Thursday, December 8, 2011

First Snow

Madame M.

I shuffle through the fresh new snow while strolling in the park,
Seeing shadows start to form as it is getting dark.
So quietly and peacefully new snowflakes hit the ground,
And form a pure white layer and they never make a sound.

The soft flakes feel like drops of ice when drifting on my face,
And everything feels fresh and clean as I walk through this place.
The trees are covered with a coat of freshly fallen snow,
Then some have icy branches that give off a crystal glow.

The only sound that I can hear is little wisps of wind,
But only for a moment then the air is still again.
My heart is overflowing with a feeling from within,
A gentle, soothing, calming feeling comes to me again.

From a poem "December Snow" by James A. Kisner

 Snow in Roswell, NM

It is really pretty out there. So much snow fell over night only two days ago. And it is very, very cold! The temperature dropped to average 6º F or -15º C, but at least it is sunny and nice.

Madam M. is not really interested in the landscape. She enjoys the warmth of the house. Agent Orange, on the other hand, loves adventures. Until only few days ago, he spent most of the nights outside. We have no idea what he was doing out there, but it was simply impossible to keep him indoors. Till the snow fell.

It was late in the evening and still snowing when Agent Orange gave his usual "concert". James opened the back door for him. What ensued was really comical. You could see an orange fur ball rushing like mad through the door. Suddenly the ball halted in its tracks in disbelief. Someone did something to his kingdom. He gave James an accusing look and hid under the table, sulking. 

Few minutes later he was meowing at the front door, probably hoping that at least this part of his universe was still normal. When James opened the door, Agent Orange appeared even more confused. He wanted to check the backyard again and did not stop howling until James picked him up. Something was really wrong out there! What was that white thing? Who put it there? Everywhere!

Agent Orange, sulking

James decided to keep the confused cat indoors for a while. The cat almost resigned himself to his confinement. For one night! He either forgot about the snow, or simply wanted to explore it, because the next evening he insisted on going out.

Agent Orange is a very adventurous cat and it is almost impossible to keep him indoors. He was a baby alley cat when he moved in with us last year in October and has never seen the snow before.

He meows and howls if he doesn't get his way. He "must" go outside, even if it is for a few minutes only. Snow isn't as horrible as he first seemed to think.

We decided to keep an eye on him. It is simply too cold to allow him to spend the entire night in the bushes or wherever he desires to go.

By Dominique Allmon @2011