OK, it's a whooping 18 degrees this morning and its almost the end of February. The sun is shining so what's wrong with this picture? Don't get me wrong, I love snow. I don't have to do yard work! I just want it to be in the 30's or something! And I do not promise to not complain this summer when it's 104 degrees.
Many years ago while living in Summit Valley I made a midnight excursion to a room on the north side of the house. I noticed that the sky seemed very bright out the large octagon window facing the forest that was just north of the house. In that area of the country there are no street lights and we had no visible neighbors so I was at first a bit puzzled since it wasn't near dawn yet. The glow was green tinged and it really didn't take me too long to figure out it must be the northern lights.
No one was interested in traipsing out into the cold winter night to have a look so I went out on my own.
Now, I have seen these light shows before, but nothing yet had prepared me for what I was about to experience. I moved several yards down the road to get a view unobstructed by the house or forest. The force of the spectacle dancing above me almost took me to my knees. It was so bright and undulating so swiftly that I was a little frightened. I suddenly wondered what the animals must think when the sky flashes and moves this way. As I stood in absolute awe I realized there was sound coming from the sky. I could hear ringing and a muted crackling sound that increased with the brilliance above me. The sound moved across the sky with each flash! I lingered outside until I was near frozen just for the pure joy of the experience. When I went to bed I couldn't sleep. Turning so my head was at the foot of the bed I had a great view of the southern remnants shooting across the valley and could still watch until I finally drifted off to sleep thanking God for this night.
The next day while relating the experience, I was informed by more than one person that Aurora Borealis does not make any noise......so I have not spoken of that since.....until now. It does make sounds; at least I heard it anyway.
I found this beautiful video of the Aurora Borealis that I want to share. There are lots of still photos that I have seen but this is the first video I have ever seen. I really enjoyed it.
Last summer Peter and I traveled to one of our favorite annual rituals, BroFest. It takes place every summer in Lake Oswego in honor of all of my brothers; but mainly to celebrate the two August birthdays of Randy and Anthony. Brother Lindsy’s normally fabulous yard turns outright magical as siblings pitch-in (go sisters!) to transform this botanical wonder into Midsummer’s Faerie Land. As usual, a great time was had by all with great friends, family, food and music.
The main event is a one-nighter but family and close friends meet before and linger for days after. All are invited so note to "kids and others" … call me to find out the date of this year’s celebration!
Anyway, as we journeyed home reveling in the great company and time had by all, I received a most special gift. Somewhere north of the Tri-Cities I got a chance to see something I had been hoping to see ever since hearing of their existence. Standing side by side on the right side of the road were two ravens, one black and one white! It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. It was amazing, gave me chills.
It's amazing to me what people can accomplish with a program like Photoshop. I guess this is just another reason why you shouldn't always believe what you see.
Reading has always been a big part of my life. I always loved to read to my children and was thrilled when Lucie stared reading to me! She read all of the Harry Potter books to me while we walked (quite an art in itself). When it was raining she would put it in a plastic bag or sometimes the book just got wet, when it was dark she used a flashlight. When we went to town she read in the car. We read lots of books that way, and I really miss those times. I still read, but by myself now. She got me stared on the “Twilight” series and I have now read all 4 of them (and seen the movie!).
Sometimes I go through phases of philosophical or biography books. Recently I have been reading more fiction than anything else. Sometimes it’s a nice escape like Twilight and sometimes not. Take for instance “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” Peter and I started that one together with an audio book. I just finished it and must say it was very draining. I will not be able to pick anything else up for awhile. I had suggested Peter read another of Mr. Hosseini’s books that I had read awhile back, “The Kite Runner” and he really enjoyed that one. It was an excellent book so we dived into this next one. It’s rather hard to describe my feelings after reading this book but it was similar to the feeling I had after “Ishmael.” It was like you will not be the same person again after reading it; I guess that is the best measure a book can stand by.
Last summer I read “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. This is another one of those books. I thought about that story every day for months. They have recently made a movie based on this Pulitzer Prize winner. I can only hope they don’t try to cheer it up for audiences. I’m sure it could be a classic but doubt it will be a box office success. I highly recommend a read before seeing the film.
