I was sound asleep until the the dog stood at the foot of the bed. I know his habit patterns, so I kept my eyes shut and did not move. Slowly, he stepped toward me. Before he had a chance to ‘slurp’ me face, I opened my eyes and said, “OK, you have to go to the bathroom.” He knows the tone of my voice, so he was already on his way to the door while I staggered through the house trying to wake up enough to function. Outside he took his liberty and I glanced to the East. It was just before 5 am. Dawn’s early light was just beginning to show but above it and through the morning mist were Venus, Jupiter, and the Pleiades–all lined up just as pretty as you please.
With some effort to get fully conscious, I grabbed a sketch pad to do a “quickie” from the vantage point on the West side of our little plastic observing dome.
All the while, I was thinking about the precious time before dawn when the air is usually still, the skies most often clear, and the heavens are just beginning to fade. Dawn is mentioned in the scripture often, but we often forget the hand of God to make it so perfect from a priviledged planet. It was a good morning to give thanks.
I’ve muttered recriminations against the cat at times for waking me to let him out in the middle of the night and then marveled at the stars. God is good.
Yes, it’s those funny times where some unforseen circumstance gets me in front of the skies. This little dog has been “responsible” for several observations that were not originally scheduled.