Shooting Stars

If the sky is clear tonight, the meteor shower known as the Leonids will be visible. I won’t be able to see them but I’ve seen the shower known as the Delta Aquarids which is visible during July 15th to August 15th, and the shower, Perseids which is seen from July 25th to August 18th.

Shortly after the war when Mom and Dad owned the Sky Ranch on King’s Mountain in California, the family, with the exception of my sister who lived with her husband in New York, lived at the Sky Ranch. My husband and I with our baby son lived in a small cabin on the grounds and a sister and her husband and baby daughter lived in another small building we called the ‘Chuck Wagon. Mom and Dad with my younger brothers lived in the main building.

At the end of the day, we usually gathered at Mom and Dad’s to share our day’s experiences. In the winter time we sat around the huge fireplace, but on summer nights we generally sat outdoors until bed time, enjoying the wonderful fragrance of the trees and the soft mountain air.

The meteor shower usually took us by surprise. One of us would spot a shooting star and make a wish. As they began streaking across the sky, we were filled with wonderment at the display. The night sky would be filled with glowing meteors that continued to delight us for several hours before the stunning display would dwindle to only a few. The showers created evenings of magic for us, and we made secret wishes. During the nights of the annual showers, the beauty was repeated each night. The sight of so many flaming meteors in the sky at the same time was always a thrill.