Orange Aid

A pumpkin on my porch is situated near Christmas lights on a bush.

     My Halloween pumpkin looks awful. Pieces of skin have been ripped away. Some of the mushy interior is missing. Until this evening, the pumpkin rested on our porch.
     The damage, I suspect, is attributable to a fisher cat. It lives in a woodlot behind the yard. Last month I caught a glimpse of the cat. It was limping. Perhaps a car had stuck the animal. If so, this creature is having difficulty hunting prey. Desperate for food, the fisher cat—an omnivore—might be  browsing off the pumpkin.
     I feel sorry for the animal. On some nights I toss scraps of meat into the woods. These leftovers sometimes disappear within a couple of hours. But not the last handout. Crows squawked in the morning. They had stolen the meat. 
     Yesterday was the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. I’ve read that some people feel gloomy on that date. Not me. I transferred the pumpkin to the woods. That way, the fisher cat will have easier access to food. Moving that pumpkin brightened my mood.
     Helping an animal in need—or a person for that matter—adds fulfillment in our lives.