Starry Nights

I moved here from a suburban East coast town 19 years ago this month. It was my first big move to the country. Sure I lived in country setting previously, but only for short periods of time. One of the requirements I had for housing here was privacy. I didn’t want to see any neighboring houses.

My first night in my new house was a crisp clear frosty moonless night. The previous owner left me a good stack of fire wood. I lit a fire in the wood stove and the house was empty, but warm. I hadn’t yet purchased any furnishings.

With nothing better to do I turned off the lights and wandered out side to look at the stars. It was dark, and a type of still darkness I’ve only experienced in the Canadian wilderness previous to that.

The Milky Way spanned the sky, and the voices of coyotes could be heard many miles away. Occasionally I could hear a cow bawling in a field a mile or so in the distance. It was a wonderful time, yet nearly a spooky time wondering if something were to drag me off in that instant…would I ever be found.

My life here began on that night. The next day I went out and purchased furnishings and appliances for the house. There was a steady stream of delivery trucks here for the next two or three days. It had become a home, my home.

Sometimes I still go out on those frosty clear dark moonless nights and look skyward. I think back about the past 19 years, and all the kind people I’ve met, and all the laughs I’ve had, and all the writing I’ve done and especially all the things I’ve learned.

I so love it here.