Will U Marry Me?

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A small pickup truck stopped on the county road behind my house like it was waiting for traffic—a little odd, but not completely rare. It demanded a little inquiry. Across the road, a compact SUV was stopped on the edge of the road with his flashers on. There is not much of a shoulder there on the road, so his stoppage required traffic to  wait for safe passage in a single lane.

One driver inquired if he was okay, and he must have affirmed there was no problem. When traffic cleared, he exited his car and walked up to the walking path, bent over, and appeared to be writing on the pavement. He finished, walked back to his car, turned around in the roadway and left, turning into the adjacent subdivision.

Curiosity got the better of me. I grabbed my coat and walked out the back door, across the road to the path, and found one of life’s most intimate questions. “Will u marry me?”

There is going to be a marriage proposal! Let’s see. The car pulled into the next-door subdivision, and I didn’t see it pull out again. Perhaps someone is going for a walk?

Shortly, here he comes with a young lady, hand-in-hand. They’re also walking a dog which looks like a Corgi. They cross the street, and come close to the writing on the path.

She stops abruptly and clasps her hand over her mouth. Looking at him, she is clearly surprised and caught up in emotion. He gets down on his knee.

Of course, I am a silent witness to this intimate moment, watching through my back window from across the street. It does not take much imagination to understand the conversation and the body language of young lovers.

They kiss and hold each other as they wipe away tears. They stand there for maybe 30 minutes, talking, hugging, kissing. The dog waits patiently.

I think she said, “Yes.”

Brent

Arrival of Winter

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Usually, winter weather arrives in November. But, here it is approaching mid December, and the weather is just turning cold. Cold enough to threaten snow. Maybe tonight.
Brent

Star Gazing

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Very few stars are visible during twilight, that time when the sun has set below the horizon but the sky illuminated. The moon, however, shines brightly even when it is just a sliver, or maybe half visible. Twilight is a good time to set up for star gazing.

I borrowed a friend’s telescope, one he wants to sell and told me to take it home and play with it. I am on to him. Perhaps he would rather that I bring back some cash instead of the telescope. None the less, it was an opportunity to get up close and personal with the moon, and stars.

From the beginning of human history, we have looked up at the heavens and marveled at the sky. We have made calendars from our observations. Some have made predictions. And now, in just a smidgeon of our history and space exploration, we have a huge telescope orbiting the earth giving us pictures of stars and galaxies beyond our wildest imagination. Just the other day, NASA released a photo taken from the Hubble Telescope that peers into the deepest part of space and “back in time.” The image, with just a speck of a view in the heavens, contains about 5,500 galaxies. I can hardly comprehend the breadth of our own.

I remember camping out in our backyard as a kid. No tent. Just a sleeping bag on the ground. My brothers and I, or maybe a friend sleeping over, would lay there late at night, with no light or air pollution to peer through, and gaze up at the stars. The Milky Way, the galaxy where this little planet and solar system resides, was clearly visible, like a swath of stars stretched across the sky. If we were lucky, we might see a shooting star. We tried to identify the constellations—the easy ones like the big and little dipper. It was an amazing time of innocence and bewilderment.

In my 60s now, I am still bewildered and amazed when I look up at the stars. To see all those stars and know there are more than I can see with the naked eye. To contemplate other galaxies made up of solar systems like our own or astronomical phenomenons that we are trying to understand is mind boggling. It is also very humbling knowing that we are just a speck in something so vast and great.

Brent

The Quiet of the Day

It’s a busy place in the morning at Iron Horse Motorcycle Resort in Stecoah, North Carolina. Riders are packing up or heading out for rides in the surrounding countryside. The sounds of motorcycles fill the air. Later in the day, the motorcycles will return and new visitors arriving.

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But, during the middle of the day, all is quiet. A few folks linger in conversation. This is the time of day, to sit and listen to nature. The creek gurgles its way down the mountainside. It’s soft, gentle sounds soothes the spirit and reminds one to take time to reflect and rejuvenate. Enjoy the moment. Breath deeply of its air, for it is soul-sustaining.

See you on the highway.

Brent

Location: Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge, Stecoah, NC