Morning Visitor

Mornings in the mountains of Colorado are always fun. We often wake to chipmunks, deer, and turkey that squeak, prance, and gobble their way through the land to drink from the wildlife pond.

But this morning it's been light for at least an hour and we haven't seen anything but a few jay birds. It's cold and damp. The wind is still.

"How do blueberry muffins sound for breakfast?" I ask Ron. "And tea. Do you want tea?"

"Sure," Ron says.

"But before I put the kettle on I'm going pee," I announce as I pad off to the bathroom in my fluffy slippers.

"Jenny! Don't move!" Ron is whispering but kind of screaming at the same time. I stop dead in my tracks. "Look," he says.

I turn and peer out the window.

A wildcat is creeping around the pine trees. He has tufted ears, long hair, and huge paws. He flops on his stomach then rolls on his back and stretches.

"No wonder the chipmunks left," Ron says.

"Wow, a mountain lion," I say.

"It's a bobcat," Ron says.

"A bobcat? No way. It's huge. It's twice the size of our dog," I say.

"Maybe it's a lynx," Ron says.

Regardless, it's gorgeous. We watch in silence as the morning visitor casually stands back up and trots off past our woodshed, dashing off into the thick oak brush.

Later, we conclude it probably was a bobcat. But an "exceptionally large" one, if I may add my two cents. This afternoon we saw a porcupine (albeit a dead one), and I'm on the lookout for bear.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.