Notes from Alaska

Setting the scene: it's still light all night. Most of my writing happens in our upstairs guest bedroom, which has an opening window with a ladder underneath (for a fire escape). I like to open the window and just kind of hang out of it to get a little fresh air, and I was doing this tonight when I looked straight down the ladder and realized there was, at the bottom of it, one of the biggest porcupines I've ever seen, quietly grazing on the lawn and apparently oblivious to me.

It made me realize that, while I've seen porcupines a number of times when I was out and about in the woods, I usually - before this year - had dogs with me, which means I've very rarely seen a porcupine that is relaxed and not alarmed. I'm not sure if I had realized that a calm porcupine is not at all prickly-looking; it's covered in long, coarse dark fur and actually looks a lot like a beaver. (Turns out - I looked it up afterwards - porcupines are about the size of beavers, or they can be. They're the second-largest North American rodent. I didn't realize that.)

Anyway, because it was smooth and round and dark, I wasn't sure what it was at first, a wolverine or something, until it moved and I saw the quills on its tail - they raise their tails a little when they walk, to keep them from dragging, and the quills are visible at the edges. Then I just watched it meander across the yard, nibbling on grass, until it was out of sight. It was a very calm and nice wildlife encounter, as these things go.

I have also now learned that baby porcupines are called porcupettes and I'm glad I know this.

Edit: Added some photos!

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