SOME POLAR COSMOLOGY--

and a little detective work

A lazy winter sun manages to push shadows across the pond's snow covered surface, partially obscuring two sets of nocturnal critter tracks in its fresh dusting of chilly powder.

(That's chilly powder, not chili powder, of course.)

With the Winter Solstice approaching, the noon-day sun--pestering the zenith in summer time--now arcs a much flatter course through the southern sky splashing these tree, and even weed, shadows across the frigid waterscape.

At that opposite solstice the sun's orbit would be so lofty these shadows would not even exist at this same time of day.

I very craftily determined the tracks were those of a nocturnal animal.

Amazing, detective-like prowess don't you think?

I managed that astonishing investigative discovery when I noticed the tracks existed with dawn's first light.

I even managed to conclude the tracks are from different species of animals.

Notice the pattern of "four" in the closer sample while those in the background appear to be aligned in a single file.

Maybe I missed my life's calling.

Then, again, more likely not.