One recent morning I woke-up to the surprise of a few inches of snow. The meteorologists had predicted a little snow would fall, but to be honest I didn't really believe them. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when I awoke to a beautiful winterscape. If there is such a thing as the perfect snowfall this would have been it: all of the grass and trees were covered with a light coating of snow, while the streets and sidewalks were just wet - all of the beauty of snow without the hassles of dangerous driving. As I looked out of my window I also noticed a set of paw prints passing by...but they didn't seem to have a beginning or an end.
Around my neighborhood there are plenty of "wild" animals, including cats, rabbits, squirrels, and even the occasional deer! Out of all these critters, the cats have been the most visible lately. With the recent warm weather, I can only assume they have been roaming around in hopes that their "animal neighbors" might also be on the move. I think this particular morning one of the cats was on the move again. The amazing thing was, like I said, it was hard to tell where the tracks started or ended. All of surrounding snow was completely untouched, with just a single line of paw prints that seemed to begin out of nowhere. Maybe the cat jumped off of the adjacent railing...but still, there would be some sign of him or her landing on the ground, which I did not see. Each print was perfectly shaped, no signs of "shuffling" like you would normally see when a person walked through the snow! Looking at these prints in the snow I was reminded of how amazing wild animals can truly be - even the ones I do not ordinarily like.
Anyone that knows me knows that I am not the biggest cat lover...there are a few cats that belong to friends for which I have a small affection, but on the whole I don't enjoy these "feline friends". With that in mind, I do however enjoy watching the cats roam around outside in my neighborhood. Ironic isn't it? I think I have an appreciation for them because they are not inside my house...they're not climbing around on my furniture, just my front porch. When I stop and watch these wild cats they are quite interesting. The other day I saw one sitting motionless near the front path watching a little hole in the ground. Obviously, he or she had seen something crawl into the hole and was waiting to make its move in an effort to catch breakfast! I am constantly amazed that in a completely residential neighborhood, a family of wild cats can live and thrive, for generations, on "natural resources". I don't think any of the neighbors feed these cats; if anything people usually run and lock the doors since they aren't the nicest animals around - as they shouldn't be having lived in the "wild" since birth. Watching these cats I have a glimpse into the natural "circle of life"...survival of the fittest being lived out in my backyard!
After taking this photo, I started to wonder...were the tracks really left by a cat or some other animal? The beauty of nature. Just another reason to love snow days!
That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?
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