A WEEK for STARS....

"For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream..."

-Vincent Van Gogh

Visible in the eastern sky, just before sunrise, in the week of Aug 12th, 2025.Jupiter and Venus in conjunction with each other. I watched as they appeared in the predawn sky from 3:22 am till almost 6 am. It was worth it, to see this rare sight, with only the crickets in the pale dark to keep company with.

Venus, so bright, with its slightly golden companion, Jupiter,  only 0.86 degrees apart, in the constellation of Gemini. 

"... a clear night sky, with twinkling stars. When it happens to me, after all these years, it still takes my breath away..."

                                                                                                            -Carl Sagan

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens. Who created all of these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them by name..."  -Isaiah 40:26
 

Even though they looked so close, they were actually millions of kilometres apart.

"Yours is the light by which my spirit's born; you are my moon, my sun and all my stars..." - e.e. cummings

Jupiter and Venus appeared at the same time as the Perseid meteor shower. I never saw the meteor shower...too many cloudy nights...until  it cleared up  those few mornings.

For about four days I could easily watch them above the eastern tree line over  the back hill.

"God made two great lights. The greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars..."        -Genesis 1:16

Venus is closest to our blue planet. It's known as earth's twin, even though it is scorching hot and spins slowly in the opposite direction.

Jupiter is a gas giant, and has the shortest day , taking about 9 hours to swirl around just one time. 

"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I bet they'd live a lot differently..." 

                        -Bill Watterson

On Aug 19th 2025  a crescent moon, shining at 15 % of the sun,  will slide in to the sky to make a triangle, seen best on Aug 20th, right near the two planets.

I read there is something called " earthshine" , never heard of it before. That's where we get the old saying of the "old moon cradled in the arms of the new moon." (earthshine is the reflection of light from the nighttime side of earth).

"A white star born in the evening glow, looked to the round green world below and saw a pool in a wooded place...She said: 'I give you my light to keep'. Fathomless as the sky is far, hold forever your tremulous star!" 

                                                                                    -Sara Teasdale (excerpt from "The Star")

Photographs 2025   Campbell River, B.C., Canada

FOREVER HOME (a Christmas story for Brinley)

            “Blessed is the season, which engages the whole world in a                              conspiracy of love….” – Hamilton Wright Mabi

Snow. It fell that Christmas Eve. In the quiet of the day, and early night. Candles burning in shining windows. So quiet. So  beautiful. So lost she was in their light. In the white world beyond the place where she belonged. Her dreams engulfing her in a warm embrace.

Brinley (photo credit Suzanne Smith)

 Lost. Not so long ago.....or so far away. On a moonless night, such as this. A magical night.  Just stars above and heaven below. Showing her the way on sweet ,new snow.

Footfalls soft and gentle. Snow  whispering on her lashes. Eyes lifted up to the darkening forest, dense and overgrown. So alone was she. 

Branches dripping and dragging. Crystals sprinkling  from  sky torches held aloft, above the trees. That endless sky of starlight shine. Night of nights. She stepped carefully,  as not to disturb the loveliness.

She remembered a warm fire. Candlelight  glow. Peace and endless love. And The Dog. She had not forgotten him. The Dog she loved so well. Curled up by the fire. And she. Waiting for angels.  Gentle voices, telling her she was loved, beyond all measure.

She was drawn out into that world of icy white velvet. Where were the angels. Where did they go......

Tranquil night of her heart. She was lost in the soothing, still air, catching snowflakes , dancing before her. She felt beautiful.........

The angels spoke in quiet words. Above the snow and stars. She closed her eyes, imagining herself home. To be home at last. Forever. For she was lost in the galaxy, searching for her way.

                                          

To be safe and cherished. Forever. To be loved. In the darkness she heard  her angels whispering again. Somewhere in this cold night. Where were they....

          For she was lost. Mountains towered before , wrapping her path in forbidden fog......

 

 

 To be without fear at last. To be home. To be at journey's end. She wondered a lot of these things. Keeping her thoughts close to her heart. 

Once more she heard the angels. They were close this time. Very close. She twirled in the soft snow, feeling warm arms scooping  her up. Holding  her up to their hearts. This night of nights. 

