About a week ago, my 2yo daughter took a bit of a late nap. Knowing this would make bedtime difficult, around PJ time I opted to do something different. It was dusk outside, dark enough to need a flashlight but not dark enough to see stars. I asked her if she would like to go outside. She was bouncing off the walls excited. I put on a bug repellent bracelet around her upper arm, hung a green glowstick around her neck, and the part she was most excited about, handed her a flashlight. We went into the backyard and she was beaming, both figuratively and literally. I had a flashlight of my own and we started exploring the backyard in the dark. We saw tons of moths flying and hovering around us. Some were perched on the tip of grass blades. Bats, or the same bat, flew over our heads probably catching their breakfast. The moon was bright and although no stars shone, two celestial bodies could be seen near the it. We gazed at them, sitting on the deck's stairs. One was very bright, and if the moon was a clock, it was at the 11-o-clock position about a pinky knuckle's length away. It was Jupiter. And at the 9-o-clock position about 4-5 times the distance away shone Saturn. Mr daughter kept on waving to Mr. Moon believing it was just like
Moon from her favorite show Sarah and Duck. We then went to the front yard, but being that it was well lit from the street light and what light was left over from sunset, we didn't stay long before returning to the more exciting backyard. The only thing that would have made the experience more enchanting would be if there were fireflies about, but there were none to be seen. She still chased after moths with her flashlight. We were exploring in total for about an hour and a half before her Mom, with her sister in Mom's arms, beckoned us back in as it was time to get ready for bed. I carried her inside but she was not done, not by a long shot. She was trying to unlock the door, in tears, wanting to go back outside. I persuaded her to calm down and have some ice cream with me. We ate, washed up, changed into PJs, and she was sound asleep before the hour was up. This was probably the peak of her summer short of the day we went to the beach and Minutemen Park.
