Moments of Surprise...Over and Over

I scared the turkeys away this morning when I stepped onto the back porch.  I watched and listened to them fade away into the hill.  I, also, caught a lengthy glimpse of a beautiful woodpecker on a tree.  It changed its course before my daughter could see it for herself, but we discussed its visit.  If it is not a moment with the turkeys or woodpeckers, it's a moment with the deer or owl or bear or hummingbirds.

For some reason, moments such as these continue to surprise me.  Even after four years of living on a secluded mountain, I somehow have these experiences over and over, as if for the very first time.  I guess this is the undeniable city girl in me.

When we moved to Glenville, I didn't have any concept of darkness.  I had always lived in places where street lights illumined the night.  To be honest, I know now that I had never really seen stars and certainly not a shooting star streaming across the nighttime.

Every time there is a full moon, as there has been lately, like clockwork I ask my husband the same question, "Did you see the full moon?"  Really, his response should be, "Of course...  How could I not see it on this dark mountain."  But, he always graciously says, "Yes."  Then without fail, I respond, "Oh, isn't it gorgeous?!"

I deeply appreciate the beauty of the mountains, and I treasure every surprise moment that I experience over and over.  Yet, I still can't deny the city girl in me.