrow,

I'll catch the sunrise

and write about it.

Wednesday 2/25/15

More snow,

with a more

ominous sky.

The snowflakes

are minute

and barely visible

against the

ash

colored

backdrop.

The sun

isn't visible

at all.

What

shall I write about

now?

Saturday 2/28/15

            Waiting to for the right moment to do anything is bad. Waiting to write is worse. I finally had another sunny day on Friday. The sun rose as I drove to work, which is normal. I drove, angry at the sun for choosing, that moment, when the steering wheel prevented me from writing. I considered recording my ideas but decided to enjoy the warmth instead.

            My morning commute has become a meditation. I listen to music and clear my mind. My days are full of crap and these thirty minutes of peace are necessary for my sanity.

            When I'm at work people bring me problems and I fix them, it's my job. The issues begin the moment I open my email, which is minutes after I walk in the door, moments after I've left my car and paused to admire the sun peaking above Walmart.

            Also a part of my morning ritual, is making a glass of tea, at the front of the office, when the sun is making its way to mid sky. I enjoy the light before going back to my cube.

            I called my dad when I got to work and asked him to take a picture of the sunrise. I thought he would take Romy with him and stand in the driveway. Instead he stood at our front windows and took a picture that summed up this post. To the right you’ll find his picture: that’s my driveway, the clear spot is where my car sits. At that moment, my car, like me, was at work while the sun rose over Bayberry Drive.

Question – did you continue in Chatham Cadence after I switched to writing normal paragraphs? I’m sneaky. =)