Moonlight Serenade

Early this morning I woke with sinus congestion and a slight sense of unease. I headed to the kitchen for water and stopped in my tracks when a chorus of howling set off, seemingly under the kitchen window. Coyotes! Coyotes just outside the house, a blood-curdling reminder of the natural world. Saint H raced to the front door, turned on the outside lights, and stepped out onto the porch to see what was going on. The howling stopped immediately. We've no idea how close they were; I'll check for footprints later since we have a dusting of snow on the ground. Cola, poor child, had never heard them before; she looked even more than usual to be "all eyes and fur" as she ran to the basement.

With friend C's departure on Sunday, the house seems abnormally quiet - not that she was a disruptive presence, mind you. We've had guests off and on for the last 6 weeks and it seems odd not to have someone staying in the upstairs guestroom. I will gradually get used to having the house to myself again, probably just in time for someone else to arrive. Oh well, that's why we wanted extra bedrooms, and I'm glad that we have people who want to visit us.