home, home on the range

Jun 15, 2011

All the deer and antelope playing were chased away by coyotes here. Apparently.

Monday evening was much cooler than it had been for several days before, so I had the office window open to let some fresh air in. Checking my email late before closing the window and shuffling off to bed, I hear what sounds like a puppy howl right behind the house. Type, type, typing away, I notice a few more odd sounds and wonder if someone’s cat has found its way to the field along with its mate.

Within a few moments, I swear, I was listening to the most horrible high-pitched howls imaginable piercing the air. Coyotes! At LEAST 5 or 6. Maybe a bajillion! I looked out the window, but of course, darkness is the sum total of everything I could see. It is rural property in the Ville, after all. I AM still a teensy tiny bit country girl, so I stick my fingers in my mouth and let loose an impressive (and amazingly loud) whistle. With my city-girl hand, I’m calling my Mom at the same time. By the time she answers, the howling/shrieks have stopped…I guess that whistle did the trick (mental note in case I’m ever surrounded by a pack of scavengers), but she explains that they’ve heard the coyotes too.

My heart still beating fast, I piddle around for about 30 more minutes because I couldn’t sleep now anyway, and Libby has to go out to pee. Are you kidding me? Wondering if she could possibly hold it until daylight, I ignore her. But then, I think about other people who didn’t hear the beasts and how vulnerable dogs and kids and everything else would be outside after dark and realize this is sort of like a zombie invasion.

This is what it looked like before the zombies arrived…