I believe yesterday's post was the most boring I've written. Whew; stink, stank, and stunk.
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I like to look at the night sky when the air is clear of clouds and mists. I suppose most people take it for granted but for me it is the most wondrous sight in all of nature. Next time you are outside on a good "seeing" night, look at the sky and try to recall if it looks about the same as it did when you were young. The problem is finding a good night for star viewing. I was out a few nights ago when the air was cool, calm, and so clear the visible stars virtually twinkled. I was looking for something that spanned the night sky like when I was a boy: the Milky Way. It was nowhere to be seen, but I knew it would not be visible; modern light pollution being the problem. The only times I find a glimpse of the star belt is when I go for one of my quarterly baths, and then it is not as clear as it was when I was young. Seems everyone nowadays has to have some kind of night-light around their homes, and it has to be the brightest they can afford to buy. I don't know if it is security or homeowner vanity. Whatever, it all adds up to bad star gazing.
As I lay at home with my back against the porch boards, I could count no more than thirty-three visible stars in the clearing between the big oak trees. In a similar place near my bathing site, I can count more than a hundred without trying, and that does not include the myriad of points in the Milky Way.
When I was a teenager, I was sitting on my grandmother's front steps when I saw a sight which is very rare for my latitude; the Northern Lights. It was a slowly changing glow above the northern horizon that enticed my mind with various shades of red ranging from crimson to pink. I doubt that it would have been more awesome if I had been smoking dope or downing LSD, both of which I knew nothing about in the mid-fifties. To see something like that now from the area where I live is highly improbable. I dare say there are a lot of people in this world that have never seen the Milky Way except maybe on tv.
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Carolyn is driving the Escape today for the first time in nearly two months; she has again journeyed to the hair dresser in Jonesborough. She just now called me to tell me she was on her way home, and that is the first time my cell phone has tinkled since she got out of hospital on Sept. 10.
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4 comments:
Lovely rememberences about stars and sky Ken. I haven't seen the Milky Way but would love to. I would love to see the night sky from the deck of a sailboat on a calm sea at night. My son has a huge telescope which we drag out (mostly in the winter nights) to view the stars and moon. I agree with you in that its tough to get a good glimpse of the night sky with all the neighborhood lights on keeping away the "evil spirits" I suppose. At least now we have some laws for the beach residences keeping lights off the beaches. Those lights confused the baby turtles when they hatched causing them to travel right up to the houses and/or cross the road to meet their death without even a chance at outwitting a big fish.
I love especially the full moon nights and always become a light sleeper those nights. I'll wrap up in a blanket and slip outside to walk around in the garden under the moonlight. I'm sure the late-night neighbors cross themselves as I perform my little "witch" ceremonies in the dark.
Glad to hear Carolyn is getting up and about. How did the hair turn out? and more importantly did she get caught up on the salon gossip?
My printer died this morning and I'm going back to the laser kind. The ink jet just sucks down ink w/o the quality of a laser. Everything breaks at once doesn't it?
Peace on this Wednesday. Tammy
My friend once had a houseboat on a local lake that he would anchor in secluded coves at night. The small wavelets lapping the sides, the whip-poor-wills calling, and a canopy of stars overhead braced by the backbone of the night made for some ultimate moments in those days. I can just imagine the lure of the open seas from a sail boat at night. Magic.
I've been known to go around the 'hood at night taking shortcuts through neighboring back yards; I love to see the full moon rise above the mountains.
I never ask about the salon gossip; I'm afraid she will tell me. ;-)
If not for making an occasional color photo, I would never use an ink jet printer; I've used lasers since '93.
Thanks and peace to you, Tammy.
Well it is tough to see great skies here because of the lights at night.
The apt. complex behind me has tons of lights at night. I think most of it is for secirity.
I do get into the hammock and watch the sky, when the weather is nice.
Yodays temp 92. Humidity 97.
Nice fall weather.
Yeah, the lights are ruining the spectacular.
I like the mild temps we are having here, but when the old man comes growling, I will be wishing I had some of your 80's.
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