Today is the Day

Today was the day. It is a gray, misty and foggy morning. I needed the headlamp when I walked Dog this morning. The only sounds were crickets and a few frogs. Dog and I walked down the lane surrounded by darkness. Even when the trees ended, in a small open area, it was still too dark to do without the light. We walked back into the cover of the woods again. A slight breeze tickled the leaves and the sound of rain dripping to the ground was added to the few sounds around me.

We continued our walk, emerged again from the forest, and this time I did turn off my light. No bird sounds accompanied us. For the first time since spring, our walk was devoid of singing, calling birds. It made the pre-dawn darkness seem eerie, even a little dangerous.

We reached the far limit of our morning walk, turned and headed back to the cabin. And then, a killdeer called. Apparently, we startled it as we walked on the gravel road, and it sounded the alarm call. We walked further, and now I heard a blue jay scold. We were almost back to the cabin when the first pewee announced the day. In the distance, a crow called, too. Morning arrived.