THE INNER WORKINGS...

intrusive wildlife

My first thought waking up in the dark of the night: It's much cooler here in the Amazon basin than I imagined it to be.

Some of the other elements are just as I had predicted: rustling leaves, blinding darkness, perpetual silence interrupted by wild jungle birds.

There are some incongruous details, to be sure. For one, my camping cot closely resembles a spring-filled mattress. And then there's the strange indigo-blue glow from what appears to be an alarm clock. Strange.

Of course you, dear enlightened reader, have already cleverly deduced that I do not, in fact, drop in for the night at the nearest secluded rainforest. No, I remain quietly nestled in my little hamlet among the avocado trees. Avocado trees that house wild jungle birds. Wild jungle birds that find it necessary to test their wild jungle calls in the middle of the night. I'm not bluffing.

But hey, to my feathered friends I say: Welcome to the neighborhood. There's no discrimination here. Soon you'll blend in to the colorful woodwork that we call our neck of the woods... the lost coyote that meanders around our back yard and frightens little children, the insecure bullfrog that tries to make up for what he's lacking by an incessant croaking, and the occasional raccoon or skunk. It might not be the Amazon basin, but it's home.

posted by Courtney @ 4:18 AM