• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Awe

October 21, 2009 by Jeanne

This morning I crept outside at 5:30 a.m. and sat on the front porch steps, my gaze resting near the top of the pines between the constellation of Orion to my left and the Pleides to my right. I was rewarded quickly. Light burst from the heavens – intertwining zigzags of light as not one, but two shooting stars bust into brightness just below Sirius, the dog star.

I was up to catch the Orionid Meteor Shower. I’ve seen a shooting star or two but never like this. The sky was crystal clear with no moon. The stars and constellations were bright and crystalline. Within an hour, I saw seven meteors total – two so bright they lit the sky like fireworks, arcing down to the ground. The first one that zigzagged was the oddest one. The other four were tiny streaks and blurs of brightness. One actually shot upwards. I know that I was just seeing a streak of light as the Earth passed through the comet’s debris trail, and it just happened to be the angle of viewing, but it was amazing just the same.

According to NASA’s website, the Orionids come every October. They’re the debris from Halley’s comet that passed our way in 1986.

Sitting with my eyes raised to heaven in the predawn cold, with Shadow’s warm furry body pressed to my side and a cup of steaming coffee in my hands, I felt what only could be described as tremendous awe…awe looking up into the pre dawn sky, as meteors streaked through the atmosphere at 90,000 miles an hour.

Where had they been? Where have they come from? How old were they? If they could see, what had they seen, and what stories could they tell?

I know the meaning of the word “awe” now.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « Over 400 Spring Bulbs to Plant
Next Post: Will the Boss Let Me Take Time Off? »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

a watering can next to a seed tray on a sidewalk

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

butternut squash growing in a raised garden bed

How to Grow Butternut Squash Organically

Learning how to grow butternut squash organically ensures you know how to grow this tasty, nutritious vegetable in your home garden. I’ll share with you some basic information on growing butternut squash, followed by some organic gardening tips that have been helpful for me here at Seven Oaks Farm in dealing with the various pests…

Read More

herbs in a pink dish

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea

Make the perfect cup of herbal tea, right from your own garden! In May, I gave two free talks on how to grow, harvest, dry, and create your very own herbal teas. This lecture proved so popular that I recorded the narration and uploaded it to YouTube. You can view it below: Supplies to Make…

Read More

tent caterpillars on a pear tree

How to Get Rid of Tent Caterpillars

I spent last Saturday morning getting rid of Eastern tent caterpillars from the apple and pear trees in the orchard here on the farm. Malacosoma americanum, the Eastern tent caterpillar, is a regular visitor each spring. We first spot the shimmery webs on a clear spring day. The small ‘tents’ built by the caterpillars quickly…

Read More

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

Raised bed vegetable garden soil soil needs to be replenished periodically. If you’ve done your job right and selected great soil, and amended it with nice compost, you’re going to have super garden soil for the first few years. Because you don’t walk on a raised bed garden the way that you do with typical…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme