Can you believe it is August already? The summer is flying by. Before you know it the children (you remember I work at a college) will be back to school. (with the extension of adolescence to 30-35 years of age, the undergrads that come here at the end of each August are acting more and more childish) Again, I digress.
August is always a special month for me. My mom and her mom's birthdays are on August 12th. Happily, (or sadly, if you aren't a christian believer) Grandma is in heaven. This year will mark my mom's 80th birthday. Old. I love her, but she is old. There is just stuff about being old that is a little tough to take. But, they say, it is better than the alternative. (sometimes I'm not so sure about that) And, again, I digress.
The point about August and it being my mom and grandma's birthday on the 12th is that every year, when I was young, we drove out to The Country to celebrate Grandma's birthday. We lived in the suburbs of Chicago and The Country was a farm in Wichert, IL. This was a tiny, tiny area outside of the tiny town of St. Anne, IL, which was a tiny town on the outskirts of Kankakee, IL. Most people from Chicago did not know what or where Kankakee, IL was. The cool thing about going to Grandma's house, besides seeing Grandma, was that on the way home from Grandma's house there would be TONS of shooting stars.
I could hardly see the stars at my house. There was too much artificial lighting coming from the shopping center near my house and it made it hard to see a lot of the stars. But when we drove home, at night, from Grandma's house, I could see MILLIONS of stars. And, for some reason, unknown to me at this time, when we drove home from Grandma's house after celebrating her birthday I would see shooting stars. I would make wish after wish after wish. My mom used to tell me there were always shooting stars on her birthday. She didn't tell me why, but she knew the stars were always falling on her birthday.
Now that I'm the sophisticated grown-up that I find myself today (and because of the internet), I know why there are always shooting stars on my mom's birthday. Sure, she's special and deserves a celestial light show, but the fact remains on August 12th the earth passes through a debris field from the Swift-Tuttle comet. The result is the Perseid meteor shower and the show is spectacular.
If you have the opportunity on August 12th to view the sky in a remote area where the stars can be seen clearly. Do it and enjoy the show. You could wish my mom a happy birthday, too.
476. Taking time to remember my grandma
477. Lunch out in town with my husband
478. Watching olympic gymnasts doing their very best and winning GOLD
479. Being inspired by olympic athletes (but still sitting on my couch)
August is always a special month for me. My mom and her mom's birthdays are on August 12th. Happily, (or sadly, if you aren't a christian believer) Grandma is in heaven. This year will mark my mom's 80th birthday. Old. I love her, but she is old. There is just stuff about being old that is a little tough to take. But, they say, it is better than the alternative. (sometimes I'm not so sure about that) And, again, I digress.
The point about August and it being my mom and grandma's birthday on the 12th is that every year, when I was young, we drove out to The Country to celebrate Grandma's birthday. We lived in the suburbs of Chicago and The Country was a farm in Wichert, IL. This was a tiny, tiny area outside of the tiny town of St. Anne, IL, which was a tiny town on the outskirts of Kankakee, IL. Most people from Chicago did not know what or where Kankakee, IL was. The cool thing about going to Grandma's house, besides seeing Grandma, was that on the way home from Grandma's house there would be TONS of shooting stars.
I could hardly see the stars at my house. There was too much artificial lighting coming from the shopping center near my house and it made it hard to see a lot of the stars. But when we drove home, at night, from Grandma's house, I could see MILLIONS of stars. And, for some reason, unknown to me at this time, when we drove home from Grandma's house after celebrating her birthday I would see shooting stars. I would make wish after wish after wish. My mom used to tell me there were always shooting stars on her birthday. She didn't tell me why, but she knew the stars were always falling on her birthday.
Now that I'm the sophisticated grown-up that I find myself today (and because of the internet), I know why there are always shooting stars on my mom's birthday. Sure, she's special and deserves a celestial light show, but the fact remains on August 12th the earth passes through a debris field from the Swift-Tuttle comet. The result is the Perseid meteor shower and the show is spectacular.
If you have the opportunity on August 12th to view the sky in a remote area where the stars can be seen clearly. Do it and enjoy the show. You could wish my mom a happy birthday, too.
476. Taking time to remember my grandma
477. Lunch out in town with my husband
478. Watching olympic gymnasts doing their very best and winning GOLD
479. Being inspired by olympic athletes (but still sitting on my couch)
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| photo by wikipedia |
