Dreaming the World

Today marks the summer solstice. Here in south coastal New England light comes so early that the cat wants us up by 4am, and it is dark by 8:30 or so in the evening. This morning the sun is brilliant and we are warned that the UV Index is astronomically high. A cold front passed through last night and the wind is gusting out of the west in its wake; there is a small craft advisory for the coastal waters. It’s cooler and less humid and Nori keeps stopping buy for rounds of play, reminding that playing with friends is what’s important.

Upon awakening this morning I remembered I had not run an errand yesterday afternoon so by 7:30 I was driving around the neighbourhood. I had gone no more than a block or two when a splendid red fox bounded across the road, jumped a stone fence, and disappeared into someone’s back yard. I was struck by its cat-likeness, its movements more feline than canine.

A couple of days ago the mystery animal ran quickly through the field. I was only able to see brief glimpses of it as it passed the understory, but I’m now believing it to be a young coyote. A colleague sugested that it has a bad case of mange which gives it the appearance of an oversized grey fox.

Over the last two week we have had company over for dinner twice, both evenings filled with delight. As we were straightening the house in anticipation of the first night I moved our most used drum. A few days later we went to look for it and could find it nowhere. I thought that I had put it in our bedroom but it clearly was not there, and a thorough search of the house was undertaken. Still, no drum.

Days passed with no sighting of the drum and we became increasingly baffled and concerned. Then, a couple of nights ago, Jennie saw it tucked carefully against the love seat which happens to be the same colour! It had blended in so well that we must have looked directly at it many times; tucking it out of sight, I unintentionally hid it too well.

Starting tomorrow the days here in the northern hemisphere begin to grow shorter. Its been a cool spring so the idea that as the days shorten warmth sets in with added determination is a hopeful one. As the climate warms this turn towards warmth also becomes increasingly problematic and next week areas away from the immediate coast are forecast to be dangerously hot and humid.

I love the changing seasons but this year I am not ready for the slow dwindling of the light. For now, I have settled into the light and warmth, the songs of birds, the visits by rabbits, turkeys, foxes, coyotes, and deer, and the wild exuberance of early summer. It is indeed a balm for the heart.