Screech in the Night

Have you ever noticed that when you make a comment about something not happening it inevitably seems to happen the every next day? I had commented on hardly seeing much nature this summer and since then there seems to have been a circus of animals around the house. Early this morning was no exception. I was woken from a doze by a wild screech from a cat and since Thumper had sneaked out last night I was immediately leaping out of bed and running out the door. Only I had to turn back to turn off the alarm, quiet the dogs and then go fetch a flashlight because it was still pitch dark and I was afraid I’d run into the mouth of a coyote. Naturally I was unable to find or see anything. There I am in my pajamas calling to Thumper and feeling the dew falling on my face but all was still. Once in a while I could hear leaves falling from the carriganna bushes but otherwise, silence. At last I gave up and headed back to the house. I stood by the door and what did I see, Thumper popping out from under the deck. He’d been watching my shenanigans in secret, little devil. One of these days . . . .

In Danish we have a word “fornemmelse” which can be translated as a feeling, sensation, impression but often used meaning an intuition and while you can say “I have a feeling” when I say it in Danish “jeg har pa fornemmelse” it has more meaning because the feeling is a deeper type of ESP kind of intuition. I have a fornemmelse frequently about various things and what I find is that when I don’t listen to that feeling I regret it. Sometimes the fornemmelse is far in the back of my mind but it’s there and when ignored, sure enough something regrettable occurs. When analyzed one can say “well, you knew that result would happen because it always happens”. True enough. But sometimes the fact that you think an event may happen is the main part of the fornemmelse which is the irritating part. I knew that if Erik came to the house sooner or later one or both of the critters was going to get out even though they had been grounded due to the coyotes being about. It wasn’t Erik’s fault because he was being careful about keeping the doors closed but just one split second and that big lug was out like streaked lightening! Once out he flaunted his success to his brother and as for me, he was almost grinning. Little devil.

After my oil change this morning I swung into the grocery store to pick up some ice cream for my dinner and what happened? I got a fender bender. My first accident ever. And something told me to not go into the parking lot since it was busy. It was a hit and run. I should have listened to my fornemmelse instead I joked at dinner that we were eating very expensive ice cream.

Such is life.