Missing the starry nights

"Starry Nights," 5 x 7 watercolor holiday greeting card

One of the beauties of winter  are the clear cold nights when you can really see the stars.

I miss that the most about living in urban America. You really need to be someplace rural, far away from the light and noise and other pollution of too many people.

It's not just my emotion, but those of many through the years...consider the words of the Christmas carol, "Silent Night"--"Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright...."

It's gotten worse through the years as population has exploded. I can remember growing up in Albuquerque, when you could step outside at night and actually see with the naked eye the Milky Way. Now you can find a trace of it in the city, using binoculars.

It's not just nostalgia either, but a yearning, an awareness of the grandeur and vastness of creation.

So, today's watercolor card---postponed by two days because of winter's ice storm, as we've fretted the sounds of tree limbs cracking and collapsing around us. At  least the sun came out today, so tonight, at least I'll be able to see a few stars.