In the early hours of the morning, I was awakened by my dog Alice. As she often spots animals in the night from her floor-level window, I went to her and looked out. The snowy pasture was brightly lit by a big moon just past full. At first I saw nothing, but I heard the echoing yips and howls of coyotes. Moving to another window, I suddenly saw them. Six or more dark forms ran back and forth, silhouetted against the whiteness of the snow. Two were digging for voles. Another lay down in the snow for a minute, then suddenly leaped up and danced about with another. I watched them for several surreal, moonlit minutes. Then gradually they dispersed, and finally all trailed off into the darkness. Ghosts in the night. It was a wild and beautiful sight.
January: the Wolf Moon.
