Last spring, as I spun along the interstate headed home from work, I noticed some "cows" that didn't look quite right grazing in a pasture. They were mamoth and moved slowly across the field. I did a double-take. Those "cows" turned out to be elephants! The big pasture and barn along the highway are used by a small circus for their winter quarters. That bright spring day, the elephants were out enjoying a bit of green grass and a bit of sunshine.
The elephants are back now. The circus is once again in its winter quarters, and I purposely drive home on the interstate to see if the elephants are out. I get in the right lane and go as slowly as safety allows just to get a glimpse of them in the pasture or by the pond. It is a novelty to see elephants where one normally sees cows. Somehow, as the days get shorter, and life falls into the routine of work and darkness, the idea of elephants in the pasture is just the spark I need to keep life from becoming dull.
The elephants are out of place in a sense, and I like that awkward balance between what is expected and what actually is. So, I look for the elephants. I keep looking for the unexpected. It brightens the dull winter days and keeps me expecting surprises.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Stars
The stars have always fascinated me. When I was a child, we lived near an observatory, and often my parents would take us to the public programs offered there. On of my fondest memories is sitting through a lecture about what we were to see then climbing into the big dome with it silver eyelid open to the night sky. In my dress, patent leather shoes and cardigan sweater I climbed the black metal stairs to peer through the tiny eyepiece. I recall the first time I saw a miniature Saturn and its rings there before me. It was magical and spiritual all at once.
I've forgotten much of what I learned during those lectures, but still on a cold, clear winter night I love to look at the night sky. The winter sky is my favorite, and although I can still find the dippers and Orion, I mostly just stand bundled in my coat and scarf with my head back in wonder. In winter the stars are twice as bright and seem close enough to touch, and from our driveway in the country away from the city lights, it is as if they were strung across the jet black night just for us. I marvel at them now as I did looking for the first time through the telescope. It is still spiritual and magical all at once.
I've forgotten much of what I learned during those lectures, but still on a cold, clear winter night I love to look at the night sky. The winter sky is my favorite, and although I can still find the dippers and Orion, I mostly just stand bundled in my coat and scarf with my head back in wonder. In winter the stars are twice as bright and seem close enough to touch, and from our driveway in the country away from the city lights, it is as if they were strung across the jet black night just for us. I marvel at them now as I did looking for the first time through the telescope. It is still spiritual and magical all at once.
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