Star Light, Stars are Bright!

22:00 23 January 2009

Never before have I been able to see with such clarity the reason our forefathers looked up at the night sky and saw grand apparitions of battles, animals, and the gods. Nights in this country, ostensibly due to the altitude, the crisp winter air, and the near total lack of light pollution, offer me unprecedented views of the stars. The familiar constellations like Orion took on new dimensions (did you know he had a bow?) and formations I knew about only from the Horoscopes were recognizable even without a guide. Indeed, if it was difficult for me to find constellations, it was because of so many stars that it was easy to make my own. The past several nights in particular have been incredibly clear and I have gone outside to stargaze, despite the chilly temperature. Really, it is amazing to see the incredibly clarity of the thousands of stars visible to the naked eye

In more humorous news, the inherent stupidity of barnyard animals continues to amaze me. In addition to ever-foolish sheep, I watched with amazement several geese repeatedly try to eat a shadow. The shadow of a chain link fence was cast onto one of the walls of our compound and the gaggle (I don’t think I’ve ever actually used that word before) that we own approach the wall and then futilely try and eat it. Unfortunately, given that our walls are made of mud, this was a destructive in addition to humorous practice. There are now several divots on the wall where our intelligent geese tried to eat the absence of light. Great.