Autumn arrives quietly.

Stepping outside, after midnight, to feed the feral cats, I noticed a new, autumnal silence. (It will be Equinox at 4:04a, so that's alright.) No crickets. No frogs. No mosquitoes humming in my ear. Not even the sound of a moth flapping against the window screens. I called Fierce Guard Dog to me, and we wandered toward the chicken coop, listening to our feet crunching gravel. Then the coyote pack began to sing. They are close tonight. The hens are secure, so that's alright too.