Wild and Windy Weather

8 a.m. on Monday morning, 30 F.

When I last checked the outside temp at 10:30 Sunday night, the reading was 66 F. After a week of mild and rather humid weather there were multiple warnings of changes to come. Had we not had access to various methods of forecasting I could have predicted a violent weather change by observing the behavior of the resident cats. 

All four indoor felines spent Sunday skittering and starting at invisible [to us] threats, ears laid back, eyes wary. Robert-cat who has indoor/outdoor status begged to go out, then decided we should open the door for him to come back in. Thimble-cat was more than usually aggressive, launching herself at the others [all larger than she] stalking, pouncing, hurtling over furniture, zooming up the cat tower to roll and thrash wide-eyed at the edge of the top-most platform.

I was braced for a restless night to follow an evening of Rosie-cat snarling and screeching as Thimble pursued her with gleeful menace, but a bit after midnight Thimble stretched herself alongside me on the bed; she was tidily curled in a slumbering ball when I awoke shortly after 7.

I walked twice along the meadow loop Sunday mid-afternoon, dead leaves whirling around my feet, hair blown loose and in my face; overhead bare branches soughed and creaked in the wind, slatey clouds streamed across the sky.

Rain struck around 11 p.m. hurled against the west windows, sounding as though handfuls of small pebbles were striking the glass. The rain passed after an hour leaving us with quickly falling temps and blustering wind.

[My simple camera resists correct date and time although I've made several adjustments.]

This morning's skyscape morphed rapidly from light to dark, sun breaking through in brief streams that splayed across the floor in a dazzle before succumbing to swiftly moving clouds.

I've darted out with litter boxes, shivered while feeding the outdoor cats their 'tea' on the porch. 

I have no inclination to walk today in the wind. 

While it is possible to layer on more clothes to thwart cold temps [still hovering a few degrees below freezing] being battered by the searingly bitter wind isn't necessary to my sense of discipline!