I love nature! Right now though, in the middle of a sleepless night, it's feeling a bit like a love/hate relationship.
It all started when nature "called". I've become a pro at handling those interruptions to sleep, since they happen so frequently now, and normally I'm snoozing again within seconds of hitting the pillow. Tonight, though. Well, tonight there was an owl who was feeling frisky. He or she may be the same owl who caused me to buy earplugs last year around this time just to stay asleep. This owl calls out loud, long, clear hoots every few seconds for several minutes. Then, if I listen closely, from a long way away I hear hoots in response. Sometimes that's the end of it, but sometimes there's an entire owl dialogue at 2am. These blaring calls have jolted me into absolute awakeness. So, for now I ponder nature.
Like alligators. I heard one yesterday while Angel (the dog) and I were walking past one of the ponds in our neighborhood. Now before you call me crazy, I'll say I don't actually believe I heard an alligator. Despite the possibility (which I haven't researched) that we're too far north for alligators, there's an even more compelling reason why this alligator sound must have been made by an impersonator. That reason is: the Homeowner's Association. See, our homeowner's association is vigilant. Apparently before we moved in, there was a bit of a problem with geese. These weren't migrating geese, they were some species of goose that picks a nice pond and stays there for life. You might imagine that having a flock of geese living permanently in the neighborhood pond has its charm, and I imagine so too. Especially for the families who leave bread on their back porches for the cuties to come eat. Apparently the big problem was: geese don't just eat, they also...well...you know. And they do so liberally and indiscriminantly. So these geese had to be removed. A goose removal service of some sort was apparently hired, and I have come to understand the geese were simply relocated to a lovely scenic pond just south of here where they can live out their days happily. But one goose evaded capture, and it has been the subject of fierce discussion in the neighborhood. People tracked this goose's activities like he was a criminal living next door lurking to harm their family! Well, the most recent homeowner's association meeting bore news that the goose has been successfully captured and should now be frolicking with the rest of his flock. So you see, there's no way there could be an alligator in our neighborhood pond. Someone would already have called the FBI.