I felt the movement before I heard it. It came from beneath our bed. Our dogs, Buster and Chelsea, were stirring from their usual sleeping spot underneath our four-posted king size bed. They both crawled out and began walking around the bed. That meant only one thing, they needed to go out and use the facilities. I glanced over at the mound of my slumbering husband who was snoring gently. Beyond him the bedside clock read 2:17am. One of the dogs whined faintly. "Alright," I thought, "the sooner I take them out, then sooner I can return to the warm haven of my bed." I gently slid from the bed and quickly threw on some sweats.
At the time, my husband, two young sons and I had just relocated and were living in a two story rental house in Coupeville, Washington. I'm not sure what time of year it was but it was cold and there was snow on the ground so I'm guessing early January 2002. We were still reeling from the events of of September 11, 2001. What happened that night soothed me and brought perspective back to my world.
The dogs and I padded down the darkened carpeted hallway, made a right turn, and descended the stairs to the main floor of the house. From there, we made our way through the kitchen to the door leading to the backyard. The cold hit me as soon as I opened the door, sharp and crisp. The dogs shuffled out and began sniffing about searching for the perfect spot to relieve themselves. I stood on the deck just outside the door watching their dark shapes move among the shadows. I glanced up and was immediately struck by the vastness of the night sky. There are few lampposts in Coupeville so the night sky is wonderfully dark. Thousands of stars were sprinkled among the inky darkness, occasionally winking. That, by itself, was a sight to behold until I saw the first shooting star: a bright pin prick of light streaking across the dark expanse. Then a few moments later another one catapulted from left to right. From that time on, the stars flitted back and forth every 20 seconds or so.
I was transfixed. Time, the dogs, and the cold, they all melted away as I stood there watching the heavens put on a first-class, silent fireworks show. Eventually, the luminous projectiles slowed their pace and I felt a cold, wet nose bump my hand. I looked down to see the furry faces of Buster and Chelsea. I took one last glance at the sparkling night sky before turning and herding the dogs back inside. I felt insignificant and cheered at the same time.
Happy New Year!
THE FOUR SENTINELS
14x11 inches, oil on linen canvas, 2018
BUY THIS PAINTING AT AUCTION Click on this link to bid: https://ebay.to/2RbKd4x
The Four Sentinels - auction ends on Sunday, January 13th at 9:00am PST.
Four sentinel poplar trees watch over an aging farmstead in the Skagit Valley in Washington state.
