Starry Night

Last night, when The Woman took me for my evening walk. She was feeling thoughtful and reminiscenced about her days in Alaska.

We sat together on a wall, and she pointed out to me the constellations that she could see in the sky. Orion the Hunter. Following Orion was Canis Major, as all good hunters have their good hunting dog. The Big Dipper and the Great Bear, both off to the far northern sky.

She told me that usually every year around this time, a Chinook would come through and warm up darkness of Solstice. This warming spell would often bring new snow. We have a Chinook here in Connecticut. It brought rain and it melted what snow we had.

The Woman told me that Winter is not yet over; it has only just begun. She said that the Queen of Winter, Cassiopeia was ruling the night and while Orion is hunting, she governs the night until Spring finally arrives. Because the Queen was out, there will be more snow, more ice, and more cold weather. It is not until the Queen leaves the night sky that Spring will come.

When I look at all the stars, it makes me wonder. At night, when my ancestors slept on the farms in Japan, how many stars did they see? The Woman tells me that in Alaska, there are so many stars, it is often hard to tell them apart. She added that at night, you can see the Milky Way stream across the dark sky while here, people will only see it as a chocolate bar.

She said that she would tell me about Auroras on another day.

I wonder what that is like. So many stars. Too many to count. It's like a bowl of kibble that never empties.



I Am Shiba. I Am A Stargazer.