Almost Heaven

There's something very basic and comforting about sitting on the front porch on a cool summer's evening. Dog and Cat are outside with me this evening. Cat is draped along the porch rail. Dog is at the top of the steps keeping a watchful eye out for who-knows-what, since she's really not any kind of guard dog at all.

The three-quarter moon is peeking through the trees while the last traces of pinks and purples from the sunset are fading away.

All the night creatures are calling out - cicadas, mourning doves, whip-poor-wills, tree frogs. A couple of bats are circling nearby around the yard light, helping reduce the number of biting insects as best they can. I really need to get a couple of bat houses and put them out in the woods behind my house to encourage them to live close-by.

I already keep water available for frogs, toads, and lizards when it's hot and dry. I don't use any kind of insecticides on my gardens so I really depend on beneficial animals and insects to prey on anything that would chew the leaves and vegetables.

Yes, I suppose that living in the country, even though it's not terribly convenient when it comes to shopping, has got to be pretty close to being in Heaven.

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