Moments in Time

I had forgotten how dark it can be at night without a blanket of snow to reflect the light of moon and stars. In the same way I am surprised every winter when the snow falls and I realise how much more I can see at night with a little snow cover. The frogs were making quite the racket, looking for mates, I am sure. Between the frogs and our resident owl, where I work rarely has a "silent night". I kind of like it.

I know it is too early in the year, but I keep looking for the lightning bugs. There is one low area that I drive by on my way to work every night that, for about one week out of the year, looks like the stars fell out of the sky and decided to hold a ball just above the tops of the grass. I wish the lightning bugs would tell me ahead of time when they are going to have their little party, because I would love to leave early for work and just sit and watch them.

I always have mixed feelings about dawn. On the one hand, dawn signals the beginning of the end of my work day. I have made it through the hardest part of the shift, and can coast a little till it is time to go home. Dawn is also absolutely beautiful where I work. The house is set in the middle of about a million trees, and the lake is nearby. When the sun comes up, it filters through the leaves in the most magical way. It looks like something out of a fairytale, especially when there is just a bit of morning fog for the light to play with. On the other hand, dawn means that the hardest part of my day is still to come. I like the night. Everything is quiet, things slow down to a pace I feel comfortable with. Once day comes, there are phone calls, noisy neighbors, and rambunctious kids to take care of. Like I said....mixed feelings.

Sunset is a mixed blessing as well. I think the sunsets here are prettier than the sunrises. Sunset is a wonderful time because the day is winding to a close. Things are slowing down, and I know that night is just around the corner. The down side to sunset? I usually see it on my way to work.

In just a few weeks, Mr. Barefoot will be going to CA to visit his father. I plan to enjoy the sunsets and sunrises of those 10 days to the fullest.