The Hunter’s Moon rose on October 24 and I was fortunate to see it rising over Lake Michigan. Moon rises always provide a much-needed perspective. I got to the lake about 6:45 and the moon was already above the horizon. When I go home from work I dressed for cold – kept on my tights, added jeans, cashmere, under armor, and a mustard colored 90s down coat, headband and gloves. I knew the breeze off the lake would be cold. I also, brought beer and scotch. Threw in some beach chairs. My friends had arrived to see the moon begin its journey so by the time I got there they were all leaving, due to that cold breeze. I ended up drinking a beer by myself sitting on the dock staring straight at the moon. Loved everything about it – the sound of the waves and the fact I could barely hear the planes, the smell of the lake, the light, the cold (since I had dressed for it), the solitude (though if my friends were still there that would have been a fine alternative), my memories of other moon rise and the sense of celestial time. When I returned home I could visit the moon from my back porch. To top off the event I sipped a wee bit of that scotch before I put that bottle away, like an old lady in a stone house in the Outer Hebrides. I checked for the date of the next full moon- the Full Beaver Moon is November 23, Thanksgiving night.
That night a friend wrote, “I love that we’re just a hop and a skip down the road from these opportunities to connect to the universe.” Tonight, as I check out the moon as it rises behind the cottonwood tree I am reminded of this piece I finished a few months ago.