Wolf Serenade.

Sunday was a perfect day for putting up the Christmas lights, rain and warm weather stopped me from completing the task last week. Sunday however was the right moment, it was cold out but calm, no biting wind and to top it off, a gentle snow fall started in the evening. I started at dusk, I had some ideas that I wanted to try (none of which worked out) and as usual I unknowingly start to sing Christmas songs while doing it. Usually when taking them out of the boxes I am singing Oh Christmas tree but that gets old fast since I don't know the words. Once I start to get the first strings up, the soft lights on the fresh snow make me switch to something more spiritual, like Come all ye faithful or Joy to the world. .................................................. As darkness fell I was going up and down my ladder, happy in my little Christmas task, singing to myself when I realized I was picking up the sound of something else. I will remind you I live in the country, as in the real country. It was a wolf, I am not sure if he heard me or was watching me from a distance. He was doing a barking type howling, a little like when coyotes do that yapping howl only a lot more powerful. There was still some light out and the wolf was a good distance away so I didn't think about it much. All went quiet and I continued on forgetting about it. It got very dark out, pitch black because the clouds blocked any light. As I was getting closer to the end of my task, I heard something that made the caveman in me want to run up the ladder. In the darkness the wolf had crept much closer, he let loose with a full on mournful howl, the kind of blood chilling howl, that if I was watching a movie, a werewolf usually jumps out to attack the villagers. They are very clever like that, darkness and heavy fog make them braver. He was howling and alarm barking, clearly it was annoyed with me. Not the sound track for Christmas tree decorating that I wanted, it was close and I couldn't see a thing beyond the halo of the Christmas lights. I found it a little ironic because last night I was watching, "A Nightmare Before Christmas" and I thought this was a perfect way to set the mood for a movie like that. I was mostly finished with what I wanted to do so I decided to head in for the night. I am not sure how to feel, a little spooked or insulted, maybe it didn't like my bright lights invading the cover of darkness or worse, maybe his howling was a comment on my singing.