Full Moon Rising

Driving into La Center yesterday around 3:00 in the afternoon, I came to a spot about 8 miles from the farm when the full moon appeared, huge and white, rising over Mt. St. Helen's. Mt. St. Helen's is white now, too, with gray creases veining down its sides. I wished I could rush home and grab my camera, but knew that by the time I returned to this spot the moon would have climbed beyond this moment.

In the middle of the night I woke up for a minute and looked outside to see if any deer were around. It was so bright. Almost like a new fallen snow. With hat on and coat over my pajamas, Blue and I went out for a walk. The moon was high and the sky was a pale blue with whisps of cloud that made me wonder if they were the northern lights. And there were stars, bright and clear despite the light. Orion stretched out right over the pasture. The moon light cast shadows and the air was soft and quiet. The ground was frozen, but not icy. Frozen just enough to feel like the ground was firm under your feet. Good thing because my head was enveloped in an alien breath. I hoped there would be deer down in the pasture but not a creature was stirring. My bed was still warm when we returned. We'd never even turned on a light.