Windy Night

The tumbleweeds are crossing tonight. Drifing, floating, swirling here and there at the wim of the west wind. The wind came back this afternoon, and now it is midnight with the wind blowing the dry weeds, and clouds floating across the dark sky, and spits of rain coming now and then. I can hear the whine of the wind whishing in the power lines that hang from the power poles behind the house. Sometimes it worries me when I see the electic and phone lines swinging in the wind. But so far none have ever come down. I walk outside and check on the horses who seem to be sound asleep in their pens. I stop under one of the cottonwood trees I planted last spring to listen to the rattle of the new leaves that have just emerged with the warmth of spring. I give a small prayer that the wind doesn't strip them off the young tree. I like to hear the russle of tree leaves but now they are fluttering way to fast.

A pickup truck goes through our intersetion of 'I' Street and Tenth Street much faster than the speed limit, a sterio blasting it's music for the world to hear, even if they don't want to. Off in the distance I hear the howl of a coyote. It sounds as if he might be down in the arroyo. An airplane drones across the sky.

Codee my German Shepherd wonders into the range of the motion light on the hay shed and it comes on. She comes back to me, jumps up on the wooden platform I use to mount my horses, and swipes a warm tounge across my hand. "Sit still," I tell her. Moments later we see one of the baby cottontail rabbits that live under the hay shed come out to munch on a piece of hay near the shed door. I put a hand to Codee's colar so she can't go chase it. Although we are still it suddenly seems to since we are watching and darts back under the shed.

"Come, Codee, it's time to try to sleep again."