Twilights gone

and dusky dark envelopes me......

as I sit on the squirrels nut cracking stump.

Above the sky has turned to steel gray, with five condensation trails drifting slowly northward, as a sealed, pressurized, aluminum cylinder crossed them to the southwest, heading to Atlanta, or maybe Birmingham at 6 miles high, doing roughly 7/10's the speed of sound. Too high to hear, it's only companion in the night, Venus, shining steadily in the western sky, maybe 25 degrees above the horizon.

The squirrels will likely have larger and plumper kits come spring. The acorn crop was tremendous in the back right quarter of the lot this year. While the treerats have been busily running up and down the trees socking provisions away for the winter, winter it's self has crept up on them and seemingly passed them by, as today it got into the lower 60's. Surely there'll come a colder spell in the next few weeks which will make them curl up with their tails across their nose as they snuggle down into their beds of leaves.

I'm later outside than usual. I'm trying to get my work to a point where it can settle overnight and I can start again as soon as the sun tries to push it's self above the eastern horizon.

I don't mind the onward creep of dark tonight. It's quite except for an occasional car hurrying it's occupants home after a day of work or school. Nothing to intrude into my head except to check on progress every once in a while. After 15 years it's almost automatic.

Soon I'll put the lid on......weigh it down with a rock and step gingerly back to the house. My feet hurt and I look forward to kicking back in the recliner and watching the grand daughter and Nanny making things with the Play-doh.