Ah, Autumn in Southern California: Golden leaves, blue skies. I watched leaves fly from the walnut trees.. twirling in a long dance before finally ending up on the deck below me. A spectacular Thursday afternoon.
Thinking back on that Thursday, the squirrels had been acting up, chasing each other up and down tree branches, barking excitedly at each other. They even threw a giant hard green pine cone down at the house, which landed with a thud too close to my window. Did they know it was going to rain? Did they know way before we did? Were they happily awaiting the change in the weather, all smug because they were prepared?
Bodhi, the Garden Peacock, did something different on Thursday too. I saw him up on the hillside, thick with pine needles beneath a pine tree. Not his usual tree. What was he doing there? Was he planning for a drier spot because he knew the rain was coming?
It rained all night last night and this morning. The yellow walnut leaves that had so delighted me on Thursday, were now flat & slick on the deck. Some of the leaves were plastered against the French patio doors, looking as if they were pressed under glass. I did not see Bodhi in his usual tree. Did he spend the night in a drier spot? Still waiting for him to show up so I can ask him.
So, to my question: do animals smell the rain coming and make plans? I think so!
