Last Night

Yesterday evening I watched the stars. Or I should say 'planets,' because Venus and Jupiter were shining brightly even before it got dark outside. I got a preview of what tonight will bring when the crescent moon moves even closer to the planets in our night sky.

It looks very peaceful, doesn't it?

The reality is that things were far from peaceful here, even as I was snapping photos of the sky. Mr. Wizard had borrowed a skid-steer to move our new hot tub in place late yesterday afternoon. Once we finally got the tub lifted, he had to carry it past the house without hitting any trees (or the house). Sounds easy, but with the big load in front, he couldn't see where he was going so I had to be his eyes. I nearly got hoarse, screaming directions (the machine is loud and Mr. W doesn't hear all that well anyway).

We finally got the hot tub in place, no small miracle. That thing weighs 680 pounds, according to the spec sheet. The only casualty was a cracked porch post at the corner of the house.

The cats were running rampant, excited by all the outdoor commotion and strange loud noise. At one point the three kitties were up three different trees. It was cool and brisk, their favorite kind of weather. You know how dogs will bark and run and get all excited when the first cold front blows in? Hoodie, Fredo and Paco are pretty much the same way, only quieter about it.

We keep our cats indoors during dark hours to protect them from coyotes, owls, javelinas and the occasional mountain lion that prowls our part of the desert. After the sun goes down, there's lots of hunting that goes on, and except for one baby kitten snared by a hawk in broad daylight, the kitties we've lost have been probable victims to these nocturnal hunters. When I took this photo, Paco was still outside somewhere. Not a good thing.

Mr. W tried to lure him in with food. Paco knows this trick. Last time we used it, it meant a trip to the vet to get neutered; he wasn't going to fall for that again. Finally he came right to me for a chin nuzzle, and I scooped him up and brought him inside.

Unfortunately, I didn't see Fredo lurking by the door, waiting his chance. He darted out and ran out of sight. I grabbed a flashlight and went back outside to retrieve our errant Fredo. This time Hoodie slipped past me and ran outside.

I'll spare the details, but it took a full 30 minutes to get all the kids inside, safe and sound and not too happy about it. They were over it by the time we fed them their nightly treat. During the night, it got down to the high 20s. We awoke to three cats at the foot of the bed, keeping our feet toasty warm. Of course, every time we'd shift our feet we were taking a chance on Paco growling with displeasure or Fredo attacking them; Hoodie could care less.

Thanks to the cold temps, we couldn't have lured those cats outside if we'd tried! Definitely not the case last night, though.

Still, it's a nice photo, even thought Jupiter is a little hard to make out. Tonight I'm hoping for a better shot. And I'll try not to let any cats out in the process.