 "The true spirit of Christmas is love...."  -Linda Willis

For the rest of Christmas Eve, she stayed by her window, in the warmth of the fire, with the Dog snoring blissfully beside her. She saw the last star fade away, then morning shone over the horizon. She still heard the angel voices. Sweet and low. Surrounding her. For that would never fade. Now she was truly home. ....

“Angels come down, with Christmas in their hearts, Gentle, whimsical, laughing, heaven-sent; And, for a day, fair Peace have given me.” —Vachel Lindsay

Photographs 2024  with thanks to Suzanne S. and Peter G. 

Stay tuned for more stories in 2025......

Merry Christmas, with love......

          Brinley (photo credit Suzanne Smith)

 

Johnny-Fish and Evangeline

 My dad used to retell  this story every time he told it. It was his story, as far as I know.  He would add and add every time every time he told it. Of course, the dad and the girl  were us. And I've told it to my girls over the years. One of my favourite stories.

 JOHNNY-FISH and EVANGELINE:
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Evangeline.She liked to wear blue, and red bows in her pigtails. Every Saturday ,in the fall, when the leaves were falling  she and her dad  would go down to the rocky beach and throw rocks in the ocean. Trying to get the attention of Johnny-Fish.

 Her dad would build rock towers. Or if it was a mild day , they would dig in the wet sand and make a lopsided sandcastle, decorated with shells and gooey kelp. They were always visited by Evangeline's friend, Johnny-fish. He was a magic fish.

      Evangeline was sad when it rained. Cause then they couldn't go down to the beach. She would dream of mermaids, the ocean, and the fish who swam in the sea.

 One afternoon, after the rain left. Evangeline and her dad went down to their favourite spot . Johnny-fish would come up to the surface. They would talk for hours, about how many pebbles were in the ocean. Evangeline and Johnny-fish liked to have contests to see who could stay under the water longest. Evangeline's dad would sit on the rocks and drink coffee from his steel coloured thermos.

 One day Johnny Fish brought 11 of his brothers and sisters to the surface. Fish tag was their best game. They would take turns letting each other win. When they laughed their fish laughter sounded like " bloop, bloop, bloop."

 One  visit, on the last day in October, Johnny-fish asked Evangeline if she would would like to come to have a fishy tea at his parents castle. They were the king and queen of the ocean. Evangeline's dad said it would be all right. As long as she was back by five.

 So Johnny Fish blew an Evangeline-air-sized-bubble, so she could breathe.

 Johnny fish and his brothers and sisters dropped seaweed all around the air bubble to hold it together. They pulled her down through the water to the big castle of the Fishy King and Queen.

 The castle was made out of shells. They were all sorts of colours. The King and Queen were very nice to Evangeline. Inside the castle she did not need her air bubble, because it was magic!

 For tea they ate peanut butter sandwiches, apples, carrots, and mallow blasters. After tea  they took a ride on the castle roller coaster. Evangeline was ecstatic. Johnny fish took Evangeline to the underwater park to see the crystal flowers and the seaweed forest.

 When it was time for her to go home, she got back into her air bubble.

 Johnny-fish and his brothers and sisters tied the seaweed ropes to their tails and pulled her back up to the beach.

      Evangeline's dad was still sitting on the rocks on the beach. Drinking the last of the coffee in his thermos. He always smiled and asked her if she had a good time. Then say it was time to go home.

  The day was waning. Dusk was in full bloom. Leaves were falling on the rocks. The trees behind were dying slowly in the late autumn day.

 Evangeline and her dad waved goodbye to Johnny-fish and his family.

      Johnny-fish and his family dropped beneath the sea as the moon came out.

 As long as Evangeline was little, she came to see Johnny-Fish, on the saturdays that were mild and gentle of wind.

 As she grew older, Johnny-Fish did not appear like he used you. And when her father died, she did not go to the ocean for a long time.

 Until one day, many years later, Evangeline brought her child to the same ocean shore, and Johnny-Fish  once again rose to the surface. And they once more went down to the magic castle , in the seaweed air bubble and had tea with her friend of old. And remember those times of wonder.