Spring Morning at the Cabin

The weather this week has been spectacular--sunny and clear with temperatures floating a few degrees higher or lower each day. It’s the kind of weather that gives spring its Disney-esque reputation for chirping birds, baby animals and flowering plants.

Each day I have more new wildflowers to look at. I can’t keep up with them all. Today’s photo is one of wild violets at the edge of the cabin. I don’t need to plant anything there when I know the violets will return each spring to brighten the spot.

Early this morning Dog and I heard the fox barking again. This time the fox was further down the mountain instead of right next to the cabin. The yapping went on for some minutes, an eerie and haunting sound in the moments before sunrise. It is not quite on a par with the haunting sound of a loon or even a wood thrush, but it is close.

I’m so lucky not to have a yard. Instead of spending my weekends or evenings mowing, I can wander around the cabin, camera in hand, looking for new arrivals or listening for the sound of a barking fox. Of all the reasons why I most like not to have a yard, my favorite is simply that I don’t have to spend my time dealing with it. I have the time to pay attention to other things instead.