A Special Morning, Cold and Crisp

A special morning for me here, different and unique, as I walked outside to see what was in the sky, I noticed it was one degree below freezing. I could see sparkling ice crystals covering everything. The moon was up and Venus was bright and in the trees making me wonder what it was. Had to check one of my astronomy programs to be sure. As I walked to the west side of the house the security light came on. I could see a skunk wandering around. He came up the steps following a scent he laid down like a dog does. He cut through the shrubs and came walking back towards me, sniffing the ground. When he got to me he smelled my slippers and kept walking. I stood there motionless not to startle him and have him run off before he had something to eat. I went in through the back door and walked over to the front door to see where he was. At first I didn't see him but soon he came walking up eating sunflower seeds left out for the birds and squirrels. The sky is starting to get light, sunrise will be in about an hour. Time for another cup off coffee. Now that it's getting light the skunk will go to bed and hide in the dark until tonight. They aren't as active as they were in the summer month. I don't know if it's the cold or longer night or if I just see them less then I did in the summer. That's when I saw them traveling as a family mom dad and the kids out foraging. They are more interested in exploring as they are in eating. You have to think of them as the cleaners that work at night to leave a fresh forest for the day. Out of all the wild life the skunks have been the most interesting and unique.