volunteer sleepover..

it's 9 am and I'm wondering how I'll get through the day with the energy and vigilance it takes to parent two fiesty young daughters.....
Last night six of the True Vine volunteers stayed overnight at the farm - it was out-of-control fun! We line danced to hip-hop music, learned to cha-cha(thanks, Carrie), rolled down the huge hill at breakneck speed, played ultimate frisbee in the riding arena(much to the horses' alarm), competed at jumping over barrels, construction cones, logs, and anything else we could find, and settled in to watch The Emperor's New Groove outside by the bonfire on a homemade movie screen.
We lay on our backs watching the stars in the clear black sky, and talked about our dreams and plans. Among our teen volunteers are a future veterinarian, professional horse trainer, equine therapist, a vagabond, and an astronaut..
As we huddled together for warmth in our damp sleeping bags under piles of damp blankets, I heard them drift off to sleep one by one. Gratitude to Ted, the only guy there, who made himself useful by carving a 10 foot roasting stick from a sapling so that we could make s'mores without moving from our nest!
I was almost asleep when I heard them; the coyotes who live in the woods behind the pasture began their night calls, whooping to each other in their oddly musical tones. I listened as they yipped and howled, one distinct tone layering on top of another until I was sure there were five of them moving through the pasture. They split up to avoid the fire and humans, with two passing beside us along the edge of our grape vineyards, one through the saplings near the fire but out of sight, and one with a much deeper tone than the others staying back by the den in the woods..what about the fifth, I thought? Then, above us on the road, its wail pierced the air, sending the family dog into a frenzy in the house. The cats growled, some slinking to the barn and some climbing trees. I craned my neck, hoping to see a glimpse of what I could hear so clearly, but the family of coyotes crossed the road into the sprawling vineyards and became silent.