February 25, 2009
It’s been a rough, stressful week, so when I paused before pulling a blind closed last night, it was nice to be able to steal a minute to savor the clear, black sky and the two glistening planets that were visible.
I decided to fill in the blank this week and focus on lovely thoughts for my Thursday Thirteen. Some are real memories, some are fictional; some are real yearnings, some are fictional. I’ll leave it to you to decide which is which, but don’t expect me to set you straight. It’s better when you don’t know.
On a night like this…
1. I wish for a big picture window and a room with nothing in it but a bed. A bed I can move to the perfect spot for making love in the moonlight.
2. I look up and wonder what’s out there. Anyone? Anything more than big hunks of rock and gas that we call planets and stars?
3. I feel a strange yearning for a brightly-lit stage, an enthusiastic audience, and that high you get after a job well-done.
4. I yearn for a cold beer and a quiet, dark back deck. Mosquito-free, please.
5. I remember a summer night spent sitting on the hoods of our cars after a hockey game, the heat and humidity feeling good on our ice-chilled, sweat drenched bodies as we talked until the pre-programmed lights shut off and security gave us funny looks.
6. I wish for a better telescope and the knowledge to use it properly.
7. I think of the times the Tour Manager has offered me his arm, knowing the consequences if I slip on ice.
8. I remember nights on a homemade ice skating rink.
9. I remember hanging outside a tour bus, chatting with the guys in the band. About everything. About nothing.
10. I think about how when I walk out of certain places, the first thing I do is turn my face to the sun. Like being indoors made me need the sun. And now, I need the moon and the stars the same way.
11. I remember pulling over to the side of the road at 3AM or thereabouts, and all of us piling out of two institution-issued minivans to look at the stars. It was my first glimpse of the Milky Way.
12. I remember seeing wolves in the wild and the emotions they conjured.
13. I think of the sunsets I’ve taken the time to savor and store away for dark nights like this, when the planets are bright enough to burst through the suburban light pollution and the night is darker than the darkest nightmare yet it’s not scary. It’s friendly, somehow, giving hope for a better day ahead.
Happy Thursday Thirteen, all.
Janet
February 25, 2009 8:56 pm
Your #1 reminded me of the apartment my boyfriend Michael and I shared in the late 1980s…the full moon shown in the big window over the bed and it was just amazing making love when that happened!
I miss it being warm enough to go outside and stare at the moon and stars.
I’ve never seen a wolf in the wild…but I have seen a coyote or two.
Loved this list 🙂 Thank you!
Nicholas
February 25, 2009 9:13 pm
Now you really have me wondering which memories are real! Anything out there but rocks and gas? Most probably, but too far away for us ever to know about.
Adelle Laudan
February 25, 2009 9:27 pm
A star filled night, with the one you love…doesn’t get much better than that. Happy T13!
Leah Braemel
February 25, 2009 10:49 pm
You sound like you need a hug so here’s one for you *Hug*
I had to add to #4 — and no snow either please.
And I had to smile the irony in how #8’s thought about skating followed #7’s comment about falling on ice.
And here’s another *Hug*
karen
February 25, 2009 11:43 pm
I love the night sky… the stars… the moon shining bright. Beautiful blog.
julia
February 26, 2009 12:29 am
I’m a moon-and-stars person, Susan. And I’m also an I’ve-got-your-review-posted person.
jenn
February 26, 2009 12:53 am
I love this list. It makes me think of what I would do on a night like that…
bunnygirl
February 26, 2009 2:01 am
In one of the houses I lived in as a kid, my bed was under the window and the full moon would shine through. I would lie there and stare for what felt like hours.
What amazes and saddens me is how bright the stars are when you get away from the city, and how many there are. The nigh sky is magic and we blot it out.
Alice Audrey
February 26, 2009 2:25 am
I see glimmerings of a certain band in some of these. 🙂
Thomma Lyn
February 26, 2009 3:33 am
Oh yes, moon and stars, the sky — nature is a joy whether by night or day. What a lovely post, my friend. Really touched me where I live.
Carmen
February 26, 2009 8:38 am
Well, real or fiction, I hope something can help you destress. 🙂
Tricia
February 26, 2009 11:23 am
An interesting and thought provoking 13.
ric
February 26, 2009 12:17 pm
Great post….I liked it alot!
Tilly Greene
February 26, 2009 12:54 pm
Love those moments that make you remember and enjoy times past all over again…yup, right there with you darlin’!
On a limb with Claudia
February 26, 2009 12:58 pm
I am so sorry this week has been hard. I hope it improves very very soon!
Barbara
February 26, 2009 2:00 pm
I could go for that room with nothing but a big picture window and a bed! Fun list.
samulli
February 26, 2009 2:33 pm
Gawd, I wish we had a starry night again one of these days! It doesn’t even have to be a warm one (it’s just February, after all), just a clear sky for once would be nice. It seems like the last time I could actually watch the stars was sometime last October…
Shelley Munro
February 26, 2009 3:33 pm
I hope your week gets better, Susan. I love clear, starry nights. We go for a walk after dinner most nights. Sometimes we watch the sun set and at other times, it’s already dark. It’s always beautiful.
Thorne
February 26, 2009 4:27 pm
Oh, this is simply sweet, Susan. Here’s what was really excellent about it for me: Many years ago I was in a band. Not huge, but locally pretty big and we had a following. Your “lovelies” brought back many sweetnesses for me. Thanks
And a big thank you for stopping by my TT at The Eclectic Witch. I have had very few visitors there. Pehaps my title scared some folks off? Hee hee.
Celticlibrarian
February 26, 2009 4:43 pm
Your list made me think about the time I was in an airplane up above a cloud bank on the night of a full moon. It was like I was in another world, glowing silver.
Ann
February 26, 2009 5:38 pm
Hey, Sorry the week sucked, hope the weekend is better. Feel free to email and vent. I saw a comet last night, and saw the Big Dipper (hardly ever visible down here, even if you do know where to look). I’m plotting evil things for Ohio. Think we should warn them? 🙂
Lissa
February 26, 2009 6:44 pm
I read your words and the song “Strawberry Wine” played in head. Taking me back in time…
Michelle
February 26, 2009 7:19 pm
Beautiful TT. I often look to the sky too and wonder if there’s anything else out there. Thanks for sharing.
Darla
February 27, 2009 9:58 am
Wow. This whole list just put me in a dreamy mood, and I’m wishing it were a clear, quiet night, not 3:00 on a gloomy afternoon. Very nice, evocative writing. Thanks!!
netta
February 27, 2009 1:34 pm
Number 10 really struck a chord. I know exactly what you mean.
Lovely. Thank you!
🙂
All Rileyed Up
February 27, 2009 3:25 pm
I have never experienced the fun of a homemade ice skating rink! Someday… I really enjoyed reading these thirteen things. Left me feeling very relaxed and inspired.
Carol @SheLives
February 27, 2009 4:45 pm
About #2? The answer is yes. Someone is definitely out there.
WASHWORDS
March 10, 2009 8:28 pm
love love love this. the big picture window… and clean clear night filling the room. ahh. love it!
WASHWORDS’s last blog post..When I get all steamed up