Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Night

If I knew how to take a night time picture with my camera, you'd be looking at Orion.

Living on farm gives you the opportunity to see the stars in all their glory. One of us is 'forced' to go outside every night to feed the guard dogs, let the border collies run around, collect the eggs and milk the goats. Sometimes I grumble because it's cold outside. Once I get outside and see the stars, my attitude changes.

I look up at the sky and I imagine what life would have been like with no electricity and no internet and 'gasp' no electronics whatsoever! It would probably be a little harder but you'd probably talk more with your kids or your husband. You'd do more singing and telling of stories and playing of instruments.

I know that I desperately love both lives.

I love gadgets and technology. I will never forget the hours, weeks, months when I would write programs on our 'new' TRS80 and I had to store my code on a tape recorder. I remember my mom getting a microwave. I remember when the 5th grade class figured out that if we all called each other and got a busy signal that we could 'group chat' in between the beeps (yes, beep, you, beep, learned, beep, to, beep, talk, beep, like, beep, this, beep, crazy, beep, huh?) I remember when phone cords were about 40 feet long so that you could walk around the house dragging the cord with you. I remember when you had to turn the knob to change the TV channel. And I'm only slightly over 40!

I also love the simplicity of life. When I was younger, I really did not like camping or being outdoors- hotel life was my thing. But as I've grown older, I have come to appreciate the outdoors and simple living. I love to be outside and hear the birds. I love to have a bonfire and sing songs. I love to go collect my own eggs. I love to sit and play board games and card games. I love to watch my tomatoes grow. I love milking a goat and making cheese or yogurt. I love playing in the dirt. And most of all I love to stare out at the stars.


7 comments:

SteveandAlina said...

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."
— John Muir

Living in rural Arkansas introduced me to the peacefulness and contentedness of spending a lot of time outdoors! When you are constantly in a house or an office or a car, you don't even realize what you are missing.

LindaG said...

A night time picture requires a long exposure. A lot of new cameras can't do that, unfortunately.

Still, I did love your post. :)

mySavioReigns said...

Lol, great post. I always try to take pictures outside (even using my "night" setting on the camera) with no luck. Hilarious that you just put up a black picture :-)

As for the rest of your post, I can't agree more. I think we've become so addicted to technology we're (Americans) not even aware as to what we're missing out on. It's wonderful to sit outside in the dark, especially on a warm night, and take it all in.

Anonymous said...

I used to have a TRS80 too! My uncle taught me BASIC and I thought it was the greatest thing ever.

Chatham Gardens said...

I can teach you how to take a night time picture when you visit in April - bring your camera and we'll go look at the moon and the stars...

Michael@greenakeys.com said...

hilarious. absolutely hilarious.

Toni aka irishlas said...

Hmmm, I'm just the opposite - the older I get the less I like camping. I still love to be outdoors and probably always will. I just require some "creature comforts" as I get older.

But, I will say, having to go outside even when you don't want to is usually some of the quietest moments I have. I embrace every one of them (except with 60mph winds)