Here we are staring at the ass end of November, cold and dark. But we were completely surprised yesterday morning to wake up to a very crisp -36 F. While we’d been having some below-zero weather, we hadn’t been expecting such a drop off a thermal cliff.

Track of the hairy stick eater

I worked at home until after dawn—a proposal deadline is breathing down my neck and I have to get writing done. So it was that I discovered from tracks that the cold temperatures had brought a moose up out of the lower elevations. And, sure enough, the bugger went straight for the lights! And unplugged them! Damn these hairy stick eaters.

First unplug one….

We’ve figured out why the moose show up when it gets cold—it can be 10-15 degrees warmer here than at the lowest elevations in the neighborhood, even though the difference is small in terms of feet above sea level. But we haven’t figured out what brings them to the outdoor lights. They sure don’t seem to view them as festively as we do.

…then unplug and stomp the other!

Things are all fixed up again, but it’s dark again, and who knows where they are lurking…