MOONLIGHT

I am realizing how much the phases of the moon affect me when I am home.

No, no, not in that way, you silly - my uterus has been gone for several years now, and believe me, I do not miss it in any way, shape or form.


But now I live a ways outside of civilization. The smallest area that you can build a house on is four acres, so even your next-door neighbor isn't very close.

There are no streetlights... NONE. No lights at intersections or even on the main highway. Houses are supposed to have only 'shaded' lights, ones that are directed only towards the ground and not emitting 'light pollution' - a term I used to view as a sissy word that tree-hugged used until I moved out in the country.


Not any longer. I will fight to keep my night sky and the thousands upon thousands of stars I can see at night. Growing up in the peak smog years of L.A. County, I had no idea of why the Milky Way was called that - something to do with the candy bar?


The moon dictates some of my daily activities when I am at home. My husband goes to bed right around 7 p.m. Well, no, he doesn't actually go to bed, he takes his sleeping pills around 7, and I have forbidden him to come OUT of his bedroom once he has taken them. Because then he gets relaxed, and then chatty, and then snacky (if there is such a word), and you can't him to go back to bed.


I've always been a night owl, so around 11:30 p.m. each night, I take both dogs, a bag of carrots and go outside to say goodnight to Najale nd Sally. The dogs get their business done before bed, the horses enjoy their treats, and I get to look at the sky.


So if the moon is at all in the night sky, I can walk out without any artificial light all the way to the corral. Even just a sliver of moon is enough. But if it's already set or has yet or has yet to rise, I either trust my instincts, sense of direction and rely on just the starlight - or take a flashlight with me.

Having a flashlight is fun, however. You know how you can get a cat to chase the light from a small pen light? My dog will do that with any sort of light, even a big floodlights, and never seems to tire of it.

But when the moon is out as it is tonight.... It's beautiful. But right now I am surrounded by houses, streetlights, driveway lights, car lights....

I kinda wanna get home and see it from my own back yard.