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Progymnasmata

My Morning with the Leonids

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9 Comments
by
The Comedian
, 11-17-2009 at 12:56 PM (1467 Views)
I rose this morning at 4:00am. My wife, Gawd bless her, was up too, burning calories on the elliptical machine. Normally I sleep as she sweats. But not today.

I made a pot of coffee. Then I put on long-underwear, sweats, shirt, over-shirt, huntin' cap, and winter jacket. And I went outside into cold, clear November pre-dawn sky to watch the Leonid meteor shower.

Our house is in the deep woods, so getting a good look at the arc of the night sky is tough. The area directly above our house is clear (obviously), but the edges are obscured by the woods.

I walked around the house, my eyes on the sky. Then in the northwest, I saw them. Falling stars. Some shot downwards. Some across dome of the sky.

The air was freezing, my breath crystallized upon exhale. I love this feeling. Stars are best viewed when the air is cold and sharp.

I didn't watch long -- only about half an hour. I saw maybe 20 falling stars total.

Some time passed. I woke up my oldest daughter (5 years) and told her about my adventure.

"Do falling stars fall on you?" she asked.

"No" I said.

"What do they look like?" she asked.

"Hummm. Imagine a star-light pencil that writes in star light. Then, imagine someone going like this [*I make big, dramatic pencil slashes in the air*] with that pencil in the sky. Then, the minute you see a star-line from that star pencil. . .poof! It's gone. And you have to wait for another one." I answered.

"Next time can I come with you?" she asked.

"Sure" I answered.

Updated 11-17-2009 at 09:06 PM by The Comedian

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Comments

  1. Buh4Bee's Avatar
    I look forward to moments like this after my son is born. Touching blog entry.
  2. skib's Avatar
    Agreed! A wonderful blog. You have a very nice sense of self when you write. That's not exactly what I mean to say, but I have no other way of phrasing what I mean. I guess I feel as though you are telling me the story in person rather than on paper.
  3. Virgil's Avatar
    Nice write up. I live in New York City, the very opposite of where you live. I doubt I could ever see leonids. I see winter is already upon you. Yikes.
  4. Niamh's Avatar
    Awww thats sweet! you better keep your promise and bring her next time! I'd love to see a meteor shower!
  5. 1n50mn14's Avatar
    Best description of a meteor shower ever. Fantastic blog as per usual.
  6. The Comedian's Avatar
    Re: jersea -- one of the things I love most about being a parent, hell, about being alive is creating small, vibrant moments. And our children are eager listeners; the world is still full of magic for them.

    Re: skib -- thanks man. I do try to affect just the style that you describe. The blog is such a great medium for the anecdotal story.

    Re: Virgil -- Next November, you might want to take a trip the Catskills or something. The Leonids arrive every year at this time.

    Re: Nimah -- I was tempted to wake my daughter up for this round, but the meteors weren't pouring down, as they sometimes do, so I thought that she might get little whiney about the cold. Nothing like a good story though to fuel the fires for next year!

    Re: BeccaT -- thanks! Describing what falling stars look like was pretty tough to do. But I think it came out okay.
  7. DanielBenoit's Avatar
    Aww, quite touching. A wonderful little slice of life.

    It must be ideal to live in the woods where you can walk out to a clear nights sky.
  8. applepie's Avatar
    Glad to hear you were able to enjoy them:) I was thinking about them myself, and was considering waking the kids up in the middle of the night to see the shower at it's peak. I'm afraid clouds and rain kept my bit of the night sky to zero visability:( There's always next year, and I should probably try my luck with the Perseid shower with the kids. There's no school so the late night isn't as big of a deal.
  9. AuntShecky's Avatar
    You are so very fortunate to live in an unspoiled area that enables you to see nature up close and personal. Folks who live in the city are shut out from views of the night sky because of light pollution. Even in a suburban apt complex, where we live now, the parking lot lights seriously impede any good ganders at celestial phenomena.

    When lived in the country (before were forced to move when the landlord got wind of the real estate bubble, long story), we'd get up early to watch the
    Leonids and the Perseids, for a really rare but nice romantic moment.

    And as you have so eloquently showed us, it's not expensive trips or toys that help us connect with our children, it's an occasion like this which she'll remember all of her life!

    This is a beautiful blog.