2:30am on last night’s moonlit night. Snow is still on the ground, but it’s a warmer evening. I’m nestled in my oversized winter coat, mittens and hat pulled over my ears, seated on a lawn chair in the shadows by the house. The house light is on, but my eyes have adjusted and I can clearly see the backyard’s open field and the trees that line the back and side yard. I’m waiting, but my eyes are getting heavy.
3am I must have fallen asleep. I awake with a start because I hear a rustling sound from the treeline as my eyes adjust again to night vision. Who on earth is that?
Out of the shadows emerges a party of epic proportions! It’s a parade of animals, big and small, which seems to include families and friends that come traipsing through the trees onto my lawn.
Much to my surprise, a big group of black bears lumber into the yard. There’s a pretty lady bear with a portable keyboard, two hippy looking boy bears with electric guitars and one baby bear who heads over to use my garbage cans as his own personal drum set. Oh how exciting! There will be music tonight! I have a big smile on my face as I watch unseen from the shadows.
Soon enough, the biggest black bear gets everyone’s attention and the party begins. A cacophony of wildlife cheering breaks the silence as the bear band begins to play. Big Foot, as I hear he’s named, begins to croon Frank Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night and immediately the yard is full of dancers. I search the couples and immediately spy two snakes undulating and doing their form of the rumba. Mark was right! There are deer dancing with big bucks, fawns and does, swaying to the music. There are some Canadian geese dancing as well. In the air above, the hawks are circling in time to the music. On the ground nearby, I see some mice scurrying by, completely unaware of my presence because they are late to the party. Whew! Two black cats saunter over to dance, their tails entwined romantically. There are plenty of animals who aren’t dancing, but are just standing around chatting away. I can hear them as clearly as if they were speaking English to me instead of their native sounds. It’s so much fun sitting here watching the scene as it unfolds! I wish someone besides the moon were here with me to witness this!
As the younger ones get more excited, they call out for faster dances and Big Foot and his family band oblige. A ruckus breaks out in the far corner by the trees. There’s a lot of honking and I squint to be able to see what’s happening, but I can’t tell from this angle. Maybe it’s the geese playing pool?
All of a sudden, I feel a heavy weight on me and down plops a big stork onto my lap!
I’m sorry little lady, but I’m bushed after dancing with Miz Heron and you’ve got the only seat in the house. His crutch clattered to the ground.
You’re not afraid of me Sir?
Nope. Not me. You think you’re over here hiding don’t you? That none of us saw you in your little lawn chair in the shadows? He began to laugh uproariously.
I..I…I just wanted to see what was going on out here while I’m sleeping. After that snowfall the other day, I saw so many paw prints that I just had to come out tonight to see who was partying in my backyard!
Oh that’s ok Missy. We don’t mind a bit. Glad to see some life in this house finally. You know your house was empty for quite awhile.
Yes, I did know that. So you’ve been partying here for a long time?
Well, we have a fiesta once a season, but we especially like the snow, so we decided to host the Snow Ball twice this month because tonight is so warm.
Oh, I see. I guess I picked the right night.
You certainly did, girlie. He cupped a wing around his beak and bellowed out into the night. Hey you geese, play nicely! I hear you honking over there. No cheating!
From the far darkest corner of the yard came a response: Yes Sir, Mr. Stork! It was just a little scuffle, but we’re ok. Big Goose was trying to set up his shot and Clover the bunny tried to hop over the 8 ball and messed up our game. It’s ok now. We’ve put it all back to rights.
Ok, then play on and don’t let me hear you all honking so loudly anymore. You’ll wake the neighbors over there!
Mr. Stork turned back to me, leaned over to grab his crutch and got up. I immediately felt so much lighter.
Now Missy, it’ll be sunup soon, so the party is winding down. Nice to have met you. I hope you enjoyed our show.
The music had stopped while I was so engrossed in the conversation with Mr. Stork. I hadn’t realized it, but all the animals were now nearby and staring at me. As I looked from face to face, I felt so blessed. Each one was smiling at me.
Thanks for letting me attend your Snow Ball fiesta!
Mr. Stork spoke for the group: We are happy to make you a part of our family.
You are welcome here any time. Thanks for letting me crash your party!
Next time, we will put a note on the porch to let you know when the party is again. Bring your dancing shoes and you and I will boogie down!
Laughing, I grinned and said, I would love it! Thanks everyone! Safe home!
As I turned to walk back to the house, I was grinning from ear to ear. Laughing to myself, I thought, Nobody but Mark will believe this tale, but I will tell it on the blog tomorrow! Hmmmm…..How did Mark know about the party???
Shine On!
xo
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