A moonlit night with snow covering the ground is as bright as a street lamp! I was looking out the window the other night and could see the outline of three deer with their heads down eating the alfalfa hay that the goats had spilled on the ground. It was truly a peaceful sight.
How long has it been since your world was washed in moon light? Night light pollution has put many of us out of touch with the cycle of the moon. (No more excuses for lunatic behavior and the moon made me do it!)
Even in rural environments people have bright yard lights that null the reflections of the night sky. Years ago my Mom, Daisy Mae, had a little farm in the country. She says that they moved to that farm, outside of Leavenworth, because it was a slow sleepy mountain town. Gradually over the years the town became less sleepy. Many of you may know Leavenworth for it’s tourist attractions, festivals, art, plays, or outdoor recreation such as camping, mountain climbing, or skiing. It is not very sleepy anymore.
When Daisy Mae retired she had a house built and moved to our farm near Rice, WA. It is slow here and about as sleepy as it can be this day and age. One of the first nights in her new home she told us about being awakened by a bright light shining in her bedroom window. In her sleep she thought, “who is shining that light in my window?” Then she woke up enough to realize it was the moon. It was a shock for her to realize how the conveniences of modern life (yard lights in this case) gradually eroded her connection with the beauties of the natural world.
This experience was the beginning of a list of things she had forgotten.
I will share more of them with you in a future post.
How about you? What do you see in the moon light?
