Hunkering down for Sandy

The kitchen window screen is stored in the basement in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy and perhaps after that the real onset of winter weather. Much as I appreciate screens for their bug deterrence, they dampen the hues of the view. So in the run up to the storm, I am enjoying freely flowing water in the sink and saturated color in the grass, fading garden and the Norway maple that has yet to release its leaves.

The siren of the emergency radio just whined to life with a message about the storm’s likely impact on Rhode Island — none of it reassuring.

The birds have their own warning systems. They have been at the feeders incessantly for the past couple of days. They queue up at the different perches as though they have been schooled by a bird world Emily Post in the etiquette of feeder behavior.

Let’s see how civil we all are in the aftermath.