In the Garden The Northern Lights Positively Danced

Last week I ventured outside to watch the Northern Lights at around ten o'clock.  At long last the sky was clear and the wind was calm.  I watched for an hour and there wasn't much action.  I decided to call it a night.  I folded my tripod, turned off my camera and declared to the night sky, "Good night, thanks for trying, but I am off to bed."

Pretty, but not much action.  

I no sooner spoke the words, and the magic began!

The lights decided to dance and shine ever so brightly! I reset my tripod and camera and the show continued for another hour!  I was so tickled, that I was jumping up and down and whooping along with the howling coyotes in the near distance. The ducks were quacking in the irrigation canal next to me,  and I even heard a meadowlark.  Then the memories started flooding in about my dad. My dad used to say that when a meadowlark sang he was saying, "Oh I have big feet!" or "Oh my feet are cold!"

I had my iPod with me and decided to play the hymn, "In the Garden" and "When We Get to Heaven". "In the Garden" was a favorite of my dad's. Well, the heavens were pleased, as the music played and I harmonized, the lights shone even more brightly and danced higher and wider across the sky, higher and wider than before.

I played the songs over and over again, tears running down my cheeks in streams.  My dad was looking down on me from heaven, singing with me, playing his guitar along with Alan Jackson!

The lights performed proudly for with me!

Dark and light, dark and bright!

I have never seen such light action!  Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, every direction!

I saw letters and faces and creatures!  How fortunate can one woman be?

The next night I journeyed out again, but after midnight. The lights were even more active, but they weren't as bright, so I had a heck of a time trying to capture them.  My tripod decided to not hold still.  I couldn't get a good focus.

Any of you have a good strong tripod that is light and easy to carry?  Oh, I think I just thought of a Mother's Day gift idea for ME!

Since January, four new houses have been built across the highway from us.  Apparently, there are going to be fifteen built in total.  I am mourning the death not only of my precious prairie, but also the death of darkness.  Already the houses have their outside lights on, and no one is even living there yet.  

I am not sure how much longer I will be able to see the Northern Lights, so I must seize the mostly dark clear nights while I can.

I hope the new soon to be arrivals from the city will discover the pleasure I have been experiencing while watching the Northern Lights and they will turn off their yard lights.

I might just have to be brave and pay them all a visit and invite them to watch the Northern Lights with me and then make a little comment about how we could see them ever so much better if there was darkness...

I wonder if I could convince the counselors of the County to pass a light noise by-law? Hmmm...

For now, the Northern Lights positively dance for me "In the Garden".