A while back, I bought a couple of motion detection cameras. The purpose was to monitor my wife’s activities when she went outside to ensure she stayed safe. When she went into memory care, I no longer had need for them. So, I turned them into mini-game cameras. In 30 second bursts I get to watch the local nightlife of cats, skunks, and raccoons. Everyone is busy, coming and going, looking for food, primarily, I guess. Love could be another option.

All of them sniff as they go, and it makes me wonder what that world smells like. I’ve seen the racoon come into camera range, stop, sniff the ground, then turn and go back as though danger lurked. As they pass through the yard, I’m pretty sure the skunk is looking for grubs, because in the morning I find the holes it dug. The cats’ noses are up in the air, sort of fitting, given their general snobby behavior. I know they know I’m watching, especially the raccoons, because they stop and look at the camera when it turns on. That’s situational awareness.

It’s an odd hobby, but fun. The skunk is fairly attractive and nice to look at. The raccoons move fast and with purpose, especially with little ones in tow, and I’ve seen that recently. The cats, since they live here, tend to loiter, just sit, and look around. But they too can move with purpose as if they’ve been invited to a party and are running late. For all of them, however, what I see is simply a snapshot of their larger life, a dip of the toe into a river. But it’s a good reminder there’s more to the world than what I can see with my own two eyes