I drove across the park this morning in the dark, in the rain-snow, early because there’s much to do over the next couple of days. Robins were up, already, and I saw a small form scurry across the road in front of me- a rat? muskrat? It’s nice here in the office early. That same sense I used to look for when I’d aim to be the first person awake and up in the house when I was a girl, that sense of quiet witness before the day got rolling and duties and other people intervened and muddied that morning clarity.

Later- I heard from Dennis this evening that he and our friend Bob Hely saw a dead mink in the road in the park, near where I saw that scurrying critter this morning, I’m thinking that was probably him. They moved him out of the road, Dennis says he was hit hard and fast so probably didn’t suffer. poor mink, He was probably all excited about mating season and lost his head. I will start riding my bike across the park to work soon. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see a friend of his near the path. One more day til grant deadline. It’s not as nerve-wracking as it used to be, one gets used to it I guess.