Night and Morning

Last night was by far one of my favorite nights with the dogs. I got out of work pretty late, so I didn't make it up to the dog yard until 8pm. By then, the light is just starting to fade and the air has cooled down enough to offer a perfect evening escape. The puppies were so excited to be out, jumping around the older dogs, wriggling their whole bodies to tease them. I stayed out longer than usual; I stayed as the light on the mountains faded and the eyes of the dogs started to glow. Usually I head in way before the light disappears, but it was so beautiful last night, I was tempted to stay. Everyone was energized with the cool night air; they were each calling to me to pay attention to them. I ended up brushing everyone; much to the disdain of my pants. Every now and then, a puppy, hidden by the dark, would come screaming into my legs. I would get hit full force and they would just bounce off to keep running around. I couldn't help but laugh at their antics.
As it grew darker, the wind picked up. I suppose it was a good thing that the dark drove me inside because I was only in for 5 minutes before a massive storm rose up. The wind whipped around the house knocking out the power; the wind was so loud, I could barely hear the thunder bouncing off the mountains. Storms like this have become part of my routine; they just call for a little candlelight reading. 
The calm after the storm came this morning when I woke up to the house surrounded in fog. It was eerily quiet, except for the distant sounds of the dogs barking. When I got to the upper yard, I couldn't see any of the lower dogs. Their calls were drowned in the fog, making it seem like they were miles away. Slowly, the sun began to burn off the fog, so that shortly it appeared as if I was atop on island in the clouds. Only the peaks surrounding the house were visible, with the valleys all socked in. It was a perfect way to start the day; the quiet early morning sun rays, the cool touch of the clouds, the dogs huffing impatience. Perfect.