What Were They?

If you see a crane flying, 

it may be drawing your eyes to the heavens, 

lifting your spirits, 

and inspiring you to trust in the universe. 

~Arin Murphy-Hiscock, from Birds: A Spiritual Field Guide

Our neighborhood park.

No one needs to know how early I was up today. I started snoozing early in the evening and went to bed about 9. I had no clock with me and got up when I felt it was time.

It wasn't time.

There was no dog to greet me.

The light was from the streetlamp, not the dawn.

I started the coffee anyway and tried to do a few things before I heard DH rising. He indicated he was going to run and agreed to head to the park with us. We would wander while he completed his circuits.

A fellow we have seen before came into the park with his Labrador - off leash. I know the dog is well behaved, but it is not safe for the rest of us when one dog is off leash. Sorry. If they were alone in the park it would be different. But they aren't alone.

So Zelda and I kept our distance.

We slowed down to watch the birds and listen to the winter early morning birdsong. Then we spied something flying low overhead. At first I thought, "heron." But there were too many of them. First two, then another, two more, and two final birds.

Friends told me they had seen Sandhill Cranes fly over yesterday. Could it be them?

Soon enough DH stopped his run and walked towards us. Z caught his scent on the breeze and alerted. [She does love him.] He had not seen the birds and I assured him I would show him a bad cell image when we got home.

There were no images on the cell - only an empty sky in one still and a fumbled video of nothing much, but the ground. I checked field photos online. It could have been them, but I cannot be sure.

I am sure they were lovely - "they drew my eyes to heavens, lifting my spirits..."

Z knows Dad is coming.